Gita Press, Gorakhpur, will get the 2021 Gandhi Peace Prize

18 June 2023: A jury headed by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi recognises the institution's 100-year history of advancing Gandhian principles of societal harmony and peace.

In 1995, on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi's birth, the Government of India established the Gandhi Peace Prize as a yearly honor in his memory. Everyone is eligible for the award, regardless of their gender, nationality, ethnicity, language, caste, or faith.

One crore rupees (Rs.1,000,000), a citation, a plaque, and a priceless traditional handicraft or item are included with the award.

The past awardees include organizations such as ISRO, Ramakrishna Mission, Grameen Bank of Bangladesh, Vivekananda Kendra, Kanyakumari, Akshaya Patra, Bengaluru, Ekal Abhiyan Trust, India, and Sulabh International, New Delhi. It has also been awarded to luminaries like the Late Dr. Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa, Dr. Julius Nyerere, Former President of Tanzania, Dr. A.T. Ariyaratne, Founder President of Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement, Sri Lanka, Dr. Gerhard Fischer, Federal Republic of Germany, Baba Amte, Dr. John Hume, Ireland, Mr. Vaclav Havel, former President of Czechoslovakia, Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, Shri Chandi Prasad Bhatt and Shri Yohei Sasakawa, Japan.

Recent awardees include Sultan Qaboos Bin Said Al Said, Oman (2019) and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (2020), Bangladesh.

The Jury headed by, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, after due deliberations on 18th June 2023 unanimously decided to select Gita Press, Gorakhpur as the recipient of the Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2021, in recognition of its outstanding contribution towards political, social and economic political transformation through non-violent and other Gandhian methods.

Established in 1923, Gita Press is one of the world’s largest publishers, having published 41.7 crore books in 14 languages, including 16.21 crore Shrimad Bhagavad Gita. The institution has never relied on advertisement in its publications, for revenue generation. Gita Press along with its affiliated organizations, strives for the betterment of life and the well-being of all.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi recalled the contribution of Gita Press, in promoting the Gandhian ideals of peace and social harmony. He observed that the conferment of the Gandhi Peace Prize on Gita Press, on completion of hundred years of its establishment, is a recognition of the work done by the institution in community service.

Gandhi Peace Prize 2021, recognizes the important and unparalleled contribution of Gita Press, in contributing to the collective upliftment of humanity, which personifies Gandhian living in the true sense.

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What is 'Le Bal des Débutantes'? The world's most coveted event for royal heirs!

The Bal des Débutantes, typically shortened to simply as "le Bal," is an annual debutante faction and fashion event held in Paris in November which brings together between 20 and 25 debutantes aged 16 to 22.

The next edition of Le Bal des Débutantes will be held on 25th November 2023.

Swati Bhat

Image: Le Bal official

The ball originated as a social event on July 10, 1958, in the Orangery of the Château de Versailles. There were fifty debutantes in total, all of whom were Americans. André Malraux bestowed permission to use the Orangery for the 1959 ball, which was funded by Parisian fashion and perfume businesses. A total of 150 young women participated. Due to the May 1968 worker rebellion in France, the event was canceled in 1968 and was not staged again for several decades.

The ball was reintroduced in 1992 as a fashion event by invitation by Ophélie Renouard. From 1992 through 2012, it was held every year at the Hôtel de Crillon, As a result, the "Crillon Ball" became popular. It is currently referred to as "le Bal".

Le Bal is also a couture event; the gowns are fashion show outfits, and the team at le Bal works hard to pick the best ones.

The Bal des Débutantes, typically shortened to simply as "le Bal," is an annual debutante faction and fashion event held in Paris in November which brings together between 20 and 25 debutantes aged 16 to 22.

From 2000 through 2003, le Bal welcomed a winner from the French magazine Jalouse's annual contest. Each one was chosen based on an application.

Know who can participate in le Bal Débutan and the idiosyncrasies of this fundraising event

• The invitation as a débutante is based on an attractive look, intelligence, and renowned parents. The debutantes are frequently from well-known families in entertainment, the business world, or politics.

• During their Press Meet, the debutantes typically discuss the joy of wearing couture gowns, the charity part of the event, and the opportunity to meet girls from various nations.

• The majority of the contestants must practice wearing exquisite couture gowns by exchanging prevalent teen fashion items for 'heels, tiaras and haute couture gowns worth up to £30,000 each'.

• A cavalier follows each debutante. He could be a young man chosen by her, such as a sibling, cousin, acquaintance, or partner. However, approximately half of the debutantes, particularly those from abroad, do not bring their own cavaliers and instead rely on the Bal organisers to find a cavalier. Renouard, the organiser, has noted that selecting the cavaliers based on their ages, languages spoken, heights, and potential backgrounds usually results in an optimal match for the debutantes.

• The event introduces its invited debutantes, who are usually the daughters of well-known families, to the world of high fashion. It can also be perceived as an opportunity for fashion houses to improve recognition for their brands.

• The young women are dressed in exquisite couture gowns by European and international fashion brands. They are all wearing jewelry by the same jeweler. Some fashion houses crafted special ball gowns for the day.

The Opening dance

Every year since 2005, a debutante has opened the dancing with a waltz.

This is followed by a waltz featuring all of the fathers and debutantes. The fathers then relinquish their daughters to the cavaliers, and the waltz is replaced by contemporary music performed live by a live band. The debs then return their gowns and diamonds. The evening concludes with the debutantes and their cavaliers clubbing.

The year-wise list of royals who opened the dance at le Bal:

2005: Bianca Brandolini d'Adda with the master of ceremony, Prince Charles-Philippe d'Orléans

2006: Xiaodan Chen with Stéphane Bern

2007: Maria Abou Nader with Stéphane Bern

2008: Bruce Willis and Alain Delon launched le Bal together, leading Scout Larue Willis in Lacroix Haute Couture and Anouchka Delon in Elie Saab Haute Couture, with the waltz from Luchino Visconti's film Il Gattopardo

2009: Autumn Whitaker with Forest Whitaker, and Jasmine Li with Stéphane Bern

2011: Tallulah Willis with Bruce Willis

2012: Sophia Rose Stallone in Elie Saab Haute Couture with Sylvester Stallone

2014: Princess Elizabeth of Bourbon-Parma in Alexis Mabille Haute Couture with Prince Charles-Emmanuel of Bourbon-Parma

2015: Iman Perez with Vincent Perezand Countess Gloria de Limburg-Stirum with Count Thierry de Limburg-Stirum

2016: Countess Angélique de Limburg-Stirum and her father Thierry de Limburg-Stirum opened the ball, followed by Yu Hang and Elle Beatty.

2017: Ava Philippe in Giambattista Valli haute couture danced with her escort, Maharaja Padmanabh Singh of Jaipur. The two danced to a song from the film La La Land.

2018: True Whitaker and her father Forest Whitaker opened le Bal, along with then Annabel Yao and her cavalier Jean de Croÿ-Solre and Gabrielle de Pourtalès and Stéphane Bern.

2019: French actor Jean-Paul Belmondo's daughter Stella Belmondo opened le Bal with Stéphane Bern, followed by Shanaya Kapoor and Iglesias twins Victoria and Cristina.

2022: The French Royal Princess Hélène of Orléans opened le Bal with her father the Duke of Chartres, followed by Wenhao Cai and her father the Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang and Leah Behn, the daughter of the Royal Princess Martha Louise of Norway, and Stéphane Bern

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The France-based Annecy International Animation Festival featured India's Creative Economy.

15 June 2023: A delegation from India led by Secretary I&B highlights the ministry's incentives for the AVGC industry and discusses the possibility of holding an international animation festival in India.

Swati Bhat

This year marks India's debut participation in The Annecy International Animation Festival (AIAF). At the AIAF, an Indian delegation headed by the Secretary, Information and Broadcasting, Shri. Apurva Chandra has been displaying India's talent for producing animation and VFX content for audiences throughout the world.

India has lately emerged as a preferred destination for VFX and animation content for global production houses. The animation and VFX market in India was pegged to be valued at Rs 109 billion in 2021, with the VFX business alone amounting to Rs 50 billion. This figure is expected to grow to Rs 180 billion by 2024 according to a E&Y report. India's participation at Annecy, therefore, assumes greater importance as the country showcases its abilities in the sector to international buyers.

Speaking about India's participation, Shri. Chandra said, "The Animation, Gaming, Visual Effects, and Comics (AVGC) Sector in India is making progress with the adoption of world-class techniques and innovative technologies, coupled with a pool of immensely talented professionals. India is one of the few countries providing cash incentives to foreign companies for making AVGC content in India. The incentives are the same as for shooting films in India. This is a huge opportunity for companies to benefit from this. As a country, we are committed to providing incentives to the industry, as well as supporting pre and post-production activities in India."

At the festival, Shri. Chandra spoke with AIAF director Michael Marin about ways to deepen India's participation in Annecy and the possibility of partnering with France to establish an animation film festival in India. Shri. Chandra opened the India Pavilion, which was built around the Saraswati Yantra design theme, and he also spoke with the Indian creative community whose works were chosen as winners of the prestigious Annecy festival competition in 2023. Young artists Arvind Jeena, Nikita Prabhudesai Jeena, Upamanyu Bhattacharyya, and Kalp Sanghvi attended the event among veterans of the field such Kireet Khurana, Saraswati Vani Balgum, Biren Ghosh, Anil Wanvari, and Anne Doshi.

Besides, Shri. Chandra interacted with delegates from other countries and the discussions centered around the various initiatives of the Ministry with regard to the AVGC sector, and the incentives given by the Indian Government for ease of business in the sector.

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