General Compendium 3
Bannerghatta National Park is situated at a distance of approximately 21 km from the Bangalore and is renowned for its lion and tiger safari. The other attractions of Bannerghatta National Park include its crocodile and snake farm. Bannerghatta National Park was established in the year 1971 and spreads over an area of 104 sq. km. Ten reserve forests of Anekal Range of the Bangalore Forest Division come under this national park.
Butterfly Park
One of the major attractions of the Bannerghatta National Park is a Butterfly Park, the first of its kind in India. The park is a combined effort of the Zoo Authority of Karnataka, University of Agricultural Sciences and the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment (ATREE). Union Minister of Science and Technology Kapil Sibal inaugurated the park in November 2006. Spread over an area of 7.5 acres, it comprises of a butterfly conservatory, a museum and an audio-visual room.
The butterfly conservatory is a circular enclosure stretching over an area of 10,000 sq ft, covered by a polycarbonate roof. There are approximately 20 species of butterflies at the conservatory, which has an adjusted environment that suits the butterflies. The setting is entire tropical, with humid climate and an artificial waterfall. The flora of the conservatory includes those plants and shrubs that attract butterflies. As you move forward from the conservatory, you will come across the second and third dome, which house a museum. The museum has numerous dioramas and exhibits on display.
Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio
Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio is a French author and Nobel laureate in Literature in 2008.
V. S. Naipaul
Sir Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul is a British novelist and essayist who is widely considered to be one of the masters of modern English prose. Naipaul was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 2001.In the academic year 1978-1979, he was a Visiting Professor of English at Wesleyan University.
Henry Alfred Kissinger
Henry Alfred Kissinger is a German-born American political scientist, diplomat, and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. He served as National Security Advisor and later concurrently as Secretary of State in the Nixon administration. A proponent of Realpolitik, Kissinger played a dominant role in United States foreign policy between 1969 and 1977. During this period, he pioneered the policy of détente. He negotiated a settlement ending the Vietnam war, but the cease-fire proved unstable and no lasting peace resulted beyond the retreat of US troops.
Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre
Jean-Paul Sartre, was a French existentialist philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary critic. He was one of the leading figures in 20th century French philosophy.
Living History
Living History is the autobiography of Secretary of State, former United States Senator from New York, and former First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, published in 2003.
The Vyas Samman
The Vyas Samman is a literary award in India, first awarded in 1991 . It is awarded annually by the K.K. Birla Foundation and includes a cash payout of Rs 2.5 lakh (as of 2005). To be eligible for the award, the literary work must be in the Hindi language and have been published in the past 10 years.
Former Awardees:
2008 – Eminent Hindi author Mannu Bhandari’s autobiography Ek Kahani Yah Bhi has been chosen for the prestigious Vyas Samman for 2008.
2007 – Eminent Hindi writer Krishna Sobti has been chosen for the 2007 ‘Vyas Samman’.
2006 – Noted poet and literary critic Parmanand Srivastava .
2005 – “Katha Satisar” by Chandrakanta
2004 – “Kath Gulab” by Mridula (Jain) Garg
Saraswati Samman
The Saraswati Samman is an annual award for outstanding prose or poetry literary works in any Indian language. It is named after an Indian goddess of learning and is considered to be among the highest literary awards in India. It includes a monetary award of Rs five lakh (as of 2006). The Saraswati Samman was instituted in 1991 by the K. K. Birla Foundation. Candidates are selected from literary works published in the previous ten years by a panel that included scholars and former award winners. The selected work must have been written in a language listed as an Indian language in the Indian Constitution.
2005 – K. Ayyappa Panicker for his collection of poems Ayyappa Panikarude Kritikal
2006 – Jagannath Prasad Das for his collection of poems Parikrama written in Oriya
2007 – Naiyer Masud for his collection of short stories Taoos Chaman Ki Myna (The Myna from Peacock Garden) written in Urdu
2008 – Lakshmi Nandan Bora for his novel Kayakalpa written in Assamese
Acharya Tulsi Samman
This samman is given by Rajasthan Foundation and is given to a person who has been working for women upliftment in the society in the field of socio economic are, spiritualism and female education. Our selection committee put emphasis on the dedication of the person, knowledge and commitment to his or her work and benefit society is enjoying for his or her work.
