The Directorate of International Collaborations, Manipal University Jaipur hosted a mega international education fair at Manipal University Jaipur campus in association with Campus France. Representatives from 15 top institutes from France informed the students about diverse array of international academic opportunities. The event is a first step to bolster collaborative research programs, faculty exchanges and student mobility programs between French institutes and Manipal University Jaipur. The event witnessed the presence of Dr Fabien Chareix, the Attaché for Academic and Scientific Cooperation, Embassy of France in India, Cmdr. (Dr.) Jawahar Mal Jangir, Pro-President, Manipal University Jaipur, Prof. Santosh Patil, Director, Directorate of International Collaborations, Campus France representatives Ms. Shubhra Sharma, Ms. Shagun Handa, Ms. Mishika Goyal, country heads of the various French Institutes and Ms. Surbhi Jain from Alliance Francaise De Jaipur.   Dr. Arun Kumar Poonia, Assistant Director, Directorate of International Collaborations welcomed the dignitaries.

 On this occasion Cmdr. (Dr.) Jawahar Mal Jangir emphasized on how France is doing extremely well in the field of higher education. He also motivated students to interact more with the educational institutions’ representatives to know more about scholarships and programs offered by them.

Prof. Fabien pointed out the change in international approaches to education adopted by France. He clarified that these programs are all available in English, and hence lack of French language may not be a problem for the students. He advocated that majority of the top management education or B-schools in world ranking are from France, and France is doing tremendously well in the field of humanities, designing, science and technology along with management education.

Prof. Santosh Patil highlighted the importance of such events at MUJ and his commitment toward quality internationalization at MUJ. Dr. Mohit Jain, Dr. Manmohan Sharma, Dr. Shubha Dubey, Dr. Sakshi Shringi, Dr. Sneha Thakur, Ms. Sunita Saini, and other faculty members from MUJ were present at the event. Around 30 student volunteers from the International Student Cell contributed to the success of the event.

The post CAMPUS FRANCE INITIATIVE AT MANIPAL UNIVERSITY JAIPUR OPENS DOORS TO INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION first appeared on Spark PR.

India is strategically positioning itself to empower problem solvers, evidenced by its ascent to the top three for value creation globally. Indians are spearheading the creation of unicorns on the global stage. Startups will be the force multiplier to catapult the country to a USD 10 trillion economy. This was stated by Chairperson of Manipal Global Education and renowned Indian businessman, TV Mohandas Pai in Jaipur while sharing his thoughts on the topic ‘BHARAT @ 2047’. The event was organized on the occasion of 25th silver jubilee of Data Infosys, now known as Data Ingenious Global Limited.

Earlier, in his welcome remarks, Managing Director of Data Group of Industries, Mr. Ajay Data shed light on the 25-year-long journey of the company as a symbol of innovation, resilience and success.

Mr. Pai further said that aging is the biggest challenge of humanity. A big advantage that India has over the other economies is its young population. Till 2100 India will continue to have a young population. In addition to other advantages propelling economic growth, the transformative impact of digitalization in India stands out. India, renowned as a software export giant and a burgeoning deep tech hub, leverages digital platforms extensively. Mr. Pai highlighted a significant achievement during Prime Minister Modi’s tenure: the widespread access to basic necessities facilitated by technology.

Shedding light on the future, he remarked that in the next few years, India will transition from being data poor to data rich.India has pioneered the use of Digital Public Goods (DPGs) as the technology enabled force multipliers for growth. DPGs are new and improved methods of delivering public goods (and services) such as the Aadhaar identity system, healthcare, government schemes, and other digital public infrastructure such as banking and payments.

For Rajasthan, Mr. Pai suggested that the state should focus on labour-intensive industries to generate employment as well as tourism. The state has huge tourism potential which still needs to be tapped fully, he added.

The post “STARTUPS WILL BE THE FORCE MULTIPLIER TO CATAPULT THE COUNTRY TO A USD 10 TRILLION ECONOMY” -T.V. Mohandas Pai first appeared on Spark PR.

The fourth version of an international Conference on Recent Advancements in Materials Science and Computational Techniques (RAMSACT-2024) was inaugurated at Manipal University Jaipur on April 04, 2024 by Dr. N. Kalaiselvi, Director General, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. The goal of this three days event is to bring together eminent academics, scientists, researchers, and scholars to exchange and share their experiences and research findings on all aspects of Multifunctional Materials and Computational Techniques. The inaugural function began with lamp lighting. Dean faculty of science Prof. Lalita Ledwani welcomed all the delegates and guests. She mentioned an analogy of RAMSACT with Ramsetu (a bridge) saying that the conference also aims to bridge the gap among various disciplines. The pro-president, Prof. J. Jangid talked about the strength of the materials. He shared his experience at navy and airforce where he was instrumental on role of various materials significantly utilized in defence systems. The president of university Prof. G. K. Prabhu said that materials constitute a significant part of our world. He encouraged the scholars and students to adopt the path of networking among different domains. The chief guest of the function was introduced by the convener, Dr. Saurabh Srivastava. Speaking at the event, the chief guest Dr. N. Kalaiselvi, said that life without materials is impossible. She added that the spiritual science is also crucial in making our life better. She said that India is going to be the world leader in 21 century. Talking about Amrit Kaal and Atm Nirbhar Bharat, she urged the students and scholars to not to miss the brilliant opportunities coming on the ways of research and innovations. The vote of thanks was presented by Dr. Pooja Sharma. During the inaugural function of this mega event, the other conveners of the conference Dr. Anamika Jain, Dr. Mausami Debnath and Dr. Manisha Sharma and heads of various departments were also present.

Besides, numerous experts from various part of the country and abroad will exchange scientific ideas during this three days event. There will be plenary, keynote, invited talks and oral and poster sessions Total five tracks have been chosen covering the major areas of materials science and computational techniques, aligned to which oral and poster presentations will take place during the event. This flagship event of faculty of science of Manipal University Jaipur would be a premier interdisciplinary platform for researchers, practitioners, and educators to present and discuss the most recent innovations, trends, and concerns as well as practical challenges encountered, and solutions adopted in the fields aligned to the conference theme.

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Twenty upcoming golfers of the Rambagh Golf Club were allotted handicaps by the Handicap and Technical Committee. The handicap certificates were distributed to them by the Club Captain, Shriesh Sacheti and Honorary Secretary, Hem Singh Khangarot. Also present on the occassion were the Convener of the Handicap Committee, Ajay Singh Khichi and Co-convener, Anush Sharma. They also briefed the golfers about the rules and etiquettes to be followed on the golf course.

On the occasion, the Captain, Shriesh Sacheti said: “It is a matter of satisfaction that twenty members of the club have recieved the handicap certificates. I am sure they will play regularly and further improve their handicap as well as follow the rules. “

A rule book was also presented to each of the golfers.

The members who recieved the certificates were Vikas Jain, Sumit Jain, Sehej Sharma, Om Shankar Dhamani, Saurabh Bhalla, Gaurav Bhalla, Sarvdaman Sharma, Dr Pritpal Singh Kalra, Aarna M Chandra, Nidhi Loyalka, Anil Poddar, Ajit Singh, Dr Sandeep Tondon, Eva Soni, Neel Agarwal, Dr Jagdish Singh, Subhash Sharma, Sanjay Saxena, Siddharth Sharma and Charan Jit Singh.

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A 7-day free workshop is being organised by Rangreet Sansthan of Jaipur to provide training in Indian traditional painting. More than 50 new artists from India and abroad are participating in this workshop. Talking about the workshop, trainer and senior Vedic painter Ramu Ramdev informed that during this workshop, participants will be given training in making paintings based on the famous Jaipur style of Rajasthan. Along with this, they will also learn ancient techniques by pertaining to nuances and characteristics of traditional art.

At the beginning of the workshop, Ramu Ramdev highlighted six principles of learning traditional painting art. The emphasis was laid on creating original paintings by following the principles of meditation, pranayam, keeping a vow of silence, keeping inner child alive, dedication to the Guru, without ego. Later, he also presented a beautiful example of Jaipur style of painting through the painting of a lady from royal descent and how the costume and jewellery of the woman in the picture reflect the traditional characteristics of Jaipur style. He further said that in the picture, the intricate ornaments on the woman’s head, the earrings, the bindi on her forehead and the necklace are depicted in great detail. Her saree and Odhni are made keeping fine details in mind, in which the gold work is clearly visible. The use of gold flowers on green background is a specialty of Jaipur painting, highlighting the royal grandeur. He said that traditional painting is not only a display of artistic skills but also reflects the social and cultural scenario.

The post PARTICIPANTS FROM INDIA AND ABROAD LEARN THE ART OF INDIAN TRADITIONAL PAINTING first appeared on Spark PR.

The state of Rajasthan offers abundant opportunities in the realm of weddings. With its vibrant wedding industry, there are a plethora of job opportunities, spanning from renowned hotels and caterers to local flower vendors and folk musicians, thereby catalyzing employment growth. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also emphasized on having destination weddings in India. This was stated by President, FHTR & HRAR, Kuldeep Singh Chandela at a talk on ‘Weddings in India – Opportunities for Rajasthan’ organized by the Federation of Hospitality and Tourism of Rajasthan (FHTR) organized at Hotel ITC Rajputana.

The panelists who participated in the session included Area Director of Rajasthan and General Manager, Rambagh Palace, Ashok S Rathore, General Manager, Novotel Jaipur Convention Center, Manuj Ralhan, General Manager, Hotel Hilton, Rahul Bhagat, Owner & Founder, Swishin Events, Mahavir Pratap Sharma and Event Guru & Founder, Nexzen Events, Arshad Hussain.

The Area Director of Rajasthan and General Manager of Rambagh Palace, Ashok S Rathore highlighted the substantial economic impact of weddings in India, noting the contemporary trend of integrating them with vacation experiences. He emphasized that 60% of weddings in Rajasthan occur during the winter months of November and December, indicating the necessity of diversifying throughout the year. Rathore proposed the development of lesser-known destinations for weddings, addressing challenges like connectivity and inventory to achieve a more balanced utilization of resources.

Underlining Rajasthan’s unique selling proposition (USP) as a premier wedding destination, Owner & Founder, Swishin Events, Mahavir Pratap Sharma emphasized the diverse array of attractions it offers, ranging from majestic palaces and historic forts to rich cultural performances and exquisite cuisine. He stressed the interconnectedness of various tourism-related sectors, asserting that growth must be pursued collectively and steadily to maximize the potential of Rajasthan’s tourism industry.

General Manager, Novotel Jaipur Convention Center, Manuj Ralhan noted a shift in wedding dynamics, highlighting how modern brides and grooms actively contribute to wedding expenditures, thereby increasing the propensity to spend. He emphasized the importance of targeting tier 2 and tier 3 cities in Rajasthan as potential venues for destination weddings. Citing numbers, he said that as many as 60 Lakh weddings took place in Rajasthan in year 2022-23, and that it was the fourth largest industry in the country with an impressive growth rate of 6%.

General Manager, Hotel Hilton, Rahul Bhagat emphasized that authenticity is the biggest attraction of Rajasthan. He underlined the significance of the traditional ‘manuhaar’ practice to elaborate this aspect.

Event Guru & Founder, Nexzen Events, Arshad Hussain emphasized the pivotal role event managers play in marketing Rajasthan as a premier destination, thus contributing significantly to the development and promotion of the brand “Rajasthan”.

The session was followed by an interactive Question and Answer session. Earlier, Secretary General, FHTR, Virendra Singh Shekhawat welcomed the guests and the General Manager of ITC Rajputana, Deependra Rana proposed the vote of thanks.

Also present on the occasion, Sr Vice President, FHTR, Surendra Singh Shahpura; Treasurer, FHTR, Rishipal Singh; President, Rajasthan Association of Tour Operators (RATO), Mahendra Singh and  Secretary, RATO, Mohan Singh.

The post  WEDDINGS GIVE A HUGE IMPETUS TO EMPLOYMENT first appeared on Spark PR.

The Museum of Meenakari Heritage’ (MOMH) was recently inaugurated in Jaipur. The museum is a unique state-of-the-art permanent gallery that preserves and celebrates the rich tapestry of Meenakari. A long-nurtured dream of founder Sunita Shekhawat, this unique space is a manifestation of her vision and love for the art of enamelling. The museum is curated by the noted art historian Dr Usha R Balakrishnan and designed by Siddhartha Das Studio. The building design for the museum is done by Studio Lotus. It pays tribute to the mastery and skill of countless artisans who have carried forward the ancient craft of enamelling through the centuries.

Many eminent personalities, local as well as international, participated in the inauguration ceremony: art connoisseurs, international jewellery designers, editors of international media houses among others. These included Princess Gauravi Kumari of Jaipur; three-time Grammy Award winning Indian musician, Ricky Kej; Culturalist, Sundeep Bhutoria; Head of Editorial content, Vogue India, Rochelle Pinto; Actor and Director, Nandita Das; Global Editorial Director, CNT, Divia Thani; Jewellery Curator and Consultant, Former Managing Editor, Vogue, Archana Thani; Editor in Chief, Harper’s Bazaar India, Rasna Bhasin; Fashion Designer and Actor, Anaita Shroff.

On this occasion, founder, Sunita Shekhawat said, “This museum was my long-time dream, which has now come true. It is an expression of my vision and love for the art of Meenakari. This place is not just a museum but is like an experience centre, where people can see the rich art of Meenakari as well as get to learn about it. That is the reason we have kept it open for all the visitors. The special thing about this museum is that all the materials used are procured from Rajasthan only. This museum is dedicated to Jaipur’s art and artists.

Sprawled over 3,000 sq.ft, the gallery is located in the vicinity of Jaipur. Over 300 images were obtained from over 15 premier museums, private collections, art galleries and auction houses worldwide, charting the nuanced history of enamelling from Renaissance Europe to its arrival in India. These include the British Museum, V&A Museum, Art Institute of Chicago, Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Al-Thani Collection, Aga Khan Museum, The Hermitage and Sotheby’s to name a few. The House of Shekhawat produced over 120 reproductions which serve as a priceless repository of archival motifs, styles and oral histories related to the craft. The myriad forms of enamelling like cloisonné, champlevé, plique-à-jour, and basse-taille are further explored in the 60 original pieces by Sunita Shekhawat. These creations epitomise a confluence of traditional craft and modern vibrancy the maison is known for.

A palette of ivory, maroon, and brown punctuated by teak wood, red sandstone and antique brass sets the tone of the space. Painstakingly hand painted ceilings and latticed jharokhas capture old world Jaipur. Locally sourced materials and heritage inspired design embody the spirit of Made in India. Bringing Jaipur to the world, the gallery lays bare an intimate bridge connecting the past, present and future of Meenakari. The gallery is an ensemble of pieces that shed light on various regions and epochs. This experience is only heightened by the artisan’s virtuosity that takes centre stage, highlighting the skill, patience and vision that goes into enamelling. Sunita Shekhawat is one of the last remaining jewellery houses that champion authentic Indian craftsmanship. Age-old techniques, once pioneered by Jaipur’s mediaeval elites and garnered global fame, continue to form the backbone of the atelier. Indeed, revival is at the heart of each piece.

The gallery preserves both the process and spirit of Meenakari. Acting as a node to disseminate knowledge about the craft, MOMH will continue to grow through organic collaborations and creative innovation.

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‘Holika Dahan’ was celebrated with traditional ceremonies and regal splendour at the City Palace in Jaipur. Prior the ‘Holika Dahan’, the ‘pujan’ and ‘havan’ were performed by HH Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh Singh of Jaipur. Princess Gauravi Kumari of Jaipur was also present on the occasion and participated in the ceremony. Many dignitaries and guests witnessed the ceremony and participated in the festivities. As per tradition in Jaipur, local residents took the holy fire of Holi for ‘Holika Dahan’ to their respective colonies after the pyre was lit. A mesmerising ‘chang’ performance rendered by folk artistes added festive charm to the celebrations.

The post TRADITIONAL ‘HOLIKA DAHAN’ AT CITY PALACE first appeared on Spark PR.

Ahead of Rajasthan Diwas, the three-time Grammy Award-winning Indian music composer, Ricky Kej rendered a captivating debut performance in Jaipur today. His spellbinding performance left the audience not only completely mesmerised but they also stood up to shake a leg.

The concert was organised by Rajasthan Forum in association with Jayshree Periwal Foundation, supported by Shree Cement under its CSR initiative. It was a complete package of audio-visual treat for the audience. Honorary Secretary of Rajasthan Forum, Apra Kuchhal, welcomed Ricky Kej on the stage and highlighted the objectives and achievements of Rajasthan Forum. Trustee of Jayshree Periwal Foundation, Aakriti Periwal talked about the vision as well as various initiatives of the foundation. The event began with the audio-visual of the Rajasthan Forum Anthem which has been conceptualised by Founder and Rajasthan Forum Member Sundeep Bhutoria and music provided by Padma Bhushan recipient Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt. It showed the participation of its members.

Ricky Kej and his team sang songs on multifarious themes pertaining to environment, culture, tribal farming, preservation of wildlife, climate change and more. Among the high-voltage performances of songs were the popular numbers: One Song, Ganga, Kudrat, Longing, Kahe Sataye and Mere Des, Mere Gaon. He also sang popular Sufi songs Dama Dam Mast Kalandar, Jugni as well as Punjabi song Gur Naalo Ishq Mitha to which the audience danced. The highlight of the evening was the performance of Kesariya Balam. The evening began with Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt playing on Mohan Veena.

It is worth noting that Kej has performed at venues in over 35 countries including at the United Nations headquarters in New York and Geneva. He is also UN Goodwill Ambassador.

Also present on the occasion were Rajasthan Forum Members namely Padamshri Recepient Anwar Khan, Padma shri recipient Tilak Gitai, Padma Shri recipient Ali Mohammad and GaniMohammad Culturalist Sundeep Bhutoria; Cine Actress  Ila Arun; Devotional Singer Manesha Agarwal, Dhrupad Singer Madhu Bhatt Tailang; Painter Vidysagar Upadhyay, theatre artist Ashok Rahi, Kathak Dancer Manjari Mahanjani, social entrepreneur Apra Kuchhal, Kathak Dancer Prerna Shrimali, sculpturist Ankit Patel, art promoter Sangeeta Juneja among others.
Lot of artists came from other different parts of Rajasthan to attend the show.

The post RICKY KEJ ENTHRALLS JAIPUR WITH HIS MESMERISING PERFORMANCE first appeared on Spark PR.

 A meeting was convened by Federation of Hospitality and Tourism of Rajasthan (FHTR) of all the tourism related organisations and associations at the Spice Court. This was an initiative by President FHTR and Hotel & Restaurant Association of Rajasthan (HRAR) Kuldeep Singh Chandela. Speaking on the occasion, he said that the objective of the meeting was for all the organisations to work in a cohesive and concerted manner for representing their issues to the State as well as the Union Government. In this context, he said that a comprehensive Vision Document will be prepared, wherein all the issues and suggestions will be outlined. This will facilitate and enable the Department of Tourism (DoT) as well as other related departments to take forward the tourism industry in a planned manner.

Present on the occasion were representatives of the following organisations: Sr Vice President, Surendra Singh Shahpura, Vice President, Khalid Khan, Secretary, CA Virendra Singh, Treasurer Rishipal Singh and Joint Secretary Tarun Bansal of FHTR; Secretary, Gaj Singh, Joint Secretary, Prithvi Singh of Indian Heritage Hotels Association (IHHA); President, Mahendra Singh, Secretary, Mohan Singh  of Rajasthan Association of Tour Operators (RATO); Vice President, Satinder Pal Singh, Joint Secretary, Ranvijay Singh of Hotel & Restaurant Association of Rajasthan (HRAR); President, Narendra Singh Rathore of Tourist Guides Federation of India (TGFI); President, Yogendra Singh, Secretary, Kamal Doi of Federation of Rajasthan Tour Operators (FRTO); Secretary, Virendra Shekhawat of  Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI);  President, Husain Khan, Secretary, Sailesh Pradhan, Treasurer, Sandeep Gogia of Hotel Federation of Rajasthan (HFR); President, Gajendra Luniwal, Secretary, Rahul Agarwal of Hotel Association of Jaipur (HAJ).

Other issues raised pertained to cleanliness and hygiene, safety of solo women travellers, enhancing the beautification of the city and promoting new destinations. A suggestion was also received to obtain the feedback from tourists about what they feel about the State. All members were of the view that with a ‘double-engine’ Government, this was the most appropriate time to give an impetus to the tourism industry.

The event concluded with a vote of thanks given by Sr Vice President of FHTR, Surendra Singh Shahpura

The post RAJASTHAN’S TOURISM FRATERNITY TO PRESENT A VISION DOCUMENT TO THE STATE GOVERNMENT first appeared on Spark PR.