Latest news with #PadmaVibhushan
India.com
17 hours ago
- Health
- India.com
Meet 92-year-old man who owns 71 hospitals, 5000 pharmacy outlets, still goes to office daily... Telugu superstar Ram Charan is his..., name is...
You can hardly take a stroll around town and not see the familiar sight of Apollo Pharmacies. Being a 24/7 operation, it has become the go-to place for everything from prescription medicines to personal care items such as shampoos, soaps, and cosmetics. But behind this omnipresence is an inspiring story. Interested in learning about how Apollo began and became a health care behemoth? Here is a glimpse into its journey. Dr. Prathap C. Reddy is the founder of India's largest hospital network, and his incredible work ethic and vision have thoroughly transformed the healthcare system of our country. At the age of 92, he is still following a regimen- he goes to his office every day at 10:00 am, and works until 5:00 pm and does this six days a week. To see his dedication, energy, and lifestyle at that age is astonishing and inspires people, demonstrating that there is no limit on passion and dedication. As an embodiment of his vision of world-class healthcare services in India, Dr. Prathap C. Reddy founded Apollo Hospitals in Chennai in 1983, and it was an audacious step in a country with hardly any private healthcare. Apollo Hospitals became a bastion for leading doctors and specialists from many prestigious hospitals in the US and UK, as well as non-resident Indian (NRI) specialists. In 1979, Dr. Prathap C. Reddy was upset by the death of a cardiac patient who was unable to have surgery because he did not have the resources to afford the necessary treatment abroad. This moment became a touchstone for Dr. Reddy. With a strong resolve to transform the system, he took the opportunity to establish Apollo Hospitals in Chennai. With backing from the government and the then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, he established Apollo Hospitals in Chennai. This visionary step was a game-changer, bringing world-class cardiac care and comprehensive medical services to India. Recognized and revered globally, Dr. Prathap C Reddy was honoured with the 'Padma Vibhushan,' India's second-highest civilian award, for his unwavering pursuit of excellence in healthcare. His biography, 'Healer: Dr. Prathap Chandra Reddy and the Transformation of India,' serves as a testament to his incredible journey of healing and caring, inspiring generations to come.
The Print
10-06-2025
- Politics
- The Print
From Brutus to hero—How former Sikkim CM Dorjee's image changed in state's history
Sidhu was a well-connected IPS officer. He was the son-in-law of then Foreign Affairs Minister Swaran Singh under Indira Gandhi when he took up his posting in Gangtok in 1973 as the head of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW). Sidhu noted that Gandhi's approach to foreign policy was quite different from that of her father, and by this time, Jawaharlal Nehru's key foreign policy and intelligence advisers, TN Kaul and BN Mullik, had given way to Kewal Singh and RN Kao, masters in the strategic game. But the most significant factor was the forceful personality of Indira Gandhi. In fact, Sidhu states clearly in the Preface that one of the reasons he wrote the book was to resurrect the reputation of Dorjee, who had led the movement for democracy in Sikkim. After spending years in political wilderness in Kalimpong ( where I met him both as SDO of Kalimpong and later as the CEO of Himul Milk Project), he received the Padma Vibhushan – India's second highest civilian award in 2002 and the Sikkim Ratan in 2004. If Datta Ray's book Smash and Grab: Annexation of Sikkim had portrayed the Kazi Lhendup Dorjee as the ungrateful Brutus who betrayed the trust of the Chogyal to become the first Chief Minister of the new state, GBS Sidhu's book Sikkim: Dawn of Democracy reversed the stand. After India's decisive military victory of 1971, which changed the cartography of South Asia, she was determined to assert India's role as the dominant regional power. The UN recognition of Bhutan took her by surprise, and the foreign office got quite an earful as India was not consulted on this move. Sidhu highlights Chogyal's antipathy toward his Nepali subjects – whom he felt were outsiders, but by then they were 75 per cent of the population. The more he supported the claims of Bhutias and Lepchas as the first inhabitants of Sikkim, the greater was the anti-Chogyal feeling in the majority community. This was also the key point stressed by BS Das, in his book The Sikkim Saga (1984), the Administrator of Sikkim present along with Sidhu during the period of turmoil. According to Das, had the Chogyal accepted the peaceful transition to adult franchise with a Nepali majority assembly and accepted the position of a constitutional head with symbolic powers per the 1973 arrangements of Sikkim as an Associate state of India, the applecart might not have been rocked. However, Das also admits that there was a lack of ground-level coordination among the different agencies of the government of India. There's also Sikkim: Requiem for a Himalayan Kingdom by the Scotsman Andrew Duff (2015), who was trying to trace his grandfather's travel to the Sikkim Himalayas undertaken over a century ago. He had access to the weekly letters of the Scottish Headmistresses of the Paljor Namgyal Girls' school in Gangtok. Both Martha Hamilton and Isabel Ritchie had maintained their journal, and also wrote regularly to their family in Scotland. These letters and journal entries give a first-hand, contemporaneous account of the events in Gangtok from 1959 to 1975, including the fairytale marriage celebrations of the Chogyal with Hope Cooke. Of course, the perspective is largely that of the royal palace, as the missionaries were often invited to dine with the royal family and shared some of their confidences. However, to be fair to Duff, he also gives the viewpoint of the other dramatis personae, including Kazi Saheb, in his narrative. In Kolkata, at a literature festival in 2016, I spoke to Duff. The focus of the book is not political – but the major events do find a fair coverage in its pages. Also read: Sikkim's accession to India has 6 stories. And 3 strong-willed women India's 22nd state In 2021, Ambassador Preet Mohan Singh Malik, who had been posted in Sikkim in the late 1960s, penned his memoirs under the title Sikkim: A History of Intrigue and Alliance in 2021. He delves deep into history and has a keen interest in historical reasoning. Even before listing the contents, he quotes professor and former Ambassador of India to China KM Panikkar: 'But a nation can neglect geography only at its peril.' The thesis advanced in the book is that India under Nehru neglected 'geography'. But in hindsight, Panikkar too can be accused of giving a clean chit to the Chinese Communist Party's 'imperial ambitions' concerning the non-Han nationalities. In fact, Nehru's China policy was shaped, over and above the protestations of the Secretary General of the foreign office, Girja Shankar Bajpai, by the dispatches from Panikkar, who was, in many ways, a fellow traveller. The 18 chapters are divided into three parts: Britain, Tibet and Sikkim; Britain and its perfidious dealings with Tibet; and India, Tibet, and Sikkim. Malik combines insights into the erstwhile kingdom's unique history with the intriguing story of how Sikkim became India's 22nd state. He examines the often-fraught relationship between the Lepchas (Rongpas) — its original inhabitants — and the Bhutias, people of Tibetan origin who established institutions of religion and governance, and founded the Namgyal dynasty that ruled Sikkim until it became a part of the Indian Union. He also traces the clash of both with the Nepali settlers who would eventually form the majority. Last, but not least, let us look at a book written by Biraj Adhikari, an insider: Sikkim: The Wounds of History (2010). As his name suggests, Adhikari is a Sikkimese of Nepali origin. He was a school-going teenager when he had to learn a new national anthem and salute a new flag. He writes about the dilemma of talking about the 'merger' in public, while calling it an 'annexation' in private conversation. Adhikari is not an apologist for the Chogyal either – he points out that for all his pretensions of sovereignty, the Chogyal always held an Indian passport. Adhikari blames the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi for describing the 1956 Chogyal trip to New Delhi as a 'state visit', and playing the Sikkim National Anthem on his ceremonial arrival. His book talks about the multiple dilemmas faced by his generation. Are Sikkimese full-fledged Indians, especially in the context of 371 F? Well, even though Sikkimese have all the privileges of Indian citizenship, what about Indians living in Sikkim? They are denied several privileges reserved for Sikkim state subjects—preferential access to education, employment and land rights and exemption from the payment of income tax. As Sikkim grows at a double-digit pace, it would certainly attract many more non-Sikkimese Indians, and a demographic change of a magnitude similar to the one in the latter half of the 19th century may be in the offing. And if demography is indeed destiny, then those currently enjoying the privileges of being Sikkim state subjects may resist the extension of similar rights to the rest of their countrymen. Adhikari tried his hand in the democratic polity of Sikkim—but was always second in the hustings. However, he was always an influential voice in Sikkim poetics – having been associated with Sikkim National Congress, Sikkim National Peoples Party, and Hamro Sikkim. But he hopes for a closure to the apprehensions which many people in this state, with a fragile demography, are legitimately concerned with. One hopes that this extended essay gives us an insight not just into the facts of the case, but also about the multiple perspectives that shape our understanding of the events in the past. History, as they say, is always in the making. Sanjeev Chopra is a former IAS officer and Festival Director of Valley of Words. Until recently, he was director, Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration. He tweets @ChopraSanjeev. Views are personal. (Edited by Ratan Priya)
Hans India
09-06-2025
- Health
- Hans India
Awareness programme held on obesity, its complications
Visakhapatnam: In an initiative to combat growing obesity, the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Visakhapatnam organised a comprehensive one-day CME on 'managing obesity: 2025 and beyond' on Sunday. The event, supported by Medicover Hospitals, witnessed a presence of close to 400 doctors in attendance. Obesity is recognised as the root cause of several major non-communicable diseases, including diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disorders, infertility, joint pain, respiratory issues, and depression. Alarmingly, rising cases of pediatric obesity were also highlighted during the programme. Experts warned that if left unmanaged, obesity can lead to serious, long-term health complications. The CME brought together renowned speakers from Chennai, Nashik, Hyderabad, and Visakhapatnam, who addressed obesity as a complex multisystem disorder affecting physical, mental, and social well-being. Padma Vibhushan Dr D Nageshwar Reddy, chairman and chief gastroenterologist at AIG Hospitals, Hyderabad delivered keynot address on 'recent advances in obesity management and non-surgical endoscopic options like ESG'. His address was followed by a felicitation ceremony recognising his outstanding contributions to gastroenterology and public health. Dr Srinivas Nistala, executive member of IMA Visakhapatnam, head of medical gastroenterology at Medicover Hospitals shared clinical insights on the role of intragastric balloons as a minimally invasive solution for managing obesity. Commenting on the initiative, Dr. Srinivas Nistala said, 'This programme is a vital step towards educating the medical fraternity about serious implications of obesity and the importance of a holistic, multidisciplinary treatment approach.'
New Indian Express
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia: I learned music secretly
A true maestro of the bansuri, his breath weaves magic through bamboo, enchanting audiences across the globe. From concert halls to sacred temples, his melodies flow like a river of devotion and artistry — that is Indian music director and master flautist Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia for you. A recipient of many honours, including the Padma Vibhushan, Pt Hariprasad continues to inspire generations with his timeless music and boundless spirit. At the 10th Annual International Convention of SPIC MACAY at IIT-H, children affectionately gathered around him on stage, drawn by an unseen magnetism. With serene grace, he breathed life into raags like Madhuvanthi, Bheempalasi, and Pahadi. Awestruck, everyone joined their palms in reverence. Pt Hariprasad answered with a warm smile. But in conversation with CE, he confesses, 'I was so nervous about performing in front of so many people! But I thoroughly enjoyed myself and also made it a point to involve attendees as I performed. There was this little girl who sang so well as I played the flute — I was overcome with emotion.'
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Business Standard
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Standard
The fine art of luxurious living: Inside Raseel Gujral Ansal's bungalow
Sheltered from the chaos of Delhi, Raseel Gujral Ansal's home is an ode to her father, the artist Satish Gujral, and an extension of herself Asmita Aggarwal Listen to This Article A monumental 16-foot by 22-foot door welcomes you into Chaand Bagh, the home of Raseel Gujral Ansal, tucked away in the verdant green belt of Jaunapur in South Delhi. Nestled within the city yet blissfully insulated from its chaos, the estate lives up to its name — 'Moon Garden' — with the crescent crowning each of its five domes that seamlessly blend with the many architectural influences the home embraces. The grand wooden door, which weighs a tonne, is replicated from a series by her father, the celebrated painter, sculptor, muralist and Padma Vibhushan awardee, Satish Gujral. Overlooking it from
