Tuesday, May 2, 2017

INAUGURAL Routledge Sports lecture

The future of high performance sports in India 
29 April 2017


FANNATIC SPORTS MUSEUM - The Boria Majumdar Collection
29 April 2017
Highlights

  • The entire event ran smoothly thanks to the efforts of Team Boria Majumdar at the museum, Team Journals Marketing on the day and in the build-up
  • 125 guests attended (including 6 T&F employees), and approximately 35 journalists resulting in coverage in a variety of media publications (see below for updated list). 
  • Editorial was represented by Jon Manly, Colin Bulpitt & Anant Mishra. Surajit Sarkar attended from sales and programme was hosted from T&F by the journals marketing team comprising Shafina & Sonali.  
  • The event started with the museum tour for a select set of VIPs given by Boria Majumdar. Abhinav was facilitated 
  • Abhinav Bindra, the first Olympic gold medallist form India, gave a very impactful speech on the future of high performance sports in India lasting about 25 minutes, which was followed by a small presentation by Dr Stephanno, unveiling the first high performance sports training centre for athletes in Chandigarh. 
  • This was followed by a discussion session with Boria majumdar, and Abhinav Bindra, which was later opened for questions from the audience. There was much excitement among those present about the Olympic task force policies set up by the govt, that Mr Bindra heads. 
  • The whole event was recorded and made available live on twitter & Facebook. The session ended with a standing ovation for Mr Bindra from the audience. 

Link to Online photo album & Videos: https://goo.gl/photos/Ae4PR68fGJ8Qmm9i9 

 ** We are also doing a ‘the story behind the picture’ on TFO to highlight the first sports science lecture in India, and link it to an interview with Boria on the Editor Resources blogs; here is an example: http://www.tandfonline.com/story-behind-march-2017.

 Press/ Online Coverage: Pre-event


Post-event




Abhinav Bindra: 
“Everything should essentially revolve around sports science”
“India needs to invest in training its athletes & make it a priority”
“We need to start preparing now for larger changes to happen in Olympic performances in 2020”

 Please follow @LibraryLantern for live videos and tweets of the day. 

 Selected Photos





 

 

 
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Tuesday, March 28, 2017

The Informa Awards 2017

 

The India team representing the India office at the Informa awards is back, and not empty handed! We bring back awards, glory and lots of brand building for our organization and we are so proud. Thank you for all the hard work and support you gave the CSR team to make this possible! Also a big thank you to the Journals Sales Team for the National Deal of the South Asia Archive. Yet again, a great example of collaboration & team values that we stand for.

Check out our award winning video here.


On Thursday 23 February, India team accepted the two awards standing winners from a shortlist of 133 Colleagues and Teams in a ceremony held at the spectacular Kensington Roof Gardens in London.
Winners: https://portal.informa.com/news/42504/informa-awards-2016-winners-revealed
  • CSR team, India, for building Taylor & Francis library in Village Shahabad Mohammadpur; Category: Louder than Words - Awarded to a colleague or team that has lived our approach to sustainability.
  • Neeti Verma, Ashleigh Lee & David Green for South Asia Archive sale; Category: Show me the Money - Given to a colleague or team that has created significant financial benefits for the Group through either sales or efficiency activities that go beyond the expectations for their day-today role.
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Tuesday, March 14, 2017

International Women's Day 2017

Message from our Managing Director, Nitasha Devasar:

This Women’s Day I wanted to share with you 5 things that have stood me in great stead in my professional life:
  • Perseverance and Preparedness: A wise mentor once said to me in a time of great professional stress, “Don’t give up and don’t give in.”
  • Building emotional stamina through physical activity: I have realized that being healthy and physically strong is part of my job and should be developed the same way as any other work skill.
  • A diverse support network: The support of my family and friends, for example, who yank me up when I am floundering and keep me grounded when I fly high, is a strong safety net.
  • A sense of the ridiculous: If you can find humor in the very human foibles and quirks of your co-workers and managers, everyday irritants of the workplace vanish.
  • Male colleagues: Women’s Day seems an appropriate time to acknowledge these fellow travelers and co-conspirators who have challenged, supported and irritated in line with the need of the hour, over the last 25 years.
I would love to hear from you what your top 5 picks!

Best wishes,

Nitasha

Our colleagues point of view:


 1. Anjali Maggon

  • Each day is different
  • Every lesson is important
  • Be your own companion
  • Music helps
  • Talk it out

2. Puja Kumari

  • Take the charge: Never blame anyone for your bad times and make the situation favorable. 
  • Inner strength: No matter how much you are broken from outside, your inner strength will help you sail through successfully. 
  • Support system: Your near and dear ones will always pull you up when you are all shattered. So, never let them go away from you.
  • Parents: Everyone else may turn selfish at some point of time but, only parents think of your happiness selflessly. Never let them down.
  • Nothing is permanent: This statement in itself is negative and positive as well, and it helps a lot in adverse conditions. 

There is a saying: “If you are going through HELL, keep going,
cause that is how you will come out of it”.

3. Purnima Agarwal

  • Dedication and Hard work: There is no shortcut for dedication and hard work. Maybe you don’t get appreciation for these two things, but it will never go unnoticed. And I truly believe in this. So, just give 100% to all you do.
  • Building network: Whether it is personal life or professional life try to build a network whom you can rely upon. This gives you confidence in your low time and you can share your joy in high time.
  • Push People Upwards: As per your capacity, support and encourage people to move upwards. Show the confidence in others. Providing them the required support within my capacity, gives me the inner joy.
  • Spirituality: Believing in super power, giving some time of your day in remembering the GOD and thanking for everything you have. 
  • Taking out time for yourself: Whether you are male or female, it doesn’t matter. You should take out some time for yourself. Invest in you. If you love, respect and appreciate yourself, then people will do too.
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Monday, February 27, 2017

HERITAGE BYTES: VIEWING THE TAJ: Some Uncommon Frames (Part 3)

WAS THERE A PLAN TO CREATE A BLACK TAJ MAHAL? AND, SOME OTHER POPULAR MYTHS?
Some myths and legends, mostly floated by guides, have become ingrained in popular history and folklore. The idea of a second, rivalling Taj, the Black Taj, was floated by Jean Baptiste Tavernier, who, during his visit to Agra in 1665, wrote that Shah Jahan wanted to build his own tomb in black marble on the other side of the Yamuna in Mahtab Bagh but his sons opposed the plan and Aurangzeb finally abandoned it. There is no historical evidence to support this claim and even archaeological excavations carried out in the 1990s did not reveal any evidence of such a tomb.

Another very popular tale is that Shah Jahan killed the architects and workers who built the Taj (other versions say he chopped off their hands or had their eyes gouged out or had them thrown into the dungeons of Agra fort) so that they could not build a second monument like that. This again has no historical basis. Art historian Ebba Koch points out that such tales are a part of folklore surrounding monuments in many cultures, including England, Ireland, Russia and parts of Asia.

Finally, the tale of the British administration’s plans to demolish the Taj. It is said that Lord William Bentinck, Governor General of India in the 1830s, planned to demolish the Taj Mahal and auction the marble. His biographer, John Rosselli, clarified that the basis of this rumour was Bentinck’s fundraising sale of discarded marble from Agra fort.

 - Dr. Shashank Shekhar Sinha

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Tuesday, January 10, 2017


Not Allowed 

इस शहर में रुकना allowed नहीं है
थक कर कहीं रुक गए तो
धक्के खा कर चीखना allowed नहीं है

पल में भूल जाने वाले इस शहर में
याद रखना allowed नहीं है.
समय से race लगाते इस शहर में
वक़्त का होना allowed नहीं है.

भीड़ भरी सडकें
भीड़ में खोना allowed नहीं है.
ठोकरों से भरे इस शहर में
चोट पे रोना allowed नहीं है.

ज़िन्दगी के पीछे भागते
इस शहर में जिंदा होना allowed नहीं है.
सपनो की यह नगरी
इस शहर में सोना allowed नहीं है.

- Vivek Singh
Manager – Online & Content Marketing, Books Marketing
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Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Goodbye 2016: year end celebrations in YMCA lawns

We celebrated the year end on a positive note with the annual christmas lunch and celebrations on December 23, 2016 at the YMCA lawns. Taylor & Francis India never misses a chance to celebrate festivals zeal & fervor, which is also an opportunity to for colleagues from different departments to come together. 

This year, the Christmas lunch & year end festivities ended with a surprise that caught many of the colleagues unawares: The 'unexpected, yet much appreciated' EMPLOYEE AWARDS.  

The celebrations started with the managing director addressing the employees, highlighting the achievements of the year gone by. She emphasized the ‘good stuff’ that included India becoming a profit-making and self-sustaining branch in 2016; the launch of the T&F Indian website which crossed 10k users last month & the local contacts list development which crossed 100k; some phenomenal sales performances including HSS books and the SAA national deal; the content acceleration plan; the CSR award nomination at Informa; among others. The MD focused on the four C’s of 2016: Content, Collaboration, Communication and Change, all of which, she promised, will continue in 2017 as well.

This was followed by a surprise announcement of the Employee Awards 2016. The awards were constituted to appreciate a select set of employees who created a niche for themselves with their work, creating a rock solid background for the organisation to function, without being in the limelight. Here are the awards and their description:

Taking Charge
  Someone who gets the job done.
JEETPAL SINGH

Consider it Done
 The behind the scene wonder who quietly takes
charge to make everything run smoothly.
SONALI BHARDWAJ

Stretch Yourself 
Who stepped out of her comfort zone to support
 company initiatives and goals.
DENIZE RODRICKS

Got Your Back 
For always being the one we can all count on. 
KAMRAN ALAM

Setting New standards 
A new joinee who made an impact with his/her work. 
AAFREEN AYUB & VIVEK SINGH
All the winners received a certificate of appreciation and a gift voucher of INR 2100.


THE HAPPY, SURPRISED WINNERS!CONGRATULATIONS 

The sweet christmas carols, sung by the T&F band added the real flavour of christmas to the festivities. 
T&F Band:
Payal Singhal, Shivangi Pramanik, Manjari Srivastava, Subha Banerjee,
Puja Kumari, Shruti Gopinath, Varun Gopal, Meer Mehtab Hussain,
Tenzing Topzer Bhutia, Raja Boboy Chiru, Robinson Raju and Oliver David

 Meet our SANTA here who added more colour to the afternoon! 

Our Santa: Nitesh Kumar Singh
Some more picture for you to enjoy:


Happy New Year to all T&Fers, 

 Wishing all a great year ahead,

 Shafina
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Monday, November 28, 2016



सामयिकी (Current Affairs)

आज सुबह धर्मपत्नी आयी,आते ही चिल्लाईं,

व्हाट्सएप्प पे ये क्या अफवाह है?
ये कौन सोनम गुप्ता है, जो बेवफा है?
हमने कहा, होगी किसी कर्मजले की माशूका,
जिसने होगा किसी एटीएम की लाइन पे उस पे थूका
ये छोड़ो, बताओ, आज तो बड़ा जंच रही हो
गुलाबी साड़ी में दो हज़ार का करारा नोट लग रही हो
पत्नी जी बोली, आज तो बैंक जाना है
घर खर्च के लिए छुट्टे पैसे लाना है
हमने सोचा, इसके पास काला धन कहाँ से आया?
सरस्वती के पुजारी के घर लक्ष्मी! ये कैसी माया?
कल रात सोच रहा था, लोगो के दिल सुलगा दूं
एक बोरी में रद्दी कागज़ भर कर जला दूं
पड़ोसियों रिश्तेदारों पे रॉब तो पड़ जाता
मगर खास खास के प्रदूषण से मेरा ही दम घुट जाता
क्योंकि, इतिहास में हमने हमेशा पढ़ा है
प्रदुषण हो या पैसे, फोन हो या सिम कार्ड, 
लाइन में हमेशा कॉमन मैन ही खड़ा है
और उस समय भी कॉमन मैन ही दहल जाता है
जब कोई, ‘अजी सुनते हो’, या ‘मेरे प्यारे भाइयों और बहनों’, की आवाज़ लगता है
कॉमन मैन की भलाई ही सदैव हमारे विचार में है
कृप्या पचास दिन प्रतीक्षा करें, देश कतार में है।

- Vivek Singh
Manager – Online & Content Marketing, Books Marketing
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Friday, November 25, 2016

HERITAGE BYTES: VIEWING THE TAJ: Some Uncommon Frames (Part 2)

WAS THE TAJ MAHAL DESIGNED ON THE IDEA OF PARADISE?

The Taj is thought to represent one of the houses in the gardens of paradise; it formed an earthy replica. Quranic descriptions, the eternal garden is imagined as a place with flowing waters, shade trees, exquisite fruits etc. The flower and plant motifs used in Taj Mahal’s surface ornamentation invested the monument with a paradisiacal quality. In the earlier Islamic monuments, typical geometric patterns dominated, whereas in the case of the Taj, such motifs were relegated to floors and jalis (screens). The metaphor of gardens and plants also had an imperial symbolism—it represented not only Shah Jahan and his good governance but also his court and his family. Besides, it served as an instrument of propaganda for his chroniclers, who portrayed him as an “erect cypress of the garden of the caliphate”.



Rear side of the Taj Complex as seen from Yamuna river
around sunset ( courtesy Aakash Chakrabarty)
Vases filled with plants (or overflowing plants) were not only important in Muslim cultures but also pointed to the ancient Indian symbol of prosperity and well-being—the purna ghata (vase of plenty). This idea of paradise also got reflected in the layout of the char bagh (fourfold garden) with running water as well as in the Quranic verses (calligraphed in black marble and inlaid in white marble) inscribed on three of the four major buildings—the mausoleum, the great gate and the mosque. The Taj displays the largest inscriptional programme in the Islamic world. It has 25 Quranic inscriptions, of which 14 are complete suras (chapters). In one way or another, all inscriptions deal with the day of judgment, divine mercy and paradise for the faithful. The verses on the Darwaza-i-Rauza (Entrance Gateway) directly identify the Taj with paradise.

The tombs of Humayun, Akbar, Itmad-ud-Daulah and Jahangir subscribed to the classic pattern of the tomb being placed at the centre of the char bagh. The Taj made an important improvisation to this scheme—the mausoleum, located on the riverfront, was placed at one end of the fourfold garden. This gave a sense of depth to the first view of the mausoleum from the gateway. But it also had an underlying political symbolism. It is argued that the placement of the char bagh at the head of the mausoleum was done to fit in a cosmological diagram where the Taj represented the “Throne of God”. Seen in this frame, the mausoleum also reflected the perfection and authority of the Mughal leadership. The “Garden of Paradise” therefore also formed the location of the “Throne of God” on the Day of the Judgment.


- Dr. Shashank Shekhar Sinha


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Wednesday, September 28, 2016

HERITAGE BYTES: VIEWING THE TAJ: Some Uncommon Frames (Part 1)

THE Taj Mahal not only forms one of the most iconic representations of India but is also considered the greatest architectural achievement in the world of Indo-Islamic architecture. The monument, which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1983, was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in the memory of his favourite wife, Arjumand Banu Begum, better known as Mumtaz Mahal. On her death, she was buried in the garden of Zainabad at Burhanpur and then shifted, in December 1631, to Akbarabad (now Agra). She was finally enshrined in a crypt in the mausoleum that Shah   Jahan built in her honour-the Taj Mahal. 

The tomb (rauza) was built on the right bank of the Yamuna at a point where the river takes a sharp turn and flows eastwards. The land for the mausoleum was acquired from Raja Jai Singh (grandson of Raja Man Singh), who donated his grandfather’s haveli for the purpose. He was given four havelis in Akbarabad in exchange. The foundation of the Taj Mahal was laid in January 1632. While the tomb complex and its garden were completed around 1647-48, the Darwaza-i-Rauza (the Great Gate or the main entrance) was completed around 1653-54. 

The monument is, among other things, known for its--beauty and grace; symmetry and uniformity of shapes; surface brilliance; selective use of naturalism; hierarchical grading of materials, forms and colours; symbolism; and attention  to detail. Most accounts of the Taj emphasize its symmetry. It is true that the monument was built on the principle of strict bilateral symmetry with emphasis on the features of the central axis—the tomb and its four minarets flanked by a mosque to the west and an assembly hall (Mihman Khana) to the east. Radial symmetry is also observed in the nine-fold plan of the tomb and the gate.

There are also several non-common frames for looking at the Taj Mahal, all of which enhance our understanding of this unique architectural marvel. For instance, few know that the monument was originally conceived as, in the words of Shah Jahan’s historian Qazwini, “a masterpiece for ages to come”. As the scholar Ebba Koch says, it was built with posterity in mind and viewers were a part of its concept. Such was the consciousness; such was the confidence. What also remains unnoticed is that the monument not only formed a heavenly tribute to Mumtaz Mahal, it reflected the power and glory of the Mughals, in particular Shah Jahan. Likewise, there are other frames as well. This multi-part article looks at several related ways of looking at the monument such as the evolution of tomb construction in India; interactions between red sandstone and white marble; the notion of a garden paradise; surface ornamentation, pietra dura and stone inlay; and finally, myths surrounding the monument. The first article in the series look at Taj as the highpoint of tomb architecture in medieval India.

Tomb Construction in India 

The systematic beginnings tomb construction began during the Delhi Sultanate days and the tomb of Iltutmish in the Qutb complex in Delhi formed one of the first royal tombs. It followed a very simple plan--simple square plan with a domed roof. Taj Mahal marked an improvisation over several features of tomb architecture developed over a period of time, including the octagonal structure (seen in the tomb of Khan-i-Jahan Tilangani near Nizamuddin Auliya’s tomb in Delhi and later in the imperial tombs of the Sayyids and the Lodis-- as seen in the Lodi Gardens and Humayun’s tomb complex); the double dome (seen in Sikandar Lodi’s tomb in New Delhi, though the true double dome appears first in Humayun’s tomb); drum /raised platform to raise tomb elevation (see Adham Khan’s octagonal tomb in front of Mehrauli Bus Stand near the Qutb complex); positioning of the tomb at the centre of a char bagh, or four-fold garden (introduced by Babur and seen in imperial Mughal tombs, we saw this in Humayun’s tomb as well); use of minarets (see Akbar’s tomb at Sikandra, Jahangir’s tomb in Lahore and Itmad-ud-Daulah’s tomb in Agra); hasht bihisht symbolizing the eight doors of Paradise (we discussed this during our Heritage Walk at the Humayun’s tomb complex); construction of a complete marble tomb and pietra dura (first seen in Itmad-ud-Daulah’s tomb at Agra); and the idea of a forecourt, Jilau Khana square with streets, bazaars and residential buildings (first seen in Jahangir’s tomb in Lahore). These architectural components are seen in their most classical and developed form at the Taj.

- Dr. Shashank Shekhar Sinha
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Friday, September 9, 2016

Saaraansh




A Decade!


'Chapter 1.

He was too romantic about Manhattan, as he was about everything else. He thrived on the hustle bustle of the crowds and the traffic. To him, New York meant beautiful women and street-smart guys who seemed to know all the angles...'
Ah, corny, too corny for my taste. Can we ... can we try and make it more profound?

'Chapter 1.

He adored New York City. For him, it was a metaphor for the decay of contemporary culture. The same lack of individual integrity that caused so many people to take the easy way out was rapidly turning the town of his dreams in...'
No, that's going to be too preachy. I mean, you know, let's face it, I want to sell some books here.

'Chapter 1.

He adored New York City, although to him it was a metaphor for the decay of contemporary culture. How hard it was to exist in a society desensitized by drugs, loud music, television, crime, garbage...'
Too angry, I don't want to be angry.

'Chapter 1.

He was as tough and romantic as the city he loved.'
I love this.
'New York was his town, and it always would be.'
....

The first scene of Manhattan. The voiceover swims with music, Gershwin's 'Rhapsody in Blue' — soon a story will unfold and it echoes my thought today.

Love is an odd thing. A restless dream. Maybe that is why every morning an impish day waits to watch anew. Your time in a place deepens that spirit, that dream to build, make, change, question, grow. To bring out the best from within, to imbibe the best from others. To share, to create, own and together.

Excellence is virtue: I think about this often. I look at the desktop screensaver (it is from Kiarostami’s Close-Up, a film director and his earnest imposter riding a motorbike in surreal motion) to rest my eyes between heaps of work, to remind of possible zeniths. A tribute to what the human spirit is capable of, when it makes great books, art, poems, pictures, comics, songs, sparks of thought, ideology, ruptures, scientific imagination, emboldened by technology and the incredible physical endurance of the body. The hunger for knowledge, action, expression, well-being, art, freedom, love.
To strive for nothing short of excellence, armed with fierce passion, to find something that you love is a privilege. I have had that privilege.

All problems are problems of harmony. I think about that. Courage is the golden mean between recklessness and foolhardiness. I think about that.

To chase that mean, to look for harmony. Empathy and frankness. To be truthful and kind at the same time. To withstand storm and the daily everyday. To come back burnished and strong. To hold, to persevere, to nurture. Dissolve negatives, bracket the beauty.

To go back to your desk every morning, driven by an unsaid power, immersed in the zest to make books, to breathe and hear its heart throbbing in the markets, among readers, authors, sellers, buyers. To think about this business organically, like it were a living thing, grounded, aspiring, diverse and dynamic. To embrace a challenge and the tough times because you know that pain will bring love.
To look out for a while when it rains, to breathe the wind floating from the trees that line the office, in the heart of a metropolitan capital, amid rush and traffic, exchange ideas and conversations. To be faithful to inner values and outer goals. To resilience and work ethics. To justice, equality and fairness, to hear the other, to be sensitive, gentle, steadfast, honest and strong. To be responsible and confident. To judge, but liberally. To be generous often, to have distance and proximity in equal measure. To be open to differences, to making mistakes and accepting your vulnerabilities, because that is the only way to learn, evolve, being true to self. To be patient and committed. To rate talent and integrity alike. To be engaged, to be prudent. To be real yet ideal. Fearless and free. Without hubris, with compassion and candour.

These are the ideals I seek every day.

You know the road will never be easy, or maybe it is in some way and we don't know that yet. But the fire counts. Perfection is known to hide in little moments. And that's where an unmixed kind of delight lives.

Thank you all of you who have made me feel at home. You know who you are: warm, friendly, bright, funny, inspiring. I have learnt everything that I have through difficult and beautiful days. The years are cast with tiny stories, ignored crevices, folds of a weary day or the after-shine of happy adventures. Unforgotten, relentless, the dream renews. The camera pans out, the radio starts to play. Like in a song loop that takes you far and now brings you ahead of time.

* Completed 10 years, this August, with Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, Informa plc (not including some off-record months at Routledge Liaison Office in India).


--Rimina Mohapatra

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