BIS Mumbai Branch Office kickstart World Standards Day 2025 celebrations with Shreekant Patil in Nashik, highlighting BIS certifications' role in MSME growth and global competitiveness. BIS Mumbai & NIMA Facilitate Dialogue on Quality, Standards, and MSME Growth World Standards Day 2025: BIS & NIMA Foster Industry-Government Partnerships in Nashik. The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Mumbai Branch Office, organized a Stakeholder Meet to commemorate World Standards Day 2025 at Enrise by Sayaji, Nashik on 27th September 2025. This year's celebrations cantered on the global theme “Shared Vision for a Better World – Partnerships for the Goals” (SDG 17). The event celebrating World Standards Day at Stakeholder Meet Conclave brought together industry leaders, policymakers, and entrepreneurs to deliberate on the pivotal role of standards in sustainable development, quality assurance, and international trade. Shri Pinaki Gupta, Scientist E, Director & Head of BIS Mumbai Branch Office, inaugurated the program and emphasized BIS's commitment to supporting MSMEs through certification, testing, and awareness initiatives. He highlighted the organization's focus on creating safer, reliable products while enabling innovation, environmental sustainability, and global competitiveness. CEng. Shreekant Patil, NIMA Committee Chairman, BIS Technical Committee Member, and Chief Guest of the event, was felicitated by Shri Pinaki Gupta with a BIS memento. In his keynote address, Patil expressed gratitude to BIS and underscored NIMA's ongoing contributions in building a strong startup ecosystem, supporting MSMEs with quality certifications such as BIS, CE, and ZED, and enabling women empowerment and skill development. He highlighted Nashik's recent achievement of becoming the highest ZED certification holder in Maharashtra, with 3,179 units certified between July and September 2025. CEng. Shreekant Patil also pledged continued support for BIS initiatives in the Nashik region, promising collaboration to expand awareness on quality standards and handholding MSMEs in achieving global competitiveness. He reiterated that fostering quality and innovation is vital in positioning India as Viksit Bharat and boosting exports to strengthen the economy. Ms. Komal Labade, representing the District Industries Centre (DIC), Nashik, along with Shri Sheetal Patil and Shri V. Gopinath, Deputy Director General (West), BIS Western Regional Office, addressed the stakeholders on the importance of strengthening industry-government collaboration. The program concluded with a detailed presentation from the BIS Mumbai team on Conformity Assessment and Quality Ecosystem Development, followed by a vote of thanks. The event successfully reinforced the role of partnerships and standards in advancing India's sustainable development goals while empowering industries to achieve excellence and global reach.

Onam celebration at palakkad

The Vaisakhi festival is a joyous Sikh celebration of unity, renewal and vibrant community spirit.

I enjoyed eating these Ranch Doritos with Stadium Style Cheddar Cheese Dip & I am full. #CincoDeMayo #Celebrated #TBT

Delarai has been having a hard time lately. She moved to a small village in Belgium with her family not long ago. She misses her friends in California. To add to all of that stress, everyone is fearful of the Coronavirus. How can Delarai make friends when they are sitting so far away? As she arrives home after school and opens the door, the sweet smell of rose and pistachio fills her nostrils. That smell could only mean one thing: Nan-e Nokhodchi cookies for the Persian New Year! Delarai runs into the house and drops her books on the sofa. “Mummy? Is it really Nowruz already?!” she shouts with excitement. "What's Nowruz?" Delarai's five-year-old sister Annalisa asks, running in behind her, out of breath. Delarai turns and smiles at her sister, “It's the Persian New Year, and it means spring is here!” she exclaims. Annalisa thinks hard, trying to remember what Nowruz was like. “Is that when we jump over the fire?” she asks. “Kind of,” says Delarai, laughing, “That's the holiday starting things off, it is called Chahar Shanbe Suri!” “That's right,” Mummy says, “Great memory! Do you remember where that tradition comes from?” Delarai scrunches up her face, thinking. “I think it's about burning away all the bad stuff in our lives. I'm so excited! It's so much fun to jump over the fire with everyone, even though it is a little bit scary. Is it almost time to do it this year?” “Yes, darling, but this year because of coronavirus, we have to be more careful than usual. We cannot gather with other Iranians to do this as a group. We must stay safe, but I will ask Papa to put together some fire in the backyard and we can still celebrate together. You can even bring one friend from school, now that Belgium will allow it! For Nowruz, we can also see family and friends if we stay safely in our social distancing bubbles.” “But Mummy, I have a hard time just choosing one friend,” Annalisa moans, “I want to invite Benaya, and Louise, and Dana, and Jasmine...” Delarai shrugs her shoulders, “I don't want to invite anyone Mummy, I don't have any friends at school,” she says, sighing sadly. “We still have time to figure something out, honey. Now, we need to get busy doing khooneh tekooni, cleaning the house. Would you like to help me out?” As they clean, Delarai tells her mom about her latest school assignment from her teacher, Madame Caroline. The essay topic is to talk about how your family is celebrating a certain tradition differently in the times of corona. “You should write about Nowruz for your essay,” Mummy suggests. “That's a perfect idea!” Delarai says, excitedly. The next day at school, when Madame Caroline calls on Delarai to read, butterflies instantly erupt in her stomach. She stands up from her desk, swallowing her nerves, and gathers her courage. “How my family celebrates Nowruz in the times of corona: “Every year on the exact day of the Spring Equinox, the whole family gathers to celebrate Nowruz. Everyone in our family helps to prepare the house and puts on new clothes. By doing this spring cleaning, we wash away the bad things from the previous year and prepare for better things to come in the new year. In the evening of the last Wednesday before Nowruz, bonfires are lit and we all jump over the flames. The flames burn away sickness and bad luck and it is the warmest memory that continues in the rest of the year. After that, every family member comes and sits together around a special table called the ‘Haft-Seen', which means ‘seven S's'. On it, there are seven special objects, all of which begin with the ‘s' sound in the Farsi language and which symbolise something meaningful for the coming year.” Madame Caroline approaches Delarai and asks her what part of Nowruz she loves the most. Delarai thinks for a moment. She wants to say that the best part is getting presents for thirteen days straight, but that this year will be different because they cannot visit anyone. Usually, for Nowruz, they get to visit all family members and friends that they might have not seen for a while. Suddenly Delarai remembers that there is one part of Nowruz that even coronavirus cannot take away. Her great-grandmother always said that Nowruz is not Nowruz if someone leaves the celebrations with a heavy heart. Yes, Delarai thinks, this is the best part of Nowruz: trying to bring a smile to everybody's face. That is the core beauty of Nowruz. You forget about all of your negative thoughts and feelings and help others forget theirs too. You give them all away to the fire. Then you have a fresh space for your good thoughts, good deeds, and good actions.

To all my friends, followers, readers, and reviewers. To all of you who got in touch with me in this year and to all of you who will read this. I wish you all the best for the holidays and many days after. I wish you to spend them with the people you love and who give you their unconditional love; surrounded with warmth, happiness, kindness and with no worry on your mind. Whether you spend them with your family, friends or alone, let them be full of all good things that make this life worth living. I don't have big plans for the end of this year. I will work on my book, read books from my huge reading list, spend time at home with my parents and my online friends. I like to keep it quiet, cozy and relaxing, doing things I like best, because books are my addiction. This passion keeps burning inside me no matter what time of day or year. My other passion is spreading kindness and compassion to and for those in need, especially animals. Even in times of celebration and holidays I will keep thinking on them, wishing I can do more for them to ease their misery and suffering. There are days when being a vegan doesn't seem enough, when I feel I can do and should do more like jump in the catastrophic fires that are devastating Australia and be a protective shield between devouring flames and animals and people losing their lives and homes there. And it's not only Down Under. It's like that all over our beautiful planet! Do you sometimes feel the same? Do you feel bad, frustrated and angry seeing our planet going from bad to worse as it spins madly toward the cataclysm, and those in power to make a change do nothing or ignore it? They have the power, yes, but they are not the only ones. We have the power too, you and me. If we do something on our small personal level, things will move forward. And if others join us, we can do bigger, greater things. We can change the world, I firmly believe that. So, why not start now, during these holidays? Why not end this year and begin a new year with small acts of kindness? It's actually very simple. Having a plant-based Christmas dinner or New Year's party can mean a lot to animals who suffer, and it won't cost us anything. It will open our windows to the world of new flavors and smells, the best ones being kindness, compassion, and empathy. Those are the flavors I enjoy for 18 years already and they feel so good. The best things I've ever tasted! You'd give me a great joy if you tried them too and let me know how you liked them. One thing is certain: they get better with time because the more we taste them the more we heal our planet. It's the best natural cure our Earth can get from us. And, to be honest, it needs it! Thank you for spreading love and kindness, thank you for having a big and compassionate heart. Thanks for all good things you will do for others in the last moments of this year and for good things you will continue doing in 2020. Hopefully, it brings us all many memorable and pleasant moments, happiness, good health, and great books. Much love and my very best wishes! BJ Source: https://www.bernardjan.com/single-post/2019/12/20/My-Very-Best-Wishes-with-Hopes-for-a-Happier-World