News from the World

Yesterday I received the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award (PBSA) at an official ceremony in the atrium of the Leibniz University in Hanover. The PBSA is India's highest national award, which has been honoring exceptionally committed people from the Indian diaspora since 2003. It was a great honor for me to personally receive the award from his Excellence, the Indian Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni. I am also grateful for the touching words from the President of Leibniz University Prof. Epping, the Member of the German Bundestag Adis Ahmetovic, our Prime Minister Stephan Weil and the Indian General Consul from Hamburg Soumya Gupta. I would also like to thank the many people and friends who found their way to this event and thus accompanied me during this solemn hour. You can read the newspaper article here and my acceptance speech here.

News from the World

I have attended the G20 Youth Summit on Climate and Peace Building in Pune, India, with delegates from all over the world at the invitation of the Ministry of Youth. It was important to me and an honor to be able to make a small contribution to this important and serious topic. The summit was about possibilities and perspectives in climate protection as well as sensible measures and other ideas. I was allowed to contribute a speech on the topic of sustainability at a panel discussion and was thus able to further expand the exchange of Leibniz University in the international context of climate protection.

News from the Culture in Hannover

I visited the smallest design museum in Germany. It was opened in 2011 and is a spatially small museum, but with great aspirations, because it wants to bring people together - not just things on display. Anand Steinhoff maintains an exchange with people and companies with an affinity for design and is the third generation to run the museum and a furniture store that is nationally known for its individual and innovative furnishing concepts. The exhibition traces the history and development of the cantilever chair, tells of sources of inspiration, technical innovations and patent disputes. Tools, materials, illustrations and an original model in the prototype stage provide insights into the design and manufacturing processes.
Very informative and definitely worth a visit.

News from the World

The second stage of my official visit to India took me to Delhi today, where I met an old friend and visited the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Delhi. Developments in reducing long visa delays and the new certification for students wishing to study in Germany were discussed. It is good that all steps are taken in the right direction to solve problems. Later in the day, there was an invitation from the director of the Indo-German Science and Technology Centre, a joint funding initiative by Germany and India to promote research in India and Germany in cooperation with industry, and a very fruitful discussion with LUH's partner university, the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, a very reputable institution from which many students attend LUH for Masters and PhD studies every year. We are now making plans to further expand this collaboration.

News from the Culture in Hannover

After a long planning phase, the renovation of the Lister Tower, one of the most beautiful listed buildings in Hanover, has now begun. The complex from 1896 is in dire need of renovation and is now to be reworked in two construction phases at a cost of EUR 3.6 million from city funds. In my function as chairman of the Lister Turm development association and SPD councilor for the state capital of Hanover, I had called for the historic ballroom to be renovated at the same time. According to city spokesman Dennis Dix, this would be worth considering, but would then have to be decided politically. Here is the link to the HAZ article from January 18, 2023.

News from the World

It was a great honor and privilege on the occasion of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2023 by the Indian Foreign Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar to be invited to Indore, Madhya Pradesh. On this occasion, I also met the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Culture, Ms. Meenakshi Lekhi, and the Minister of State for Foreign and Parliamentary Affairs, Mr. V. Muraleedharan. At every opportunity, I promoted Hanover, Lower Saxony and Germany to explore, stimulate and deepen possible partnerships in different areas.

News from the World

Happy New Year from India. I went back to the local school. It gave me much peace and joy to visit and talk to the school children and teachers. Much needs to be done to make young people responsible citizens of the country and our beautiful world. This is exactly what is happening in middle school (grades 1-8) in a small village called Kalancheri in Tamil Nadu, India.

News from the Culture in Hannover

As part of the "House of Resources" project, MiSO invited to the country evening in the Linden leisure center on December 18, 2022, where four MiSO members presented their countries. As councilor of the SPD, I was able to welcome the participants on behalf of politics. As a politician who is active in migration and integration work, I see a great need for intercultural work, the aim of which is mutual acceptance and respect, because that creates the conditions for peaceful coexistence.

News from the Culture in Hannover

On December 15, 2022 I took part in the commemoration event at the Ohestraße memorial. The headmaster of Vocational School 3, Harald Meier, recited the thoughts of a masonry student, written down in German class in front of 60 participants who had gathered in front of the archway of the memorial in the schoolyard to commemorate the more than 170 Jews. who were deported to Riga on December 15, 1941, 81 years ago, from Ohestraße - formerly a center of Jewish life. You can find the report on this here.

News from the World in Hannover

75 years of independence of India!
"Swatantrata Divas" - on 15.8. was Indian national day, on which India celebrated its 75 years of independence from Great Britain. National flags were hoisted all over the country and the former leaders during the Indian freedom movement, e.g. Mahatma Gandhi, were commemorated. On this solemn occasion I laid down flowers together with the member of the German Bundestag Adis Ahmetović in front of the Gandhi bust in Hanover. With that, we convey our heartfelt congratulations to the Indian nation.

News from the Culture in Hannover

On Sunday, July 10th, 2021, the traditional event "Schorsenbummel" took place again after a two-year break due to the pandemic. I was allowed to represent the city of Hanover as a councilman and was pleased about the large number of visitors. The traditional event exists since April 6, 1981 and is still very popular today, even if the city is thinking about ending it. Here is the article from the HAZ. Picture: HAZ

News from the World in Hannover

On May 30, 2022, I was honored to be present alongside Indian Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni,
together with Federal Ministers Ralph Brink, Adis
Ahmetovic and Dr. Oliver Vogt and the Consul General John H.
Ruolngulden inaugurate the Indian Pavilion at the Hannover Messe 2022.
The Ambassador highlighted the export opportunities for India
and invited German medium-sized companies to invest in India.
The Indian Ambassador also visited and interacted with all Indian booths
exhibitors. This year, over 60 Indian tech giants will attend Hannover Messe 2022, showcasing India's tech prowess under the banner of
Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC India), Indian
Electrical and Electronics Manufacturers (IEEMA) and the
National Association of Software and Services Companies
(NASSCOM). A number of Indian companies are also taking
as an individual at the Hannover.

News from the Culture in Hannover

NEVER FORGET
Appointments like this are emotional and are the most important thing to me personally, because it's about values ​​and attitude. In memory of the Loebenstein family and all those who were murdered in cold blood during the Nazi regime.
Lotte-Lore, Gertrud and Herbert fled from the Nazis to the Netherlands in August 1937. After the occupation by the German Wehrmacht in May 1940, the persecution of the Jews also began in the Netherlands. In order to avoid the deportations that began in the summer of 1942, the Loebenstein family went underground. Nothing is known about their hiding place and the circumstances. On April 30, 1943, the police arrested Herbert, Gertrud and Lotte-Lore Loebenstein. The family was deported via the Westerbork transit camp to the Sobibor extermination camp in occupied Poland on May 18, 1943 and murdered there after the train arrived on May 21, 1943.
On Mai 25th, I attended the laying of the stumbling blocks in front of the historic residential building Hindenburgstr. 34, the last residential address of the Loebenstein family in Hanover, together with the Mayor of the state capital Hanover Belit Onay, Yvonne Dannull and Frank Straßburger.

News from the World

On May 1st 2022, I was in Berlin on the occasion of the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi: "During Prime Minister Modi's visit to Berlin, Chancellor Scholz emphasized India's key role in climate policy.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz has described India as a key partner for Germany in Asia - in economic, security and climate terms. India is a key country with regard to global climate protection, Scholz said at the Indo-German government consultations in Berlin. The current heat wave in India is an indication of the importance of halting climate change.
Germany and India agreed a total of 14 joint declarations of intent. This also includes cooperation in the future technology of hydrogen. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the aim is to improve the green hydrogen infrastructure." (Pic: dpa)(Text Source: https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/indien-konsulationen-101.html)
Here is my interview with the Indian TV station Doordarshan.

News from the Culture in Hannover

On March 31 I was elected to the board of the cultural forum of social democracy in the Hanover region for the area of ​​university and international affairs. The Culture Forum is an association of people from the Hanover region who are interested in culture and culture policy and belong to the SPD or are close to it. It offers a forum for encounters between politics and culture and a platform for cultural policy discussions.
It organizes visits and discussions in and with cultural institutions and wants to create an appropriate space for culture in the city and region.

News from the Culture in Hannover

Listed half-timbering with colorful decorations, elaborate stucco, wood paneling: the List Tower should shine again in the splendor of the Wilhelminian era. The city has now presented a renovation concept and wants to replace the facade, windows, roof and sanitary facilities in particular for 3.6 million euros.
"Renovation is urgently needed," says Bala Ramani, chairman of the Lister Turm development association and SPD councilor for the state capital of Hanover. Work will start later this year, with the gastronomy and beer garden remaining open for the time being. More about this here.

News from the Culture in Hannover

On March 23rd I was allowed to take part in the MiSO and ADV Nord event as part of the Weeks Against Racism. There was an exciting lecture by the neo-Nazi dropout Philip Schlaffer and a subsequent panel discussion, in which, in addition to stage guests such as Djenabou Diallo-Hartmann, Wilma Nyari, Jesse Jeng, Haytham Hmeidan and Simone Rafael, I also discussed the topic: hate and right-wing hate speech. 

News from the World

On February 26, 2022, the "Stand with Ukraine" demo for solidarity with Ukraine took place in Hanover. Carsten Müller - member of the Bundestag, CDU, Ihor Piroschik / Olena Gruzina - Board of Directors Free Ukraine Braunschweig eV, Oksana Janzen - Chairwoman Ukrainian Association in Lower Saxony eV, Iryna Markevych - Regional Director in Hanover Heart for Ukraine eV, Marco Albers - Chairman Jusos District Hanover, Eugen Issak-Martynjuk - Union of Don Cossacks Abroad, Tornike Murtskhvaladze - Chairman Georgian Migrants in Hanover e.V. and I myself got a chance to speak.
Together we chanted urgent messages to Germany, the EU and the world to make it clear that we demand a quick end of this unjust war and offer our help to the people of Ukraine.

News from the Culture in Hannover

On February 22nd, the commemorative event and wreath-laying ceremony "Mut tut gut" - Together against right-wing movement-  of the FÖRDERVEREIN LISTER TURM e.V. took place.
The occasion was the anniversary of the ambush and murder of members of the opposition from the SPD-affiliated organization Reichsbanner by the SA (Part of NSDAP), which took place at the Lister Tower on the night of February 21st to February 22, 1933.
In these explosive times it is so important to stand together in solidarity against right-wing tendency and for an open democracy!

News from the International Mother Language Day

The International Mother Language Day is celebrated around the world on February 21st. It was adopted at the UNESCO General Conference in 1999 and has been celebrated worldwide since 2000. Language is a means of expression, an instrument for passing on information, knowledge and cultures. It is therefore the key to understanding and social participation (see here). That's why I was of course very happy to follow the call from the SPD in Lower Saxony and took part with a speech in Tamil and Hindi.

News from the World -Happy New Year-

Happy New Years greetings and Namaste from my Indian homeland.
With our support, the school in my home town is currently being renovated. About 120 children from the surrounding villages learn there. We as a family have been supporting this school for many years in the development and maintenance of the infrastructure, including clean sanitary facilities, drinking water, the provision of free bicycles, extra nutritious lunches and now in the context of the renovation of the building and inventory.

News from the Embassy of India in Berlin

On December 13th, 2021 I visited the new Indian Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish (2nd from left) in Berlin with our MdB Adis Ahmetovic (1st from left) and talked about the future improvement of relations between India and Germany, but also between India and Lower Saxony. We look forward to good cooperation and the promotion of common interests.

News from the Culture in Hanover 

On December 5th, 2021 I was elected as the president during the assembly held by the members of IASH. Here is the video contribution.

News from the Culture in Hanover 

Recently I was able to visit the building site for the House of Religions.
The House of Religions in Hanover is one of the most important and first of its kind in Germany.
Thanks to the continuous efforts of various interest groups, including the House of Religions, the State Capital of Hanover and in particular the Committee for International Affairs, a place has been and is being created where school children can gain an understanding of different religions, the concepts behind them and their cultural development .
I am impressed by the progress of the construction work, which is proceeding swiftly in spite of the most diverse challenges in the construction work. Dr. Gert Meinhof showed us around the construction site and sketched a vivid picture of what it should look like there very soon. The building in Böhmerstrasse is being converted with due regard to the special needs of the visiting schoolchildren, young people and those taking part in the various events. For example, a multimedia exhibition about the various religions will be installed.
Personally, I am thrilled that the House of Religions does not only represent the "big" religions. People who do not feel they belong to any religion will find an equal place there.
I wish everyone involved in this great project every success with the further implementation and look forward to seeing you again in 2022.

News from the Culture in Hanover 

Racism has no place in society. Love is the only medicine against hate.
Racism makes you sick. Racism happens every day - in public, at work, at school, everywhere.
On 11/29 From 6:00 p.m. I will be discussing racism and how it makes our society sick with my esteemed councilors: Iyabo Kaczmarek, Thomas Klapproth as well as Kai Weber from the Lower Saxony Refugee Council and Pia Ahmed as the representative of civil society.
More information about the panel discussion, the associated exhibition and the short film is available at: http://www.iik-hannover.de/

News from the Culture in Hanover 

The "Förderverein Lister Turm e.V." has elected a new board:
On October 27, 2021, the Lister Turm e.V. association elected a new board at its annual general meeting.
Chairman: Dr. Bala S. Ramani
Treasurer: Walther Tanke
Rapporteur: Carsten Gramms
Assessors: Birgit Ahrens, Dr. Katja Günther-Schade, Dana Klingenberg, May-Britt Struß
The board of directors will shortly meet for a closed meeting to discuss the plans for 2022 and 2023 with the members of the association.
On behalf of the newly elected board, I would like to thank the outgoing chairman Andreas Pieper and his team for their work and ask to support the new board in the transition process and beyond.

News from the World

On 2nd October 2021 was Mahathma Gandhi’s 152nd birth anniversary. All his life, Gandhi ji practised non-violence, fight against discrmination and love for all beings in this universum. Hannover is very privileged and honoured to have him with us. On 4th October the Indian Association Hannover was therefore celebrating the anniversary of Mahathma Gandhi. 

News from the indoeuropean.eu

Wishes and greetings from the Consulate General of India Hamburg

published under the HP of indoeuropean.eu from September 15, 2021.

News from the Culture in Hanover

It was a very lively evening at the opening of the autumn exhibition at the Kunstverein Hannover. This was also the right time to support the local and regional artists who, among other things, suffer from the COVID situation and cannot hold their events, exhibitions and presentations. I had the honor of meeting the extraordinary Hanoverian artist Siegfried Neuenhausen and to meet renowned and respected artists: Julia Neuenhausen, Judith Ganz and Andrej Wilhlems.

News from the Culture in Hanover

Thank you for the friendly invitation from Eby Tangara, President of the African Umbrella Association North (ADV) for the PRE FARAFINA festival. Unfortunately, due to the COVID situation, the FARAFINA could not take place as planned, hence this preview festival for the large version in 2022. I congratulate the organizers, the ADV and its member associations for the excellent organization, the high quality of the artists and their performances with which they presented the diversity of Pan-African culture.

News from the Neue Presse

Article from the Neue Presse from June 10th, 21st:
"Ramani, an ambassador of India even without diplomacy" on the occasion of the presentation of the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award (PBSA) by the Indian President on January 9, 2021.

News from the Lower Saxony State Chancellery

Video of the conversation with the Prime Minister of Lower Saxony Stephan Weil in April 2021 on the occasion of the award ceremony of the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award (PBSA)..

News from the Leibniz University of Hanover

Press article from January 21, 2021:
"High distinction from the Indian government for LUH employee Dr. Balasubramanian Ramani"
LUH President Prof. Dr. Volker Epping conveyed Congratulations to Ramani this week.

News from Intercultural Volunteering

Interview as part of the Wednesday dialogue series of the Indian Consulate General (CGI) in Hamburg on 2nd December 2020. 

News from Intercultural Volunteering

Webinar "Handling Communication in the era of Social Media." with the Kumaraguru Institute of Agriculture on 5th October 2020.