[Reader-list] Inviting Media to cover Function of Homage to Kalpana Chawla & Distribution of 8th Kalpana Chawla Excellence Awards on Tuesday, the 1st Feb 2011 forenoon at INSA Auditorium, BS Zafar Marg, New Delhi-2

[rohitrellan at aol.in]

PECOBA

(Punjab Engineering College Chandigarh Old Boys Association, New Delhi)
Dakha Plaza, 974/1 Arya Samaj Road, Karol Bagh, New Delhi-110005
Phones: Mob: 098117-20895, 011-28755656, 011-28759428, Telefax: 
011-28759428

emails: pecoba at bol.net.in   &   sakha1 at bol.net.in

 
Jan 31, 2011
 
I am enclosing an Invitation Card for a Function of Homage on late 
astronaut Kalpana Chawla & Distribution of 8th Annual Kalpana Chawla 
Excellence Awards on Tuesday, the 1st February, 2011 , 12.30 pm to 1.20 
pm at Indian National Science Academy (INSA)Auditorium, 9 BS Zafar 
Marg, New Delhi
 
The Awards will be distributed by Sh Banarsi Lal Chawla, father of 
Kalpana Chawla. A list of Awardees is also enclosed & the time at which 
each will get Award is also written. The Awardees list includes Dr  
Kapila Vatsayan for whom Padma Vibhushan was declared by the Govt of 
India on 25th Jan 2011. She has given her written consent for receiving 
Kalpana Chawla Excellence Award. All other Awardees also have 
meritorious achievements.
 
The Function is being held to coincide with the 8th Death Anniversary 
of Kalpana Chawla who had died on 1st Feb 2003. In view of the National 
Importance of the event & great public interest in it, I request you to 
cover  the event. Your can come to our MEDIA COUNTER at the entrance of 
Auditorium and get some more material about the Function. As we are 
punctual to the minute, kindly arrive definitely by 12.15 pm. You can 
also join us for the lunch between 1.30 pm and 2.30 pm during which you 
can interview any awardee or Mr Banarsi Lal Chawla. Mr Chawla is 
arriving from Karnal on the evening of 31st January & will be staying 
at INSA Guest House which is located within the premises of Indian 
National Science Academy (Phone 23221931- ask for his room no.) Mr 
Chawla's Karnal Based mobile is 098130-41572, 093543-19972.
 
For any other information, I may be contacted.
 
(Amarjit Singh Kohli)
General Secy, Punjab Engineering College Chandigarh old Boys 
Association, PECOBA
B-4/120 Safdarjung Enclave, New Delhi-110029
Ph: 26196600, 26107082, Mob 09988778739 (Punjab based mobile. Pl dial 
zero before)
Email: sakha1 at bol.net.in and amarjitsinghkohli at gmail.com
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ALPHABETIC AWARDEES LIST FOR KALPANA CHAWLA EXCELLENCE AWARDS, Version 
R8 on Feb 1, 2011 from 12.30 pm to 1.20 pm at Indian National Science 
Academy Auditorium (Phone: 011-23221931 to 50), BS Zafar Marg, New Delhi
Awards will be given by Sh Banarasi Lal Chawla, father of Kalpana Chawla
 
1. Kapila Vatsyayan, Dr- Padma Vibhushan in 2011- An internationally 
acknowledged scholar of Indian classical dance, arts, architecture. 
Astonishingly versatile scholar, author, linguist, musician, dancer, 
ethnographer & much more. Founder and Former Academic Director of the 
Indira Gandhi National Centre of the Arts in New Delhi. Her total 
qualities can form the basis of a book.
 
Kanwaljit Deol – Belongs to Indian Police Service, AGMU 77 Batch. 
Presently Director General of Police, Arunachal Pradesh, based at 
Itanagar. A police officer of great integrity & commitment to duty, she 
has not hesitated to take action against several hardened criminals. As 
an official who brooks no oversight from her teams, she is regarded 
with considerable awe by her colleagues. Has written the book "101 Tips 
To Survive The City (Penguin, 2002)". Credited with setting up the 
Crime Against Women Cell in Delhi in1983 & was its Incharge for next 4 
years
 
3. Krishna Poonia – Second Indian & the first woman to win a gold medal 
in any atheletic event (Discus Throw – throw of 61.5 metres) in 
Commonwealth Games on 11 Oct 2010, Delhi. Only Milkha Singh had won 
Gold earlier in1958 in  400 yards race.  Works for Railways in Jaipur. 
Rajasthan Govt has now announced a cash reward of Rs 10 Lakhs to her 
though it had not approved her application for assistance of Rs 1 lakh 
for training abroad  which she funded out of her won pocket. An Arjun 
Awardee, Padmashree announced in 2011. Born in Agroha, Hisar District 
of Haryana in a Jat family and married to Virender Singh Poonia of 
Gagarwas village in Churu district in Rajasthan in 2000.
 
4. Manorama Jafa – Born in Lakhimpur Kheri, UP. Author of 80 books for 
children and over 600 stories, articles and research papers, she has 
pioneered the movement for better books for children in India. Her 
books are available in many Indian such as Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, 
Kannad, Telgu, Malayalam,Punjabi, Urdu  and foreign languages Japanese, 
Italian, Dutch, Russian, Pashto, Dari.  Supported by famous cartoonist 
Shankar, she founded the Association of Writers and Illustrators for 
Children in 1981 and has served as its Secretary General and the editor 
of its Quarterly Journal for three decades. Her writers’ workshops have 
benefited a large number of aspirant writers in India, Thailand, 
Singapore, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Korea.  An internationally 
known scholar of children’s literature, she was honoured as “the Living 
Treasure of Children’s Literature in India” at the Children Book 
Festival held in Nami Island ,Republic of Korea, from 1st October to 14 
November 2010.
 
 
5.Mohini Giri, Dr – A Padma Bhushan for Social Service (2007),  and a 
Former Chairperson of the National Commission for Women and Founder 
President of the War Widows Associations, she is daughter-in-law of 
former President of India Sh V.V. Giri. Under her dynamic leadership as 
President of "Guild of Service" which works for the empowerment of 
marginalized, distressed women, widows and children requiring 
stupendous effort on her part. But she believes that her rewards are in 
the smile of confidence when a destitute woman earns her first income, 
the sense of satisfaction when
injustice is corrected & the sense of pride when a shy woman wins the 
Panchayat Elections. She has launched multidimensional programs towards 
vocational training and education of women.  Guild’s work for widows is 
exemplary & it runs "Amar Bari", a home for 100 widows in Vrindavan. 
Another home for 500 widows, Ma Dham, is in the offing.
 
6. Naurti - An illiterate but highly ethical Sarpanch of Harmara 
Panchayat in Ajmer District of Rajasthan & leads an exemplary life. 
Aruna Roy who is an important member of National Advisory Council 
headed by Smt Sonia Gandhi says, "Naurti is an extremely distinguished 
woman from whom I have learned a lot.  Her work formed the basis for a 
PIL in Supreme Court demanding Government to pay minimum wages in 
public works programmes, an issue still being fought by workers in 
MGNREGA. She fought and won a landmark case, which was then the basis 
for a PIL filed in the Supreme Court demanding that the government pay 
minimum wages in public works programmes  like Famine Relief Works.- an 
issue that is still being fought for by workers in MGNREGA." Despite 
being illiterate she learnt computer & loads information of use for 
undertaking public causes.
 
7. Neeta Mohindra – A renowned painter, she has held 22 solo 
exhibitions all over India including Mumbai, Delhi, Chandigarh, 
Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar. She is deep into academics and research 
of painting. Doctorate on the Tribal Art Forms of Southern Rajasthan in 
1986. Made a series of paintings for UGC's project "Study of 
Contemporary Trends in Indian Art". Has held several workshops in 
Foreign Countries including USA, UK, Germany. Also a drama actor and 
director who has acted in and directed several plays in Hindi, English 
and Sanskrit. Has been  part of all the major national and 
international Theatre Festivals. Performed 50 shows of her play "Land 
of Five Rivers" all over UK in 2001 on a fellowship of British Council. 
Also performed her solo play "Buhe Barian"in Lahore several times. Her 
latest solo play "Chanda Mama Door Ke" scripted by her & solo-acted by 
her won laurels in the International Festival of Theatre "Rangmahotsa" 
in Jan 2010. Recipient of several awards including Sangeet Natak 
Academy Award in 2009. Teaching Fine Arts in BBK DAY College for Women 
in Amritsar.
 
8. Reena  Kaushal Dhanshaktu - First Indian Woman to ski to South Pole 
travelling 900 km from the coast of Antartica to South Pole. As a part 
of Kaspersky Lab Commonwealth Antarctic expedition  she spent 38 days 
skiing on the polar ice cap to raise awareness of issues relating to 
environment and empowerment of women. She has climbed  many peaks in 
the Himalayas like  Shri Kailash , Gangotri 1, Argan Kangri,Phawararang 
and many more  and some peaks in Alaska  . She is Free lance outdoor 
instructor  of mountaineering and backpacking and now likes to give 
motivational talks  . Her committment to environmental issues is 
demonstrated by the fact that her expedition  carried back all the 
garbage & human waste of 38 days and did not dump it anywhere during 
the expedition. She has now set eyes on a trip to North Pole. She 
laments that she has never received any assistance from the Government 
of India  despite her path breaking feat. Born in Bareilly , UP she is 
now settled in Delhi.
 
9. Ritu Beri, A Delhi based Fashion Designer of International repute 
who gave a new identity to fashion industry in India. She is unique 
with her astute and elegant collections.
 
10. Shovana Narain -  A Leading Kathak Dancer who learnt from 
dancer-actress Sadhna Bose at Kolkata, Guru Kundanlal at Mumbai and 
maestro Pt. Birju Maharaj at Delhi. She has given an entirely new 
dimension to dancing, displaying exquisite mastery over layakari, and 
abhinaya. Her style represents a crystallization of combined techniques 
of sophisticated elegance of Lucknow Gharana and rhythmic precision of 
Jaipur School. Author of ten books including "Moonlight Impressionism" 
and "The Dawn After". Visiting Lecturer at the 
Theaterfurwissenschaften, University of Vienna.  Regularly holds two 
annual festivals, one featuring famous maestros and the other festival 
‘Arpan’ promoting young dancers. Asavari group is credited with many 
path-breaking works. Works with spastic, mentally and physically 
handicapped children. Married to Dr. Herbert von Traxl, Austrian 
Ambassador to India. Won several awards including Padmashree, Sangeet 
Natak Akademy. Main Co-ordinator and Director of Opening and Closing 
Ceremonies of Commonwealth Games, 2010.
 
11. Sohini Kumari: A rare sportswomen who represented India in 
International Tournaments in both Squash and Tennis many times. Listed 
in the Limca Book of Records as one of four most versatile sportswomen 
of India
 
 
Awardees List of KC 2011 R9, names and description

 
 
 
 
Media for Coverage of Function on Kalpana Chawla on 1st Feb 2011 by 
email