title	The Advocate
image file	Advocate-Issue994.jpg
editor	Matthew Breen
editor title	Editor in Chief
frequency	Monthly
circulation	175,000
category	Newsmagazine
company	Here Media
firstdate	1967
country	United States
language	English
website	www.advocate.com
issn	0001-8996 }}

''The Advocate'' is an American LGBT-interest magazine, printed monthly and available by subscription. The Advocate brand also includes a web site. Both magazine and web site have an editorial focus on news, politics, opinion, and arts and entertainment of interest to LGBT people. The magazine was established in 1967, and is the oldest continuing LGBT publication in the United States.

History

''The Advocate'' was first published as a local newsletter by the activist group PRIDE (Personal Rights in Defense and Education) in Los Angeles. The newsletter was inspired by a police raid on Los Angeles gay bar the Black Cat Tavern. Richard Mitch (using the pseudonym "Dick Michaels") and Bill Rau (under the name "Bill Rand") joined PRIDE and, along with Aristide Laurent and artist Sam Winston, transformed the newsletter into a newspaper titled ''The Los Angeles Advocate''. The first issue bore a cover date of September 1967. By early 1968, PRIDE was struggling to stay viable and Mitch and Rau paid the group one dollar for ownership of the paper in February of that year. In 1969 the newspaper was renamed ''The Advocate'' and distributed nationally. By 1974, Mitch and Rau were printing 40,000 copies for each issue.

The newspaper attracted the attention of David Goodstein, an investment banker from San Francisco who bought the publication in 1974. Under Goodstein's direction, ''The Advocate'' transformed into a national news magazine covering events important to the GLBT community, including the gay rights movement, art and culture. Goodstein also worked toward reducing sex-oriented advertisements in favor of more mainstream sponsors.

Goodstein and Dr. Rob Eichberg created "The Advocate Experience". Loosely based on the then-popular EST (Erhardt Seminars Training), it was a two-weekend, all-day series of extensive self-realization workshops to bring self-acceptance, awareness and tolerance within the LGBT community. Goodstein and Eichberg facilitated the workshops for much of their duration. Goodstein's later editorials remained strongly opposed to state intervention during the early years of the AIDS epidemic. He argued even though "our lifestyle can become an elaborate suicidal ritual, ...our safety and survival depends on each of us and our individual behaviour", as opposed to government public health regulations.

Soon after Goodstein's death in 1985, the magazine was transformed from a tabloid-size newspaper format in two sections (with the second section carrying sexually explicit advertisements), to a standard magazine format, beginning with the October 1, 1985 issue. The magazine stopped carrying sexually explicit advertisements in 1992, with the launch of a newly created sister publication, ''Advocate Classifieds''. The magazine changed hands through a series of mergers and acquisitions, and is published by Here Media.

Starting in 2010, Here Media consolidated the distribution for ''The Advocate'' and ''Out'' magazines. The Advocate print version continues to be published and is available enclosed with ''Out'' as a combination package via subscription.

In 2010 there were press reports of freelance writers not being paid for their work.

Contributors

Notable writers, present and past

Calpernia Addams

Alison Bechdel

Adam Block

Chaz Bono (pre-transition)

Kate Clinton

David Michael Conner

Howard Cruse

Benoit Denizet-Lewis

Gerard Donelan

David Francis

Michael Joseph Gross

Allan Gurganus

Janis Ian

Josh Kilmer-Purcell

James Kirchick

Tony Kushner

Lance Loud

Ryan Murphy

Jasika Nicole

Robert Opel

Christopher Rice

B. Ruby Rich

Gabriel Rotello

Vito Russo

Randy Shilts

Michelangelo Signorile

Donald Spoto

Andrew Sullivan

Urvashi Vaid

Bruce Vilanch

Kenji Yoshino

Notes

References

Hogan, Steve and Lee Hudson (1998) ''Completely Queer: The Gay and Lesbian Encyclopedia''. New York, Henry Holt. ISBN 0805036296

Tobin, Kay and Randy Wicker (1972). ''The Gay Crusaders''. New York, Paperback Library. LOC 79-187694.

Further reading

External links

Corporate site

Category:Magazines established in 1967 Category:American LGBT-related magazines Category:American news magazines Category:American monthly magazines Category:LGBT-related websites

cs:The Advocate de:The Advocate es:The Advocate eo:The Advocate fr:The Advocate id:The Advocate it:The Advocate he:אדבוקט (ירחון) hu:The Advocate nl:The Advocate ja:アドボケート (雑誌) pl:The Advocate pt:The Advocate ru:The Advocate sr:Адвокат (часопис) sh:The Advocate fi:The Advocate sv:The Advocate tr:The Advocate

Name	Diane Savino
State senate	New York
District	23rd
Term start	January 1, 2005
Profession	Caseworker
Party	Democratic
Religion	}}

Diane Savino is a Democratic elected official from New York City, USA.

She currently represents the 23rd Senate District in the New York State Senate, in northern Staten Island and parts of southern Brooklyn, including Sunset Park and Coney Island. She was elected in 2004.

On December 2, 2009, Savino voted for same sex marriage legislation, which failed to pass the Senate. Her speech on marriage equality became popular on the internet.

Personal

Savino's boyfriend is fellow independent Democratic state senator Jeffrey Klein. She lives by herself in Staten Island. The Italian American politician is known for her ''early to bed, early to rise'' lifestyle and weekly commutes every Sunday afternoon to Albany during the legislative session. She is a self-admitted "neurotic cleaner." State member of the assembly Matthew Titone once tricked her into cleaning his apartment.

Election results for state senate in 2004

Diane J. Savino : 39,833 votes

Al Curtis : 23,361 votes

See also

2009 New York State Senate leadership crisis

External links

New York State Senate: Diane J. Savino

References

Category:Living people Category:American people of Italian descent Category:LGBT rights activists from the United States Category:New York State Senators Category:New York Democrats Category:People from Staten Island Category:Women state legislators in New York

Name	Busta Rhymes
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr.
Birth date	May 20, 1972
Origin	Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Rapper, actor
Genre	Hip hop
Years active	1989–present
Label	Conglomerate, Cash Money
Associated acts	Leaders of the New School, A Tribe Called Quest, Flipmode Squad, Spliff Star, Dr. Dre, N.O.R.E., The Notorious B.I.G., Pharrell, Swizz Beatz, DMX, Mystikal, Wu-Tang Clan, M.O.P., Pharoahe Monch, Nas }}

Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr., (born May 20, 1972), better known by his stage name Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the alias Busta Rhymes after NFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes. Early in his career, he was known for his wild style and fashion, and today is best known for his intricate rapping technique, which involves rapping at a fast rate with lots of internal rhyme and half rhyme, and to date has received eleven Grammy nominations for his musical work. About.com included him on its list of the 50 Greatest MCs of Our Time (1987–2007), while Steve Huey of Allmusic called him one of the best and most prolific rappers of the '90s.

Early life

Busta was born in Red Hook, Brooklyn, New York, and grew up in Flatbush, Brooklyn, to Jamaican parents Geraldine Green and Trevor Smith, Sr. in 1972. Smith attended George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School, alongside Jay-Z, DMX and The Notorious B.I.G. He went to Uniondale High School on Long Island, graduating in 1990.

Music career

Leaders of the New School and rising popularity: 1990-1993

Hip-hop crew Leaders of the New School began recording in 1989 and released their debut album ''A Future Without a Past...'' in 1991 on Elektra Records. In early 1992 the group appeared on A Tribe Called Quest's posse cut "Scenario," in which Busta's climactic verse propelled him into the cultural consciousness. In 1993, they released ''T.I.M.E. (The Inner Mind's Eye)''. Soon after, however, internal problems arose because of Busta's increasing popularity, and the group broke up on the set of ''Yo! MTV Raps''.

After LONS broke up, Busta Rhymes began making guest appearances on several hip-hop and R&B; artists singles such as R&B; group Boyz II Men, he appeared on the track "Intro Talk" on Mary J. Blige's landmark debut album, ''What's the 411?'', he also appeared on the album jacket of fellow hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest's ''Midnight Marauders'', with a host of other fellow hip-hop pioneers. In 1993, he appeared in a cameo role in Yo! MTV Raps hosts Doctor Dré and Ed Lover's film, ''Who's the Man?'', and in the HBO film, ''Strapped'', and co-starred alongside Ice Cube and Omar Epps in the John Singleton film, ''Higher Learning'' (which was in post-production until it was released in 1995). The following year, he teamed up with Puff Daddy, LL Cool J, and future Flipmode Squad member, Rampage and former classmate The Notorious B.I.G., on a remix to Craig Mack's "Flava In Ya Ear", soon after he would team up again with The Notorious B.I.G. among a plethora of rappers such as Bone Thugs-n-Harmony and Coolio on the single, "The Points" which appeared on the soundtrack to the 1995 film, ''Panther''.

''The Coming'' and ''When Disaster Strikes'': 1995–1997

In the summer of 1995, Busta Rhymes started work on his first album ''The Coming'', and a month after recording the album, he released it in March of 1996. A month before the album was released, he broke out with a solo hit single, "Woo Hah!! Got You All in Check". Later, he started work on his second album, ''When Disaster Strikes'', which would not be released until September 1997. It produced the hit singles "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See" and "Fire It Up".

''Extinction Level Event (Final World Front)'': 1998–1999

In 1998, Busta recorded ''Extinction Level Event (Final World Front)''. Its lead single, "Gimme Some More" — which sampled Bernard Herrmann's theme from ''Psycho'' — reached number 6 in the UK singles chart in January 1999. Busta enjoyed further transatlantic success in April when the single "What's It Gonna Be?!", featuring Janet Jackson, reached the US and UK Top 11. The album received prominent notice for featuring the fastest rapping Busta has ever performed, particularly on a song called "Iz They Wildin Wit Us?", featuring a guest appearance by Mystikal.

J/Arista/BMG

;''Anarchy'' & ''Genesis'' (2000-2001) In 2000, Busta recorded his final album for Elektra, entitled ''Anarchy''. After Busta signed to J Records, a label started by the then recently ousted Arista Records chief and founder Clive Davis, he released a greatest hits collection alongside a new album of original work. Continuing the Biblical theme of his previous albums, he titled his record ''Genesis''. The album featured collaborations with Mary J. Blige, P. Diddy, Kelis, and others. Genesis was powered by the hit single with Kelis, "What It Is", and his solo single released in November 2001, "Break Ya Neck". The final single was the summer smash "Pass the Courvoisier, Part II", which featured Pharrell and P. Diddy. Despite the success of the two singles, this album did not sell as well as previous releases.

;''It Aint Safe No More'' (2002-2004) In 2002, Busta released his sixth studio album ''It Ain't Safe No More''. The album was moderately successful, with a hit song featuring Mariah Carey and the Flipmode Squad called "I Know What You Want". Another hit song was "Make It Clap", featuring Spliff Starr. The remix of "Make It Clap" featured Sean Paul. After its release, he left J Records. In 2004, he signed with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment.

Aftermath/Interscope

;''The Big Bang'' (2006) His seventh studio album, ''The Big Bang'', became the first #1 album of his career. The CD sold over 209,000 copies in its first week to earn the top spot on The Billboard Top 200. The album also became his highest charting album in the UK, peaking at #19. Some of the album was leaked on the Internet, and as a result several songs were left off the album and new ones added. ''The Big Bang'' featured more production by Dr. Dre than Busta's previous releases, as well as appearances by Raekwon and Nas. The singles that have been released from the album are, "Touch It", "I Love My Bitch", featuring Kelis and Will.I.Am, "New York Shit", featuring Swizz Beatz and "In The Ghetto". Busta also had a stint opening for Mariah Carey's The Adventures of Mimi Tour. Also, Busta performed with Eminem on "Touch It Remix Part 5" and performed a verse on the aforementioned rapper's song, "I'll Hurt You". On July 17, 2008, Busta left Interscope/Aftermath due to a creative clash with Interscope head Jimmy Iovine.

Universal Motown

;''Back on My B.S.'' (2007-2009) He also made a song featuring Linkin Park called "We Made It". It was later revealed that Busta inked a deal with Universal Motown, who released his eighth studio album, ''Back on My B.S.'', on May 19, 2009. He also appeared on Asher Roth's debut album, ''Asleep in the Bread Aisle''. The album debuted at #5 on the Billboard 200, selling 56,000 copies, and was his first album to not receive an RIAA certification, selling 122,000 copies to date. The singles that have been released from the album are, "Arab Money", featuring Ron Browz, "Hustler's Anthem '09", featuring T-Pain and "Respect My Conglomerate". The song "World Go Round", featuring British singer Estelle, was released in France on April 6, 2009 due to the heavy rotation of a leaked version. The single was released in the UK on July 13, 2009. Due to controversial content, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has banned the album. ''Back on My B.S.'' was released internationally, but because of one song, "Arab Money", it is not available to buy as a CD there (however, the album can still be purchased via iTunes). According to the National Media Council, the lyrics were considered to be offensive to Arabs and to Islam, and permission for distribution was therefore denied. Some DJs, artists and fans have lambasted the track, saying it portrayed Arabs in a stereotypical way. The first part out of three of the remix by Rhymes contains verses from the Quran. In November, when "Arab Money" was released as a single, DJ Dany Neville and the Iraqi rapper The Narcicyst responded by recorded a reply. Busta later apologized. DJs in the country said they had not received an order banning the record from being spun in nightclubs, and they had mixed feelings on whether the record was offensive or not. DJ Saif of Dubai said:

Emirati DJ DJ Bliss, refused to play the Busta Rhymes' single called ''Arab Money'' on Radio 1 in Dubai after it was banned in the UAE for offense to Arabs along with many other Dj's in the United Arab Emirates that also took a stand. He added:

Conglomerate Records / Cash Money Records & ''Extinction Level Event 2'' (2010-present)

Busta announced that he was working on his tenth studio album, alongside Canadian producer Boi-1da, entitled ''The Chemo''. He says that his next project is 80 percent finished. Busta has reportedly changed the title of his forthcoming Chemo album to Extinction.Level.Event.2 (E.L.E. 2). Some new songs are being considered for the album, including "C'mon (Catch 'Em By Surprise) by Tiësto and Diplo and "Look at Me Now" alongside Chris Brown and Lil Wayne. The trend of album sequels continues with Busta adding another chapter to his 1998 opus E.L.E. (Extinction Level Event): The Final World Front. Busta's manager Chris Lighty sent out the message via Twitter. He said; "Extinction.Level.Event 2 ......prepare yourself." Like the first, E.L.E. 2 is inspired by movies of impending destruction on planet Earth, Lighty said; "From the Intro of the new Busta Album you're going to know you're in trouble and you just turned on 2012 the movie on warp speed,".

DJ Premier, in an August 6, 2010 interview on Conspiracy Worldwide Radio said Busta Rhymes has received over eight beats which he didn't want to use but Premier hoped his next beat would be chosen for inclusion on the album. On DJ Premier's Live From Headqcourterz radio show Premier confirmed that one of his beats were to be included in ''E.L.E. 2''. In 2010, Busta Rhymes formed his new label Conglomerate Records (With later on having rosters such as N.O.R.E., and Spliff Star). He was featured on C'mon (Catch 'Em By Surprise) by Tiësto and Diplo.

In 2011, Rhymes recorded "Look at Me Now" with Chris Brown and Lil Wayne on Brown's fourth album, ''F.A.M.E.'', the song has received favorable reviews regarding Rhymes guest verse on the song, and is his highest chart entry on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number six, while reaching number one on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart, becoming his first #1 on that chart. On September 7, 2011, Rhymes received six nominations for the BET Hip Hop Awards, held on October 11, 2011.

On May 1, 2011 Rhymes appeared on the launch show for MNET's Big Brother Africa 6: Amplified and performed some of his songs.

In 2011, Busta Rhymes performed at the Gathering of the Juggalos.

Rhymes contributed to the 2011 Tech N9ne album "All 6's and 7's". The single "Worldwide Choppers" was released on May 31st, 2011.

Canadian recording artist Justin Bieber will feature Busta on a song called "Drummer Boy" off Bieber's sophomore studio album, ''Under the Mistletoe'', released on 1 November 2011.

On November 11, 2011, a Heavy D tribute song titled "You Ain’t Gotta Wait Till I’m Gone" was leaked.

On November 16, 2011, it was announced that Busta Rhymes and Mystikal signed to Cash Money Records. On June 08, 2010, way before he was signed by Birdman, he released "Stop the Party (Iron Man)" which featured Swizz Beatz. For his debut single on the Cash Money label and his Conglomerate Records, he reunites with Chris Brown to make the aggressive single known as Why Stop Now.

A song with Twista, titled "Can You Keep Up" was leaked.

Personal life

Busta has three children with his ex-girlfriend, Joanne Wood: T'Ziah (born 1993), T'Khi (born 1999), and Trillian (born 2000).

Religion

Rhymes had been a member of The Nation of Gods and Earths since the age of 15. On September 2, 2007, a video was uploaded on Liveleak.com about Rhymes having converted to Islam. He himself has said that he lives his life by Islam, stating he is Muslim & loves Allah. In an MTV documentary it was reported that Rhymes grew up in the 7th Day Adventist church so it can be assumed that when he turned 15 he joined The NGE.

Legal issues

On August 20, 2006, he was arraigned for charges of third-degree assault after attacking a man who reportedly spat on his car in New York City on August 12 after the AmsterJam Music Festival on Randall's Island.

On October 24, 2006, he appeared at Manhattan Criminal Court as the district attorney's office attempted to amend previous charges against him to include weapons possession for a machete found in his car. The judge refused to add the charge and adjourned the case.

On February 20, 2007, Busta refused a plea deal offered by the prosecutors office for the assault of his former driver, Edward Hatchett. The deal would have entailed six months in jail and pleading guilty to two assaults, the attack on Hatchett, and the attack on the former fan. The dispute with Hatchett is believed to have originated over back pay Hatchett felt he was owed. Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Becki Rowe offered Busta another option, pleading guilty to third-degree assault. The conditions of the proposed sentence would include five days of community service, two weeks of youth lectures and six months of anger management classes, as well as three years of probation. On March 18, 2008 a judge in New York City sentenced Busta to three years' probation, 10 days' community service, $1250 in fines (plus court costs), and to enroll in a drunken driving program.

On September 25, 2008, he was temporarily refused entry to the United Kingdom due to "unresolved convictions".

On October 14, 2009, a Brooklyn judge ordered Busta to pay a concert goer $75,000 in compensation for an assault which occurred in 2003.

Discography

''The Coming'' (1996)

''When Disaster Strikes...'' (1997)

''E.L.E. (Extinction Level Event): The Final World Front'' (1998)

''Anarchy'' (2000)

''Genesis'' (2001)

''It Ain't Safe No More...'' (2002)

''The Big Bang'' (2006)

''Back on My B.S.'' (2009)

''E.L.E. (Extinction Level Event) 2: End of the World'' (TBA)

Awards and nominations

Busta Rhymes has been nominated for 11 Grammy Awards during his 15 year solo career.

Grammy Awards

!Year	!Nominated work	!Award	!Result
align=center	"Woo-Hah! Got You All in Check"	Best Rap Solo Performance
align=center	"Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See"	Best Rap Solo Performance
align=center	"Dangerous"	Best Rap Solo Performance
align=center	"Gimme Some More"	Best Rap Solo Performance
align=center	"What's It Gonna Be?"	Best Rap Performance By a Duo or Group
align=center	''E.L.E. (Extinction Level Event): The Final World Front''	Best Rap Album
align=center	"Fire"	Best Music Video, Short Form
align=center	"Pass the Courvoisier Pt. 2"	Best Rap Performance By a Duo or Group
align=center	"Touch It"	Best Rap Solo Performance
align=center	"Look At Me Now"	Best Rap Performance
align=center	"Look At Me Now"	Best Rap Song

Busta Rhymes has been nominated for 10 MTV Video Music Awards during his 15 year solo career, but has yet to win one.

MTV Video Music Awards

!Year	!Nominated work	!Award	!Result
align=center	"Woo-Hah! Got You All in Check"	Best Breakthrough Video
align=center	"Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See"	Best Rap Video
align=center	"Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See"	Best Male Video
align=center	"Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See"	Best Breakthrough Video
align=center	"What's It Gonna Be?"	Best Hip-Hop Video
align=center	"Gimme Some More"	Best Breakthrough Video
align=center	"Pass the Courvoisier Pt. 2"	Best Hip-Hop Video
align=center	"I Know What You Want"	Best Hip-Hop Video
align=center	"Touch It"	Best Rap Video
align=center	"Touch It"	Best Male Video

See also

List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. dance chart

List of number-one U.S. dance hits

References

External links

Category:1972 births Category:Living people Category:Actors from New York City Category:African American film actors Category:African American Muslims Category:African American rappers Category:Aftermath Entertainment artists Category:American people convicted of assault Category:American rappers of Jamaican descent Category:Members of the Nation of Gods and Earths Category:People from Brooklyn Category:Rappers from Long Island Category:Rappers from New York City

ar:بستا رايمز bs:Busta Rhymes cs:Busta Rhymes da:Busta Rhymes de:Busta Rhymes et:Busta Rhymes el:Busta Rhymes es:Busta Rhymes fa:باستا رایمز fr:Busta Rhymes fy:Busta Rhymes ko:버스타 라임즈 hr:Busta Rhymes it:Busta Rhymes he:באסטה ריימס ka:ბასტა რაიმზი ht:Busta Rhymes lt:Busta Rhymes hu:Busta Rhymes nl:Busta Rhymes ja:バスタ・ライムス no:Busta Rhymes pl:Busta Rhymes pt:Busta Rhymes ro:Busta Rhymes ru:Баста Раймс simple:Busta Rhymes fi:Busta Rhymes sv:Busta Rhymes th:บัสตา ไรมส์ tr:Busta Rhymes uk:Busta Rhymes zh:巴斯达韵

name	Nirupama Rao
birth date	December 06, 1950
birth place	Malappuram, Kerala, India
Nationality	Indian
Office	Ambassador of India to United States of America
Term	1 August 2011- Incumbent
Predecessor	Meera Shankar
Office1	Indian Foreign Secretary
Term1	31 July 2009-31 July 2011
Predecessor1	Shivshankar Menon
Successor1	Ranjan Mathai
Occupation	Diplomat, Ambassador of India to United States of America }}

Nirupama Menon Rao (; born December 6, 1950) is a 1973 batch Indian Foreign Service officer who is the current Ambassador of India to the United States of America since August 2011. Prior to this assignment, she has served as Foreign Secretary of India for a period of 2 years.

In July 2009, she became the second woman (after Chokila Iyer) to hold the post of Indian Foreign Secretary, the head of the Indian Foreign Service. In her career she has served in several capacities including, Minister of Press Affairs in Washington, Deputy Chief of Mission in Moscow, stints in the Ministry of External Affairs as Joint Secretary (East Asia), (External Publicity) making her the first woman spokesperson of the External Affairs Ministry, Chief of Personnel, Ambassador to Peru and China, and High Commissioner to Sri Lanka.

Early life and education

Nirupama Rao was born in Malappuram, Kerala. Her father was in the Indian Army. She did her schooling from various cities like Bangalore, Pune, Lucknow, Coonoor. She did her BA (English) Honors in Mount Carmel College, in Bangalore, in 1970, when it was affiliated with the Bangalore University. Later, she obtained her Masters degree in English Literature from what was then known as Marathwada University in Maharashtra. She topped the All India Civil Services Examination in 1973 and joined the Indian Foreign Service. Her sister, Surgeon Rear Admiral Nirmala Kannan is the 'Command Medical Officer' (CMO) of the Cochin based Southern Naval Command. She is married to Mr. Sudhakar Rao, an IAS officer whom she met while training at the Lal Bahadur Shastri academy in Dehradun after they were both selected for the civil services. They are the parents of two sons.

Career

On completion of her training in India, she served in the Indian Embassy in Vienna (Austria) in the mid seventies. She did a stint as First Secretary in the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka from 1981-83. During her early years in the Ministry of External Affairs, she specialized in India's relations with China, and was a member of the delegation of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi when he made his historic visit to Beijing in December 1988.

Rao was a Fellow at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University in 1992-93 where she specialized on Asia-Pacific Security.

She served in the Indian Embassies in Washington and Moscow as Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission, respectively. Her first Ambassadorship was to Peru with concurrent accreditation to Bolivia in 1995-1998. She became the first woman spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs in 2001. She was assigned to Sri Lanka as High Commissioner for India in 2004. In 2006, she became India's first woman Ambassador to China. She became India's Foreign Secretary, succeeding Shivshankar Menon, on August 1, 2009.

On December 21, 2010, Indian Government approved extension of Nirupama Rao tenure as India's Foreign Secretary till July 31, 2011.

Her work was very much appreciated during the evacuation of Indians at the time of the Libyan crisis. Among others, she used her twitter account (@ForeignSecNRao) to regularly update the public about the evacuation. She has been appointed as Ambassador of India to the USA after completion of her tenure as Foreign Secretary.

Writing career

She has written a book of poetry, named ''Rain Rising''. Her poems have been translated into Chinese and Russian.

References

Nirupama Rao takes over as Foreign Secretary

External links

Profile Ministry of External Affairs (India) website

India Ambassador, Official page at Embassy of India, Washington, D.C.

Category:Indian diplomats Category:1950 births Category:Living people Category:People from Kerala Category:Female diplomats Category:Harvard Fellows Category:Ambassadors of India to China Category:Indian Foreign Secretaries Category:Indian Hindus Category:Ambassadors of India to the United States Category:Bangalore University alumni hi:निरुपमा राव ml:നിരുപമ റാവു ne:निरुपमा राव te:నిరుపమ రావు ur:نروپما راؤ

name	Sam Pitroda
birth date	May 04, 1942
birth place	Titlagarh, Orissa, India
nationality	Indian
residence	Delhi, India
known for	Communication revolution
alma mater	Maharaja Sayajirao UniversityIllinois Institute of Technology
employer	Advisor to the Prime Minister
religion	Jangid - Hinduism
children	2
website	}}

Satyanarayan Gangaram Pitroda popularly known as Sam Pitroda (born 4 May 1942) is an Indian innovator, entrepreneur and policymaker. Currently Advisor to the Prime Minister of India on Public Information Infrastructure & Innovations, he is also widely considered to have been responsible for India’s communications revolution. As Advisor, he will be looking into creating information infrastructure for enhancing delivery of services to the citizens in various areas and will also be working on creating a roadmap for a ‘Decade of Innovation’ in India. He is also the chairman of National Innovation Council.

He has served as Chairman of the National Knowledge Commission (2005–2008), a high-level advisory body to the Prime Minister of India, set up to give policy recommendations for improving knowledge related institutions and infrastructure in the country. During its term, the National Knowledge Commission submitted around 300 recommendations on 27 focus areas covering a range of aspects of the knowledge paradigm. Mr. Pitroda holds around 100 key technology patents, has been involved in several start ups, and lectures extensively around the world.

He is also the founder & CEO of C-SAM, Inc. The company maintains its headquarters in Chicago with offices in London, Tokyo, Mumbai and Vadodara. Following the development of core technologies in the U.S. and Europe, C-SAM's development centers in India now focus on innovation, customization and cost effective deployment for its customers.

He has also served as an advisor to the Uniěēted Nations and in 1992, his biography Sam Pitroda: A Biography was published and became the bestseller on the ''The Economic Times'' list for five weeks.

As technology Advisor to the Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi in the 1984s, Mr. Pitroda not only heralded the telecom revolution in India, but also made a strong case for using technology for the benefit and betterment of society through several missions on telecommunications, literacy, dairy, water, immunization, oilseeds etc.. He has continued to redefine the role technology can play in a society like India by linking it to better delivery of services for the underprivileged in the country.

He has lived mainly in Chicago, Illinois since 1964 with his wife and two children.

Early life

Born in Titlagarh, Orissa, India. His parents hailed from Gujarat and migrated to Orissa. They were deeply influenced by Mahatma Gandhi and his philosophy and consequently, he and his brother were sent to Gujarat to imbibe Gandhian philosophy. He completed his schooling from Vallabh Vidyanagar in Gujarat and completed his Masters in Physics and Electronics from Maharaja Sayajirao University in Vadodara . After completing his Masters in Physics he went to the US and obtained a Masters in Electrical Engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. In 2010, he received an Honorary degree from University of Illinois at Chicago.

Career

Early career

Throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s Sam Pitroda was involved in cutting edge technology research work in telecommunications and hand-held computing. He is widely regarded as one of the earliest pioneers of hand-held computing because of his invention of the Electronic Diary in 1975.

In 1983, he also designed his own computer-themed card game called Compucards which used binary numbers instead of decimal (1, 2, 4, 8...) had a computer bug as the joker. The equivalent of a king in a regular deck of cards was the 'Programmer' that bore an uncanny resemblance to Pitroda himself. Through the 1990s Mr. Pitroda explored the world of mobile phone transaction technology and telecom developments in emerging markets.

A widely traveled man, Mr. Pitroda is a much sought after speaker at top international events. Mr. Pitroda divides his time between Chicago and Delhi..

Return to India

In 1984, Mr. Pitroda was invited to return to India by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. On his return, he started the Center for Development of Telematics C-DOT, an autonomous telecom R&D; organization. He had previously become a naturalized US citizen, and renounced his US citizenship to take Indian citizenship again in order to work in the Government. In 1987, he became advisor to Mrs. Gandhi's successor, Rajiv Gandhi and was responsible for shaping India's foreign and domestic telecommunications policies.

In 1987 during his tenure as advisor to Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, Mr. Pitroda headed six technology missions related to telecommunications, water, literacy, immunization, dairy and oilseeds. He is also the founder and first chairman of India’s Telecom Commission.

Mr Pitroda has contributed for shaping India’s foreign and domestic telecommunications policies. He is considered one among many to be responsible for the telecommunication revolution in India and specifically, the ubiquitous, yellow-signed Public Call Offices (PCO) that quickly brought cheap and easy domestic and international public telephones all over the country.

In the 1990s Sam Pitroda returned to Chicago to manage his business interests. When the United Progressive Alliance government came to power following the 2004 General Elections, the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh invited him to head the National Knowledge Commission of India.

In July 2009, the Government of India invited Mr. Sam Pitroda to head an expert committee on ICT in Railways. In October 2009, Sam Pitroda was appointed as Advisor to PM of India (Dr. Manmohan Singh) on Public Information Infrastructure and Innovations with the rank of Cabinet Minister.

In August 2010, cil, headed by Sam Pitroda, with special focus on micro, small and medium enterprises for 2010-20.

In the Indian Railways Budget 2012, Sam Pitroda was announced to head Railway modernization plan. His candicature is also in fray as a potential candidate for presidential election 2012 which is highly unlikely as political parties choice is differed.

Awards

International Telecommunication Union (ITU) conferred the World Telecommunication and Information Society Award to Mr. Sam Pitroda in Geneva on 17 May 2011. He was awarded in recognition of his dedication to promoting Information, communication and technology as a means of providing a better life for humanity and social and economic empowerment. He is the first Indian to receive this prestigious award.

Sambalpur University honored Mr. Pitroda with D.Sc. on its 23rd convocation on 14 July 2010.

Padma Bhushan in 2009 by the Government of India for his contribution to Science and Engineering.

The Skoch Challenger Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009 for ushering in the telecom and IT revolution in India.

Andhra University honored Mr. Pitroda with D.Sc in 2008.

Dataquest IT Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002.

IEEE Communication Society, Award for Public Service in the Field of Telecommunications in 2007

Felicitations

He was also felicitated on 31 March 2009 by Akhila Bharatiya Viswakarma Mahasabha (ABVM) for service to the viswakarma community, in the presence of Chief Minister of Delhi, Smt. Shiela Dixit, and President of ABVM, Chedilal Sharma. In 2008, Pitroda was elected as World Prominent Leader by the World Network of Young Leaders and Entrepreneurs WNYLE He is also due to attend and address the 2nd Indian Student Parliament which is a MIT School of Government initiative.

Other contributions

In 1993, Mr. Pitroda helped establish the ''Foundation for Revitalisation of Local Health Tradition'' (FRLHT) near Bangalore in India. At present, he is a Governing Council Member. The aim of the foundation is to make full use of India's rich and diverse traditional medicinal knowledge. Pitroda also serves on the IIT International Board of Overseers.

References

External links

Profile

Sam Pitroda Collected news and commentary at ''The Times of India''

Category:1942 births Category:Living people Category:People from Orissa Category:People from Vadodara Category:Indian businesspeople Category:Illinois Institute of Technology alumni Category:People who lost United States citizenship Category:Recipients of the Padma Bhushan Category:Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda alumni Category:Balangir district Category:People from Kosala

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