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India’s D Gukesh Dethrones China’s Ding Liren, Becomes Youngest World Chess Champ

Sanjeev Kochhar
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India’s D Gukesh Dethrones China’s Ding Liren, Becomes Youngest World Chess Champ

Continuing with the dream run of Indian chess champions at the world stage, India’s chess prodigy D Gukesh on Thursday scripted history by becoming the youngest ever World chess champion, beating title-holder Ding Liren of China in the decisive 14th and last game of the FIDE World Championship Singapore 2024 match hosted at the luxurious Resorts World Sentosa.

At 18 years, D Gukesh has become the 18th world chess champion. Before him, the legendary Garry Kasparov of erstwhile Soviet Union (USSR) was the youngest world champion when he won the title at the age of 22, dethroning compatriot Anatoly Karpov in 1985.

Gukesh and Liren were tied 2-games-all before the 14th game, with the Indian challenger having won the third and 11th games and the 32-year-old Liren the opening and 12th games. All the other games were tied.

As champion, Gukesh will pick up the better part of the $2.5 million total prize fund.
He is the second Indian after the legendary Viswanathan Anand to win the world chess title. Anand, a five-time world champion, had lost the title in 2013 to Magnus Carlsen of Norway, who had then become the second youngest world chess champion.

According to a brief initial report on fide.com, in a dramatic and unexpected turn of events, when it seemed that the final game was heading for a draw and tiebreaks were unavoidable, the champion Ding Liren made a huge mistake and capitulated three moves later. The result was 7.5-6.5 for the challenger.
“I was totally in shock when I realized I made a blunder,” Ding admitted in the post-game press conference.

D Gukesh could not hide his emotions after the realisation sank in that he had won the world chess championship. PHOTO Credit: FIDE

Gukesh couldn’t believe his eyes when Ding Liren blundered with 55.Rf2??: “At the first moment, I didn’t see that I was winning. When I realized that I was winning it was the best moment of my life.”

Ding Liren painfully acknowledged his loss: “I think I played my best tournament of the year. It could be better, but considering yesterday’s lucky survive, it’s a fair result to lose in the end. I have no regrets.”

China’s Ding Liren in a sombre mood after losing his world chess title to India’s D Gukesh. PHOTO Credit: X@FIDE_chess

For Gukesh this victory became the culmination of his lifelong dream. “Since I was seven, I have been living this moment, already for ten years. Every chess player wants to experiment this moment and doesn’t get the chance. I am living my dream,” said the elated new World champion.

In a message for aspiring chess champions, Gukesh simply put it: “Keep enjoying chess. Your are going to achieve your dream one day.”

PHOTO Credit: X@FIDE_chess

About the FIDE World Championship match

The FIDE World Championship match is one of the most important and widely watched chess events globally. Held every two years, it features the defending World champion and the challenger, chosen through a qualification process culminating in the Candidates Tournament, which includes eight of the world’s top players.

In the FIDE World Championship Singapore 2024, the defending champion was Ding Liren, who won the title after defeating Ian Nepomniachtchi in Astana, Kazakhstan, in April 2023 on tiebreaks. The challenger was 18-year-old D Gukesh from India, who won the Candidates Tournament in April 2024 in Toronto.

The World Championship match consists of 14 games. The player who scores 7.5 points or more wins the match, and no further games are played. If the score is equal after 14 games, the winner is decided by a tiebreak.

For more information, visit FIDE website: https://www.fide.com/news/3347

8 Times Michelin Star, And Now ‘Bib Gourmand’ Award For Chef Vikas Khanna’s ‘Bungalow’

Sanjeev Kochhar
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8 Times Michelin Star, And Now ‘Bib Gourmand’ Award For Chef Vikas Khanna’s ‘Bungalow’
‘Bungalow’ is Vikas Khanna’s latest restaurant (just 260 days old) in New York
Michelin Guide honours talented chefs (in restaurant setting) with ‘Bib Gourmand’ designation for restaurants serving good food at moderate price

Chef Vikas Khanna, originally from Amritsar, the food capital of Punjab, is not only a household name in India but a prominent ambassador of Indian cuisine at the international level. Eight times recipient of the coveted Michelin star, which recognises the culinary talents of chefs (in a restaurant setting), Khanna has award-winning restaurants running in New York and Dubai.

So, when news started being splashed across the Indian mainstream online and offline media since Tuesday evening that he had won another Michelin award – Michelin 2024 Bib Gourmand Award – for his newest (just 260 days old) New York restaurant ‘Bungalow’, picking up from his post on Instagram, your own news portal LifeInChandigarh.com decided to check out the significance of the award on the Michelin Guide website.

The Michelin Guide, for select metropolitan cities worldwide, is recognized globally for excellence and quality. It offers a selection of world-class restaurants.

These are the various categories in which Michelin Guide presents awards to restaurants in the select metros:

• The famous one, two and three Michelin Stars identify establishments serving exceptional cuisine that’s rich in flavour, remarkably executed and infused with the personality of a talented chef.
• The Bib Gourmand, won by our very own Vikas Khanna, is a designation given to select restaurants that offer good quality food for a good value – often known as personal favourites among the Michelin inspectors when dining on their own time.
• The Michelin Green Star honours restaurants that are pioneers in sustainable gastronomy.
• Recommended restaurants and special professional awards are also highlighted by the Michelin Guide inspectors.

As per information available on the website, the second annual Michelin Guide Ceremony, bringing together New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C., was held earlier this week and described as a night of excitement with a new three Michelin Star restaurant and three new two Stars.

New York’s Jungsik New York was awarded its first third Michelin Star and New York restaurants César, Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare and Sushi Sho were each awarded their first two Stars. New York’s One White Street received a first Michelin Green Star, as did Oyster Oyster in Washington, D.C.

On further reading we came across a table of the 2024 Michelin Guide New York selection (reproduced below), which mentions that five New York restaurants were honoured with three Michelin Stars, 14 with two Michelin Stars, and 55 with one Michelin Star.

Four other NY restaurants were presented a Green Star, while as many as 91 restaurants got the Bib Gourmand, the one presented to Vikas Khanna for his restaurant ‘Bungalow’.

Searching For Answers, India Head Into Third Test At The Gabba With Mixed Feelings

Sanjeev Kochhar
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Searching For Answers, India Head Into Third Test At The Gabba With Mixed Feelings
It has long been heralded as the Aussies’ fortress, but India made a historic dent there in January 2021 handing the hosts’ their first loss on the ground after the 1988 defeat at the hands of the West Indies
Strategy to tame the seemingly invincible Travis Head and negotiating the fiery Aussie pace trio would be key
A couple of replacements in the offing to plug the weaknesses experienced in the Adelaide debacle
Services of skiddy Mohd Shami, who has an impressive track record playing on Aussie wickets, being direly missed
Aussies will be under pressure trying to avoid the ignominy of a hattrick of Test series losses against India at home
India have slid to the third place on the ICC World Test Championship 2025 points table

In the ultimate analysis, Travis Head and a uniformly fiery Aussie pace bowling attack made all the difference as India plummeted from an overwhelming 295-run victory in the first of the 5-match away Test series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at Perth to a crushing 10-wicket defeat in the second at Adelaide.

Scores even in equal measure, leaving the series wide open. Good for cricket, but India go into the third Test, beginning at The Gabba in Brisbane on Saturday, with a few worries, but also with fond memories of the historic three-wicket win there in the summer of 2021 which propelled Player of the Match Rishab Pant to stardom. Australia will also be under pressure, trying to avoid a hattrick of Test series losses against India at home.

Pink ball was always going to be a big test for the visitors against the masters of the double-lacquered ball, with India’s nightmarish second innings total of 36 in first Test of the 2020-21 Border Gavaskar Trophy, after taking a first innings lead, weighing heavy on their minds.

There were no demons in the pitch, just the usual pink ball lateral movement which extends for a longer period and the greater skid off the wicket the ball generates. Yet, Indian batters failed to effectively negotiate the pink ball, to the extent that they could not post a single half-century in either inning.
The last time India reportedly suffered the same fate was in the 2021 World Test Championship final against New Zealand at Southampton.

The two top guns, captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, around whom the entire batting unit is expected to build the innings, failed miserably yet again. The Indian pace bowling unit in its entirety also failed to exploit the conditions as well as the Aussies did.

Which begs the question – was there a difference in how the Indian side was led in the first Test as against the second? One might say a one-off Test is not a justifiable ground for comparison, but cricket observers found more aggression, tact and intent in Jasprit Bumrah, who stood in as captain in the first Test in the absence of Rohit Sharma, than the regular captain’s leadership on his return for the second Test.

Standout Nitish Reddy

However, amidst the dampened spirits, the standout consistent performances of young allrounder Nitish Reddy with the bat deserves to be applauded. Making his Test debut in the first Test at Perth, the promising youngster lived up to his billing.

With his 42 runs apiece (off 54 and 47 balls respectively) in both innings at Adelaide, that too while facing the pink ball in international cricket for the first time, he is now the top-scoring Indian batter in three of the four innings he has played so far. He was also the highest Indian scorer (41 off 59 balls) in the first innings of the Perth Test.

With this, Nitish Reddy has become only the second Indian, and eighth batter worldwide, to top score in three of his first four innings. Sunil Gavaskar reportedly did it in his debut series against the West Indies back in 1971.

Probable changes in playing XI

To leave the terrible loss at Adelaide behind them and make a strong comeback in the third Test at Brisbane, the Indian side is expected to affect a couple of changes in the playing XI to plug some of the weaknesses experienced.

Among the probable replacements could be pacer Akash Deep for Harshit Rana, who leaked a lot of runs and remained wicketless and scoreless; and allrounder Washington Sundar returning for the third Test, after being dropped in the second, replacing Ravichandran Ashwin.

Along with Rishab Pant, Sundar played a stellar role in the historic India win at Brisbane in 2021, scalping four Aussie batsmen (three in the first innings and one in the second) and contributing more than useful scores of 62 and 22.

Direly missing Shami

Recovering from injury: Will Mohd Shami to flown to Australia for the last couple of Tests!

India is apparently direly missing the services of skiddy Mohd Shami, who has been missing from international cricket since the 2023 ICC ODI Cricket World Cup, recovering from an ankle injury. A master at exploiting the ball’s seam position, Shami has an impressive track record playing in Australia. In tandem with Jasprit Bumrah, he was largely instrumental in India’s maiden Test series victory on Australian soil in 2018-19.

He was also reportedly the leading wicket-taker for India in the 2015 ICC ODI Cricket World Cup jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

Mohammed Shami has featured in eight Test matches on Australian soil so far, claiming 31 wickets at a decent bowling average of 32.16. The speedster has two five-wicket hauls to his name in Australia in Test cricket.

Memories 2020-21

The victory lap after India’s historic Test victory over Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane, 2021. PHOTO Credit: X/cricket.com.au

Just for memories, the composition of team for the historic January 2021 Test match at the Gabba in Brisbane was very different from what it is now. Ajinkya Rahane had stood in as captain in place of Virat Kohli. Then there were Cheteshwar Pujara, Mayank Agarwal, Shardul Thakur, T Natarajan and Navdeep Saini.

Pujara had proven to be the glue that kept India’s innings together on the final day, taking blow after blow in an innings of 56 that consumed 211 deliveries against the very same Aussie pace trio of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood. It gave the likes of Shubman Gill (91), Washington Sundar (22) and Pant (89 not out) the freedom to flourish. Which is exactly the role expected of Rohit and Kohli now.

Mohd. Siraj was the pace spearhead in the match, claiming a fifer in the second innings. Shardul Thakur also had a memorable match plundering the Aussie bowlers for 67 in India’s first outing and claiming seven wickets in the match. Left-armer T Natarajan took three wickets in Australia’s first innings. Navdeep Saini had remained wicketless.

Aussie fortress

According to the website https://thecricketlounge.com/, that historic win, however, was the only one by India in seven Test matches against Australia at the Gabba, which has long been heralded as the hosts’ fortress. Of the other Tests against India, Aussies have won five and one was drawn.

That January 2021victory came after 32 years of Australian invincibility at the Gabba, breaking a record that had stood since West Indies last defeated Australia there in 1988.

The website further stated that this stark record paints a picture of a venue where resilience, strategy, and sheer cricketing skill are tested to their limits. Australia’s robust record at this iconic ground stands thus: Matches played – 66, matches won – 43, matches drawn – 13, and matches lost – 10.

ICC World Test Championship points table

India need to fight hard in the remaining three Test matches of the tour if they are to remain in the reckoning for a place in the final of the ICC World Test Championship 2025. With their loss in Adelaide, India have slid to the third place on the points table. South Africa with a 109-run win over Sri Lanka in the final Test of the current series on December 9 have replaced Australia at the top of the table.

‘Kultivated Karats’ Exclusive Lab-Grown Diamonds Outlet Opens in Chandigarh Tricity

Sanjeev Kochhar
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‘Kultivated Karats’ Exclusive Lab-Grown Diamonds Outlet Opens in Chandigarh Tricity
Lab-grown diamonds and mined diamonds are scientifically proven to essentially possess identical chemical, physical and optical properties
Grown using more sustainable practices, the lab variety costs up to 80% less than the mined diamonds, and hence becoming increasingly popular choice among the millennial consumers

One is a natural diamond created by forces deep within the Earth, and the other a lab-grown diamond. Both are authentic diamonds, scientifically proven to essentially possess identical chemical, physical and optical properties. The growing awareness amongst millennial consumers about the authenticity of lab-grown diamonds, their substantially lower pricing, and lingering apprehensions about the continuing unstainable practices of deep mining are driving their rising demand in the market.

Riding on the growing trend, which is expected to gather pace with time, Chandigarh tricity’s first exclusive large format lab-grown diamonds outlet has opened in NAC Manimajra.

Also the first exclusive store in the country of the Bangalore-based startup Kubix Jewels LLP’s label ‘Kultivated Karats’, it has on display 400 odd products at prices up to 80% lower than comparable mined diamond products.

The formal inauguration the outlet, opened in a joint venture with local jewellery industry entrepreneur Deepak Gupta, was done by Bigg Boss Season 14 winner and actress Rubina Dilaik, on Sunday. She also tried out a few of the jewellery items on display.

Kubix Jewels co-founders Sampath Jain and his young daughter Mehek told your own news portal LifeInChandigarh.com : “We’re thrilled to launch our first outlet in Chandigarh under the joint venture. The store is set to cater to the rising demand for lab-grown, eco-friendly diamonds, providing consumers with access to high-quality jewellery at affordable prices.”

Adding to this Deepak Gupta said: “Lab-grown diamonds are approximately 80% less in cost than natural mined diamonds. Our outlet offers an exquisite range of lab-grown diamond jewellery, including rings, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and more. We have also featured different cuts of solitaires and coloured solitaires, offering an even broader selection to suit various occasions.

“With more than 400 products on display, our collection starts at Rs. 15,000. We’re also excited to showcase our lab-grown uncut diamonds (Polki) jewellery,” he said.

The Jains further shared that just like natural mined diamonds, lab-grown diamonds are also certified by labs such as Gemological Institute of America (https://www.gia.edu/), International Gemological Institute (https://www.igi.org/) and SGL (https://sgl-labs.com/). Moreover, the Hallmarking/Hallmark Unique Identification (HUID) process for lab-grown diamond jewellery is the same as for natural diamond jewellery, they informed.

Lab-grown diamonds are also being actively promoted by Government of India as a substitute for natural diamonds, the import of which is a heavy drain on the country’s foreign exchange reserves. India is a leading exporter of diamond jewellery and lab-grown diamonds can significantly increase volume of these exports.

So, why pay more for an identical product!

Bigg Boss Season 14 winner and actress Rubina Dilaik poses with co-founders of Kultivated Karats label and their local partner after the formal inauguration of its first exclusive outlet in NAC Manimajra on Sunday (Dec 8, 2024)

Make Your Kitchen Gardening Experience ‘Sampurn’ With Fermented Organic Manure

Sanjeev Kochhar
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Make Your Kitchen Gardening Experience ‘Sampurn’ With Fermented Organic Manure
FOM is superior to compost as it stimulates root development and promotes plant growth
Sampurn Agri Ventures Pvt Ltd (SJVPL) had so far been marketing FOM and its other crop/plant supporting products to farmers
Into promoting sustainable agriculture, converting paddy straw waste to compressed biogas (CBG), company has announced expansion of its area of operation with the signing of an MoU with a federation of 50 farmer producer organisations (FPOs)

If you are a kitchen gardening enthusiast and using cow dunk or compost as manure, you might like to look at an alternative organic manure that is more potent and cost effective, the use of which can potentially lift your experience and satisfaction to a new level.

Sampurn Agri Ventures Pvt Ltd (SJVPL), with its mission to promote sustainable agriculture, has begun marketing of its high quality chemical free Fermented Organic Manure (FOM) for urban kitchen gardening. FOM is a byproduct of converting paddy straw waste (stubble) into compressed biogas (CBG) which can further be used to generate power.

The company, which boasts of having set up the first of its kind in the world manufacturing facility to produce FOM from paddy stray waste in Fazilka, Punjab in 2017, had so far been selling this manure and other products for boosting the productivity of crops to farmers, from whom they are procuring the waste raw material.

FOM, the company claims, is a far superior quality manure as compared to unprocessed manure since it is hygienic, sterilised and has compatible soil microbes to support plants. It is also more economical since one kg of FOM is claimed to be equivalent to five kg of compost. A five kg pack of FOM (equivalent to 25 kg of compost, as per company claim) costs just Rs 100.

Rich in nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, just as compost is, FOM additionally contains micronutrients, vitamins, and amino acids, along with plant growth-promoting substances like indole acetic acid (IAA) and gibberelic acid (GA). FOM stimulates root development and promotes plant growth.

This assertion was made by Sanjeev Nagpal, Managing Director, Sampurn Agri Ventures (Corporate Office: Elante Office Building, Industrial Area Phase I, Chandigarh), while addressing a press conference in Chandigarh on Thursday to announce signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with a federation of 50 farmer producer organisations (FPOs), Northern Farmers Mega FPO (NFMF), to expand its operational area for giving value to farmers for their paddy straw waste.

Sanjeev Nagpal, MD, SAVPL (2nd from left) and Ajay Malik, Director, Northern Farmers Mega FPO, post with the MoU signed between the two parties in Chandigarh on Thursday (Dec 5, 2024)

NFMF has 12,000-plus associated farmers covering over 25,000 acres of land in more than 250 villages of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and nearby areas of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttarakhand.

Addressing the media Sanjeev Nagpal said, “The transformative partnership aims to address pressing challenges in North India, including air pollution being caused by stubble burning, deteriorating soil health, and declining agricultural productivity, while fostering climate resilience and economic empowerment in the farm sector.”

He claimed that Punjab alone produces 50 million tons of crop residue annually, 70% of which is either burnt or wasted, significantly contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and soil degradation. The largest greenhouse gas emission is coming from the agriculture sector – mainly from biomass residue and composting of biomass. This produces methane gas which is 20 times more harmful as compared to CO2, he maintained.

Nagpal further said, “One of the most important steps required to mitigate global warming is safe handling of biodegradable biomass and processing this for making Compressed Biogas (CBG) and FOM.”

According to Ajay Malik, Director, NFMF, “Farmers stand to gain from this arrangement as they will get value for the paddy straw which will be used for manufacturing FOM. In the long run farmers through use of FOM can minimize the use of urea and DAP, thereby lowering their input costs. This model is also slated to improve the quality of agricultural produce.”

Shedding light on the importance of using FOM, Dr Neha Sharma, Principal Scientist, SAVPL, said, “Stubble burning is causing loss of ‘soluble silica’ in the soil, which in turn is leading to silica deficiency in humans as they consume crops produced in silica deficient soil. This reduces their immune response towards viruses and pathogens. Agriculture based on the use of FOM produces silica-rich agricultural produce which in turn makes humans healthier.”

SAVPL has associated with organic farming expert Komal Jaiswal, founder of ‘Greenaffair’ to further promote sustainable agriculture. “As part of this association, we are training housewives on sustainable kitchen gardening techniques,” she shared.

Days Of ‘Tareekh Par Tareekh’ Over, Says PM About 3 New Criminal Laws In Chandigarh

Sanjeev Kochhar
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Days Of ‘Tareekh Par Tareekh’ Over, Says PM About 3 New Criminal Laws In Chandigarh
He was addressing a ceremony in the city on Tuesday to dedicate to the nation the successful implementation of the new laws
UT Chandigarh has become first among all states and UTs to complete the entire elaborate process of implementing the three laws; countrywide implementation to be completed within three years
Union home minister lauds Chandigarh for completing the entire modernisation and digital integration of all five pillars of the criminal justice system – police, jail, judiciary, prosecution and Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) – within a very short span of five months from the laws coming into effect on July 1, 2024

Emphasising the transformative nature of the new criminal laws, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called upon states and union territories to proactively ensure speedy and effective implementation of all aspects of these laws for a brighter future for generations of Indians and further strengthening of the country’s security and economy.

Congratulating Union territory of Chandigarh for becoming the first among all states and UTs to complete the entire process of implementing the new laws in all their manifestations, he said every citizen must be aware of his rights under these laws because their impactful implementation on the ground will determine the future of their lives, their children and their service satisfaction.

He was addressing a large gathering on the grounds of Punjab Engineering College (PEC) to dedicate the successful implementation of the three new criminal laws – Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam – to the nation in a programme titled ‘Secure Society, Developed India – From Punishment To Justice’.

The latter part of the title highlighted the shift in the emphasis of the new laws from punishing Indians during the British rule to providing equitable justice to all citizens.

Earlier Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah informed the gathering that the authorities in Chandigarh had within a very short period of five months, since these three laws came into effect across the country from July 1, 2024, completed the entire process of modernising and digitally integrating all five pillars of the criminal justice system – police, jail, judiciary, prosecution and Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL).

He admitted that since a lot of new provisions and systems are to be incorporated, and new institutions raised under the new criminal laws, their complete implementation from a police station, to district, to state, and across the country, is expected to take another three years. But once completely implemented, he claimed, India’s criminal justice delivery system will be the most modern in the world.

Punjab Governor and UT Chandigarh Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria presenting a memento depicting the city’s symbolic ‘Open Hand’ to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Chandigarh on Tuesday (December 3, 20204). Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Member of Parliament in Rajya Sabha Satnam Singh Sandhu look on.

Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria and member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha Satnam Singh Sadhu were also present.

The prime minister was given a live demonstration by the Chandigarh Police at a separate venue within PEC on how the laws will be implemented on the ground.

Milestone

The prime minister in his speech, while acknowledging that the implementation of the new criminal laws across the country will take time to fully mature, maintained that it will prove to be a milestone in the country’s justice delivery journey.

At the same time, he said even within the few months of its rollout, information trickling in from various parts of the country is encouraging.

Sharing specific examples to highlight the power and impact of the new criminal laws, he said in Chandigarh itself in a case of vehicle theft, judgement was delivered by the concerned court within three months and 11 days of the filing of FIR. In another case a man accused of disturbing peace in the area was promptly judged after following the due process of hearing within 20 days of filing FIR, he added.

Citing a case in Delhi, he said justice was delivered in just 60 days of filing of FIR and the accused sentenced to 20 years in prison. A murder case in Bihar’s Chapra shared by him took the cake in the speed of justice delivery. The accused were sentenced to life in prison within 14 days of FIR being lodged.

Stressing that the first benchmark of justice is its timely delivery, the prime minister said in the new laws early chargesheet and early judgement have been given top priority. Timelines have been clearly spelled out for each stage in the justice delivery process, he shared.

He called for nationwide discussion on the numerous early judgements which are being delivered ever since the new laws came into effect so that people at large realise how much their power of getting justice had increased.

Tareekh par tareekh

Resorting to a highly popular filmi dialogue, the prime minister said this would also send a strong message to the criminals that the days of “tareekh par tareekh”, which were an impediment in timely delivery of justice, and at times resulted in derailment of justice, are over.

At the same time, he further informed that while 1500 superfluous laws have been done away with in the new set of criminal laws, thousands of people languishing in jails under the previous laws have been freed.

Arguing that rules and laws remain effective only when these keep pace with the times, he asked when the world is changing fast, and so are the tactics of crime and criminals, how could a system rooted in the 19th century have remained relevant to the modern times.

Laws modernised

In this context, he informed that not only have the new laws been Indianised these have also been modernised, keeping even future parameters into account.

Among other things, the laws have made digital evidence admissible in court; to check possibility of tampering of evidence, video recording of crime scene has been made mandatory; summons can be delivered through electronic means; and audio-video of witness statements has been permitted.

All these will become basis for delivery of justice and save precious time before the culprits of crime are arrested, the prime minister informed.

He said these changes are equally important for the country’s security as the integration of digital evidence and technology will help in our fight against terrorism. Now terrorists and terrorist organisations will not be able to exploit the complexities of the law. Even the fight against corruption will get a fillip, he added.

The prime minister further said, the new criminal laws will also encourage more foreign investors, who were earlier apprehensive of getting embroiled in unending litigation thereby jeopardising their investments, to invest in the country, thereby further strengthening the Indian economy.

To watch video of entire ceremony, visit:
https://www.pmindia.gov.in/en/news_updates/pm-dedicates-to-the-nation-the-successful-implementation-of-three-new-criminal-laws/

Lost, Young Hiker Survived Frigid Temps In Canadian Mountainous Wilderness For 50 Days

Sanjeev Kochhar
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Lost, Young Hiker Survived Frigid Temps In Canadian Mountainous Wilderness For 50 Days

 

On first read, you will find this the most improbable story. But once you tend to believe it, it sounds like a miracle. A 20-year-old hiker, who lost his way in the remote mountainous wilderness of northeast British Columbia (BC) in Canada, survived for 50 days in heavy snow and frigid temperatures plunging to as low as minus-20 degrees Celsius before being rescued with non-life-threatening snow and cold inflicted injuries.

According to CBC News and other news media outlets, Sam Benastick had set out on his supposedly 10-day hiking and fishing trip to the remote mountainous Redfern-Keily Provincial Park in his car on October 7. Not receiving any communication from him after the 10 days, by when he was expected to return home, his worried family came searching for him and lodged a missing report with the local police on October 19.

Despite a massive search operation, he could not be found until November 26 when, according to police, he flagged down two industrial workers headed to the Redfern Lake trailhead, which was also the last place he had been seen.

He was reportedly wearing a cut-up sleeping bag wrapped around his legs for warmth and supporting himself with two hiking sticks before nearly collapsing and being whisked away to a hospital in an ambulance for emergency care.

He has since reportedly been discharged from hospital, but details of Sam’s ordeal are sketchy since the Benastick family has asked for time and privacy as he recovers physically and emotionally from his trauma in the woods.

In a statement, Royal Canadian Mountain Police (RCMP) has only provided a few details of what they believe happened, saying Sam told them he stayed in his car for a couple of days, then walked to a “creek, mountainside” where he camped for 10 to 15 days.
After that, police say, he “moved down the valley and built a camp and shelter in a dried-out creek bed.” He was found when he flagged down the two men and was taken to safety.

Till Sam Benastick recovers enough to tell his story, questions remain about how he went missing, why he could not be found as search crews scoured the area, and how he survived as snow fell and temperatures plunged below -20 C in the remote mountain park.

An aerial photo taken during the search for a missing hiker in northeastern B.C. (Kamloops Search and Rescue)

B.C. Search and Rescue Association was quoted in the media as saying that more than 120 volunteers were involved in efforts to find Sam, amounting to more than 3,500 search hours which included ground teams, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), “multiple helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, trained search dogs, drones, and other resources,” which covered “hundreds of square kilometres of challenging terrain.”

After weeks of unsuccessful efforts, the research was officially called off.

According to the owner of an inn where Sam Benastick’s parents and brother stayed for several weeks while searching the nearby Redfern-Keily Provincial Park, where Sam was last seen before being reported missing, and whom the family briefly visited on way home after Sam was discharged from hospital, has been reported as saying: “I don’t know the full story, but he did say that he did get lost because he was getting chased by a wolf.”

Timber Bigfoot, land and environment manager and member of the Prophet River First Nation, whose territory extends to the park, was involved by search and rescue crews to help try to find Sam because of his knowledge of the area, which he reportedly described as one of the more isolated places in BC.

“There’s no society. There’s no technology. There’s no civilization,” he said.

Among the dangers are “large grizzlies” and “lots of wolves,” he said, but the biggest challenge facing someone spending an extended period in the area is the environment itself.

“One day it’s +2, +3, the next day it’s -20,” he said. “It can go from rainy to snowing within hours.”

But Bigfoot said despite the vast expanse, he had a hard time believing Sam Benastick wouldn’t have been aware of the search underway.

“No matter where he was, he would have heard all the helicopters,” he said.
But, he added, with the abundance of wolves and bears, an encounter with wildlife could have thrown him off track.

“It’s an amazing environment and climate to try to survive,” Bigfoot said, adding he’d love to speak with Sam about what he went through and how he kept going.

“I think it’s a miracle, and I congratulate him for being such a tough person.”

Mother Of Blood Donation Movement Kanta Krishen Passes In Chandigarh, At 95

Sanjeev Kochhar
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Mother Of Blood Donation Movement Kanta Krishen Passes In Chandigarh, At 95
As per her wishes, her body has been donated to PGIMER Chandigarh for research
Since there is to be no cremation, her family has shared that well-wishers can join them in celebrating her life by lighting a candle in her memory on Sunday (December 1, 2024) from 11 am to 1 pm at the Krishens’ Sector 8 residence

As wife of Saroop Krishen, the first chief secretary of Haryana, which was carved out along with Himachal Pradesh in the trifurcation of (greater) Punjab in 1966, she got exposed to the Department of Transfusion Medicine at the prestigious PGIMER (Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research) Chandigarh. Thus began a decades long journey which would place her at the forefront of the blood donation movement in the country, in acknowledgement of which the nation conferred on her the fourth highest civilian award, the Padma Shri in 1972.

In her passing at age 95 in Chandigarh in the early hours of Saturday (Nov 30, 2024) after a brief illness following a fall, Kanta Krishen completed her selfless commitment to the welfare of society. There is to be no cremation. As per her wishes, her body has been donated to the PGIMER Chandigarh for research.

According to her son-in-law, well-known lawyer Manmohan (Mac) Sarin, well-wishers can join the family in celebrating her life by lighting a candle in her memory on Sunday (December 1, 2024) from 11 am to 1 pm at the Krishens’ residence #83, Sector 8, Chandigarh.

The mighty inspiring woman, whose voluntary work, spread over six decades, helped save millions of lives, leaves behind a son, Sanjiv Krishen, married to Deepa; two daughters – Anu, married to Purinder Ganju, and Niti Sarin, married to Manmohan Sarin; seven grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.

Among Kanta Krishen’s other notable achievements was her spirited legal battle, along with other associates, in filing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) by the organisation Common Cause which led to the landmark judgment of the Supreme Court of India in 1996 banning buying and selling of blood in India, which gave a fillip to donation and infusion of safe blood through highly regulated blood banks.

Thereafter, she was responsible for persuading the Government of India to frame the National Blood Policy.

Kanta Krishen, as Secretary of the Blood Bank Society, established in 1964, spearheaded the voluntary blood donation movement first in Chandigarh, then North India and finally nationwide, making Chandigarh the fountain head of the safe blood movement. Later she also shouldered the responsibility as President of the Blood Bank Society. Niti and Mac Sarin are now helming the society as Secretary and President, respectively.

Her tireless work in educating the people about the harmlessness of blood donation, and in motivating lakhs of people to donate blood, was recognized by the Government of India by the conferment of a Padma Shri in 1972.

She was also the recipient of several other prestigious awards, including the President’s Gold Medal and the Mother Teresa Award from ISBTI (Indian Society of Blood Transfusion and Immunohematology), of which she was the Founder Secretary for 24 years.

Among Kanta Krishen’s varied interests were gardening, cooking, stitching, flower arrangements and Indian classical music. She was a Founder Member of the Indian National Theatre, an organization to promote Indian classical music.

Homage

While paying last respects to the gem of a woman, LifeInChandigarh.com hopes that her life inspires us all to commit ourselves to the selfless service of humanity to the best of our abilities!

FOTO 2024 By Photographic Society Of Chandigarh: Let Images Speak To You!

Sanjeev Kochhar
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FOTO 2024 By Photographic Society Of Chandigarh: Let Images Speak To You!
Works of more than 20 accomplished photographer members of the society showcased
Breathtaking landscapes to captivating portraits, dynamic street photography, and more
Inaugurated on Friday by motivational speaker and author Vivek Atray
Exhibition is on at Punjab Kala Bhawan, Sector 16, Chandigarh till Sunday (Dec 1, 2024) all days from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

It’s a 32 years old vibrant organisation, promoting creative excellence in the field of photography. It has as its members individuals from diverse fields who are woven together by a common thread of passionate indulgence in the amazing world of photography. The society’s much anticipated three-day Members’ Annual Group Exhibition – FOTO 2024 opened at the customary venue Punjab Kala Bhawan, adjacent to the Rose Garden, in Sector 16, on Friday.

The exhibition which showcases the selected works of more than 20 society members ranging from breath-taking landscapes to captivating portraits, dynamic street photography, and more, will remain open to the art enthusiasts on all three days, till Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The must-see exhibition was formally inaugurated by well-known motivational speaker and author Vivek Atray, who while appreciating the wonderful works on display, had a word of encouragement for all youth to pursue at least one creative hobby, whether it be photography, writing, painting, drama, music, dance, sports, adventure, biking, cycling, running, or whatever they find interesting and gives them peace, joy, happiness and fulfilment in the modern day stressful environment.

Chairman of FOTO 2024 Dr SS Bhamra shared that “each of the exhibits has undergone a meticulous selection process and has been printed to perfection, ensuring that the exhibition reflects the highest standards of quality.

“I invite all art enthusiasts to visit and immerse themselves in the exquisite collection of photographic art. I encourage you to take the time to appreciate, critique, and marvel at the creativity on display, as your engagement will inspire our members to continue striving for excellence in future exhibitions.”

President of the society Dinesh Verma added, “This event is a testament to the dedication and creative vision of our members, who have beautifully captured the world through their lenses.”

“Photography,” he said, “is not just about capturing moments, it is about telling stories, expressing emotions, and offering a unique perspective and a piece of the photographer’s soul. This year our members have pushed the boundaries of their artistic expression, and their works reflect the passion and commitment that defines our society. I am proud to witness the growth and evolution of our photographers and their ability to bring out the extraordinary in the ordinary.”

A brief about participating photographers

Anil Kumar Arora

Anil is a chemical engineer and management professional. A hobby photographer, he captures landscapes, monuments, and story clicks. His special interest is in pilgrimage albums and photos worth reading!

Amarbir Singh

Based in Mumbai, Amarbir’s expertise extends across advertising, films, and campaigns, with notable contributions in Bollywood films like Vaastav, Kurukshetra, Khakee, Gangster, etc. His versatile portfolio also includes fashion, product and architectural photography.

Gagandeep Matharoo

A businessman, Gagandeep loves to photograph wild animals and birds in their natural habitats and surroundings.

Dinesh Verma

An award-winning photographer of repute, Dinesh has a profound interest in macro photography and has a keen eye for landscape and portraiture photography. He regularly organises online and offline photographic workshops and participates in photo exhibitions across the country.

Wing Cdr Jatinder S Keith (retd)

Jatinder finds beauty all around, even in banal things. He enjoys candid photography, particularly of children. Now he is delving into macro and bird photography.

Kailash Sharma

Preferring to describe himself a daring lensmith, Kailash revels in navigating the delicate dance between vulnerability and empowerment in his nude photography. Through a mastery of light, he crafts compositions that transcend the ordinary, capturing the essence of human form as a canvas of emotions.

Khushjiv Singh Sethi

An engineer and businessman, Khushjiv likes to photograph children, Nature and street life and objects. He experiments in low light. The love for photography has taken him places.

Kulbhushan Kanwar

A retired Punjab government official, Kulbhushan has a special interest in capturing migratory birds and butterflies. He is also a guest faculty in Panjab University Chandigarh, conducting a post graduate certificate course in photography.

Rajbir Singh

An interior designer, Rajbir has been simultaneously pursing photography as a hobby since 2009.

Sanjay Kaushal

A retired insurer, Sanjay has travelled the length and breadth of Himachal Pradesh, sometimes on foot and often on a vintage Chetak scooter in his pursuit of capturing breath-taking landscapes. A hardcore fan of the Indian Railways, he excels in train spotting and railway photography.

Dr Satwinder S Bhamra

A medical practitioner and businessman, Satwinder enjoys clicking portraits and landscapes. He has been largely instrumental in organising the photo exhibition during successive Chandigarh Rose Festivals for the last over a decade. He also organised the biggest event in Mohali, the JLPL Flower Show 2014, which also featured a photo exhibition.

Shirin Seth Singh

A second-generation entrepreneur, Shirin, a diehard Nature lover, relishes in capturing landscapes and candid emotions of people. She is also exploring new horizons in macro, abstract and architectural photography.

Dr Sudheer Saxena

An interventionalist cardiologist, Sudheer feels that photography gives his own heart its rhythm. He describes himself as a wildlife, landscape and street photographer.

Vijendra Trighatia

An avid journeyman, Vijendra has an eye for capturing the beauty and diversity of Indian culture in all its manifestations.

Yashinder S Bagha

A well-known architect, Yashinder is also an award-winning photographer with his photographic works having been published in reputed professional magazines.

Dr Upneet Lalli

A psychologist, lawyer and criminologist, Upneet as a passionate photographer captures interesting aspects even in ordinary things. She has held a solo exhibition photo exhibition on the closed world of prisons.

Mitinderpal S Sekhon

For Mitinderpal, a geography teacher, trekker, biker and traveller, photography became a natural corollary as birds and landscapes had to be recorded.

Navneet Saxena

A businessman and commercial photographer, Navneet specialises in travel photography. He has many photographic awards to his credit and his works have been published in newspapers, magazines and catalogues.

Nitin S Ahluwalia

A mariner, Nitin’s photographic works showcase serene landscapes and vibrant hues of the environment. From misty mountain ranges bathed in the soft light of dawn to the golden fields under dramatic evening skies, his images tell stories of tranquillity and wonder.

Pankaj Gupta

A senior accountant, Pankaj loves to click Nature and landscapes.

Randeep Matharu

A student, Randeep is big on sports and photography, capturing the fascinating realm of Nature and the beautiful symphony it creates.

Praveen Kumar Jain

An engineer-turned-entrepreneur, Praveen is an avid traveller and has a deep interest in capturing landscapes and wildlife.

Rekha Chandra

A hobbyist photographer, Rekha has a passion for capturing landscapes wherever she travels.

Sahib Parmar

An industrialist and professional photographer, Sahib’s creative visualisation is vividly seen through his commercial photographic works in print media, and professional product shoots.

How Generative AI is Changing the Job Market

Guest Contributor
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How Generative AI is Changing the Job Market
High-Demand Skills for Tomorrow’s Workforce

Generative AI is perhaps one of the most exciting advancements in technology currently being developed, remaking not just the way we do things but also how we relate to the digital world. Generative AI goes way beyond the traditional artefact of artificial intelligence that works with data, yet creates new content-from images and text to music and even complex software code. Its influence spans industries from entertainment and media to finance and healthcare, and it is driving demand for a new generation of skills in the workforce. The article explores how generative AI is changing the job market, how high-demand skills are emerging as a result, and how a generative AI course can prepare a person for future work within this field.

The Rise of Generative AI in the Job Market

From established industries to new innovative sectors, the need for generative AI is increasing. OpenAI’s GPT models, Google’s BERT, DALL-E, and Midjourney, among many examples, have sparked a global imagination about the possibility of automating and making more efficient those activities that are commonly performed with human creativity.

Therefore, businesses are quickly leveraging generative AI into their operations. They are looking for talent that can tap into this technology to ensure advantages in the competition.
Along with this expansion came new careers, such as prompt engineering and training AI models, along with AI ethics consultancy. All those possibilities for automation and augmentation in creative and analytical tasks add special requirements for skills among the workforce to function well in this AI-driven environment.

High Demand Skills for a Generative AI Workforce

As the job market adapts to generative AI, certain skills have become particularly valuable. Whether you’re a tech enthusiast or a professional looking to pivot into AI, understanding these skills can open up exciting career opportunities.

1. Prompt Engineering

As content-generation capabilities based on prompts have increased with AI models, so too has a whole new sort of role: the prompt engineer. A prompt engineer crafts specific inputs, or “prompts,” that will produce the exact result one desires from an AI model. Such a prompt engineer might work on marketing, content creation, or product development within a company to hone its generative models toward specific goals.

The role of a prompt engineer is very challenging as it calls for both technical knowledge and innovative thinking to communicate well with AI. One needs an understanding of NLP, a familiarity with model limitations, and optimization of prompts to generate good-quality outputs.

2. Data Science and Machine Learning Expertise

Data scientists and professionals in machine learning, for the most part, are responsible for the current generative AI. They develop, train, and fine-tune AI models so that these models generate meaningful and valuable content. Such important knowledge areas include programming languages like Python and R, as well as frameworks such as TensorFlow and PyTorch.

A role that is highly relevant across all sectors of an ML engineer means designing and implementing AI systems that are able to produce new data output based on various parameters. The three fields include the medical area, where synthetic data is prepared to be used for medical purposes; the financial sector, where they are trying to create better models for the prediction of certain things; and entertainment, where they generate personalized recommendations. This may help professionals gain an edge in this field by enrolling in a gen AI course that keeps track of the latest progress in AI model training and deployment.

3. AI Ethics and Policy Understanding

Generative AI gradually becomes more integral to the way we live our lives, thus increasing the demand for AI ethics specialists. The challenges posed by generative AI are unique and begin from bias in data generation up to the misuse of information. Among the duties of experts in AI ethics is to draw boundaries regarding the responsible use of AI and build models that are just, transparent, and accountable.

Sometimes, professionals in this area may collaborate with technical teams to develop safeguards that conform to ethical standards, and sometimes they might consult with policymakers for AI usage regulation.

4. Creative AI Application Development

Generative AI unlocks the door to so many new possibilities for a creative professional who may work in areas such as digital art, graphic design, animation, or even writing. AI-assisted content creation tools like Midjourney and ChatGPT let the artist or writer dream bigger because it can allow these creatives to come up with ideas, prototypes, and complete works through AI.

Any good developer of AI needs a good understanding of generative tools and how to incorporate them into their workflows. For instance, in the sphere of video games, developers use generative AI to design thrilling environments and also come up with exciting narratives; in fashion, designers use AI to figure out what the next hot season is and how to craft the clothes with these expectations in mind.

5. AI Model Training and Tuning

To produce models that can provide high-quality, relevant content, companies require the services of experts who understand to train and fine-tune the AI models, familiarising them with concepts surrounding neural networks like supervised and unsupervised learning as well as techniques used to optimize the model.

Working with tens of thousands of data samples and tweaking model parameters for best performance are requirements for the job.

Industries Transformed by Generative AI

● Entertainment
Content created by AI can be seen through every frame in films, music, and video games. The graphics, audio, and other visual effects can now be created using artists and animators, and this increases the demand for prompt engineers and creative AI developers.

● Healthcare
Generative AI is applied in the development of artificial data, in modeling diseases, and in drug development. Medical researchers and AI ethicists are in demand to manage and regulate sensitive applications.

● Finance
In finance, AI enables the development of predictive models for stock performance, market trends, and consumer behavior. Data scientists and ML engineers play an important role in the field of this domain in formulating correct financial models.

● Retail and E-businesses
Generative AI helps retailers provide product recommendations, virtual try-ons, and personalized advertisements. Model training and prompt engineering talent is highly valued.

Importance of Generative AI Training

New users and organizations are coming together and forming expertise as the growing demand for generative AI professionals makes its mark in the evolving landscape of generative AI. With a focus on the most recent AI models, ethical considerations, and applications, a prompt engineering course is sure to be one of the basic necessities for skills in these roles because participants would be introduced to the latest AI models, ethical considerations, and applications in the industry with hands-on experience.

Coursework often seems to focus on foundational aspects of generative AI, such as deep learning and NLP, and deals with the practical challenges of deployment and scaling.
For professionals who are in the process of advancing their jobs, the only way forward would probably be enrolling in a generative AI course because new opportunities can be opened, and possibilities based on available skills can steer them ahead of competition, especially in a job market. Understanding the technical, ethical, and creative aspects of generative AI, these courses make them properly equipped for the imminent future with AI skills.

Conclusion

Generative AI is changing the nature of jobs and requires a whole array of skills for different career paths. From prompt engineering to AI ethics, the emerging career opportunities range from some technical requirements to more creativity and attention to ethics.” Generative AI may, in fact, help individuals gain the knowledge and experience needed to succeed in demand-led careers, making them more competitive.

 

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