Hindu for Hipsters

 

 

Hindu for Hipsters

Posted: 21 May 2015 08:46 AM PDT

“Hindu Tales – Souvenirs of a Future” aims to question the interactions of spirituality and technology. It focuses on Hindu devotees and imagines how they could use new tech in their religious practices. Presented in a tryptic of three “fragments”, the projects consists of traditional props that have been updated with sensory receptors and visual notifications so information on an emotional level can be shared between loved ones in other places. Jump to the vid to see it in action!

Designer: Anne Couvert-Castéra

India to Launch First Homegrown Carrier

 

Zachary Keck May 14, 2015 India is set to launch its first indigenous aircraft carrier later this month, according to local media reports. On Thursday The Hindu reported that India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, will be launched from Cochin Shipyard on May 28. “All major equipment has gone into the vessel, which has now acquired the shape of an aircraft carrier, with a finished hull. Barring a bit of ongoing work on the superstructure, structural work is all over and the internal compartments have all been welded in,” an official at shipyard was quoted as saying. The INS Vikrant will displace 40,000 tons and feature a short-take off but arrested recovery (STOBAR) system, rather than the catapult-assisted take-off but arrested recovery (CATOBAR) launch system used by current U.S. aircraft carriers. The ski-slope launch system will limit the INS Vikrant’s ability to launch heavy aircraft from its deck. However, the carrier will reportedly hold some 36 combat jets, which can launch at intervals between 2-3 minutes. The ship is expected to carry the Russian-made Mikoyan MiG 29 K fighter. India had previously launched the still uncompleted carrier back in 2013, after phase I of its construction was finished. The upcoming launch marks the completion of its structure. The carrier is set to undergo testing starting in 2017, and—if everything goes to plan—will be inducted into India’s navy sometime in 2018. India currently operates two aircraft carriers, both of which are foreign built. The first is the the INS Viraat, an ageing, 55-year-old former British carrier, which is set to be decommissioned next year. Besides the INS Viraat, India’s Navy also operates the the INS Vikramaditya, a refurbished carrier it purchased from Russia for $2.35 billion. The 44,400-ton INS Vikramaditya was commissioned in Russia in 2013, and formally inducted into the Indian Navy back in June of last year. Also this week, a senior Indian defense council has approved a budget for the country to build its second indigenous aircraft carrier. According to local media reports, the Defense Acquisition Council (DAC), which is chaired by India’s defense minister, Manohar Parrikar, approved a slew of deals this week, including allocating 30 crore (roughly $5 million) to build India’s second indigenous aircraft carrier. The reports said the funds will go to “commencement of preparatory work for construction of Indian Aircraft Carrier 2.” Earlier this year, India had said it will fast track production of the 65,000-ton carrier, dubbed the INS Vishal, under its indigenous aircraft carrier-II (IAC-II) project. The project is being accelerated partly to deal with China’s rapidly growing carrier fleet, as well as because of the INS Viraat’s looming decommissioning. The INS Vishal may be nuclear powered and boast the more advanced catapult-assisted take-off but arrested recovery (CATOBAR) launch systems. The United States has recently expressed an interest in sharing carrier technology with India. Zachary Keck is managing editor of The National Interest. You can find him on Twitter: @ZacharyKeck. Image: Indian Navy

17 Breathtakingly Beautiful Places In India You Must Visit Before You Die

 

1. Yumthang Valley - Sikkim Yumthang Valley is a grazing pasture surrounded by the Himalayan mountains in North Sikkim. At a height of 3,564 metres above sea level, it's popularly known as the 'Valley of Flowers'. 2. Tea garden hill of Munnar Munnar is a town that's situated in the southwestern region of Kerala. It's practically covered fully with Tea plantations, some as high as 7000 feet above sea level. 3. Stok Range, Ladakh At 11, 845 feet, Stok Kangri in Stok Range has is a popular mountain among climbers and mountaineers. It's often considered as a practice run for Everest. 4. Nubra Valley, Ladakh Nubra is a high altitude cold desert with rare precipitation and scant vegetation. 5. Nohkalikai Falls, Cherrapunji Located near Cherrapunji, one of the wettest places on earth, Nohkalikai Falls is one of the tallest plunge waterfalls in India. Name of the falls (in Khasi language - "Jump of Ka Likai") is linked to a legend about a local woman, Likai, who after a family tragedy became insane and jumped off the cliff next to the falls. 6. Nanda Devi It's the second highest mountain in India. While the peak is not that easy to climb for regular folks like us, but the surrounding Nanda Devi National Park is a must visit atleast once in a lifetime. 7. Mizoram Mizoram is a land of rolling hills, valleys, rivers and lakes. As many as 21 major hill ranges or peaks of different heights run through the length and breadth of the state, with plains scattered here and there. 8. Lonar Sarovar, Maharashtra The Lonar Lake is a saline soda lake located at Lonar in Buldana district, Maharashtra, India which was created by a meteor impact. 9. Matheran The smallest hill station in India, Matheran which is only 90 km from Mumbai, provides a pretty dramatic view of the sunset and the sunrise. 10. Leh Leh, the capital of the Himalayan kingdom of Ladakh is best experienced via road trips from New Delhi. 11. Key Monastery Key Gompa is a Tibetian Buddhist Monastery located on top of a hill at an altitude of 13, 668 feet above sea level close to the Spiti river in Himachal Pradesh. It reportedly, was started by 100 monks in 1855. 12. Kashmir It's not called paradise on Earth for nothing. 13. Hoggenakal Falls This waterfall in South India on the river Kaveri is sometimes also referred to as the "Niagara Falls" of India. 14. Tungnath, Uttarakhand Located at an altitude of 12, 073 Feet, at Tungnath mountains you can also find the oldest Hindu shrine of Lord Shiva. 15. Drang Drung Glacier, Near Kargil It takes about 2 days to get here from the Srinagar airport. 16. Deodar Forest, Himachal Pradesh 17. Andamans It has 325 islands which cover an area of 6,408 km2, with the Andaman Sea to the east between the islands and the coast of Burma.