Bhutan Crowns The World’s Youngest Monarch

His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck smiles during his coronation held at the ceremonial grounds of The Tendrey Thang on November 6, 2008 in Thimphu, Bhutan. The young Bhutanese king, aged 28, becomes the world’s youngest reigning monarch. He was handed the Raven Crown by his father, the former King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, in an ornate ceremony. Thimpu is the capital of Bhutan, a Himalayan kingdom and Buddhist nation of 635,000 people, wedged geographically between China and India. 

 

Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck born 21 February 1980 is the fifth Dragon King of Bhutan and head of the Wangchuck dynasty. He is currently the world’s youngest head of state. Khesar is the eldest son of the fourth and previous Dragon King of Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, and his father’s third wife, Queen (Ashi) Tshering Yangdon. He has a younger sister and brother, as well as four half-sisters and three half-brothers. He is unmarried. 

 

He was officially crowned on 6 November 2008, in the month of the male earth rat, at the royal palace in Thimphu. The lavish coronation ceremony comprised an ancient and colourful ritual, attended by thousands of foreign dignitaries, including President of India Pratibha Patil, Sonia Gandhi, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Bollywood stars. Khesar will witness the first Indian sponsored performance, Astad Deboo, on 7 November, followed by shows to create a jugalbandi with Bhutanese performers. Astad will be backed on stage by 30 Manipur pungcholam drummers. The series of special performances were choreographed by Padma Shri Astad Deboo.

 

CNN reported that people painted the street signs, hung festive banners, decorated traffic circles with fresh flowers to celebrate the occasion and welcome the new king. He became the world’s youngest monarch at the age of 28.

 

Now, Robots to Clean City Reservoir

Good evening friends.  This news will be somewhat surprising to all.  You may ask how can a robot do it?  But it’s really good to know that even not human can do anything.  This was referenced to the Times of India which I like the most to read.

 

Robotic equipment will now be used to clean sedimentation in ground level service reservoirs (GLSR) in the city.

The traditional cleaning process involves emptying the reservoirs and cleaning it manually. This means disruption in water supply to consumers in the area as the process takes at least 20 days.

Also, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) spends nearly Rs 5 lakh on each reservoir every time it is cleaned up. Each reservoir is cleaned up at least two or three times a year. There are 150 GLSRs are in the city. Sending workers down in the reservoir entails a risk of contamination too.

To overcome these problems of cost and contamination, the board is adopting the robotic method which is in use at places like Mumbai and Pune. The system with Robot VR-600 is remote controlled and equipped with rotating brushes and a powerful pump that directly pumps out all loose sediment without raising turbidity in the reservoir.

The VR-600 has a video camera that facilitates inspection of the inside of the reservoir. The entire cleaning process is documented. The waste material can be appropriately discharged from the reservoir.

“The water board allowed a Pune-based company to give a demonstration of the equipment at any two GLSRs. The water board is planning to engage the VR-600 Robot on hire basis to clean the reservoirs,” HMWS&SB managing director G Asok Kumar told TOI.