ISRO, Katrina and Juhi Chawla among the Priyadarshini Global Awardees 2016

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Bollywood actors Katrina Kaif and Juhi Chawla bagged the prestigious Priyadarshini Global Awards 2016 in Mumbai.

• The awards would be presented at a function in the presence of Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari, Suresh Prabhu, Piyush Goyal, real estate tycoon & Chairman of Priyadarshini Academy Niranjan Hiranandani and Chairman-Emeritus of the Academy, Nanik Rupani. 
• Other recipients of the awards, instituted by a socio-cultural and educational organisation Priyadarshini Academy, in various fields are from Israel, Switzerland and UK. The awards are given to personalities and organisations for contribution in their respective fields.

About ISRO :

The Indian Space Research Organisation is the space agency of the Indian government headquartered in the city of Bangalore. Its vision is to “harness space technology for national development”, while pursuing space science research and planetary

• Formed in 1969, ISRO superseded the erstwhileIndian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) established in 1962 by the efforts of independent India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, and his close aide and scientist Vikram Sarabhai.
• The establishment of ISRO thus institutio nalised space activities in India.It is managed by the Department of Space, which reports to the Prime Minister of India.
• ISRO built India’s first satellite, Aryabhata, which was launched by the Soviet Union on 19 April in 1975. In 1980, Rohini became the first satellite to be placed in orbit by an Indian-made launch vehicle, SLV-3.
• ISRO subsequently developed two other rockets: thePolar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)for launching satellites into polar orbits and the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) for placing satellites into geostationary orbits. These rockets have launched numerous communications satellites and earth observation satellites.
• ISRO sent one lunar orbiter,Chandrayaan-1, on 22 October 2008 and one Mars orbiter, Mars Orbiter Mission, which successfully entered Mars orbit on 24 September 2014, making India the first nation to succeed on its first attempt, and ISRO the fourth space agency in the world as well as the first space agency in Asia to successfully reach Mars orbit.
• Future plans include development of GSLV Mk III,(for launch of heavier satellites),ULV, development of a reusable launch vehicle, human spaceflight, further lunar exploration, interplanetary probes, a solar spacecraft mission. As of 24 June 2016, ISRO has launched 131 satellites using indigenously developed launch vehicles out of which 74 are foreign.
• Also, 29 Indian satellites have been launched by foreign launch vehicles.As of October 2015, ISRO has agreed to launch 23 foreign satellites of nine different nations including Algeria, Canada, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore and the US. On 18 June 2016 India successfully set a record with launch of 20 satellites in a single payload, one being a satellite from Google.

About Katrina Kaif :

Katrina Kaif is a British film actress and model. Primarily known for her work in Hindi films, Kaif has also appeared in Telugu and Malayalam  In addition to being one of Bollywood’s highest-paid actresses, she is considered one of India’s most attractive celebrities by the media.

• Born in British Hong Kong, Kaif and her family lived in several countries before she moved to India. She received her first modelling assignment as a teenager and later pursued a career as a fashion model. At a fashion show in London, filmmaker Kaizad Gustadspotted Kaif and decided to cast her in Boom (2003), a critical and commercial failure. While filming in India, Kaif received modelling assignments and established a successful modelling career. However, filmmakers were hesitant to cast her due to her poor command of Hindi.
• Kaif featured in the thrillers Ek Tha Tiger(2012) and Dhoom 3 (2013), both of which rank among the highest-grossing Bollywood films of all time. Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics for her acting prowess, she has established herself as a commercially successful actress of Hindi cinema.
• In addition to acting, Kaif is involved with her mother’s charity and participates in stage shows. She is guarded about her personal life, which is a subject of media scrutiny. Her background has also been a topic of discussion, with some sources accusing her of fabricating her history.

About Juhi Chawla :

Juhi Chawla is an Indian actress, model and film producer, and the winner of the Miss India beauty contest in 1984. Chawla has worked predominantly in Hindi language films, in addition to Punjabi, Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil,Telugu, and Bengali language films.

• A leading actress of Bollywood in the late 1980s, 1990s and early-2000s,Chawla has garnered particular praise for her comic timing and vivacious on-screen persona.
• Chawla made her film debut in Sultanat (1986), and received wider public recognition with the highly successful tragic romance Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988), for which she won the Filmfare Award for Lux New Face of the Year.
• In addition to acting, Chawla is a television personality, a humanitarian, and the co-owner of theIndian Premier League cricket team Kolkata Knight Riders. She married the industrialist Jay Mehta in 1995 and has two children with him.