On the occasion of 164th birth anniversary of legendary Indian scientist Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose and as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsava, Vijnana Bharati and Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India organized an “International conference on the contributions of J C Bose: A Satyagrahi Scientist”, at Inter-University Accelerator Centre, New Delhi. The conference was organized in association with Indraprastha Vigyan Bharati and Inter-University Accelerator Centre, New Delhi.
The two-day international conference was graced by Smt. Priyanka Chandra, Director, Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsava, Ministry of Culture, who emphasized to the students and audiences the significance and purpose of azadi ka amritmahotsava and the importance of janbhagidari in all stratas of society and to make a stronger nation. Also gracing the event were Dr. N P Shukla, Member, CAQM, Government of India, Dr. Arvind Ranade (INSA) and eminent speakers like Dr. Archana Sharma, CERN, Switzerland, Prof. Gautam Basu, Bose Institute; Prof. C M Nautiyal(INSA), Dr. Manas Pratim Das, (AIR, Kolkata) among others.
In a first of its kind Record making activity, the conference carried out the Crescograph kit Assembly activity, simultaneously by almost 300 school students across two days. This is the first attempt across the nation of a device which proved Plants have Lives. Another activity which attracted the youngsters was Night Sky watch using three telescopes. Both these activities, attracted huge numbers.
The aim of the conference was to provide a voice to the unheard contributions of Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose in the walks of the pre-independence era as a scientist and a freedom fighter. J C Bose discovered wireless communication and was named the Father of Radio Science by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering. He was responsible for the expansion of experimental science in India. From his contribution to biophysics to his contribution to the freedom struggle, there are numerous facets of his life that are undiscovered
The conference had unique sub-themes like J C Bose as a Satyagrahi Scientist, Contemporary relevance of works of J C Bose, J C Bose vision for self-reliant India, 5mm 5G: J C Bose contributions, and Bose as a Science Communicator. There were four competitions like essay, poster, article writing and oral presentations for school, college students and teachers. In the evening, there was a mellifluous cultural performance in front of the audience.
This year Kathakar partners with Ministry of Culture under Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
The event will be organised on 26th November at Amphitheatre Central Vista India Gate from 4pm to 7:30 pm as Kalanjali.
The festival will showcase in its pristine physical form amazing stories and music by Indian and International storytellers from seven countries
Puppets, dance, or even musical instruments are used as props to help the narrator make storytelling more impactful.
The 15th edition of Kathakar will be inaugurated by Shri Kiren Rijiju, Union Minister of Law and Justice and Smt Meenakshi Lekhi, Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture. This year Kathakar partners with Ministry of Culture under Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav and the event on 26th November will take place at Amphitheatre Central Vista India Gate from 4pm to 7:30 pm as Kalanjali.The storytelling sessions will be held at Sunder Nursery, Heritage Park in Delhi and at Central Vista, India Gate. The festival will showcase in its pristine physical form amazing stories and music by Indian and International storytellers from seven countries—United Kingdom; Australia; Mongolia; Israel; Sierra Leonne; Korea; and India.
The art of storytelling in India has many forms and utilizes many mediums. Despite differences in settings, genres, or cultures, all stories ultimately aim to convey something universal. They serve both an educational and entertainment purpose for audiences. It’s clear that different sections of India’s culture has its own distinct approach to storytelling. Puppets, dance, or even musical instruments are used as props to help the narrator make storytelling more impactful. Hence, Kathakar, the sole celebration of India’s rich oral storytelling tradition, which was started under the umbrella of Ghummakkad Narain Travelling Literature Festival was launched in 2010.
This year’s Kathakar 2022 aim is twofold: to ensure the conservation of oral storytelling tradition and increase its popularity. This year’s Kathakar will feature big names and events, including:
For the first time, powerhouse performer, Nawazuddin Siddiqui (Bollywood actor) will be narrating stories and will be in Conversation with Mohit Chauhan, noted music composer, singer who is also the patron of the festival;
Sufi musical night by Satpal Wadali, son of Padmashree Pyarelal Wadali;
The festival this year will have an event titled Kissey, Kahani aur Cinema, in which Prarthana Gahilote will be in conversation with ace actor Sanjay Mishra at the Central Vista at India Gate;
Another scheduled event is Kissey, Kahani aur Guftagu, in which Mohit Chauhan will be in conversation with stellar film maker Imtiaz Ali from Bollywood;
Kabir Vani by Prahlad Singh Tipania
Shadow puppet play of the Ramayana from Kerala by Ramchandra Pulavar and team.
Among International artists this year, Kathakar will feature Niall Moorjani (United Kingdom), Lilian Rodrigues Pang (Australia), Baatarjav Erdenetsogt (Mongolia), Alim Kamara (Sierra Leonne), Sarah Rundle (United Kingdom), Seung Ah Kim (South Korea) and Yossi Alfi (Israel).
Kathakar 2022—a marquee event to revive the traditional style of storytelling in a world dominated by hi-tech gizmos and gadgets—will thus feature professional and passionate storytellers from the country and abroad who will showcase their mesmerizing craft to underscore the fact that storytelling cuts across all boundaries of language and culture.
“Stories emerging from villages are very powerful as life is totally different there love folk songs and stories that are connected to our lives. Whenever I meet filmmakers, I urge them to make movies based on stories from villages,” says acclaimed filmmaker, writer and producer Imtiaz Ali, who will be part of the event Kissey, Kahani aur Guftagu on November 27 at Sunder Nursery, Nizamuddin.
Since its inception, the festival so far has been addressed by prominent personalities including former President of India Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, Sadhguru Vasudev Jaggi, Dr Shashi Tharoor, Manoj Bajpayee, Vishal Bhardwaj, Pankaj Tripathi, Shantanu Moitra, Imtiaz Ali, Margaret Alva, Sunil Shastri, Nandita Das, Sushma Seth, among others.
Kitchen Culture Holdings Ltd. (“Kitchen Culture” or the “Company”) said today that a second attempt to convene an Extraordinary General Meeting (“Second Intended EGM”) to remove 5 of 6 directors next week is defective and invalid for non-compliance with the Companies Act 1967 and the Company’s Constitution.
Kitchen Culture had sought legal advice and had since early November 2022 been writing to lawyers representing OOWAY Group Ltd. (“OOWAY”) who in turns representing a group of 7 other shareholders (8 aforementioned shareholders collectively, the “Requisitioners”) who had published an advertisement in The Business Times on 3 November 2022 calling for the Second Intended EGM to be held on 25 November 2022 by electronic means.
Based on opinions of 2 lawyers, Kitchen Culture, the SGX Catalist-listed provider of solutions and products for kitchens and wardrobes said:
“… the Company announces that the Second Intended EGM (scheduled for 9.00 am on Friday 25 November 2022 to be held by electronic means) is NOT a proper extraordinary general meeting of the Company. As such, that Second Intended EGM is defective and invalid, and any resolution passed at any purported meeting held as the Second Intended EGM will be invalid. Even assuming that the Second Intended EGM is not defective and invalid, any resolution to remove any Director or to appoint some person in place of a Director so removed, will be invalid.”
The Requisitioners had not given sufficient notice in writing of the Second Intended EGM as required by the Companies Act and the Constitution of the Company. While the Requisitioners were in a position to send all required notices in writing to every member of the Company at the relevant and appropriate address they did not do so, the Company said.
Further, the Requisitioners are in ‘serious breach’ of the Company’s Constitution by failing to deposit executed Proxy Forms only at Kitchen Culture’s registered office. Instead, shareholders were informed that executed Proxy Forms were “to be sent to the office of a company unknown to the Company and at an address not previously known to the Company, and not to the registered office of the Company.”
Kitchen Culture’s Board, with the exception of Madam Hao Dongting, has said that there are no grounds to justify the resignations of the 5 directors – Mr Lim Wee Li (Executive Director), Mr Lau Kay Heng (NonExecutive Non-Independent Chairman), and 3 Independent Directors, Mr Ang Lian Kiat, Mr William Teo Choon Kow and Mr Peter Lim King Soon.
Mr Lau Kay Heng and Mr Peter Lim King Soon were named as new directors on 15 July 2022, the same day that Mr Lincoln Teo, an OOWAY representative and former Interim CEO of Kitchen Culture, ceased to be Executive Director. The Company stressed that OOWAY had in fact supported the re-appointments of Mr William Teo Choon Kow and Mr Ang Lian Kiat at the Annual General Meeting held on 18 March 2022.
The Requisitioners comprise OOWAY – the Company’s largest shareholder – and 7 individuals who own an aggregate of 21.71% of the Company’s shares. They had first issued Purported Notices under Section 177 of the Companies Act 1967 – on 30 September 2022 and 14 October 2022 – to remove the 5 directors at a physical EGM that was first called to be held on 1 November 2022 at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel.
Kitchen Culture had responded that the Purported Notices were defective and that any resolution passed at the 1 November 2022 EGM would be invalid. The Requisitioners then published the 3 November 2022 newspaper advertisement and engaged in legal correspondence with the Company’s lawyers.
“The Company will not be publishing as an announcement the Second Concatenation Purported Notice of EGM, and the Company cannot proceed and will not be proceeding with the Second Intended EGM purportedly called for by the Relevant Shareholders (i.e. the Requisitioners). If the Second Intended EGM is attempted to be held, and any resolution purportedly passed at such Second Intended EGM, would be invalid. In any case, the Company advises shareholders not to attend the Second Intended EGM purportedly called for on 25 November 2022”, Kitchen Culture said.
Kitchen Culture shares have been suspended from trading since July 2021. Its Board has seen several changes since the involvement of OOWAY in October 2020.
Media & Investor Contact Whatsapp (Text): +65 9748 0688 kitchenculture@wer1.net
This press release has been reviewed by the Company’s sponsor, SAC Capital Private Limited (the “Sponsor”). It has not been examined or approved by the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited (the “SGX-ST”) and the SGX-ST assumes no responsibility for the contents of this press release, including the correctness of any of the statements or opinions made or reports contained in this press release.
The contact person for the Sponsor is Ms. Lee Khai Yinn (Tel +65 6232 3210), at 1 Robinson Road, #21-00 AIA Tower, Singapore 048542.
Kitchen Culture Holdings Ltd. (“Kitchen Culture” or the “Company”) said today it will seek fresh legal advice on the validity of a letter from a law firm and fresh notice received by a group of 8 shareholders (“requisitioners”) seeking to remove 5 of 6 directors via an Extraordinary General Meeting (“Second Intended EGM”) proposed for 25 November 2022.
The directors of SGX Catalist-listed provider of solutions and products for kitchens and wardrobes received the new notice (“Second Concatenation Purported Notice”) as well as a lawyer’s letter yesterday. The requisitioners also published an advertisement for the Second Concatenation Purported Notice in The Business Times today.
OOWAY Group Ltd. (“OOWAY”) – the Company’s largest shareholder – and 7 individuals who own an aggregate of 21.71% of the Company’s shares had issued Purported Notices under Section 177 of the Companies Act 1967 – on 30 September 2022 and 14 October 2022 – to remove the 5 directors. Kitchen Culture responded that the Purported Notices were defective and that any resolution passed on 1 November 2022 would be invalid.
Kitchen Culture’s Board, with the exception of Madam Hao Dongting, has said that there are no grounds to justify the resignations of the 5 directors – Mr Lim Wee Li (Executive Director), Mr Lau Kay Heng (Non-Executive Director and Vice-Chairman), and 3 Independent Directors, Mr Ang Lian Kiat, Mr William Teo Choon Kow and Mr Peter Lim King Soon.
Mr Lau Kay Heng and Mr Peter Lim King Soon were named as new directors to on 15 July 2022, the same day that Mr Lincoln Teo, an OOWAY representative and former Interim CEO of Kitchen Culture, ceased to be Executive Director. The Company stressed that OOWAY had in fact supported the re-appointments of Mr William Teo Choon Kow and Mr Ang Lian Kiat at the Annual General Meeting held on 18 March 2022.
Addressing the letter and notices received yesterday from a law firm, which did not confirm for whom they were acting, Kitchen Culture said:
– The undated Second Concatenation Purported Notice contained resolutions for the proposed for Second Intended EGM scheduled for 25 November 2022 that were substantially similar to those proposed for the 1 November 2022 EGM that was ‘postponed’. Yet it made no mention nor explained the so-called ‘postponement’ advertised by requisitioners on 29 October 2022 in The Business Times despite having issued a press release on 24 October 2022 urging shareholders to attend;
– As the above documents gave notice of the “Second Intended EGM” “to be convened and held only be electronic means” on 25 November 2022, it remains unclear if requisitioners have detracted from the “postponed” 1 November 2022 EGM which they had earlier urged shareholders to attend;
– The letter received from the law firm failed to explain how 2 earlier notices filed by requisitioners ahead of the earlier EGM (1 November 2022) can be “reissued” as a “composite” in the form of the Second Concatenation Purported Notice to call for the Second Intended EGM; and
– The requisitioners did not confirm whether the requisitioners regard the Second Intended EGM to be in anyway connected with the 1 November 2022 EGM that was called off.
The Company will seek to communicate with the requisitioners to minimise, if not to clear up, the confusion among shareholders which might have been caused by the requisitioners’ actions or by the documents or omissions contained in the documents received yesterday.
Kitchen Culture urged shareholders in the meantime “NOT to accept unquestioningly the Second Concatenation Purported Notice of EGM or its related Proxy Form, or the validity the Second Intended EGM. Instead, they should await further announcements of the Company to give updates on this subject.”
Kitchen Culture shares have been suspended from trading since July 2021. Its Board has seen several changes since the involvement of OOWAY in October 2020.
Media & Investor Contact Whatsapp (Text): +65 9748 0688 kitchenculture@wer1.net
This press release has been reviewed by the Company’s sponsor, SAC Capital Private Limited (the “Sponsor”). It has not been examined or approved by the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited (the “SGX-ST”) and the SGX-ST assumes no responsibility for the contents of this press release, including the correctness of any of the statements or opinions made or reports contained in this press release.
The contact person for the Sponsor is Ms. Lee Khai Yinn (Tel +65 6232 3210), at 1 Robinson Road, #21-00 AIA Tower, Singapore 048542.
The implementation phase of the Special Campaign 2.0 has been completed by Ministry of Culture(MoC) which began with a daylong workshop at National Archive of India (NAI) for all officers of MoC with special focus on record management and files archiving guidelines and discussions. During this phase, some of the achievements are:
About 65% of pending MP references have been disposed.
100 % disposal in the IMC References
About 80% of Public Grievances filed have been completed.
About 55% disposal of pending PMO references as on date.
2 Rules/Processes have been identified and simplified.
100% physical files earmarked for review, have been reviewed.
All 225 Swachhata Campaign sites identified have been cleaned up successfully.
Revenue of INR 38,52,946/- generated from disposal of scraps.
The Ministry’s office premise at Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi, underwent extensive cleaning activities to have a cleaner work environment and to create optimal usage of the office space. The overall inspection and supervision was done by Secretary ,Culture Shri Govind Mohan and JS (Admin).
Secretary (Culture) monitoring the Cleanliness Activities at MoC
Various divisions of MoC were duly sensitized to monitor and over see this campaign in the field offices. The ministry received positive responses from its attached offices, subordinate offices and autonomous bodies i.e. Museums, National Libraries, Akademies, Buddhist Institutions etc. Some of the highlights are given below.
The ASI undertook the campaign with utmost seriousness and organized large scale cleanliness drives across the country through its different regional circles ranging from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and Arunachal to Gujarat. Needless to say clean monuments improve the tourists’ footfall.
Cleaning Activities at Centrally Protected Monuments by ASI
It took up this campaign to Left Wing Extremism Area(LTEA) e.g Bastar area of Chhattisgarh. The Sub- Regional Centre, Jagdalpur of (ANRC) actively participated in the Special Campaign 2.0 with innovative ideas like transforming the bushes-ridden campus into raising a clean traditional Dorla tribal hut which will further expand the existing open-air anthropological museum with community participation. The staff members first cleaned the campus on 2nd Oct’22. After that, the Dorla tribal community members were contacted for their participation thereby reinforcing the Jan-Bhagidari objective of the Govt. The side walls of the homes are generally made by plastering mud over bamboo wattle or slender twigs. Date palm leaves are used to do the thatching of the house.
Cleanliness activities with the local community
This Dorla hut will act as a centre for dissemination of information and knowledge on the bio-cultural aspect of the people of the region.
Authentic Dorla Tribal Hut Setup
The AnRC, Port Blair, carried out a series of cleanliness activities in and around the office and museum building from 2nd -19th Oct’22. A special cleanliness drive was carried out by clearing the bushes and garbage behind the office-cum-library building at the entrance gate of Zonal Anthropological Museum (ZAM) on 17th Oct’22.
CleanlinessactivitiesandBeautification of the office premises
A special drive was initiated towards utilization of the unused areas in the museum campus. The bushes, non-timber plants and wild grasses occupying the said area have been cleared. In the cleaned up area, traditional dwelling units/huts of the Nicobarese tribe from the Nicobar Islands will be raised. These huts were built using the natural materials available from the tribe’s habitat to maintain indigeneity. This was carried out with the involvement of the tribal leader/ captain of the Tribal Council along with the assistance from the local people. This will also be a learning stint on eco-friendly living, for local people from the tribal culture of that region. Along with that, traditional Jarawa tribal huts and Shompen tribal huts were also set up with the help of the tribal communities in the region. The construction of all these tribal huts was completed by 30th Oct’22.
Shompen Tribal Hut Nicobarese Tribal Hut Jarawa Tribal Hut
These tribal traditional huts would now give an exposure to tourists about the types of eco-friendly huts/dwellings being used by Indigenous societies .
AnSI’s Southern Regional Center, located in Bogadi, Mysorecleared and cleaned almost 2.5 acre of unused land in its backward as due to overgrowth of bushes it started inviting wild animals occasionally and 1.5 acre of land has been used for some special purposes including setting up a “Yoga
Track” and developing as a special heritage spot of tribal habitation. The center had invited the people from Betta Kuruba tribal community to construct their traditional hut in such a natural ambience. Additionally, a small village hut is also constructed in another corner of the area which will be used as a cafeteria for the staff members as well as the visitors.
Betta Kuruba Tribal Hut Village Hut cum Cafeteria Yoga Track
In the ANSI’s North East Regional Centre at Shillong, Meghalaya,extensive cleaning and beautification of the office premises was organized with the help of all the staff members in the office. The office garden underwent intensive cleaning along with addition of a new sitting arrangement, flower beds and more in view of the prevailing weather conditions caused by the cyclonic storm “Sitrang”. To bring out the beauty of the local Khasi culture, traditional Monoliths were also set up in the office premises. These Monolith arrangements were of two types – ‘Mawbynna ’or ‘Mawnam ’which consists of three upright stones with a flat table stone in front and ‘Maw-Shongthait’ which are flat table stones, accompanied by vertical stones which serves as seats for weary travelers.
