Indian schoolboy, 12, crowned Maharaja of Jaipur

A 12-year-old boy has been crowned Maharaja of Jaipur,last month, becoming head of what was once one of India's most glamorous and wealthy royal families.

In a grand marble hall, Kumar Padmanabh Singh was blessed by priests at the coronation ceremony before he walked slowly through the city palace to receive a military guard of honour.

Among his entourage of white-clad aides during the rituals were two bearers armed with fly whisks and another carrying a decorated parasol to protect his head from the glaring sun.

Like all Indian royal titles, the Maharaja of Jaipur is no longer legally recognised after independence from Britain in 1947 and government reforms in the 1970s.

Padmanabh Singh's grandfather, polo-playing Sawai Bhawani Singh, was hailed as "the last Maharaja of Jaipur" when he died two weeks ago because he had come to the throne shortly before all royal privileges were swiped out.But the coronation in Jaipur a popular tourist destination known as the "pink city" - proved that the family is keen to retain some sense of royal lineage.

The new Maharaja, who looked nervous during the proceedings, was described by his tutor at the elite Mayo College as an ordinary boy performing well in classes and at sport.

"Padmanabh Singh has no airs of being a royal," Yash Saxena told the Calcutta Telegraph.

"He is down to earth and has adapted very well.

He mixes very well with all other students, and his classmates are very fond of him.

"The schoolboy inherits a mixed blessing, with priceless properties in and around the city still controlled by the crown but also decades of family feuds and estrangements that have caused chaos over his legacy.

Padmanabh Singh's succession was itself controversial as he was legally adopted by his grandfather, the then maharaja, in 2002 to ensure the title would skip a generation due a bitter family dispute.

The grand matriarch of the clan, Gayatri Devi, was a celebrated member of the international jet-set who was once named as one of the most beautiful women on Earth by fashion magazine Vogue.She was accorded a royal funeral in Jaipur following her death at the age of 90 in 2009.

AFP

Quality of textbooks to be improved

by Ananda KANNANGARA

The Education Publications Department (EPD) has taken steps to improve the quality of textbooks for the benefit of over 4.2 million schoolchildren in the country.

Accordingly, the EPD will produce the drafts of many textbooks, before a panel of education experts to review and make suggestions to improve the contents.

EPD Commissioner W N J Pushpakumara told the Junior Observer that when textbooks are forwarded to an expert panel before they are being published, they could carefully study the contents and make necessary changes or suggestions to improve the quality of lessons.

Quoting an example, the Commissioner said the contents of certain subjects such as Information Technology, which a large number of students are currently following as a school subject from Grade Six onwards should be updated as there are developments in the IT sector almost everyday.

He said higher educational officials have already been informed of this.

Stamp to mark 50 years of first man in space

The Philatelic Bureau of the Postal Department issued a circular-shaped postage stamp on April 25 to mark 50 years since Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin's trip to space on April 12,1961 making him the first man in space.

The cancellation of the stamp and first day cover took place under the patronage of President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the Temple Trees in association with Russian Federation Ambassador,Vladimir P Mikhayalov and Postal Services Minister Jeewan Kumaratunga. The stamp was presented to President Rajapaksa by the President of Sri Lanka Russia Friendship Association Vladimi Lyakhov.The Russian Ambassodor to Sri Lanka.was also present.

The stamp and first day cover was designed by veteran stamp designer, W.K Sanath Rohana Wickramasinghe who is renowned for designing space,science,cosmos and communication stamps.

The Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin completed the world's first space flight in the 'Vostok' on April 12, 1961.In addition to the issuing of the stamp an art competition,photographic exhibition and many more events were organised by the Russian centre in Colombo to celebrate 50 years of first man in space. Stamps were issued by various other countries too to mark this historic event.

The historic journey

* Gagarin boarded the flight in April 12, 1961

* The spacecraft Vostok 1 took him to the highest altitude of 327

kilometres above the Earth

* Vostok 1 circled the Earth at a speed of 27,000 kilometres

per hour .

* The flight lasted for 108 minutes .

* On his return to the Earth, Gagarin ejected himself from the

flight at an altitude of 2.4 km-4km from the Earth

* April 2011 marks the 50th anniversary of his flight