• India: Olectra-BYD's electric buses begin commercial operations for TSRTC in Hyderabad
• India: TSRTC starts commercial operations of electric buses in Hyderabad
• Herb pillows and floral waters: India Organic Fair 2018 in Chennai

• Indian Medical University invites collaboration with Maharishi University of Management
• India: Maharishi University of Management faculty speak to 2,000 professors at conference
• Maharishi Effect featured in The Times of India

• India's flood-hit Kerala faces huge clean-up, fear of disease
• Heavy monsoon rains kill 67 in southern India, closes airport
• Worst flood in a century kills 43 in India's Kerala, more rain due

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Positive Trends
Short Summaries of Top Stories

India: Olectra-BYD's electric buses begin commercial operations for TSRTC in Hyderabad
6 September 2018 - Olectra-BYD, a leading player in electric public transport system, on Wednesday (5 September) announced that its eBuzz K9 electric buses have just begun commercial operations under the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC). The 12-meter air-conditioned low floor buses having a capacity of 39+1 seats will ply from different locations in Hyderabad to Hyderabad International Airport. (more)

India: TSRTC starts commercial operations of electric buses in Hyderabad
5 September 2018 - Olectra-BYD has announced that its eBuzz K9 electric buses have been put under commercial operations under Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC). These buses are part of contract for deployment of 40 AC Electric buses which TSRTC has awarded on Gross Cost Contract basis to Olectra-BYD. The passengers travelling to the Hyderabad International Airport will now be able to travel in an eco-friendly and noiseless comfortable vehicle. (more)

Herb pillows and floral waters: India Organic Fair 2018 in Chennai
31 August 2018 - To help people understand the vast scope of what is possible with organic farming, city-based NGO, Aim For Seva (AFS), along with its store Spirit of The Earth, is all set to host the India Organic Fair 2018 from September 7-11 in Chennai. The event -- based on a concept suggested by the Ministry of Women and Child Development -- is slated to feature over 60 stalls from 14 States, and will also double-up as an educative exhibition space. (more)

India: Tata Power Solar does world's largest solar rooftop installation on cricket stadium in Mumbai
30 August 2018 - Tata Power Solar wholly owned subsidiary Tata Power's has commissioned 820.8 kWp at Cricket Club of India, Mumbai CCI. This is the world's largest rooftop installation atop a cricket stadium, the company stated in its announcement. The installation of the solar rooftop project will lead to a 25 per cent savings in power consumption costs. Cricket Club of India will also be able to curb the emission of over 840 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually. (more)

India: Now, solar power for Brabourne stadium floodlights
28 August 2018 - The next time the floodlights are up for a day-night match at Mumbai's Brabourne stadium, it will be solar panels on the roof that will be powering them. On Monday the stadium, which has several sports activities inside the Cricket Club of India (CCI) complex and is mostly used for first-class cricket matches, earned the distinction of becoming the first cricket stadium in the world to generate 865kW, which ... amounts to 30 percent of the overall power consumption... (more)

Walnuts lead Jammu and Kashmir's drive towards going organic
27 August 2018 - Jammu and Kashmir has been on a mission to turn itself into a hub for organic farming and there are good results forthcoming as well. A fruit that has emerged as the star of the show is walnut. The cultivation of organic fruit has also seen a steady rise over the past decade. ... Officials claim that 80 percent of walnut produced in India comes from the villages of Kashmir and the kernel produced from Kashmiri walnuts are considered the world's best kernels, which prove lucrative in the international market. (more)

India: Bihar Sampark Kranti Express adorning beautiful Madhubani paintings arrives in Delhi
24 August 2018 - Nine coaches of Bihar Sampark Kranti Express have been beautifully painted in ancient form of Madhubani art by Railways. It is an effort by the Railways to revive the ancient art form. It took 100 artists 10 days to decorate the train with the mesmerizing paintings. Madhubani art is one of the oldest and most famous arts practiced in Bihar and parts of Nepal. (more)

Beautiful, Indian Railways! Arriving today, Bihar Sampark Kranti Express with coaches painted with Mithila art
23 August 2018 - The Bihar Sampark Kranti Express train of Indian Railways is all set to arrive Delhi today (23 August) with 9 of its coaches painted with Mithila art. The famous Madhubani art form, which belongs to the Mithila region of Bihar, is popular for using unique geometric patterns to create colourful and attractive paintings. (more)

India: Maharashtra mission for organic farming
21 August 2018 - The Maharashtra government has decided to set up a mission for promoting organic agriculture in the State. The mission will also help create a value chain for distributing organic farm products. The decision to set up the mission was taken at the State Cabinet meeting on Tuesday (21 August). (more)

As tourists flock to Indian Himalayas, women lead plastics clean-up, campaign to end chemical fertilizers
15 August 2018 - Leh is the largest town in the remote region of Ladakh, where locals have long wrested a living from herding goats and tending barley and wheat fields, ringed by 6,000-metre (19,685-foot) snow-capped peaks. 'We used to drink directly from the streams -- until our land became a tourist hub,' said Tsering Chondol, 60. The steady environmental deterioration over the years spurred more than 4,000 volunteers in the Women's Alliance of Ladakh, which Chondol heads, to take measures to tackle plastic waste. The women's group is also now campaigning to end the use of chemical fertilizers. (more)

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Success of Maharishi's Programmes
Short Summaries of Top Stories

Indian Medical University invites collaboration with Maharishi University of Management
18 August 2018 - India is increasingly showing an interest in Maharishi AyurVeda, including the country's Minister for Ayurveda and Yoga and the chancellor of a leading medical university, who is eager to collaborate with Maharishi University of Management (MUM) in the USA. Professor Robert Schneider, MD, FACC, Dean of the College of Integrative Medicine at MUM, was invited to give a keynote presentation at an international Ayurveda congress at D.Y. Patil University in Pune, India earlier this year. While there, in addition to university officials, he met with His Excellency Shripad Naik, India's Minister for traditional systems of health (AYUSH), who pledged his support for MUM's programme of Maharishi AyurVeda research and clinical practice. (more)

India: Maharishi University of Management faculty speak to 2,000 professors at conference
8 April 2018 - College professors in India recently heard presentations by Maharishi University of Management (MUM) Professors Anil Maheshwari and Scott Herriott at the Second National Teachers' Congress, hosted by Maharashtra Institute of Technology-World Peace University (MIT-WPU) in Pune, India. The MUM faculty were invited to give plenary addresses, along with the Dalai Lama and about 30 other eminent educators and political leaders. Over 2,000 teachers took part in the Congress. (more)

Maharishi Effect featured in The Times of India
23 February 2018 - The practice of Transcendental Meditation brings coherence and harmony to create a healing effect, writes Aditi Shrivastava in The Times of India: Research by scientists across the world has shown that when a specific number of people in an area practise Transcendental Meditation (TM) and its advanced techniques together, the influence of coherence and positivity generated is so phenomenal, that it can improve the quality of life of the area, improving the collective consciousness of the people. This leads to an invincible state for society, that is, a state of progressive growth, of stability where no negative influences will disrupt societies and they will be able to rise to true sovereignty and harmony amongst themselves. This phenomenon of increased social coherence was termed the Maharishi Effect in honour of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Founder of the Transcendental Meditation programme, who predicted it in 1960. (more)

Building a business for peace: Maharishi University of Management alumnus
6 September 2017 - Amit Hooda is the co-founder and CEO of Heavenly Organics, an Iowa, USA-based business that imports raw honey made by wild bees in the remote forests of northern and central India. This unique business model helps sustain the economic and cultural survival of indigenous people. In 2005, while Amit was earning his MS in computer science at Maharishi University of Management, he and his father, a renowned agronomist in northern India, founded Heavenly Organics. 'I wanted to create an economic model that created ethical jobs in conflict areas,' said Amit. 'That is the only way to have long-term sustainable peace.' (more)

India: Widespread press coverage of Second International Ayurveda Congress in London
27 May 2017 - The recent Second International Ayurveda Congress, held last month in London, received widespread press coverage in India. Press Trust of India reported in the Financial Express: 'Researchers from across the world have vowed to work with India to promote Ayurveda globally, saying the ancient Indian system of natural and holistic medicine can help address major health problems.' The Congress was also featured in many British publications for the Asian and South Asian community. The International Maharishi AyurVeda Foundation, Netherlands, was one of the organizers of the Congress, whose theme was 'Ayurveda - the Pursuit of Health, Happiness and Long Life through Prevention-Oriented Health Care.' (more)

Maharishi University of Management: Dr. Robert Schneider gives keynote at India conference
15 March 2017 - India continues to show interest in Maharishi University of Management's science-based approach to traditional systems of prevention-oriented health-care. Most recently Dr Robert Schneider, dean of Maharishi College of Perfect Health, was invited to deliver the keynote address at an international conference of the World Association of Vedic Studies. He described how Maharishi AyurVeda programmes may slow or reverse ageing in Western and Indian populations. His audience included scholars, officials, and leaders who are integrating Vedic science and technologies into modern society. (more)

India: International Maharishi AyurVeda Foundation participates in 7th World Ayurveda Congress and Arogya Expo
31 January 2017 - The International Maharishi AyurVeda Foundation (IMAVF) participated with three presentations at the 7th World Ayurveda Congress, which was held last month in Kolkata, India. Over 3,500 delegates, mainly from various Asian countries, participated in the Congress. About 150,000 visitors came to the accompanying Arogya Expo, a trade show of many companies and institutions offering products and services in the field of Ayurveda. IMAVF was also present at the Arogya Expo, at the booth of Maharishi AyurVeda Products India, with an exhibition for the next International Ayurveda Congress, to be held in London, 1-2 April 2017. (more)

India: Alliance of Women Scientists and Scholars holds annual conference in Rishikesh
10 December 2016 - The Alliance of Women Scientists and Scholars for a Better World is holding its annual conference this year in India. The conference began yesterday and continues through 12 December at Mahila Dhyan Vidya Peeth, Tapovan, Rishikesh. The theme of the conference is Meeting Point of all Religions: Atma, the Self, the Source, Course, and Goal of Life. Speakers include eminent leaders representing the fields of physics, medicine, physiology and health, including the perspective of Ayurveda, the traditional Vedic science of health care; education; and music. The conference programme also features senior educators and administrators of institutions offering Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's Vedic Science and Technology of Consciousness. (more)

Computer scientist changing lives of young people in rural India
19 September 2016 - Promila Bahadur has trained over 2000 individuals, including children, youth, women, and the elderly, to use computers in Uttar Pradesh, where she has been honored by the government for her work. Last year she joined the computer science faculty at Maharishi University of Management, while keeping daily contact with the organization she runs in India, the Guru Institute of Information Technology. Her next plan is to establish a computer education hub among a cluster of six Indian villages. The hub would also provide other services including banking, insurance, and pharmacy. 'If one day some of our students get the chance to study at MUM, this would be, in fact, a dream come true for me,' said Promila. (more)

Anushka Sharma, the Indian movie star who works hard and meditates twice a day
15 September 2015 - Anushka Sharma is living the dream of many young women in India. After a brief modeling career, she has firmly established herself as one of the top actresses in Bollywood. For an additional boost to her body and mind, Anushka also practises the Transcendental Meditation technique. 'Meditation works wonders for me when it comes to beating stress,' the actress says. 'I meditate twice a day . . . . It has a calming effect which translates into better health.' (more)

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Flops
Short Summaries of Top Stories

India's flood-hit Kerala faces huge clean-up, fear of disease
20 August 2018 - Indian health authorities prepared defences against the spread of disease in flood-hit Kerala state on Monday as water receded and a huge clean-up gathered pace after the worst floods in a century killed more than 200 people. Incessant rain since August 8 in the southern state has swelled rivers and triggered landslides. Dozens of people are missing and nearly a million are sheltering in thousands of relief camps, state officials said. (more)

Heavy monsoon rains kill 67 in southern India, closes airport
15 August 2018 - Torrential monsoon rains have disrupted air and train services in the southern Indian state of Kerala, where flooding, landslides, and bridge collapses have killed at least 67 people in the past week, officials said Wednesday (15 August). The international airport at Kochi, a major port city, suspended flight operations until Saturday after rains flooded the runway. Authorities asked tourists to stay away from the popular hill station of Munnar in Idukki district because of flooding. Kerala is a popular tourist destination with scenic landscapes, waterfalls, and beautiful beaches. (more)

Worst flood in a century kills 43 in India's Kerala, more rain due
15 August 2018 - The death toll from the worst floods in nearly a century in the Indian tourist state of Kerala rose to 43 on Wednesday (15 August) as rising water stranded tens of thousands of people and forced the closure of one of its main airports. The five latest fatalities from the rain that began a week ago came when authorities in the southern state were forced to release water from 35 dangerously full dams, sending a surge into its main river. (more)

In India's parched Bundelkhand, drought brings a tide of migration
5 July 2018 - As ever-lengthening drought becomes the new normal, Bundelkhand, a parched region split between India's Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh states, is clearing out. The central Indian region of nearly 70,000 square kilometres (27,000 square miles) once received about 800 to 900 mm (31-31 inches) of rain a year, according to India's Meteorological Department. But over the last six to seven years, in particular, that total has nearly halved, with the number of monsoon rain days falling from 52 to 24 over the June to October monsoon period, according to D.K. Dubey, a scientist with the agency. That has caused repeated and widespread crop failures -- and a growing tide of farmers abandoning their land to try to find work in nearby cities. (more)

India's 'worst water crisis in history' leaves millions thirsty
5 July 2018 - From the northern Himalayas to the sandy, palm-fringed beaches in the south, 600 million people -- nearly half India's population -- face acute water shortage, with close to 200,000 dying each year from polluted water. ... Water pollution is a major challenge, the report said, with nearly 70 percent of India's water contaminated, impacting three in four Indians and contributing to 20 percent of the country's disease burden. (more)

Dust storms drag New Delhi air quality back to dangerous levels
14 June 2018 - Air quality in New Delhi plummeted to a dangerous level on Wednesday (13 June), putting residents at risk, mainly due to dust storms from western India, a senior official at the pollution control board said. Air quality has worsened in New Delhi in recent years, prompting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office to directly monitor measures to clean up the capital's air. (more)

India steps up hunt for origin of mysterious brain-damaging virus
28 May 2018 - India began a fresh round of tests to trace the origin of a rare brain-damaging virus that has killed 13 people, a health official said on Monday (28 May), as initial tests on animals suspected of carrying the Nipah virus showed no sign of the disease. (more)

India's farmed chickens dosed with world's strongest antibiotics, study finds
1 February 2018 - Chickens raised in India for food have been dosed with some of the strongest antibiotics known to medicine, in practices that could have repercussions throughout the world. Hundreds of tonnes of an 'antibiotic of last resort' -- only used in the most extreme cases of sickness -- are shipped to India each year to be used, without medical supervision, on animals that may not require the drugs but are being dosed with them nevertheless to promote the growth of healthy animals. (more)

Smog chokes Indian capital as emergency measures fail to bring relief
13 November 2017 - A thick cloud of toxic smog 10 times the recommended limit enveloped India's capital, New Delhi, on Monday, as government officials struggled to tackle a public health crisis that is well into its second week. A U.S. embassy measure showed levels of poisonous airborne particles, known as PM 2.5, had reached 498 on Monday afternoon, compared with the upper limit of 'good' quality air at 50. (more)

Severe pollution hits India's capital, causing health worries
7 November 2017 - A thick gray haze enveloped India's capital on Tuesday [7 November] as air pollution hit hazardous levels, prompting local officials to ask that schools shut down and a half marathon scheduled for later in November be called off. As winter approaches, a thick, soupy smog routinely envelops most parts of northern India, caused by dust, the burning of crops, emissions from factories, and the burning of coal and piles of garbage as the poor try to keep warm. Over the past two years, New Delhi has earned the dubious distinction of being one of the world's most polluted cities. (more)