Category: Life & Style

On November 5, the Embassy of India in Riyadh hosted a distinctive event named ‘Samskritotsava.’ Conducted entirely in Sanskrit, the occasion aimed to acknowledge and appreciate the endeavours of the Indian community in Saudi Arabia for their role in preserving the language. This event was a component of ‘Pravasi Parichay.’

The event was conducted in association with Samskrita Bharati.  

As part of the programme, the Indian community in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia showcased various performances such as Abhinaya Gheetam, Gana Geetam, Subhashita Natakam, and Prachanna Vesham. All performances were in Sanskrit language.

During his opening remarks, Dr. Suhel Ajaz Khan, Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, spoke about the importance of the Sanskrit language in our culture and its veneration in the entire world as a sacred and spiritual language. The ambassador also mentioned that the event will serve as an inspiration for all to learn and practice the Sanskrit language.

It is the first time that any Indian Mission in the world conducted an event entirely in the Sanskrit language to promote the importance and learning of the Sanskrit Language, the Indian Embassy said.

The largest Hindu BAPS temple in the United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi next year.

Union Education, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who was on a visit to Abu Dhabi on November 2 paid a special visit to BAPS Hindu Mandir and took stock of the construction of the temple, which is scheduled to be completed in 2024. Swami Brahmavihari Das gave a tour of the temple site to the minister and briefed him about the progress of the construction.

The first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi will come up on 55,000 square metres of land. The UAE government has gifted 17 acres of land for the temple complex.

The temple will be hand-carved by Indian temple artisans and assembled in the UAE. It will incorporate all aspects and features of a traditional Hindu temple as part of a fully functional, social, cultural and spiritual complex. It will replicate the BAPS temple in New Delhi and New Jersey.

Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) is a socio-spiritual Hindu organisation set up in 1907 that runs more than 1,100 temples and cultural compounds around the world.

On November 2, Rwanda declared that it will grant visa-free travel to all Africans, becoming the fourth nation on the continent to implement such a measure. This move by African nations is aimed at enhancing the free movement of people and trade, aspiring to rival Europe’s Schengen zone.

President Paul Kagame made the announcement in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, where he pitched the potential of Africa as “a unified tourism destination” for a continent that still relies on 60% of its tourists from outside Africa, according to data from the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.

Once implemented, Rwanda will become the fourth African country to remove travel restrictions for African nationals. Other countries that have waived visas to Africans are Gambia, Benin and Seychelles.

Kenya’s President William Ruto in October announced plans to allow all Africans to travel to the East African nation visa-free by December 31.

The African Union (AU) in 2016 launched an African passport to unleash the potential of the continent. However, only diplomats and AU officials have been issued the travel document so far.

The African Passport and free movement of people is aimed at removing restrictions on Africans ability to travel, work and live within their own continent.

AU also launched the African Continental Free Trade Area, a continent-wide free trade area estimated to be worth $3.4 trillion, which aims to create a single unified market for the continent’s 1.3 billion people and to boost economic development.

In its fourth year, the Mental Health Film Festival Singapore (MHFFS), themed ‘Present Continuous,’ is showcasing films at Leisure Park Kallang and The Projector in Singapore from November 4 to 12, 2023. The festival continues its mission of ‘deepening knowledge and fostering empathy.’

The cinematic gathering intertwines a presentation of seven international cinematic gems, 20 poignant short films created by passionate Singaporean youths, and valuable contributions from more than 20 renowned mental health and social service agencies. Beyond entertainment, the other objective of the film festival is to start a mass movement on mental health awareness.

The films running through the festival include Next Sohee (Korea); A Still Small Voice; Sur l’Adamant (France); The Taste of Mango; Break the Game; Marcel the Shell with Shoes On; Isadora’s Children; What Would Mitch Do; Through the Looking Glass; Paper Planes, Don’t Always Soar; and Wanderlost.

MHFFS is a registered mental health charity whose activities revolve around, but are not limited to, this film festival. The festival is accompanied by a roadshow, with more than 20 mental health charities showcasing their support in the community. There is also a Short Film Youth Competition part of MHFFS 2023.

The Kerala Responsible Tourism Mission (RTM) on November 3 won the Global Responsible Tourism Award 2023 for promoting sustainable and women-inclusive initiatives. The state won the award instituted by the Responsible Tourism Partnership and International Centre for Responsible Tourism (ICRT) in the ‘Best for Local Sourcing – Craft and Food’ category.

London-based ICRT selected the Kerala RTM as a joint winner along with Eswatini, the erstwhile Swaziland, a landlocked country in southern Africa, renowned for eco-friendly Ngwenya Glass.

Kerala’s RTM was selected for the award for linking women-led small and medium-sized enterprises  to tourism activities and ensuring effective marketing of indigenous products. The mission has been implementing women-friendly tourism projects in the state with the support of UN Women, the UN organisation dedicated to gender equality and women empowerment.

This is the second time Kerala RTM has bagged the Responsible Tourism Global Award, after its Water STREET project implemented in Maravanthuruthu in Kottayam district received the honour last year.

The Global Responsible Tourism Awards, which cater to Africa, India and Latin America regions, were given in six categories, including Best for Tackling Plastic Waste; Best for Meaningful Connections; Best for Local Sourcing – Craft and Food; Addressing Climate Change; Best for Diversity and Inclusion, and Best for Nature-Positive Tourism.

The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) of Singapore issued a warning on November 6, stating that individuals planning to visit Malaysia during the Deepavali holiday should anticipate “very heavy traffic” at both the Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints.

Travellers are advised to account for additional waiting time for immigration clearance from November 9 to November 14, given the upcoming public holiday on November 12 and the year-end school holidays.

ICA advises motorists to check the traffic conditions at both checkpoints on the Bukit Timah and Ayer Rajah expressways before embarking on their journeys.

In addition to providing traffic updates on its websites and social media accounts and broadcasting on local radio stations, ICA will collaborate closely with the Traffic Police to ensure road discipline at critical junctions and roads leading to the checkpoints.

In October, four sports cars travelling from Malaysia to Singapore were turned away at the Tuas Checkpoint for attempting to cut the queue when entering Singapore. ICA reminds travellers to ensure that their passports have a remaining validity of at least six months.

During the Children’s Day weekend last month, more than 1.27 million travellers used the land checkpoints. Traveller volume peaked on October 6 with over 4,60,000 crossings, marking the highest daily figure for land checkpoints since the borders reopened in 2022, said the authority.

On November 2, India’s Border Security Force (BSF) installed beehives along the India-Bangladesh border fence in West Bengal to deter incidents such as cutting the hedge for cattle smuggling and other crimes while also creating livelihood opportunities for the local population.

The first-of-its-kind initiative has been launched by BSF’s 32nd battalion in the border areas of Nadia district. The force has partnered with the Union Ayush Ministry for this project, which has provided the border-guard force with the beehives and the necessary expertise to install them on the alloy-made smart fence.

The BSF has undertaken this initiative as part of the Vibrant Village Programme. It has further requested the Union Ministry to provide medicinal plants that bear flowers. These plants can be planted around the bee boxes to facilitate abundant pollination by the bees.

The Ayush Ministry had supplied the BSF with saplings of medicinal plants like tulsi, ekangi, satmuli, ashwagandha, aloe vera. Both BSF personnel and local residents are planting these saplings in the border areas. The honey extracted from these beehives will be sold through the established shops of the BSF Wives’ Welfare Association, and the profits will go to the locals.

On November 7, UK Prince William and The Earthshot Prize named Acción Andina, GRST, WildAid Marine Program, S4S Technologies, and Boomitra as the 2023 Winners of The Earthshot Prize in Singapore. The award ceremony – the first to be held in Asia – recognised environmental innovators with solutions to battle climate change and save the planet.

The five winners, chosen from among the 15 innovators and entrepreneurs named as 2023 prize finalists, were each awarded a £1 million prize to help scale their solutions and accelerate their growth and impact. The work of this third cohort of the prize spans the globe.

During his Singapore visit, Prince William, Founder and President of The Earthshot Prize, met Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. He also attended the United for Wildlife Global Summit, a convening of international leaders from conservation, government, law enforcement, and the private sector to discuss solutions for combating the illegal wildlife trade.

The British royal, on November 6, had a less formal event, where he picked up the oar of a dragon boat to take part in a race on the Kallang River, which showcases a sport that dates back more than 2,000 years and involves a crew of 22 team members made up of 20 paddlers.

The Italian region of Calabria is providing €28,000 (about Rs 25 lakh) to individuals who are open to moving to small villages, with an aim to fight its declining population. However, the applicants should be no older than 40 years, must be ready to move within 90 days once approved, and set up a either a new venture or accept existing offers for specific professions sought by the region.

Famous for its stunning coastal beauty and mountainous landscapes, Calabria, over the years, has faced a significant population decline. To address this issue, it has planned this scheme. Under the plan, it will provide financial incentives to young individuals eager to work and contribute to the local economy. In return, they would receive a monthly income that could range from £26,000 (Rs 26.48 lakh) over a three-year period or a one-time lump sum to support the launch of a new commercial endeavour.

Restaurants, shops, bed and breakfasts, or hotels are among the most preferred business ventures encouraged by the local officials.

The initiative, known as Active Residency Income, is set to open applications in the coming weeks, with approximately £620,000 (Rs 6.31 crore) earmarked to fund the scheme. The initiative might serve as a precursor to more extensive repopulation projects. Villages that will pay people to move in include Civita, Samo and Precacore, Aieta, Bova, Caccuri, Albidona, and Santa Severina.

Singapore’s Changi Airport Terminal 2 fully reopened to passengers on November 1 after three and a half years of extensive upgrade work. Besides adding over 21,000 square metres to the existing building, the project has introduced features like a digital waterfall and a digital sky for passengers to marvel at while they wait for their flights.

The Wonderfall is a multimedia digital waterfall display at the departure hall that stands at four stories and 14 metres high and is complemented by a landscaped garden.

The transit area at the all-new Terminal 2 features a stunning new Dreamscape feature that comprises an immersive garden elevated over a pond, beneath a dynamic digital sky.

Changi Airport Group (CAG) said the expansion is expected to add 5 million passengers per annum to its overall capacity, with the airport’s total capacity across all four terminals reaching 90 million passengers

The revamped terminal has a central common-use Fast and Seamless Travel zone, with almost twice the number of automated check-in kiosks and bag-drop machines compared to the original set-up. The immigration halls can now accommodate more automated immigration lanes. The terminal is the first Changi terminal to introduce automated Special Assistance Lanes for travellers with disabilities and young children at arrival and departure immigration points.