January 2013 Awards ::.

An Indian-origin woman, named Krishna Arora is all set

to figure in the prestigious list of people who have received the
Order of Australia Medal (OAM).85-year old Krishna Arora,
who has been running a community service was selected for this
year's awards for her contribution to the Indian community.
Arora, also popularly known as 'Auntieji', runs a hotline tele
service offering cooking tips. She has also been teaching Asian
cooking to Australians for two years at one of the Community
Centre in Western suburb of Victoria. The other Indian-origin
women who had earlier received the honour include Joyce
Westrip (2000), Mala Mehta (2006) and Vettath Rajkumar
(2009).In November last year, iconic Indian cricketer
Sachin Tendulkar was also conferred with the
prestigious award.
Lalji Singh, scientist and Vice-Chancellor of Banaras
Hindu University, has been selected for the prestigious
Dr. Y. Nayudamma Memorial Award for 2012 for his
outstanding contribution to life sciences, particularly in
establishing DNA fingerprinting as a tool of both fundamental
research and crime detection, and for trying to unravel the puzzle
of human evolution in relation to the Andaman-Nicobar tribes.Dr.
Y. Nayudamma Memorial Trust Founder P. Vishnu Murthy stated
in a press release that the award would be presented by Assembly
Speaker Nadendla Manohar at a function to be held in Tenali, A.P
on February 16. On the occasion, Dr. Lalji Singh would deliver the
21st Dr. Y. Nayudamma Memorial Lecture on the theme Mystery
of Our Origins.He joins the galaxy of awardees such as Rajendra
Pawar, V. Shanta, V.K. Saraswat, T. Ramasami, A. Sivathanu
Pillai, Nori Dattatreyudu, Sam Pitroda, G. Madhavan Nair, Kota
Harinarayana, V. K. Aatre, R. Chidambaram, R.A. Mashelkar, J. S.
Bajaj, K. Kasturi Rangan, Verghese Kurien, S.Z. Qasim, M.G.K.
Menon and M. S. Swaminathan, to mention a few.He was earlier
Director of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB),
Hyderabad. The award was instituted in 1986 to honour persons
who made significant contributions to the development of science
and technology, in commemoration of the distinguished scientist
and renowned leather technologist Dr. Nayudamma.
U.S President Barack Obama on 2 February presented
the prestigious National Medal of Technology and
Innovation to eminent Indian American Rangaswamy
Srinivasan for his groundbreaking work with laser.
Rangaswamy received the award along with Samuel Blum and
James Wynne, for the pioneering discovery of excimer laser
ablative photodecomposition of human and animal tissue, laying
the foundation for PRK and LASIK laser refractive surgical
techniques that have revolutionised vision enhancement. At a
glittering function held on 2 February at the White House, Obama
presented National Medal of Science to 12 eminent scientists
while 10 extraordinary inventors received 2011National Medal
of Technology and Innovation, the highest honors
bestowed by the United States Government upon
scientists, engineers, and inventors. Established by statute
in 1980, the National Medal of Technology and Innovation was
first awarded in 1985 and is administered for the White House by
the US Department of Commerce Patent and Trademark Office. In
1981, Srinivasan discovered that an ultraviolet excimer laser could
etch living tissue in a precise manner with no thermal damage to
the surrounding area. He named the phenomenon Ablative
Photodecomposition (APD), which later revolutionized eye
surgery. Inducted into the US Inventor Hall of Fame in 2002,
Srinivasan has spent 30 years at IBMs T J Watson Research
Center. He received both bachelors and masters degrees in science
from the University of Madras, in 1949 and 1950. He earned
doctorate in physical chemistry at the University of Southern
California in 1956. He currently holds 21 US patents.
The Visakhapatnam district of A.P. has bagged the
prestigious award in recognition of effective and
successful implementation of Mahatma Gandhi National
Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme
(MGNREGS).Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh gave the
award to District Collector V Seshadri at a function held in Krishi
Bhavan in New Delhi on 3 february. Various awards were given in
seven categories to different States andVisakhapatnam has
been selected from Andhra Pradesh in the area of
MGNREGS. The scheme is aimed at providing work for 100 days
to agriculture workers. One Ramanamma, a Dalit woman from
Ramachandrapalem village of Kotavuratla mandal, who had
completed 100 days of work, was one among three Dalits who had
aired their opinion about this welfare programme. Union Minister
Jairam Ramesh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi were present
at the function.
A Taiwanese tycoon with business interests in mainland China
said on 29 January, he is funding what local media call Asia's
Nobel Prizes for outstanding achievements in natural and social
sciences. Ruentex Group head Samuel Yin announced the
establishment of the Tang Prize Foundation with an
initial endowment of $103 million. The 618-907 AD Tang
Dynasty is revered by Chinese for its cultural and scientific
achievements. The prizes will be awarded every other year to
international leaders in biopharmaceutical science, sustainable
development, the study of China and the rule of law. Yin said he
decided on those fields because the 118-year-old Nobels do not
cover them, and they have intrinsic importance for humanity. The
prizes will be awarded starting next year. Winners will receive $1.7
million, compared to $1.2 million that comes with a Nobel Prize.
The Tang Prize winners will be nominated and screened by special
committees set up by the Academia Sinica, Taiwan's most
prestigious research organization.
Senior Indian diplomat D. Bala Venkatesh Varma, a key
member of the negotiating team that saw the Indo-U.S. nuclear
deal through from the first agreement of July 2005 down to the
Additional Protocol in 2010, was given the first S.K. Singh
award for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen India's
position in the global nuclear order by UPA chairperson and
Congress president Sonia Gandhi at a high-profile function held in
New Delhi on 4 January. The award for excellence in the
Indian Foreign Service is named after the former foreign
secretary and Governor, Shailendra Kumar Singh, a
diplomat widely respected within the IFS community for his
acumen, professionalism and leadership. Mr. Varma was
selected as the first recipient of the prestigious award by
a top-drawer jury consisting of Vice President Hamid Ansari,
National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon, Foreign Secretary
Ranjan Mathai, Ms Gandhi and Congress M.P. Rahul Gandhi.
58th Idea Filmfare Awards were given away on 20 January
2013 at YRF Studio, Andheri. At the 58th Idea Filmfare Awards,
Barfi!, the much-acclaimed film grabbed seven awards while,
Kahaani bagged five awards. The award for the Best Actor was
given to Ranbir Kapoor for his deaf-mute performance in
Barfi! Vidya Balan, on the other hand was adjudged as the Best
Actress for Kahaani. Barfi!was awarded with the Best
Film award, while Kahaanis director Sujoy Ghoshwon the
Black Lady for the Best Director. The lifetime achievement
awardwas given away to Yash Chopra posthumously. Yash
Chopras wife Pamela collected this award on his behalf.
The other awards are-
o Critics Award for Best Actor: Irrfan Khan for Paan Singh
Tomar (Director: Tigmanshu Dhulia)
o Critics Award for Best Film: Gangs of Wasseypur (Director:
Anurag Singh Kashyap )
o Critics Award for Best Actor (Female): Richa Chadda for
Gangs of Wasseypur
o Best Lyricist: Gulzar for Challa (Jab Tak Hai Jaan: Director
Yash Chopra)
o Best Music Director: Pritam for Barfi!
o Best Background Score: Pritam for Barfi!
o Best Production Design: Rajat Podar for Barfi!
o Best Playback (Female): Shalmali Kholgade for the song
Pareshaan
o Best Playback (Male): Ayushmann Khurrana for the song
Pani da Rang
o Lifetime Achievement Award -Yash Chopra
o Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Female): Anushka Sharma
(Jab Tak Hai Jaan)
o Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Male): Annu Kapoor
(Vicky Donor)

Charles Wright, professor emeritus of the English departments
Creative writing programme in the University of Virginias college
of Arts and Sciences, has won the 2013 Bollingen Prize for
American Poetry. Wright taught at U.Va. for almost 30 years,
retiring in 2011, and is one of Americas most celebrated poets.
The Bollingen Prize in American Poetry is among the most
prestigious prizes given to American writers. Established by Paul
Mellon in 1949, it is awarded biennially by the Yale University
Library to an American poet for the best book published during
the previous two years or for lifetime achievement in poetry. The
prize includes a cash award of $150,000.The judges awarded
Wright the Bollingen Prize for his 2011 book, Bye-and-Bye:
Selected Late Poems, describing it as an extended meditation in
which we sense splinters of the divine in the phenomena and
cyclic changes of the natural world, and in the elusive reaches of
memory, myth, and history.
President has approved the conferment of 108 Padma
Awards. These comprise 4 Padma Vibhushan, 24 Padma
Bhushan and 80 Padma Shri Awards. 24 of the awardees are
women and the list also includes 11 persons in the category of
Foreigners, NRIs, PIOs and Posthumous awardees. Padma
Awards, the countrys highest civilian awards, are conferred in
three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and
Padma Shri. The awards are announced on Republic Day every
year. The awards are conferred by the President of India at a
function held at Rashtrapati Bhawan sometime around March/
April.

Padma Vibhushan
Sl No. Name Discipline State/ Domicile
1. Shri Raghunath Mohapatra Art Orissa
2. Shri S. Haider Raza Art Delhi
3. Prof. Yash Pal Science and Engineering Uttar Pradesh
4. Prof. Roddam Narasimha Science and Engineering Karnataka

Padma Bhushan
Sl
No.
Name Discipline
State/
Domicile
1. Dr. Ramanaidu Daggubati Art
Andhra
Pradesh
2. Smt. Sreeramamurthy Janaki Art Tamil Nadu
3. Dr. (Smt.) Kanak Rele Art Maharashtra
4. Smt. Sharmila Tagore Art Delhi
5. Dr. (Smt.) Saroja Vaidyanathan Art Delhi
6. Shri Abdul Rashid Khan Art West Bengal
7. Late Rajesh Khanna Art Maharashtra
8. Late Jaspal Singh Bhatti Art Punjab
9. Shri Shivajirao Girdhar Patil Public Affairs Maharashtra
10. Dr. Apathukatha Sivathanu Pillai
Science and
Engineering
Delhi
11. Dr. Vijay Kumar Saraswat
Science and
Engineering
Delhi
12. Dr. Ashoke Sen
Science and
Engineering
Uttar Pradesh
13. Dr. B.N. Suresh
Science and
Engineering
Karnataka
14. Prof. Satya N. Atluri
Science and
Engineering
USA
15. Prof. Jogesh Chandra Pati
Science and
Engineering
USA
16. Shri Ramamurthy Thyagarajan Trade and Industry Tamil Nadu
17. Shri Adi Burjor Godrej Trade and Industry Maharashtra
18. Dr. Nandkishore Shamrao Laud Medicine Maharashtra
19. Shri Mangesh Padgaonkar
Literature &
Education
Maharashtra
20. Prof. Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak
Literature &
Education
USA
21. Shri Hemendra Singh Panwar Civil Service
Madhya
Pradesh
22. Dr. Maharaj Kishan Bhan Civil Service Delhi
23. Shri Rahul Dravid Sports Karnataka
24.
Ms. H. Mangte Chungneijang
Mary Kom
Sports Manipur

Padma Shri
SlNo. Name Discipline State/ Domicile
1. Shri Gajam Anjaiah Art Andhra Pradesh
2.
Swami G.C.D. Bharti alias Bharati
Bandhu
Art Chhattisgarh
3. Ms. B. Jayashree Art Karnataka
4. Smt. Sridevi Kapoor Art Maharashtra
5. Shri Kailash Chandra Meher Art Orissa
6. Shri Brahmdeo Ram Pandit Art Maharashtra
7.
Shri Vishwanath Dinkar Patekar
alias Nana Patekar
Art Maharashtra
8.
Shri Rekandar Nageswara Rao alias
Surabhi Babji
Art Andhra Pradesh
9. Shri Lakshmi Narayana Sathiraju Art Tamil Nadu
10. Smt. Jaymala Shiledar Art Maharashtra
11. Shri Suresh Dattatray Talwalkar Art Maharashtra
12. Shri P. Madhavan Nair alias Madhu Art Kerala
13. Shri Apurba Kishore Bir Art Maharashtra
14. Shri Ghanakanta Bora Borbayan Art Assam
15. Smt. Hilda Mit Lepcha Art Sikkim
16. Smt. Sudha Malhotra Art Maharashtra
17. Shri Ghulam Mohammad Saznawaz Art
Jammu and
Kashmir
18. Shri Ramesh Gopaldas Sippy Art Maharashtra
19. Ms. Mahrukh Tarapor Art Maharashtra
20. Shri Balwant Thakur Art
Jammu &
Kashmir
21. Shri Puran Das Baul Art West Bengal
22. Shri Rajendra Tikku Art
Jammu &
Kashmir
23. Shri Pablo Bartholomew Art Delhi
24. Shri S. Shakir Ali Art Rajasthan
25. Sh. S.K.M Maeilanandhan Social Work Tamil Nadu
26. Ms. Nileema Mishra Social Work Maharashtra
27. Ms. Reema Nanavati Social Work Gujarat
28. Ms. Jharna Dhara Chowdhury Social Work Bangladesh
29. Late Dr. Ram Krishan Social Work Uttar Pradesh
30. Late Manju Bharat Ram Social Work Delhi
31. Prof. Mustansir Barma
Science and
Engineering
Maharashtra
32. Shri Avinash Chander
Science and
Engineering
Delhi
33. Prof. Sanjay Govind Dhande
Science and
Engineering
Uttar Pradesh
34. Prof. (Dr.) Sankar Kumar Pal
Science and
Engineering
West Bengal
35. Prof. Deepak B. Phatak
Science and
Engineering
Maharashtra
36. Dr. Mudundi Ramakrishna Raju
Science and
Engineering
Andhra Pradesh
37. Prof. Ajay K. Sood
Science and
Engineering
Karnataka
38. Prof. Krishnaswamy Vijayraghavan
Science and
Engineering
Karnataka
39. Dr. Manindra Agrawal
Science and
Engineering
Uttar Pradesh
40. Dr. Jayaraman Gowrishankar
Science and
Engineering
Andhra Pradesh
41. Prof. Sharad Pandurang Kale
Science and
Engineering
Maharashtra
42. Smt. Vandana Luthra Trade and Industry Delhi
43. Ms. Rajshree Pathy Trade and Industry Tamil Nadu
44. Shri Hemendra Prasad Barooah Trade and Industry Assam
45. Shri Milind Kamble Trade and Industry Maharashtra
46. Ms. Kalpana Saroj Trade and Industry Maharashtra
47. Dr. Sudarshan K. Aggarwal Medicine Delhi
48.
Dr. C. Venkata S. Ram alias Chitta
Venkata Sundara Ram
Medicine Andhra Pradesh
49. Dr. Rajendra Achyut Badwe Medicine Maharashtra
50. Dr. Taraprasad Das Medicine Orissa
51. Prof. (Dr.) T.V. Devarajan Medicine Tamil Nadu
52. Prof. (Dr.) Saroj Chooramani Gopal Medicine Uttar Pradesh
53. Dr. Pramod Kumar Julka Medicine Delhi
54. Dr. Gulshan Rai Khatri Medicine Delhi
55. Dr. Ganesh Kumar Mani Medicine Delhi
56. Dr. Amit Prabhakar Maydeo Medicine Maharashtra
57. Dr. Sundaram Natarajan Medicine Maharashtra
58. Prof. Krishna Chandra Chunekar Medicine Uttar Pradesh
59. Dr. Vishwa Kumar Gupta Medicine Delhi
60.
Prof. (Capt.) Dr. Mohammad Sharaf-
e-Alam
Literature &
Education
Bihar
61. Dr. Radhika Herzberger
Literature &
Education
Andhra Pradesh
62. Shri J. Malsawma
Literature &
Education
Mizoram
63. Shri Devendra Patel
Literature &
Education
Gujarat
64. Dr. Rama Kant Shukla
Literature &
Education
Delhi
65. Prof. Akhtarul Wasey
Literature &
Education
Delhi
66. Prof. Anvita Abbi
Literature &
Education
Delhi
67. Shri Nida Fazli
Literature &
Education
Madhya Pradesh
68. Shri Surender Kumar Sharma
Literature &
Education
Delhi
69. Dr. Jagdish Prasad Singh
Literature &
Education
Bihar
70.
Late Shaukat Riaz Kapoor Alias
Salik Lakhnawi
Literature &
Education
West Bengal
71. Prof. Noboru Karashima
Literature &
Education
Japan
72. Shri Christopher Pinney
Literature &
Education
UK
73. Smt. Premlata Agrawal Sports Jharkhand
74. Shri Yogeshwar Dutt Sports Haryana
75.
Shri Hosanagara Nagarajegowda
Girisha
Sports Karnataka
76. Subedar Major Vijay Kumar Sports
Himachal
Pradesh
77. Shri Ngangom Dingko Singh Sports Maharashtra
78. Naib Subedar Bajrang Lal Takhar Sports Rajasthan
79. Ms. Ritu Kumar Fashion Designing Delhi
80. Dr. Ravindra Singh Bisht Archaeology Uttar Pradesh

Major Abup J Manjali of the Rashtriya Rifles has been
awarded the Kirti Chakra on this Republic Day for the
exhibition of exceptional valor in counter- terrorist operations in
Jammu and Kashmir. Manjali is the only soldier to be awarded
the second- highest peacetime gallantry award Kirti Chakra on
this Republic Day. Major Abup J Manjali of the Rashtriya Rifles
was selected for the award of Kirti Chakra for his extraordinary
bravery efforts in counter- terrorist operations in Jammu and
Kashmir. Major Manjali will be awarded on 26 January 2013.
Shaurya Chakra, on the other hand, is being given away to Major
Sandeep Kumar of 13 Sikh Regiment for his bravery act in
Northeast area.
Noted Indian scientist Dr CNR Rao has been conferred
with China's top science award for his important
contributions in boosting China-India scientific
cooperation. Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) on 24
January, gave its 2012 Award for International Scientific
Cooperation to three scientists from India, Germany, and Russia.
Rao, 79, founder of Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced
Scientific Research ( JNCASR), Bangalore, shared the 2012 award
with Herbert Jaeckle of Germany's Max Planck Society and
Russian space physicist GA Zherebtsov. The awards are given
every year by the CAS, which is China's top academic and research
institution for natural sciences. It has so far honoured 17
international scientists for their contributions in China-foreign
research cooperation, since the prize was instituted in 2007.Rao
has won various prestigious awards. He is currently the head
of the scientific advisory council to the Indian Prime
Minister.
The Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on 15 January,
presented the lifetime achievement awards for the
scientists in the field of Atomic energy to R.B. Grover,
who played a key role in negotiating the Indo-U.S. nuclear
deal, K. Balaramamoorthy, who developed non-destructive
testing techniques, mathematician R.
Balasubramanian, and S.K. Sikka, a key player in the nuclear
tests of 1974 and 1998. Presenting the lifetime achievement
awards of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) to four of its
veteran scientists at a brief ceremony at his residence, Dr. Singh
noted that the Department worked in one of the most complex,
sophisticated and challenging areas of science, technology and
engineering. He appreciated its scientists for working with
unfailing commitment, dedication and skill, despite decades of
facing international technology denial regimes. He urged the DAE
to ensure that it continued to attract the best scientific minds
among the younger generations and expressed hope that its
scientists would continue to be guided by the basic goal of
directing scientific activities to bring about an improvement in
peoples quality of life .Dr. Singh paid special tributes to nuclear
scientist and Principal Scientific Advisor to the government, R.
Chidamabaram for guiding Indias atomic energy programme
with such great distinction and said his [Dr. Chidambarams] life
and work were a source of inspiration for all scientists and
technologies in the country.
President Pranab Mukherjee on 15 January, presented
Krishi Karman Awards to eight States for their achievements
in food grains production in 2011-12. Ten States were given
commendation awards. Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Manipur
and Nagaland received the awards for special contribution to total
food grains production. Bihar received the award for contribution
to production and productivity of rice, Haryana for wheat,
Jharkhand for pulses and Uttar Pradesh for coarse cereals.
Punjab, Uttarakhand, Assam, West Bengal, Tripura, Rajasthan,
Gujarat, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Himachal Pradesh
received commendation awards. The awards were received by
Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Manipur and
Agriculture Ministers/ Agriculture Secretaries of other States. For
the first time one female and one male farmer from the eight
award winning States were also given awards for their outstanding
performance. Krishi Karman Awards were instituted in 2010-11
for recognizing the meritorious efforts of States in food grain
production. The awards are given to best performing States in two
broad sets, one for the total food grain production and the other
for individual food grain crops of rice, wheat, pulses and coarse
cereals. States for total food grains category are further divided
into three categories based on total food grain production capacity
of the State.
London-based Indian researcher Mahaveer Golechha
has been selected for a prestigious award for his work on
a drug to cure Alzheimers. The 27-year-old will be travelling
in the month of February to San Francisco to receive the
Alzheimers Drug Discovery Foundations Young Investigator
Scholarship Award at the 7th Annual Drug Discovery for
Neurodegeneration Conference .He has been recognised for his
outstanding research on naringin, a bioflavonoid found in grape
fruits and citrus fruits. In his study, he found that naringin
possesses significant anti-Alzheimer activity and will form the
basis of further research to develop as a cure for the degenerative
disease related to old age, which worsens as its progresses and
eventually leads to death. Alzheimers is a common form of
dementia afflicting millions around the world and has no known
cure at present. It is estimated that by 2025 at least 34 million
people worldwide will be affected by the disease. Mahaveer is
currently pursuing a Masters in Health Policy, Planning and
Financing at the London School of Economics (LSE) and was
recently elected director of external relations of the LSE Students
Union India Society.
Golden Globe Awards 2013: Argo Won Best Picture and
Best Director Awards.
In the prestigious Golden Globe Awards 2013, the hostage-
crisis movie Argothrashed Lincoln to bag best picture as well as
best director awards on 13 January 2013. Les Miserables, on
the other hand won the awards in best musical or comedy
category with the actors Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman
winning one trophy each. The award-winning movie Argo is
actually inspired by 1979 crisis US diplomats in Iran. In the
category of Best Drama, other nominees were Django Unchained,
Zero Dark Thirty as well as Life of Pi. Lincoln which was
leading the race with a total of seven nominations took away just
the trophy of best actor which was awarded to Daniel Day-Lewis
for his role as the 16 President of US. However, the film might
have better opportunities at Oscars where it is running first with
12 nominations. The Golden Globe Awards 2013 also did not
stand with Life of Pi and the film only took home a single award,
the best original score by Mychael Danna.
List of Golden Globe Awards 2013 Winners:
o Best Motion Picture-Drama: Argo
o Best Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy: Les Miserables
o Best performance by an actor in a motion picture Drama:
Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)
o Best performance by an actress in a motion picture
Drama: Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty)
o Best performance by an actor in a motion picture- Musical
or Comedy: Hugh Jackman (Les Misrables)
o Best performance by an actress in a motion picture- Musical
or Comedy: Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook)
o Best Director: Ben Affleck (Argo)
o Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz
o Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway
o Best Television Series (Drama): Homeland
o Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series
(Drama): Claire Danes (Homeland)
o Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series
(Drama): Damian Lewis (Homeland)
o Best Screenplay: Adele - 'Skyfall' (Skyfall)
o Best Television Series (Comedy or Musical): Girls
o Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series
(Comedy or Musical): Lena Dunham (Girls)
o Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series
(Comedy or Musical): Don Cheadle (House of Lies)
o Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television:
Game Change
o Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-series or Motion
Picture Made for Television: Julianne Moore (Game
Change)
o Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion
Picture Made for Television: Kevin Costner (Hatfields &
McCoys)
o Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a
Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television:
Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey)
o Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a
Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television:
Ed Harris (Game Change)
o Best Original Score: Life of Pi
o Best Animated Feature Film: Brave
The other winners at the Golden Globe Awards 2013
were as follows:
o Best Foreign Language Film: Amour (Austria, Les Films Du
Losange, X Filme Creative Pool, Wega Film; Sony Pictures
Classics)
o Best Animated Feature Film: Brave
o Best Original Song: Skyfall, Adele from Skyfall
o Best Original Score: Mychael Danna, Life of Pi
Malala Yousafzai, 15, the schoolgirl from Pakistan shot by
Taliban for campaigning girls education, on 9 January
2013 received France's Simone de Beauvoir Prize for
Women's Freedom in Paris. Malalas father Ziaudin Yousafzai
received the honour on her behalf. The award is accompanied with
2.5 million Rupees honorarium. In the first week of January 2013,
Malala Yousafzai got released from the British hospital. She is
waiting for the reconstructive surgery to be performed on the
skull. Malala was shot by the Taliban in her head after her school
bus drove through Mingora town of Swat Valley of Pakistan.
Renault Duster was awarded the Car of the Year Award
2013 by the automotive magazine Autocar India at the annual
awards night on 9 January 2013 in Mumbai. Autocar India gave
away 22 awards in all, in the two-wheeler as well as four-wheeler
segment. Renault Duster grabbed three awards in all and
these were SUV of the year 2013 viewers choice car of
the year 2013 and overall Autocar car of the year 2013. In
the meanwhile, Mahindra and Mahindra were awarded
with the Manufacturer of the Year Award 2013and Bajaj
KTM 200 Duke bagged the Autocar Bike of the Year 2013 and
viewers choice Bike of the Year 2013.
Irelands prestigious Tipperary International Peace
Prize for 2012 was awarded on 3 January 2013 to Malala
Yousafzai the teenage schoolgirl from Pakistan, who was shot by
Talibans Gunman in October 2012.Malala, would be conferred
with the award for her bravery, courage and determination to
speak and support the cause of access to equal education for every
child. With this award, Malala became the second Pakistani
National to win the award. Before this, Lt. Benazir Bhutto
was awarded with the same award in 2007. Malala was one
among the five nominees, which included Sonia Gandhi, the
Indian National Congress Party President and Hillary Clinton, the
U.S. Secretary of State.
Well-known filmmaker Shyam Benegal has been chosen
for the 8th annual Akkineni Nageswara Rao (ANR)
national award by the ANR International foundation on 3
January at Hyderabad. The award carries a prize of Rs 5 lakh.
Hemamalini, K Balachander, Lata Mangeshkar, Vyjayantimala
Bali, Anjali Devi, Shabana Azmi and Dev Anand among others
were recipients of this award earlier.
Professor Joseph Stiglitz , Noble Laureate in Economics
received the degree of Doctor of Science from Andhra
Pradesh Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan at the University of
Hyderabad on 4 January.
Muthunayagam and Saraswat to be awarded with
Aryabhatta Award by the ASI
The Astronautical Society of India (ASI) in the last week of
December 2012 announced names of former secretary of the
Department of Ocean Development, Dr. A.E. Muthunayagam and
Dr. V.K. Saraswat, Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister for
prestigious Aryabhatta Award for the year 2010 and 2011
respectively. The two have been selected for the achievement in
rocketry. Dr. G. Satheesh Reddy an associate Director of Research
Centre Imarat Hyderabad and P. Kunhikrishnan of the Vikram
Sarabhai Space Centre, Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO), Thiruvananthapuram would receive ASI Awards for
rocket and rocket related technologies for the year 2010 and 2011
respectively.
Scientist Venkatesh Mannar honoured with Order of
Canada Award
Venkatesh Mannar a Channai-born Scientist of Indian Origin and
President, Micronutrient Initiative, Canada was awarded with
Canadas Highest Civilian Award the Order of Canada in the last
week of December 2012. Mannar, a Graduate from Indian
Institute of Technology, Madras and a post graduate in chemical
engineering from Northwestern University, US, was honoured
with the award for his forty years long contribution working
towards reduction of debilitating micronutrient deficiencies
among the worlds most vulnerable.
Dr. P.R. Swarup conferred with EPC World Awards 2012
for Outstanding Contribution to HRD
Dr. P.R. Swarup, Director General, Construction Industry
Development Council (CIDC) has been conferred with the EPC
world Awards 2012 under the category Special Achievement
Awards in the field of Human Resource Development for the
Indian Construction & Infrastructure Industry. The award
ceremony was held on 15th December 2012 at hotel The Ashok,
New Delhi. EPC World Media Group has been presenting the
award for the past three years to recognize the qualitative &
quantitative performance, innovation and strategic initiatives of
the companies, individuals & projects in the field of Infrastructure
& Construction sector in India.
Irelands prestigious Tipperary International Peace
Prize for 2012 awarded to Malala
Irelands prestigious Tipperary International Peace Prize for 2012
was awarded on 3 January 2013 to Malala Yousafzai the teenage
schoolgirl from Pakistan, who was shot by Talibans Gunman in
October 2012. Malala would be conferred with the award for her
bravery, courage and determination to speak and support the
cause of access to equal education for every child. With this
award, Malala became the second Pakistani National to win the
award. Before this, Lt. Benazir Bhutto was awarded with the same
award in 2007. Malala was one among the five nominees, which
included Sonia Gandhi, the Indian National Congress Party
President and Hillary Clinton, the U.S. Secretary of State.








:: February 2013 Awards ::.


Indian scientist Sugata Mitra was awarded the million-
dollar TED Prize on 26 February 2013 for pursuing his
idea for building the schools in the Internet. TED Prize is
actually awarded to the extraordinary people who have creative as
well as bold ideas for global change. Sugata Mitra is a researcher
who started inspiring the children across the world to arouse
curiosity in them. In 1999, Sugata along with his colleagues
installed the Internet-connected computer in New Delhi and left it
with the hidden camera. Eventually, the slum kids started learning
English as well as searched the Internet for various Science and
other topics. Sugata performed these experiments for 13 years,
which eventually earned him 1 million US dollars TED Prize. TED
Prize was first introduced in 2005.
B Surender Mohan, CMD, NLC (Neyveli Lignite
Corporation) was conferred with the CEO with HR
Orientation Award on 17 February 2013 at the World HRD
Congress 2013 in Mumbai. Neyveli Lignite Corporation Limited
is a Navratna Government of India Enterprise. World HRD
Congress is actually the largest meeting of the HR professionals
from the world which brings together global personalities. World
HRD Congress is held annually and the purpose of the meeting is
to honour best CEOs who implement as well as innovate the new
techniques in HR arena. The World HRD Congress 2013 was
held at Hotel Taj Lands End, Mumbai. 170 HR professionals
from USA, South America, India and England participated in this
meeting. B Surender Mohan was chosen for this award by Jury
and Council of Board Members of World HRD Congress 2013.
Information Commissioner of Andhra Pradesh, P. Vijaya
Babu was conferred with Narla-Deveneni puraskaram at
a function held at Guntur on 28 February. With an experience of
over 25 years in main stream journalism, Mr. Vijaya Babu has
been chosen for the puraskaram for his contribution to the field
of journalism. The award was instituted in memory of former
Editor of Andhra Prabha and Andhra Jyothi Narla Venkateswara
Rao and Deveneni Subba Rao. From this year, Annamaya Seva
Samithi has been entrusted with the task of presenting the award.
The previous recipients of the award were Turlapati Kutumba
Rao, Ch. Raghavachari, Harihara Priya, Sankara Narayana and
senior journalist from Tenali B.L Narayana.
Bollywood actor Anupam Kher was honoured by Herb J.
Wesson, Jr, President Los Angeles City Council and Tom Labonge,
Council Member 4th District with a City Proclamation at Los
Angeles City Hall on February 26 in Los Angeles, California.It may
be known that the actors performances in films like Bend It Like
Beckham and went on to do Bride & Prejudice, The Mistress of
Spices, American Blend, Hope and a Little Sugar, Midnights
Children and TV series ER has been appreciated and been an
inspiration for other actors.
Vishwaroop, CEO, NTPC SAIL Power Company (NSPCL)
has been conferred with Exemplary Leader Award by
World HRD Congress Global HR Excellence Awards
held in Mumbai on 25 February. Vishwaroop has been honored
for his contribution to the Power Sector. NTPC SAIL Power
Company (NSPCL) is the joint venture between NTPC Limited
and SAIL for generating power for the steel plants in India.
The 85th Academy Awards (Oscars) ceremony took place
on 24 February 2013. The annual Academy Awards were
presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences (AMPAS). The Oscars 2013 ceremony was held
at Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California. The main
winners of the Oscars 2013 were Life of Pi, with four
awards; Argo with three awards; Les Miserables with
three awards.
Some of the key awards are -

List of the awardees of 85th Academy Awards:
o Best Picture: Argo
o Best Actor in a Leading Role: Daniel Day-Lewis for Lincoln
o Best Actress in a Leading Role: Jennifer Lawrence for Silver
Linings Playbook
o Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Christoph Waltz for
Django Unchained
o Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Anne Hathaway for Les
Misrables
o Best Animated Feature Film: Brave
o Best Cinematography: Claudio Miranda for Life of Pi
o Best Costume Design: Anna Karenina
o Best Directing: Ang Lee for Life of Pi
o Best Documentary Feature: Searching for Sugar Man
o Best Documentary Short: Inocente
o Best Film Editing: William Goldenberg for Argo
o Best Foreign Language Film: Amour (Austria)
o Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Lisa Westcott and Julie
Dartnell for Les Misrables
o Best Music-Original Score: Mychael Danna for Life of Pi
o Best Music-Original Song: Skyfall from Skyfall (Music and
Lyric by Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth)
o Best Production Design: Rick Carter (Production Design);
Jim Erickson (Set Decoration) for Lincoln
o Best Visual Effects: Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron,
Erik-Jan De Boer and Donald R. Elliott for Life of Pi
o Best Writing-Adapted Screenplay: Chris Terrio for Argo
o Best Writing-Original Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino for
Django Unchained
Pandit Ravi Shankar, the sitar legend was honoured with
the posthumous Lifetime Achievement Grammy
award. His daughter sitarist Anoushka Shankar accepted the
award on his behalf on 9 February 2013 ahead of the Grammys
show that took place in Los Angeles on 10 February 2013.
Anoushka Shankar and Norah Jones attended the pre-Grammy
ceremony at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre for accepting the honour
which was given to their deceased father. Pandit Ravi Shankar
died on 11 December 2012 at 92 years of age. Pandit Ravi Shankar
was in the list of seven other artistes named for Lifetime
Achievement Award honourees. The Indian sitar legend also
won best world music album Grammy for the Living
Room Sessions Part 1. Pandit Ravi Shankars daughter
Anoushka Shankar was also nominated in this category for album
Traveller.
The Romanian film Child's Pose has picked up the
coveted Golden Bear prize for best film at the 63rd Berlin
film festival. The film, directed by Calin Peter Netzer, tells the
story of a wealthy mother who uses her connections to try and
stop her son from going to jail. US filmmaker David Gordon Green
won best director at the festival for his comic road movie Prince
Avalanche, while best actress went to Chile's Paulina Garcia for
her role as a Santiago divorcee in Gloria.The biggest surprise at
the Berlin awards ceremony was the best actor prize going to Nazif
Mujic, a Bosnian Roma who had never acted before and had to be
talked into playing himself in a drama based on his real-life
ordeal.
Michael Clarke, the Australian cricket captain won the
fourth Allan Border Medal in Melbourne on 4 February
2013. 31-year old Clarke had won the medal earlier in 2005, 2009
and 2012. Apart from Clarke, the only other player to win this
medal four times is Captain Ricky Ponting. Michael Clarke also
won the Test cricketer of the year award for the second
consecutive time after he scored 1080 runs in nine tests from 25
February 2012 to January 28 2013.Allan Border Medal is a
prestigious award given away in the Australian cricket. It
was first awarded in 2000. The Allan Border Medal is named after
the former captain of Australia, Allan Border.


















:: March 2013 Awards ::.


The Union ministry of social justice and empowerment
for the first time instituted national awards in order to
recognize the efforts and encourage excellence in the
field of prevention of Alcoholism and Drug abuse and
rehabilitation of its victims. The awards shall be conferred on
the awardees in a function to be held in New Delhi on the 26 June
every year, which has been declared as the International Day
against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. The Awards are open to
all Indian Institutions, Organizations including Gram Panchayats
and Individuals without any distinction or discrimination on
grounds of religion, race, sex, caste or creed. Even a former addict,
who has done outstanding work in the field of awareness
generation or de-addiction or rehabilitation will be recognized and
awarded. In the country the problem of drug abuse and the
substance abuse is on the increase and it has been felt that the
victims who are falling prey to this problem are youth in the
country. In some of the states the problem has become very
serious like Punjab, Manipur and some of the other states.
Therefore apart from the government lot of NGOs are involved in
the prevention of drug abuse and alcoholism.
Dr. Prakash Kumar, Principal Scientist, seismology
group, CSIR- National Geophysical Research Institute
was selected for the National Geo-science Award-2011 in
the Applied Geophysics category for his contribution in
seismology and geodynamics. He has published papers on
seismological mapping of Lithospheric-Asthenospheric boundary
using converted waves, a state-of-the-art seismological approach.
He earlier received the CSIR Young Scientist award. Dr.V.
Vijaya Rao, Chief Scientist of controlled seismic studies
group of NGRI received the Lifetime Achievement
Award for his significant research contributions in
geophysics.
Tan Twan Eng on 14 March 2013 was announced as a winner of
the 2012 Man Asian Literary Prize. With this, he became the
first Malaysian author to win the most prestigious literary prize of
Asia. Tan Twan Eng won the 2012 Man Asian Literary Prize for
his novel The Garden of Evening Mists. This is only a
second time that the prize has been given to the novel written
originally in English. The previous winners had won the award as
English translations. The Man Asian Literary Prize laid its
foundation in 2007. The literary award is given annually
to best novel by an Asian writer. The novel can be written in
English or translated into English. It should have been published
in previous year. The winner is given 30000 US Dollars. The
translator, if exists, is given 5000 US Dollars. The submissions for
the best novels are invited by the jury through publishers in any
country.
The Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public
Distribution, Prof. K.V. Thomas on 14 March 2013
announced Rajiv Gandhi National Quality Awardsfor the
year 2011.The Rajiv Gandhi National Quality Awards are
given every year by Bureau of Indian Standards for
encouraging the service as well as manufacturing
organizations so that they strive for excellence. These
awards give recognition to those who are considered as the leaders
of quality movement in the country. The Best of All Award was
given to DAV ACC Senior Secondary Public School, Bilaspur,
Himachal Pradesh for excellence service standards. In a category
called Large Scale Manufacturing Industry, Nokia Siemens
Networks Private Limited, Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu
was given the award for excellence in quality standards.
In the Large Scale Service Industry category, R Systems
International Limited, Noida, and Uttar Pradesh won the award.
In the Small Scale Manufacturing Industry category, the award
was bagged by Technocrat Connectivity Systems (Private)
Limited, Rudrapur, Uttarakhand.
At the 5th CIDC Vishwakarma Award 2013, Tapas Kumar
Lahiry- the chairman-cum-managing director (CMD) of
Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL) and Bharat Cooking
Coal Limited (BCCL) won the Achievement award for
Public Officer on 7 March 2013 in New Delhi. At the function
organized by Construction Industry Development Council (CIDC),
Lahiry received this award. Lahiry is a mining engineer as well as
administrator with leadership qualities. BCCLs turnover is 6952
crore Rupees with a profitability of 1093.69 crore Rupees in 2010-
11. Lahiry has also remained associated with mining industry of
America, China and Australia. CIDC Vishwakarma Awards
are held annually for recognising the achievements as
well as work of the organisations and individuals.
SAARC Literature Award was presented to five writers at
Agra during the two days SAARC Festival of Literature on 10
March 2013. A poet-diplomat from India Abhay K was among
the five writers to be honoured with the prestigious Literature
Award. Other writers to be honoured with this award were
Farheen Chaudhary (Pakistan), Abdul Khaliq Rashid
(Afghanistan), Suman Pokhrel (Nepal) and novelist Daya
Dissanayake (Sri Lanka). The award is annually presented to the
eminent writers of the South Asian region for their contribution in
the promotion of literature through their writings as well as
literary initiatives. The SAARC Literature Festival 2013 focused on
environment, literature and cultural connectivity. The First-Ever
SAARC Writers Conference was organized in April 2000.
The President of India Pranab Mukherjee was conferred
with the Liberation War Honour Award by the President of
Bangladesh Zillur Rahman on 4 March, 2013. The award was
conferred upon him for his contribution to 1971 war.Earlier, this
top most honour of Bangladesh was conferred upon former Indian
Prime Minister Indira Gandhi posthumously in 2011 for
contributing towards creation of Bangladesh.
The Parliamentary Award Committee selected BJP
leader Arun Jaitley, Congress MP Karan Singh and
JD(U) MP Sharad Yadav for Outstanding
Parliamentarian Award for 2010, 2011 and 2012
respectively.
Arun Jaitley and Karan Singh are the members of Rajya Sabha
from Gujarat and Delhi respectively. While Sharad Yadav is a
member of Lok Sabha from Madhepura, Bihar. The Award
Committee which was headed by the Speaker of Lok Sabha, Meira
Kumar recommended these names, which were accepted by
executive committee of the Indian Parliamentary Group on 6
March 2013. Outstanding Parliamentarian Award was instituted
by the Indian Parliamentary Group in 1994.
Public Sector Units (PSUs) like ONGC, SAIL and IOC will be
among the seven state-owned units to be conferred the SCOPE
Meritorious Awards 2011-12 next month. Standing
Conference of Public Enterprises (SCOPE), which is an
apex body of PSUs, on 6 March, announced the names of
awardees of SCOPE Meritorious Awards in specialized fields.
These awards, which are highly prestigious in areas of economy
and other segments like corporate governance, would be
distributed next month, SCOPE Executive Director, U D Choubey
said in a statement. CPSEs, which would be awarded, have been
selected for performing well in various fields like corporate
governance, corporate social responsibility (CSR), environment
and sustainable development, and human resource development
(HRD). Neyveli Lignite Corp Ltd would receive an award
for environmental excellence and sustainable
development, while Indian Oil Corporation would be
awarded for corporate governance. ONGC would be
awarded for doing good job in the area of CSR and SAIL in HRD.
Nirbhaya, the Delhi gang-rape victim, has been
honoured with a US "woman of courage" award
posthumously for "inspiring people to work together to end
violence against women in India and around the world."US first
lady Michelle Obama joined secretary of stateJohn Kerry as he
praised the determination and courage of "a woman known simply
as Nirbhaya - braveheart, fearless" at the State Department
presentation ceremony on 8 March on International Women's
Day.Besides Nirbhaya, eight other women were give the
annual award recognizing women around the globe who
have shown exceptional courage and leadership in
advocating for women's rights and empowerment, often
at great personal risk. They are Malalai Bahaduri, first
sergeant, Afghan National Interdiction Unit ( Afghanistan);
Julieta Castellanos, rector, National Autonomous University of
Honduras (Honduras); Josephine Obiajulu Odumakin, president,
Campaign for Democracy (Nigeria); Elena Milashina, journalist,
human rights activist ( Russia); Fartuun Adan, executive director,
Elman Peace and Human Rights Centre ( Somalia); Tsering
Woeser (Wei Se), Tibetan author, poet, blogger (China); Razan
Zeitunah, human rights lawyer and founder, Local Coordination
Committees ( Syria) and Ta Phong Tan, blogger ( Vietnam).
Indian Ministry of Tourisms new film Find What You
Seek received first prize at the 11th Golden City Gate
Tourism Media Awards Ceremony held inBerlin on 8 March
2013.The Golden City Gate is an international film, print
and media contest for the tourism industry. The Awards
ceremony is held every year at ITB Berlin, the worlds leading
travel trade show. Union Minister for Tourism K Chiranjeevi had
launched the new campaign Find What You Seek,the second
phase of Incredible India Campaign at WTM 2012 in November
2012 along with the new Domestic Campaign Go
Beyond. By launching new campaign, the Ministry of Tourism
has made a paradigm shift by shifting the focus from destinations
and products to consumers (travelers). The new campaign
emphasizes that there is something for every traveler in India and
every traveler can find what he or she is seeking while travelling in
our incredible country. Domestic campaign Go Beyond urges
travelers to travel beyond the obvious, the known destinations to
the lesser known destinations.
The results of the ABP News Best City Awards Survey
were announced at a glittering ceremony on 6 March on New
Delhi. The ABP News-Ipsos Best City Research and Rewards
running for the first time is the only consumer validated survey
and celebrates the best of Indias cities and acts as a benchmark
for excellence. List of winners of the ABP News-IPSOS Best
City Survey and Awards 2013
1. Best City 2013 -Public Transport: Nagpur
2. Best City 2013-Power Availability: Mumbai
3. Best City 2013-Affordable Housing: Madurai
4. Best City 2013-Roads: Delhi
5. Best City 2013-Law & Order: Rajkot
6. Best Tourist Friendly City 2013: Nasik
7. Best Green City 2013: Nagpur
8. Best City for Health Care Services 2013: Nagpur
9. Best City for Primary Education 2013: Delhi
10. Best City-Women Safety 2013: Rajkot
11. Best City-Efficient Traffic Management 2013: Pune
12. Best City-Cleanliness and Sanitation 2013: Rajkot
13. Best City to Live in 2013: Nagpur
As a tribute to the Delhi gang rape victim, the
government on 8 March in New Delhi, bestowed the Rani
Laxmi Bai - Stree Shakti award to 'spirit of Nirbhaya', a
pseudonym given to her. The award, presented on the
International Women's Day by President Pranab
Mukherjee, was received by the mother of the 23-year-old
paramedical student at a function where her father and two
younger brothers were also present. The citation of the award to
the spirit of Nirbhaya said that it was in acknowledgement of the
contribution of thousands of men, women, boys and girls who
turned the dark hour into a momentous cry for justice and
freedom for all women from violence. Mukherjee also lauded the
work of five other winners of the Stree Shakti awards. The
Rani Rudramma Devi award was given to Assamese
social worker Pranita Talukdar, Mata Jijabai award to
artist Sonika Agarwal, Kannagi award to Guramma H
Sankina of Karnataka, Rani Gidinliu Zeliang award to
Keralite social worker Omana T K and Devi Ahilyabai
Holkar award to Olga D'Mello from Maharashtra.
SAARC Literature Award was presented to five writers at
Agra during the two days SAARC Festival of Literature on 10
March 2013. A poet-diplomat from India Abhay K was
among the five writers to be honored with the prestigious
Literature Award. Other writers to be honored with this award
were Farheen Chaudhary (Pakistan), Abdul Khaliq Rashid
(Afghanistan), Suman Pokhrel (Nepal) and novelist Daya
Dissanayake (Sri Lanka). SAARC Literature Awards annually
presented to the eminent writers of the South Asian region for
their contribution in the promotion of literature through their
writings as well as literary initiatives. The SAARC Literature
Festival 2013 focused on environment, literature and cultural
connectivity. The First-Ever SAARC Writers Conference was
organized in April 2000.