logo
Ex-DGP donates 227 books to LU's Tagore library

Ex-DGP donates 227 books to LU's Tagore library

Time of India3 days ago
Lucknow: Former DGP
on Sunday gifted 227 books, including many he studied during his student life, to
's Tagore Library.
"We are privileged to receive such a wonderful gift. It's not just a personal book collection but one that can serve as a significant source of motivation for our students preparing for civil services and other competitive examinations, as it includes study material once used by the highest-ranking police officer in our state," said vice-chancellor Prof Alok Kumar Rai.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
He said the collection includes books on Indian history and literature, the culture of Indian tribes, heroic tales of the Indian Army, and the contributions and thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Rabindranath Tagore.
"This step by Prashant Kumar Sir will inspire other administrative and senior officers. We hope more such officers will come forward and contribute books to the library," he added.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

True compassion begins on your plate: Acharya Prashant
True compassion begins on your plate: Acharya Prashant

India Today

time38 minutes ago

  • India Today

True compassion begins on your plate: Acharya Prashant

In spiritual circles, we often hear about personal growth, stress relief, and calming of thoughts. Rarely does anyone bring up our daily treatment of animals. But one spiritual teacher has made it a key part of his work: Acharya Prashant. Acharya Prashant says that any path that ignores the pain of animals cannot be a real spiritual compassion and non-violence are often spoken of in a moralistic sense, he ties them directly to our daily actions: what we eat, how we act, how we treat others. He believes our treatment of animals shows a mirror to how much we truly understand ourselves. When that understanding becomes real, we won't feel the need to hurt others, including animals. True compassion begins on your plate: Acharya Prashant advertisementHe doesn't always say things that will please the listener. His way of speaking is simple, clear, and often even uncomfortable. But it comes from the center of honesty. For him, concern for animals isn't something additional to be done. It comes on its own when one begins to see things as they are. He brings to the center the rights of the voiceless who can't speak for AND ON-GROUND WORKPETA recently gave Acharya Prashant the 'Most Influential Vegan' award. In 2025, his foundation got an award for being the Best Animal Welfare Organisation for helping people live a more compassionate life and reducing the suffering of is the only Indian spiritual teacher shown in the popular award-winning documentary Cowspiracy directed by Kip Andersen. He has also been featured in many other documentaries and conversations about animal cruelty and living with had a widely seen discussion with Maneka Gandhi, a well-known animal rights figure in India. Before the 2023 Gadhimai festival, where lakhs of animals are slaughtered, he went to Bihar and met officials and media to support steps to reduce the killing of has spoken at more than 200 universities and colleges, including premier institutions like IITs, IIMs, AIIMS, BITS, and the University of California. In these sessions, he frequently asks students to look at not just the environmental impact of their food and lifestyle choices, but also the effect that they have on their own inner talks and videos about the dairy and meat industries, and practices that involve animal cruelty, have reached over 80 million of his online followers and 2024, over 50,000 families chose to go vegetarian after engaging with his work. That shift helped save more than one million animals in that year HE STANDS OUTAcharya Prashant's words come from deep Vedantic clarity. He doesn't promote superficial causes or trends. He says that when we stop acting from habit or inner confusion, caring for animals comes explains that seeing animals as objects of consumption is often a result of strong body-centeredness. As that tendency loosens, our actions also become more compassionate on their own, without explicit has often mentioned that spirituality is not just about some quiet time or ritualistic worship. It should be visible in our daily choices, we eat, what we support, and how we behave, these are all a part of it. One cannot claim to live in truth while turning away from the suffering of fellow isn't asking for small changes. He's asking people to look at themselves honestly and make choices from that honest after influencing millions of people towards more compassionate living via his talks and writings, he frequently shows up on ground if the situation so the Gadhimai event, he didn't just speak, he travelled, met officials, and took concrete steps. All of this shows his deep sense of harm is often accepted without much thought. It is seen as normal, often even Prashant asks people to stop and question all pre-existing notions and traditions. He doesn't ask them to follow anyone or oppose anything for the sake of it. He just asks them to feel pain. That's a fact. Ignoring that is avoiding truth. Through both inner clarity and outer effort, Acharya Prashant is helping more people see this. He's not just talking, he's helping change the way we think and live.- Ends

How schools are being built for extreme heat
How schools are being built for extreme heat

Indian Express

timean hour ago

  • Indian Express

How schools are being built for extreme heat

When prize-winning architect Francis Kere was growing up in Burkina Faso he spent his schooldays in a gloomy classroom that was so stifling he says it would have been better suited to making bread than educating children. Years later, while studying abroad, Kere returned to his home village to build a light and airy school where children could learn in comfort despite temperatures that can hit 45 degrees Celsius (113 F). But the Berlin-based architect did not use aircon. Instead he incorporated a host of cooling features into Gando Primary School that he has since applied to projects across Africa. Kere, who won architecture's highest honour of the Pritzker Prize in 2022, is among architects pioneering sustainable school designs for a warming planet. 'My own school was so hot it was hard to concentrate,' he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. 'So I wanted to build a school that would be comfortable and inspiring for children.' Studies from Brazil to Vietnam show heat significantly impacts learning. In a report last year, the World Bank warned that climate change was threatening educational attainment, creating an 'economic time-bomb'. Experts say classrooms should be no hotter than 26 C. In Gando, villagers were initially shocked when Kere announced he would build the school from clay, but the material is a natural temperature regulator, absorbing heat during the day and releasing it at night. Concrete and plate-glass may look contemporary, but Kere said they make buildings hot, necessitating air conditioners. This creates a vicious circle. Energy-intensive air conditioners, which expel hot air outdoors, contribute to global warming, which then fuels demand for more aircon. Instead, Kere uses passive cooling techniques. Gando's classrooms have openings at both ends, generating cross-ventilation. An overhanging roof elevated above a perforated lower roof improves air circulation and shades the facade. In Kenya, Kere's design for a college campus was inspired by termite mounds, which use natural ventilation to regulate interior temperatures. Low openings on the buildings suck in fresh air while terracotta-coloured towers let hot air escape. Some 8,000 km (5,000 miles) away in northwest India's Thar desert, temperatures reached 48 C this year. Vegetation is sparse, and sandstorms are common. The Rajkumari Ratnavati Girls School, a large oval sandstone edifice rising from the Rajasthan desert, was designed by New York architect Diana Kellogg. The building's orientation and shape allow prevailing winds to flow around the school, while lime plaster on the interior walls has an additional cooling effect. Lattice walls, inspired by traditional Indian jali screens, accelerate airflow due to a phenomenon called the Venturi effect. The school also runs off solar power and harvests enough rainwater for its needs. Temperatures inside are up to 10 C cooler than outside, contributing to high attendance, Kellogg said. Like Kere, she believes good architecture can encourage social change. Rajasthan has the lowest female literacy rate in India, but Kellogg said the school's monumental scale sends a strong message about the value of girls. 'It has enhanced their standing in the community,' she said. 'The girls take pride in attending and call it 'The College'. When I visit, the boys say, 'Build one for us'.' Even temperate countries are looking at how to cool schools as climate change brings more frequent heatwaves. Britain has said new school buildings should be future-proofed for a 4 C temperature rise. Its draughty Victorian-era schools with big windows and high ceilings are better suited to heatwaves than newer schools designed to keep heat in. But education does not just happen indoors. Playgrounds are also important for children's development, and many cities are trying to make them greener. Urban areas can be 4 C to 6 C warmer than rural areas, but planting trees reduces temperatures through shading and the release of water vapour. Paris aims to convert all asphalted schoolyards to green oases by 2050. Another solution involves cool paint. While countries like Greece have long painted building roofs white, scientists are now working on high-tech coatings that could potentially outperform air conditioners. From geothermal cooling technology to smart glass, engineers are developing increasingly sophisticated systems and products to control temperatures. But German architect Anna Heringer said sustainable architecture means working with local materials. Heringer, who has designed schools from Bangladesh to Ghana, is known for building with mud – 'a low-tech material with high-tech performance. 'If you ask farmers, they will tell you a mud house is cool in summer,' Heringer said, adding that clay balances humidity, which exacerbates physical discomfort in extreme heat and cold. 'Architects often try to be way too technical, but sometimes the solutions are in front of us.' In Tanzania, villagers told her they built concrete homes for status, but went to mud huts to sleep at night. Contrary to popular perception, clay walls do not dissolve in the rain, Heringer said. There are simple techniques to prevent erosion, and a natural crystallization process strengthens the walls over time. 'Clay has been branded as a weak material, but in every culture and climate we have mud buildings that are hundreds of years old,' Heringer said, adding that schools she built 20 years ago have required little maintenance. Some classrooms in her schools have solar-powered fans, but there is no aircon. Not only does it consume energy, but constantly switching between heat and cold can harm children's health, she said. Kere – whose international commissions include Benin's new parliament building and the upcoming Las Vegas Museum of Art – said his studio gets many inquiries about building with clay and passive cooling. 'There's a big shift,' he said. 'This would never have happened just a few years ago.' (Reporting by Emma Batha;

Gujarat: 5 'dangerous' bridges on Narmada canals shut, no heavy vehicles allowed on 4 others
Gujarat: 5 'dangerous' bridges on Narmada canals shut, no heavy vehicles allowed on 4 others

Time of India

timean hour ago

  • Time of India

Gujarat: 5 'dangerous' bridges on Narmada canals shut, no heavy vehicles allowed on 4 others

FILE: Rescuers and locals look for survivors after several vehicles fell into a river following the collapse of a portion of a bridge in Mujpur near Vadodara in the Indian state of Gujarat, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. Following inspections of the Narmada canal network in Gujarat, authorities have closed five bridges due to safety concerns, with two in Morbi and three in Surendranagar district. Heavy vehicles are restricted on four additional bridges, and repairs are ordered for 36 more. This action follows a bridge collapse in July and aims to prevent further incidents. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Ahmedabad: Authorities have shut five bridges on the Narmada canals in Gujarat after they were found to be dangerous for vehicular movement during an ongoing inspection drive, officials said on this, heavy vehicles have been barred from plying on four other bridges in the canal network, while instructions have been given to the district administration concerned to close 36 other bridges for repair work with immediate effect, the government said in a these bridges are part of the Narmada canal repair and maintenance work of various roads and bridges which are damaged due to heavy rains is being carried out on a war footing under the direction of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, it state government has also conducted a technical inspection of various bridges located on the vast Narmada canal network in the state as a precautionary measure, it to the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited (SSNNL), there are about 2,110 bridges connecting the national and state highways and village roads passing through this canal assess the current condition of these bridges, prevent possible damages and extend the life of these structures, a comprehensive visual inspection campaign was conducted recently by SSNNL on all these bridges, the release the five bridges which are completely closed, two are in Morbi district while three are in Surendranagar district, it located on the Narmada canal network are constantly affected by load carrying vehicles and environmental factors. At such times, regular inspection is extremely important to identify potential hazards and find a solution, it July 9, several vehicles plunged into the Mahisagar river after a segment of a 40-year-old bridge near Gambhira village, connecting Anand and Vadodara districts, collapsed on July 9. At least 20 persons were killed in the state government has started the repair work of national and state highways as well as internal roads of villages, towns and cities which were damaged due to heavy rains recently. On Tuesday, CM Patel conducted an in-depth review of the ongoing road and bridge repair works across the state and asked officials to check quality during the exercise and prioritize the redressal of citizens' complaints.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store