News Scape

Ambassador David C. Mulford and wife Jeannie Mulford spotted the tigress "Lady of Ranthambore" at the Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan during a visit in June. They were accompanied by Kaitlin Lang (standing) and Kathleen Lang.

Srinivasan Padmanaban, senior energy advisor with the U.S. Agency for International Development received a World Clean Energy Award for his contributions to the Green Business Center in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, and the Water-Energy Nexus Activity, which helps address conservation issues that arise from water and energy's interdependence. The Green Business Center is built from eco-friendly materials and encourages energy efficiency, recycling and water management. Padmanaban traveled to Basel, Switzerland, in June to receive the award, administered by the Transatlantic21 Association to honor mainstream applications of clean technology.

Dr. Frances Oneal of the University of Alabama has just completed her six-month visit to India as a Fulbright scholar, teaching graduate courses on American foreign policy at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. "Having done my homework about JNU before I arrived in January, I expected to find outspoken and politically aware students. I have not been disappointed," she says. In February, she spoke on "American foreign policy in the 21st century: The challenges ahead" as part of the Vidvatva lecture series, hosted by the U.S. Educational Foundation in India, in New Delhi. http://www.fulbright-india.org/

Expedition 15 Flight Engineer Sunita Williams landed in California in June on the space shuttle Atlantis after spending more than six months at the International Space Station. She set an endurance record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman at 194 days, surpassing Shannon Lucid's 188-day mission on the Russian space station Mir. During her stay, she also set the record for most time spacewalking by a woman, totaling 29 hours and 17 minutes.

As part of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore's birth anniversary celebrations, the American Center, Kolkata, organized an evening of Tagore songs by New York-based fusion singer Isheeta Ganguly in June. The program, "Call of the Young," featured a mix of jazz, gospel, rhythm and blues and popular Rabindrasangeet (songs composed by Tagore) that focused on the themes of courage, rejuvenation and celebration.

Courtesy: SPAN Magazine