It looks like Chinese smartphone maker Gionee is planning to capture the Indian market within this year itself. We have already seen the advent of company's latest products in the market and now we have the latest Elife E7 mini available in India. Moreover, all the Gionee devices, which have been launched in India has been pretty impressive. The Elife E6 was also not a bad smartphone at all. The Elife E7 has an incredible camera and so does the mini variant of the device. Moreover, the mini variant of the device has a 13MP swivel camera very much like the Oppo N1, which is also available in India. The company recently announced its latest Elife S5.5 smartphone. 

This is the world's thinnest phone with 5.5 mm thickness. However, today GizBot has come with a number of online deals pertaining to the company's Elife E7 mini handset. But before heading on to the deals, take a look at the the specs of the device. The Elife E7 Mini comes with a 4.7-inch IPS display with IGZO technology and offers a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. It is powered by a 1.7 GHz Octa-Core MediaTek MT6592 processor with Mali 450-MP4 GPU coupled with 1 GB RAM, and runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) with Amigo UI 2.0. 
                              The 13MP auto focus swivel camera with LED flash, which is capable of shooting video at 1080p quality is one thing that will definitely impress you the most. The idea of the camera is very much identical to another Chinese smartphone called Oppo N1 as said earlier. The device houses a 16 GB in-build storage unit and regular connectivity options like 3G, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS can be found in the handset. Additionally the Elife E7 Mini is a Dual SIM phone. The latest phone which measures 8.6 mm thick and weighs 142.9 grams draws its energy from a 2100 mAh battery.

Right from the days of film "Mr India", the enthusiasm to explore the possibility of invenitn an invisibility cloak that would bend light around an object and makes it invisible to the naked eye is gaining momentum.

Debashis Chanda and his team at the University of Central Florida have managed to create an artificial nanostructure that can do the job, called metamaterials, with which they are able to develop a larger swath of multilayer 3D metamaterial.

Researchers have reportedly stated that control of electromagnetic resonances over the 3-D space by structural manipulation allows precise control over propagation of light and larger pieces of this special material can be created.

Researchers are hoping to develop large-area metamaterial absorbers, which would enable fighter jets to remain invisible from detection systems.

 Rising smartphones and mobile data price war by telecom companies have pushed 3G data consumption to record levels in the country.

Growth in 3G data traffic in the country surpassed the world average for 2013 with the country showing 87 per cent rise in the overall data traffic from both 2G and 3G services during 2013, of which 3G alone accounted for 43 per cent.

While 3G data traffic leapt by 146 per cent in 2013, 2G data traffic growth was stable at 59 per cent during the period, revealed MBit Index study, an annual report on mobile broadband performance in India by Nokia Solutions and Networks.

In some key urban centers, the average data consumption per user was as high as one gigabyte (GB) per month, indicating the rising popularity and the surge of 3G use across India.

In addition, premium tariff reductions in 3G services in early 2013 led to an increased migration of high end 2G customers to 3G, the report said.

Clearly pointing out the trend of higher average data consumption of 3G users than their 2G counterparts, the index showed that in December 2013 alone, a 3G user consumed 532 megabyte of data compared to 146 megabyte of data consumption by 2G users.

Among the highest contributor of 3G in India are cities under category A telecom circle which showed a remarkable increase in 3G mobile data consumption of 185 per cent in 2013.

“India is recording mobile broadband data growth figures higher than most other markets,” said Sandeep Girotra, head of India region at NSN.

This trend is in line with NSN’s Technology Vision 2020 that called for readying profitable mo-bile networks to deliver one gigabyte of personalized data per user per day by 2020, he added.

“With the recent spectrum auctions paving the way for acceleration of mobile broadband penetration in the country, there is a great opportunity for India to create a world-class infrastructure and improve the lives of millions of Indians,” he explained,  calling for a wider 3G rollout, introduction of LTE technologies and modernization of the existing GSM networks.

India is the world's fastest growing market for mobile phones with 900 million subscribers

The mobile phone in India has many uses other than making calls and sending messages. For hundreds of millions of people, a mobile phone is sometimes the only piece of technology in their homes. This has led to unique uses for the phone in the country - the world's fastest growing market for mobile phones with 900 million subscribers. Here are five unusual Indian uses for the mobile phone.

MISSED CALL

Giving missed calls where the caller disconnects after a ring or two is hugely popular in India and is often used as a way to pass on "the message" without being charged for a call.

Children and employees use the facility regularly to "communicate" with their parents or employers. Missed calls are also used extensively for marketing purposes. Some television channels offer a missed call service to viewers who wish to be alerted about specific show timings.

The missed call is also popular in Africa, the Philippines, and Bangladesh, but in India, it has been converted into a business now estimated at over $100m (£60m).

Delhi-based technology writer Prasanto K Roy says a start-up, ZipDial, lets over 100 companies such as Proctor & Gamble, Cadbury, Colgate and Disney allow customers to request a sample or service or give feedback, all via a missed call.

The service is also being used for political recruitment.

India's newest political party - Aam Aadmi Party (or Common Man Party) - which now rules Delhi, launched a membership drive earlier this month by urging citizens to give a missed call to their phone number. The AAP officers would then get in touch with the callers and get them formally enrolled into the party.

The AAP claims it has added more than 700,000 people to the party through missed calls in less than a month.

THE TORCH

Because of poorly lit streets and frequent power outages, many pedestrians in India carry torches. So when Nokia offered the "torch" feature on its popular mobile handset, it became an instant hit and soon other manufacturers too jumped onto the bandwagon.

Unbranded and cheap Chinese phones with LED flashlights began flying off the shelves.

When smartphones entered the market, they gave up other popular features like FM radio, but retained the flashlight, placing them right next to the camera for easier access.

THE RADIO

With more than 200 FM stations, India offers a wide choice of FM station to listeners. But a majority consume radio content on devices that are not traditional radio sets. Millions of people use their mobile phones to listen to FM programmes and most of the low-end phones sold in the market now come with this feature. Many of those who have upgraded to smartphones, which do not have radio, use third-party apps like Tune-in to access FM stations. India's national radio broadcaster All India Radio has also introduced mobile apps to enable live radio streaming for smartphone users.

Indians have devised innovative uses for their mobile phones

Also, some non-governmental organisations, like CGNet Swara in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, are using mobiles as a tool to gather and broadcast news in remote tribal areas. Villagers call in to record a short news item and the NGO uploads these "citizen news" reports on its website. And those who want to listen to them can dial a public toll free number from their mobile phone to tune in.

ALTERNATIVE TO YOUTUBE

A couple of NGOs like Access Agriculture and Digital Green offer a call-in service to farmers and rural poor to listen to an audio version of videos.

The NGOs help farmers create and share videos and lets them log in to view the videos. But since all of these services are available to those who have access to internet, what happens to others? Those who are in areas with poor internet connectivity?

Well, they can still listen to the audio version of a video clip - all they need to do is call up a number, choose the video they want to hear and request a call-back.

SCANNER/COPIER

One of the most common uses of mobile camera in India is to scan or take photos of documents. For instance, those filling up forms for a bank loan or a government identity card may want to keep a copy of it. But as photocopier machines are not available at all places, how do they do it? They turn to mobiles.

Students too use their mobiles to scan their study material and one can often spot them on Delhi Metro memorising notes displayed on their little screens.

New Delhi: India's first interplanetary mission completes 100 days of its voyage towards Mars on Wednesday. 

The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), also called Mangalyaan, was launched into Earth orbit on board indigenous PSLV-C25 rocket at 02:38pm (0908 GMT) on November 5, 2013 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
The orbiter which is on a 300-day journey will cover over 680 million km in an elliptical orbit and is expected to reach the Red planet on September 24, 2014. The spacecraft has travelled 190 million km so far. 
“The spacecraft health is normal. The spacecraft is continuously monitored by the ground station of ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC), located at Byalalu, near Bangalore. Except for a 40 minute break in the Telemetry data received from the spacecraft to the ground station, data has been continuously available for all the 100 days,” ISRO said in a statement. 

The propulsion system of the spacecraft is configured for Trajectory Correction Manoeuvre (TCMs) and the Mars Orbit Insertion (MOI) Operation. On February 6, 2014, all the five payloads on Mars Orbiter spacecraft were switched 'ON' to check their health. 

“The health parameters of all the payloads are normal. Presently, the spacecraft is at a radio distance of 16 million km causing a one way communication delay of approximately 55 seconds. After travelling the remaining distance of about 490 million km over the next 210 days, the spacecraft would be inserted into the Martian Orbit on September 24, 2014,” the agency said. 

The 350-tonne launch vehicle which orbited Earth for nearly a month ventured out of the planet’s sphere of influence on December 01, 2013, following six orbit raising manoeuvres. 

The first TCM was conducted on December 11, 2013. Three more TCM operations are planned around April 2014, August 2014 and September 2014. 

“The trajectory of the spacecraft, till today, is as expected,” the agency added. 

The Rs 450 crore mission - if successful - will allow ISRO to join an elite group of space explorers to Mars along with United States’ NASA, Russia’s Roscosmos and the Europe's space agency. The success of the mission will also make India the first Asian nation to have achieved the feat. 

The objectives of the mission are to develop the technologies required for design, planning, management and operations of an interplanetary mission and also to study the Martian surface and atmosphere using indigenous scientific instruments. 

The US on Monday challenged the domestic content requirement of India's solar mission, which it alleged is discriminatory and against international norms, including WTO laws, and badly affects the American domestic solar panel manufacturing industry. 

As the US Trade Representative, Mike Froman, announced his decision, officials argued that they have been forced to take a measure so as to protect some American 10,000 jobs in its solar industry and to have a significant pie in the second largest solar market of the world. 

Froman said the US has requested WTO dispute consultations with India concerning domestic content requirements in Phase II of India's Solar Mission. 

These domestic content requirements discriminate against US solar cells and modules by requiring solar power developers participating in Phase II to use Indian-manufactured solar cells and modules instead of US or other imported equipment, Froman said. 

"These domestic content requirements discriminate against US exports by requiring solar power developers to use Indian-manufactured equipment instead of US equipment. These unfair requirements are against WTO rules, and we are standing up today for the rights of American workers and businesses," Froman alleged. 

"We also take this action in support of the rapid global deployment of renewable energy. These types of 'localisation' measures not only are an unfair barrier to US exports, but also raise the cost of solar energy, hindering deployment of solar energy around the world, including in India," Froman told reporters at a news conference. 

He said in October 2013, India's cabinet approved measures governing the implementation of Phase II of the its National Solar Mission (NSM). For solar projects under Phase II, India is again imposing domestic content requirements, under which solar power developers must use Indian-manufactured solar cells and modules instead of US or other imported equipment. 

Moreover, the Phase II domestic content requirements have been expanded to cover thin film technology, which was exempt from such requirements under Phase I. As thin film currently comprises the majority of US solar product exports to India, these domestic content requirements are likely to cause even greater harm to US producers than under Phase I, the top US official said.

A request for consultations is the first step in the WTO dispute settlement process, and consultations are intended to help parties find a solution at this stage. Under WTO rules, if the matter is not resolved through consultations within 60 days of the request, the US may ask the WTO to establish a dispute settlement panel.

Froman said before going public, the US has informed the Indian Government officials in Delhi, Geneva and Washington. There was no initial response from India. 

A Singaporean earth observation satellite will be launched with an Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) next year, a senior official said on Sunday. The TeLEOS-1 would be Singapore’s first commercial project on Indian Space Research organisation’s PSLV, making Near Equatorial Orbit, taking images for shipping and maritime security, Mah How Teck, Vice President for Market Development at Singapore Technologies Electronics Ltd told PTI.

ST Electronics has signed an agreement with India’s Antrix Corporation Ltd for the satellite to ride on PSLV, which would be launched into space at 550-km above the Earth at a low inclination in the fourth quarter of 2015. The 400-kg satellite is equipped with an electro-optical camera capable of taking images at ground resolution of one metre, Mah said. “It is suitable for applications such as disaster and environment monitoring, maritime safety, urban planning and homeland security,” he said, after hosting a pre-Singapore Airshow press conference.

The unique Near Equatorial Orbit allows frequent revisits to areas of interest in equatorial regions at approximately 96-minute intervals, delivering high data availability and responsiveness, Mah said. Singapore launched its first experimental satellite XSAT in April 2011 with the help of ISRO. This is their second project.

The TeLEOS-1 is a commercial project by ST Electronics and its compatriot partners Nanyang Technological University and Defence Science Organisation Laboratories, following up with the XSAT, their first research project. Mah said TeLEOS-1 would be ready for launch in the fourth quarter of next year, having completed more than 60 per cent of the project.

Meanwhile, preparations were underway for Singapore Airshow, which held pre-opening full dress rehearsal on Sunday. Staring Monday, more than 80 civilian and defence aircraft and 60 out of the top 100 aviation companies are taking part in the week-long exhibition and conferences.

Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. (MSIL) has finally bid good bye to its age-old model Maruti 800 from January this year, though it would make spare parts available for customers for the next 10 years, said the company executive director CV Raman.

The Maruti 800 was a 1980s vintage Suzuki Alto model and swayed the Indian middle class market as a low-cost model since its debut in 1983 at a cost of Rs.55,000 in Delhi. Owing to higher emission standards in India now, the engine has to be replaced said the company. Now the car is priced Rs.235,000.

"Now on the 18th of January we have stopped the M-800 production completely. We have to keep all of them (dies and moulds) for the spare parts requirement. We have to continuously meet the customer requirements. That is our duty to make sure that they get all the parts," said Raman.

"Our policy is 8 to 10 years we have to keep (the spares available). For all the models which have been phased out till date, we have followed this policy."

The Maruti 800 model became synonymous with Indian middle class that a film by name "Mere Dad ki Maruti" was also made last year, though the model used was Swift in the film.

The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways made it mandatory for public transport vehicles running in major cities to install GPS. The announcement was made on 9 February 2014. As per the directions of Union Ministry, All the owners of public transport are required to install Global Positioning System (GPS) by 20 February 2014.The project is a part of Nirbhaya Fund. The project involves setting up of closed circuit television (CCTV) and using global positioning system (GPS) to ensure safety and security of women and girls in distress. In the first phase, the vehicles running in cities which had a population of more than 10 Lakh should install GPS facility. The road ministry had earlier asked passenger vehicle owners to install these devices by September 30, 2013.

About Nirbhaya Fund

The project was announced by Government of India in 2013 Union Budget.The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) had approved a 1405-crore rupees project in January 2013.

The project aims to track and monitor public transport and provide alarm buttons for alerting authorities.

It will be implemented within two years after allocation of funds to set up a National Level Vehicle Security and Tracking System and City Command and Control Centre with installation of GPS, CCTV in public road transport.

TeLEOS-1 is the first commercial remote sensing satellite being developed by Singapore Technologies Electronics Limited (ST Electronics) to be launched in 2015. It has come to light that for the first time this satellite be launched on an Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) in collaboration with ISRO. This earth observation satellite will be moving in the orbit near to the Equator at an orbital height of about 550km and will be used for capturing images for shipping and maritime security. The TeLEOS-1 weighs about 400 kg and will have an update rate of 90 minutes and the satellite images that it provides will be of 1 metre ground sampling distance from an electro-optics camera.

ST Electronics is going to work with India's Antrix Corporation Ltd. for the satellite's launch and has signed an agreement for the same. This is not the first time that Singapore is working with India on their mission. Back in April 2011, they had launched their first experimental satellite called XSAT. So, this is their second project in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation. Partnering with ST Electronics on this project's development are Nanyang Technological University and Defence Science Organisation Laboratories. The uses of the images captured through this satellite will be used in multiple applications such as mineral exploration, environmental monitoring, agriculture resource studies and management, urban planning, precision farming and homeland security.

 ​

As this news develops, the news has also surfaced that Singapore Technologies will be working with ATK Space Systems (the company known for building small satellites primarily for U.S. government) for development and marketing of their micro-satellite platforms globally.

The development of TeLEOS-1 satellite should be complete by the fourth quarter of 2015 and then it will become launch ready. Till then, we will keep you updated with more details about the project that shall follow.

It’s hot and dry in Gujarat, but Stephen McClarence discovers a slice of real Indian life.

First things first. Gujarat, the far-west outpost of India on the shores of the Arabian Sea, is a “dry” state, with strict alcohol prohibition laws. So, moments after touching down from Britain, my wife Clare and I join the queue at the airport counter issuing tourist liquor permits (Condition No 6: The permit holder shall not get drunk in any public place).

Permits in hand, we join another queue at a government liquor store. In front of us, three Asian men are ordering crates of beer. “Haven’t had a drink for three days,” says the youngest of them, nattily dressed in singlet and shorts. Unexpectedly, he has a strong Welsh accent. I mention this to him. “Well I would, wouldn’t I?” he says. “We’re from Cardiff, over here for a family wedding. It’ll be orange juice when this lot’s gone.”

Gujarat is the home-state of many British Indians, with the Patel community the best-known of them. It’s an appealing, friendly, relaxing state, next-door to Rajasthan, whose vast forts and plush palaces lure crowds of tourists. Gujarat is much less visited, despite boasting plenty of places worth a long detour.

Among the most famous of them is the tenth-century Modhera sun temple, with its carvings of elephants, Hindu gods and sexual athletes. Even more startling are the Jain temples at Palitana – around 1,000 of them, gleaming white on a hilltop. Whole villages of pilgrims walk hundreds of miles to see them, and still have enough energy to climb the 3,500 steps to the top of the hill. A little further south, Sasan Gir national park is the last home of the Asiatic lion (just 400 survive).

Read More>>

The number of people surfing the Internet using mobiles in India, the world's second largest mobile market after China, is set to touch 164.8 million by 2015, a report by global consultancy firm KPMG said today. KPMG's 'The SMAC Code Embracing New Technologies for future business' report further revealed that Indians hooking on to social networking sites provides opportunities to firm's for using social media to engage customers, brand building, product launches, etc. "The mobile Internet users in the country are expected to grow from 4.1 million users in 2009 to 164.8 million in 2015 at a CAGR of 85 per cent," the report revealed.

India has emerged as the second largest mobile market globally, behind only China. With over 870 million mobile subscribers, businesses are jumping the opportunity, it said. "Indian Internet users are also increasingly using social media, which in turn is providing opportunities for enterprises to leverage social media strategy for engaging with customers, brand building, product launches and for knowing their customers," it added. The social media usage is primarily driven by the rising number of active Internet users, who are accessing Internet through host of devices, it said. "Enterprises are increasingly leveraging social media for customer engagement and brand building, as more and more individuals are becoming active Internet users and using social media," it added. Besides, the proliferation of smart devices and rising mobile Internet usage has supported growth of active Internet users in the country, KPMG's report said. "Social media platforms are not only restricted to the social networking sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn, rather extended to various forms of social media including YouTube, blogs, social bookmarking, geo-location sites and daily deals," it added. As the social media modes differ, so their application and priority from business to business. Moreover, changing business dynamics influences enterprise decision to select a social media platform, the report said. On the global social media scene, KPMG said: "The social commerce market is forecast to reach USD 30 billion by 2015. Leading global retailers are spending between 20-25 per cent of their advertising budget on social media channels." Nearly 90 per cent of the top global banks use social networking to achieve customer engagement, it added. Mobile technologies can be used to cut the cost of a financial transaction by up to 80 per cent, it said.

An experiment to measure the earth's circumference, claimed to have been conceived 2,300 years ago, was carried out by more than hundred school students here today by using Qutub Minar's shadow. 

For the first time Qutub Minar was used as a towering gnomon- an object that by the position or length of its shadow serves as an indicator to measure the earth's circumference. 

Known as 'Eratosthenes' experiment, it saw the students also measuring the shadow of sun using gnomon sticks. 

The students also measured the shortest shadow at local noon on autumnal equinox which falls on September 23 every year. 

The event was organised by Science Popularization Association of Communicators and Educators (SPACE). 

"Despite issues like protruding balconies from the Minar and the shadow falling on different structures, most students achieved above ninety-five per cent accuracy in measuring the earth's circumference," said SPACE president C.B. Devgun. 

"Gnomons of all sizes and shapes have been used previously. For instance, huge objects such as samrat and ram yantra at Jantar Mantar and sundial at Barapullah have been used for experimentation ," he added.

A scientist from Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore, and his student have successfully applied Albert Einstein's gravity theory to unlock the mysteries of black holes.

Banibrata Mukhopadhyay, associate professor, department of physics, IISc, and his student Indrani Banerjee worked for over two years for their landmark discovery. Their study on black holes has been acknowledged by the scientific community across the globe, including professors from Harvard University. The duo has published its findings in the international journal Physical Review Letters.Black holes, as stars are known postdeath, are not visible to the plain eye. Though not visible, black holes devour everything in their neighbourhood given the gravitational pulls they exercise. It was hitherto believed that mass and spin are the determining properties of black holes and they would go a long way in determining the influence of black holes on their neighbourhood as well as their pre-death star existence.

Their new study, says Banibrata, who worked in Harvard for three years before joining IISc in 2007, throws more light on black holes and their properties, particularly the correlation between mass and spin or rotation. They have proved that mass and spin are not independent of each other but actually interdependent. They have established that mass of the star could be used to calculate the spin.

"The spin of the observed black holes is still a debatable issue — the exact value of the spin is not known. On the other hand mass can be determined more easily. Rotation of the black hole is determined by the mass and rotation of the initial star. The larger the mass of the initial star the greater it tends to have a high rotational speed and turn into swiftly spinning black holes. The smaller the mass of the initial star the slower its rotation and spin. This property shows that spin and mass are correlated. Hence if mass is known, the spin can be predicted. Eventually, only one fundamental parameter characterizes the black hole," Banibrata explained.

Indrani, a PhD student of physics, said, "First we were working on how stars collapse and end up into black holes. During the research, the thought of discovering the properties emerged," she said.

WHAT ARE BLACK HOLES?

Black holes are formed when stars exhaust their 'nuclear fuel' or are 'dead'. They are abyssinian spaces that exert strong gravitational force on everything in their vicinity. The hole is called 'black' because it absorbs all the light that hits the horizon, reflecting nothing. The largest black holes are called 'supermassive'. These black holes have masses that are more than 1 million suns together.

Engineers work with their staff next to a pyramid shaped rocket or Liquid Apogee Motor, foreground, to be installed on the Mars orbiter spacecraft, background, at the satellite center of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) in Bangalore - PTI

India's Mars Orbiter Mission is slated to be launched on October 28 after a national committee of experts gave the go ahead for the Rs 450 crore ambitious venture after threadbare deliberations.

The committee held deliberations over two days on Thursday and Friday last and reviewed the status after senior Indian Space Research Organisation scientists gave an in-depth presentation on the mission.

Primary objectives of the mission are to demonstrate India's technological capability to send a satellite to orbit around Mars and conduct meaningful experiments such as looking for signs of life, take pictures of the red planet and study Martian environment.

"The committee has given the go ahead", an ISRO official told the media here on Sunday.

Former ISRO Chairman U.R. Rao, noted space expert Roddam Narasimha and Professors of Indian Institute of Science Bangalore were among those part of the eminent panel.

The October 21-November 19 launch window has now been pushed forward by a week, and it now starts on October 28 though final date of the window remains the same (Nov19).

"We would like to utilise the first available opportunity", the official said, adding, the launch can be expected on the afternoon of October 28, weather permitting. The Rs 150-crore Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) spacecraft is currently underoing vibration and acoustic tests at ISRO Satellite Integration and Testing Establishment here, and is slated for shipment from here on September 30 to the Sriharikota spaceport after a pre-shipment committee review on September 26. Launch campaign has already commenced in Sriharikota spaceport from where the 1,350-kg MOM spacecraft is slated to be launched by the Rs 110 crore Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C25).

The first stage of the PSLV-C25 with strap-ons has already been assembled, with the rocket ready for satellite integration by October ten.

Obaid Siddiqi, a biologist who pioneered India’s entry into the genetics of behaviour and established the foundations of modern biology research in the country, died in Bangalore today after a fall and head injury. He was 81.

Siddiqi had set up the molecular biology unit at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, in 1962 and been the founding director of the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bangalore, in the early 1990s.

In the 1970s, he had begun studying the genetics of behaviour using the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, as a model. He discovered a set of mutant flies that displayed defects in the electrical activity of their nerves and muscles.

This work led to a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of brain cell functions and heralded the dawn of behavioural genetics, the NCBS said in a statement tonight.

A decade later, Siddiqi explored the genetics of taste and smell. These studies paved the way for an understanding of how senses such as taste and smell are detected and encoded in the brain, the statement added.

Courtesy│Telegraph India

Read this report │http://goo.gl/lpV9Wh

He was knocked down by a neighbour's moped ; but bereaved family will not press charges

Celebrated biologist Obaid Siddiqi, a scientist nonpareil whose pioneering work shed light on how taste and smell are detected and coded in brain, died on Friday of injuries he sustained in an accident two days ago.

Prof. Siddiqi (81), a National Research Professor at the National Centre for Biological Sciences here, was taking a stroll near his residence in Vidyaranyapura on Wednesday when his neighbour, a college student riding his moped, knocked him down.

Prof. Siddiqi was rushed to the Baptist Hospital, where he died of his injuries. He is survived by his wife Asiya, sons Imran and Kaleem, and daughters Yumna and Diba. Prof. Siddiqi’s family members have preferred not to file complaint against their neighbour, whose identity was not revealed by the police. Hebbal Traffic police said the scientist’s family did not want to file a complaint considering their neighbour’s career.

COLLEAGUES MOURN ‘GENTLE SCIENTIST’

Noted biologist Obaid Siddiqi, who passed away on Friday, was “an extraordinary example of how much a talented person can do, and inspire others to do, by simply following one’s scientific interests, unswayed by the tides of fashion and rewards,” the former director of the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), K. VijayRaghavan, said of one of India’s most decorated scientists.

“Obaid aristocratically strode through this quicksand of bureaucracy and the difficulty in getting resources. His eyes were always on the exciting future and this attitude inspired all to make light of current difficulties,” he told The Hindu.

“Quite often, people chase surrogate markers of success — awards and recognition — forgetting the initial passion that brought them into research.” But Prof Siddiqi’s life “is an example of how much can be achieved by adhering to principles, and, equally important, how much one can cause change by refusing to accept the many shackles of our system,” Prof. VijayRaghavan said.

NCBS director Satyajit Mayor recalled that Prof Siddiqi “motivated a legion of younger colleagues” with his “gentle but persuasive style,” a sentiment echoed by other scientists who knew and worked with him. He “always set an example for doing science at its most creative,” said Prof. Mayor.

When P. Balaram, Director of the Indian Institute of Science, first met Prof. Siddiqi in 1976, the latter was already known as a pioneer in molecular biology in India and for his specific area of research on behavioural genetics in Drosophila (the fruit fly). “He was one of the gentlest scientists I have seen ... he loved to talk about his research and work. He was always surrounded by people interested in science: people he mentored and influenced in their fields of research,” Prof. Balaram told The Hindu.

Twenty years on, NCBS, which Prof. Siddiqi conceived of as a scientific centre “to achieve excellence and to nurture fundamental curiosity,” is “testimony to the foresight of this visionary man” who sought to “explore new frontiers” in biological research. “We will miss our friend, philosopher and muse deeply, and hope to cherish his dreams and ambitions in the way we would know he would want us to — by building on the edifice he has left us, and doing even more creative science,” Prof. Mayor said.

Courtesy and © The Hindu

Amid fears of a comet (C/2013 AI) heading into the Red Planet in 2014, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has said that its Rs 450-crore Mars Orbiter Mission, scheduled to be launched in November this year will take place as per the plan.

Comet C/2013 A1, discovered on January 3 by Rob McNaught at the Siding Spring Observatory in Australia, is crashing into the Mars in October. Earlier, NASA has said that the chance of comet striking Mars is1 in 8,000, but now revised calculations put the possibility of an impact at just 1 in 120,000. 

“The comet could bring some constituents, but we don't expect any effect on the spacecraft. It will pass 50,000 km away from Mars’ surface. We will get more information on the comet in future and scientists are looking at all possibilities,” ISRO Chief K Radhakrishnan said. 

The Mars Orbiter will carry scientific payload consists of five instruments (weighing about 15 kg): Methane Sensor for Mars (MSM) Mars Color Camera (MCC) Mars Exospheric Neutral Composition Analyzer (MENCA) TIR Spectrometer (TIS) Lyman-Alpha Photometer (LAP) 

According to ISRO, the tentative scientific objective for the Mars mission will be to focus on life, climate, geology, origin, evolution and sustainability of life on the planet. 

ISRO will launch the orbiter using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. 

The Mars Orbiter, which is expected to exit the Earth’s orbit on 27 November, will take over 300 days to travel towards the Red Planet. The orbit insertion is planned for September 2014 and would allow the spacecraft to enter a highly elliptical orbit of 500 km x 80,000 km around Mars. 

India will become the sixth country to launch a mission to Mars after the US, Russia, Europe, Japan and China. 

 VIRENDRA PANDIT

GANDHINAGAR, APRIL 23:  

Close on heels of commencing use of wastelands in northern districts and rooftops in towns and cities, Gujarat is set to potentially use the existing 19,000 km-long network of Narmada canals across the State for setting up solar panels to generate power.

The Chief Minister, Mr Narendra Modi, will inaugurate the first of a series of this project, known as Canal Solar Power Project, when he launches a 1 megawatt (mw) pilot project, which is already commissioned, on Narmada branch canal near Chandrasan village of Kadi taluka in Mehsana district on Tuesday.

Last week, he inaugurated a 600-MW solar power project spread across 11 districts. This included a 214MW Solar Power Park, the largest such generation centre at a single location in Asia. Also, Azure Power, leading independent power producer in solar sector, announced a 2.5 MW rooftops project in Gandhinagar.

Gujarat, which invests nearly Rs 2,000 crore an year on renewable energy, has attracted investments of Rs 9,000 crore so far on solar energy projects.

The pilot project has been developed on a 750-m stretch of the canal by Gujarat State Electricity Corporation (GSECL) with support from Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd (SSNNL), which owns and maintains the canal network.

ENERGY, WATER SECURITY

The pilot project will generate 16 lakh units of clean energy per annum and also prevent evaporation of 90 lakh litres of water annually from the canal, an official told Business Line here on Monday. The concept will, therefore, tackle two of the challenges simultaneously by providing energy and water security.

The cost of per megawatt of solar power, in this case, is likely to be much less than the estimated Rs 10-11 crore, as the two banks of the canal will be used to cover the canal by installing solar power panel and the government will not have to spend much on creating basic infrastructure, including land acquisition .

Today, Gujarat has about 458 km of open Main Canal, while the total canal length, including sub-branches, is about 19,000 km at present.

When completed, the SSNNL's canal network will be about 85,000 km long.

Assuming a utilisation of only 10 per cent of the existing canal network of 19,000 km, it is estimated that 2,200 MW of solar power generating capacity can be installed by covering the canals with solar panels.

This also implies that 11,000 acres of land can be potentially conserved along with about 2,000 crore litres of water saved per annum.

 A comet heading towards Mars' orbit in 2014 will not delay Isro'sRs450-croreMars Orbiter Mission, said K Radhakrishnan, chairman, Indian Space Research Organization, of the country's premier space agency, on Wednesday.

"India's Mars Orbiter is on schedule. The five instruments are ready and will be integrated soon.

The spacecraft sub systems are in the process of integration while the launch vehicle, PSLV, is also getting ready. It will be integrated from August onwards," said Radhakrishnan, at the sidelines of a national conference on 'Space Based Navigations' held at Isro Satellite Centre on Wednesday.

Comet C/2013 A1, discovered on January 3 by Rob McNaught at the Siding Spring Observatory in Australia, is approaching Mars at a speed of 2 lakh km/hour. There's a probability of 1 in 8,000 chance that it might strike Mars.

The Isro chief said it is yet to be studied how the comet might affect their observations.

"The comet could bring some constituents, but we don't expect any effect on the spacecraft. It will pass 50,000 km away from Mars' surface. We will get more information on the comet in future and scientists are looking at all possibilities," he said.

The Mars Orbiter, set to be launched on November 27, will take about 300 days to reach the planet, after leaving Earth's orbit. Once the satellite reaches Mars' orbit around September 2014, which is an electrical orbit of 500 km when it comes closest to mars, and 80,000 km at furthest,

a number of experiments will be conducted by Isro. Some of them are looking at Mars with a thermal infrared imaging system, and also at the possible presence and source of methane in the Martian environment.

"The Mars Orbiter Mission will essentially to prove the country's capability to reach the Martian orbit using its technology," he said.

Five Payloads of Mars Orbiter

MARS Colour Camera (MCC): Weighing 1.24 kg, it will take pictures in red, green and blue colours. It can capture a complete image of Mars in a single shot from an altitude of 80,000km. The camera will help understand the Martian dust storms or dust devils.

A Thermal Infrared Imaging System: A 4.1-kg Thermal-Infrared Imaging Spectrometer will map the surface and mineral composition of Mars. Through this, scientists will know if there is hydrothermal activity that will help locate water.

Lyman-alpha photometer: Among the other things, it will measure atomic hydrogen in Martian atmosphere.

Martian Exospheric Composition Explorer: It will study the neutral composition of the Martian upper atmosphere.

Methane Sensor for MARS: It will measure methane in the Martian atmosphere with a high level of accuracy.