Aimed at benefitting the farming community, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has issued orders to set up a food processing research and training institute in Sivaganga district.
The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University would set up the institute in the Manavari Agriculture Centre , Chettinad, Sivaganga district, an official release here said.
(The Tamil Nadu Agricultural…)
For the construction of the buildings and purchase of equipment, Jayalalithaa has alloted Rs 49.32 lakh, it said.
The institute will train emerging enterpreneurs and self-help groups on various issues including enhancing the quality and life of vegetables and fruits, reducing the manual work in food processing through the use of machines and developing value added products from farm wastes,among others.
With the setting up of the institute, there would be an opportunity for the generation of self-employment in the villages located in the area, the release added.
source: http://www.articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com / The Economic Times / Home> News> Infrastructure / by PTI / October 08th, 2013
Jaggery effectively cleans the respiratory tract, food pipe, lungs, stomach and intestines. / Photo: S. Siva Saravanan / The Hindu
A traditional south Indian jaggery-based drink
Jaggery is a common sweetener used in the preparation of various dishes. It is a traditional type of amorphous, unrefined and non-distilled sugar. Although jaggery and sugar are prepared from the same source, the two are different in appearance, properties and benefits. Jaggery is prepared from the sap or juice of plants such as sugarcane and date palm. Jaggery prepared from palm trees is known as palm jaggery and the benefits are similar to the benefits of jaggery prepared from sugarcane.
It is used to make candies, toffees, jaggery cakes and many sweets. Jaggery is a healthy alternative to white sugar and is known as ‘medicinal sugar’ because of its various health benefits.
The process of making jaggery from plant sources does not involve chemical agents, and hence all the natural mineral salts are retained in it. Jaggery is known to have various medicinal properties and health benefits. It effectively cleans the respiratory tract, food pipe, lungs, stomach and intestines. It helps the body to get rid of unwanted matter andprovides relief from constipation. It is a digestive aid. It is considered a storehouse of important minerals such as iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, etc.
Now, for a recipe.
Panakam
Ingredients:
Grated jaggery: 2 tbsp
Water: 400 ml
Dry ginger: A pinch
Crush cardamom: 2 pieces
Crushed pepper corn: 6-7 pieces
Method:
Mix the grated jaggery in water and let it dissolve completely. Filter the jaggery water.
Add dried ginger powder, crushed cardamom and crushed pepper.
Mix well and serve it at room temperature or chilled.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus> Food /by MuthuKumar D / Chennai – October 06th, 2013
The city police commissioner’s office in Egmore that is being vacated was, for long, a bungalow in a paddy field.
At one point, the police department functioned from the above building on Police Commissioner Office Road in Egmore. It is not known why and when the office moved from Pantheon Road to here and then back — Photo: M. Vedhan / The Hindu
According to historians, the property was bought by Arunagiri Mudaliar for Rs. 36,000. On May 1, 1842, the police moved into the bungalow from their headquarters in Vepery for a monthly rent of Rs. 165.
“In 1856, when Lt. Col. J.C. Boulderson, 35 regiment of Native infantry, took charge as the first police commissioner of Chennai, the land and bungalow were purchased by the police for Rs. 21,000 and till date, the office is situated on the same land,” said historian V. Sriram. “The building is a classic colonial bungalow with two storeys. It has Doric columns with Madras terrace.”
After 170 years, the police are all set to move lock, stock and barrel to the same locality — Vepery — where they were headquartered earlier.
A close study of the building’s history raises certain questions. “There is another building on Police Commissioner Office Road which houses the police photographer’s department currently. It has a circular plaque with the inscription — Colonel W.S. Drever CSI Commissioner of Police, R.F. Chisholm, architect. The year inscribed on the plaque is 1882,” said Mr. Sriram. Why and when did the office move from Pantheon Road to Police Commissioner Office Road and then back, he wondered.
The current move to Vepery seems to have left senior police officers with a heavy heart.
“Ours is a very old police force that has been functioning from this building for over a century. This is like second home for many of us,” said a senior police officer.
The commissioner’s office on Pantheon Road may gradually be converted into a police museum — Photo: M. Vedhan / The Hindu
The commissioner’s office on Pantheon Road will be temporarily used as the offices of the joint commissioner of police (east), deputy commissioner (security), armed reserve administration office and a few other wings of the police.
After these sections are shifted to the new building, the commissioner office in Egmore may be converted into a police museum.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / byu Vivek Narayanan / Chennai – October 11th, 2013
Strengthening its presence in the rapidly growing scooter segment, TVS Motor Company, one of India’s largest two wheeler manufacturers, launched its new scooter TVS Jupiter in Madurai.
P.G. Sathiskumar, General Manager (Sales), TVS, said that the new scooter offered greater comfort, convenience and first time features, powered by a next generation noise-free, all-aluminium, low-friction engine that delivers an amazing mix of power, superior acceleration and best in class fuel efficiency and a metal body, styled to enthuse the male consumer.
source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home> Industry / by The Hindu Correspondent /Madurai – October 11th, 2013
The custom in this village too is that the first delivery of a woman has to be at her parent’s place and the second delivery at her in-law’s place. But Meenakshipuram, a village in Sirumalai Hills, broke with custom a long time ago. For years, no babies have been delivered in this village. Pregnant women leave their hill home for the plains after the bangle ceremony in the seventh month of pregnancy and return only after the delivery.
This breakdown of custom is no act of rebellion. With no clinics around and, worse, no road to reach a hospital in the event of an emergency, villagers have been left with no choice but to leave their homes in the otherwise pretty and pleasant hill country for the heat and dust of the plains. Lakshmi, a 45-year-old resident, says she can’t remember when a baby was born in Meenakshipuram last. Women are taken to downhill for delivery. “It is normal tradition for the first delivery to be at the parent’s home and the second baby to be at the in-laws’ house, but Meenakshipuram women have to go down for all deliveries,” she says.
The primary health care centre at Katchaikatti near Vadipatti, a village at the foot of Sirumalai Hills, is where most villagers head in times of a health issue. Most of the villagers in Meenakshipuram migrated up the hill from villagers in the plains. So, most of them have relatives in the plains and the women go and reside in their houses. Or else, they rent a house in Vadipatti for a couple of months.
“We either stay in our relatives’ house or take up a house on rent. We return to Meenakshipuram a month after delivery,” says Murugeswari, another young mother in the village. While the daughter in-laws of the households naturally go to stay in their mother’s house for delivery, the daughters of the village don’t have the fortune of returning to their mother’s home. “Our daughters don’t come back here for the last month of pregnancy and we accommodate them downhill itself,” says Sundarambal, an elderly woman.
In case of emergencies, the women are taken in mini-trucks kept to ferry agricultural produces to a nearby village, Sirumalai Pudur, from where they are transported to the PHC in an ambulance, villagers say. The health staff at Katchaikatti PHC also confirms that all the deliveries in Meenakshipuram are done in the PHC itself. “We monitor their pregnancy during our field trips. They are brought down for the last month and the baby is delivered in the PHC,” a health staff adds.
A village health nurse from Vadipatti frequents the village every week to monitor the health of the villagers.
source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Madurai / by J. Arockiaraj, TNN / October 12th, 2013
The export of crackers made in Sivakasi is set to get a fillip after Tuticorin VOC port authorities agreeing to resume the service. The decision was taken at a meeting convened by the E M Sudarsana Natchiappan, Union minister of state for industries, on Friday in Madurai. Officials from the Tuticorin port and the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation attended the meeting along with cracker manufactures from Sivakasi.
Crackers from Sivakasi were mainly exported to destinations in Africa and Europe. In fact, sea-borne cracker trade to these continents was active between 1994 and 1997, though the consignments from Tuticorin port were routed through the Colombo port. Then, crackers were taken in small boats from Tuticorin to Colombo, from where the consignments were sent in ships to various ports in Africa and Europe. However, the trade came to a standstill when the Sri Lankan government stopped the practice when the internal war escalated there, said the exporters.
Natchiappan urged the port officials led by deputy chairman S Natarajan to take steps to restart the export. He suggested exporting crackers directly from Tuticorin in ships, instead of routing through Colombo. The port officials have accepted the suggestion. They have also promised to carry out further processes involved, said R Venugopal, the deputy chief controller of explosives (in-charge), Sivakasi.
The cracker manufacturers of Sivakasi have welcomed the move, saying the export would get a boost. “The export opportunity would double the cracker unit industry in Sivakasi. India’s share in cracker trade will increase. It would also augment the job opportunity in the industry,” AMSV Asokan of We Two crackers remarked. Raja Singh Chelladurai of Jumbo fireworks also hailed the initiative. “It is a good move and would provide the necessary boost for the industry. However, the cracker industry has to improve the quality of the products. The US and European countries follow stringent pollution norms. We should reduce the polluting content in the crackers,” Chelladurai said.
Cracker industry owners claimed there is good demand for crackers among people of Indian origin in Kenya, Ghana, Uganda and other African countries. A huge market exists in European countries too. Around 3,200 tonnes of crackers were exported annually in the 1990s. The Rs 1,600 crore fireworks industry exported products worth only Rs 2 crore last year. As manufacturers have to use the Mumbai port for export, incurring high transportation charges, export is rarely attempted these days, the cracker makers said.
At present China has the largest share of world cracker trade, cornering 90% of global exports.
source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Madurai> Industry / TNN / October 19th, 2013
S. Parthasarthy (right), governing board member of MOP Vaishnav College, receives memento from Prof. K. Aludiapillai, ex-vice-chancellor of Madurai Kamaraj University, in Chennai on Monday. UGC vice-chairman H. Devraj (extreme right) is also seen. — DC
Chennai:
In 20 years, MOP Vaishnav College for Women has come a long way in producing women with entrepreneur skills and social commitment.
With an emphasis on academics and sports, the college has been among the top colleges of the city. On the bi-decennial celebration on Monday, the college awarded 45 of its alumni who have made a mark in various fields. They were lauded for their efforts by UGC vice-chairman H. Devraj.
The college established in 1992 with three courses now has 13 undergraduate courses and six PG courses. And in sports it has excelled with 74 international and 374 national sportswomen.
Speaking at the function, Bharathi Bhasker, a parent said, “The three years spent by my daughter in the college were the best of her life. The college taught her to work as a team has become imperative in professional life today.”
The college’s community radio programme found a special mention. K. Saraswathi, secretary general of Madras Chambers of Commerce and Industry, said, “The college has produced students who had excelled in corporates. We have heard of industry-academic-gap but MOP students’ knowledge received kudos from industrialists.”
Devraj added, “Of the 450 colleges with autonomy, TN has 150 of them. Autonomy in MOP has yielded good results. Institutions need to build brand equity and make students strong in their academic fundamentals.”
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> News> Current Affairs / DC / September 15th, 2013
Destination experiences are the newest trend for the new-age traveller. It is not just about visiting tourist destinations, but also adding that touch of something special to the experience. Bespoke luxury experiences are the order of the day as more tourists are now choosing to discover the city through customised routes.
‘Captivating Chennai’ by the Taj Coromandel is one such experience, helping visitors see the many moods of our culturally inclined city — be it art or textiles. The Collector’s Eye’ (in association with Apparao Galleries) offers connoisseurs a chance to visit the homes of renowned art collectors in the city and look at art lovingly collected over a period of time. For those who love fashion (or ethnic clothes), Warp and Weft takes you to the atelier of French embroiderer, Jean Francoise Lesage, followed by a shopping trip to the market.
A motley crew of art lovers gathered at the Taj Coromandel for the Collector’s Eye tour recently. And one of the visits was to the art deco dwelling of gallerist Sharan Apparao. Her home was fringed with a garden dotted with sculptures. The modest entrance and the staircase area doubled as a forum to showcase Sharan’s love for art. We are greeted by a fibreglass sculpture of an Aravani, made by neo-realistic artist, George K.
A collection often speaks volumes about the collector. At Sharan’s house, every nook and corner is a reflection of her personality. Sharan confesses that she quite likes the pop-art-meets-political-satire approach of artist P. G. Dinesh. And this is evident from the countless pieces she has of such art. “I love pop culture and the vivid colours,” she explains.
The collection, which is a mélange of modern art and antiques, has some interesting pieces. For instance, there was a sculpture made from tea bags, done by French artist Janine Mongillat, depicting female genitalia.
“Sometimes I think in colours and sometimes I think in form,” says Sharan, as she shows us around her living space. She points out a canvas by Arpita Singh, which is her favourite. But she also likes to encourage younger artists. “I really like George K’s painting, Buddhist Man,” she adds.
On a side table, there is an enviable collection of nine Burmese baskets. Sharan says, “I love old things. And I work with new things.” On cue, we are taken to Prajwal Chaudhary’s digital art on countless matchboxes.
Each piece of art (or furniture) has a story behind it. And Sharan is an engaging storyteller. For instance, we admire the quirky centre table and this art collector relates its genesis. “The table is made from an old name board of a finance company going back to 1906. We cut off the legs for the table from a discarded kitchen cupboard and put it all together,” she laughs. As we bid adieu, we notice a mesh of fine steel. Sharan says, “Puneet Kaushik made this dupatta, which is crocheted with stainless steel.
It weighs a ton but I wore it the other day to an art show,” she says, in parting. Our next stop is Lily Vijayaraghavan’s quiet residence. The grande dame welcomes us as we pause to admire the beautiful garden, speckled with stone sculptures. “Stones feel claustrophobic inside the house,” says Lily, who is passionate about antiques.
Her collection is centred on the concept of Shringar (or beauty). We walk past cupboards, showcasing a massive collection of ivory combs, miniature perfume bottles and ornate foot scrubbers, adorned with swans and peacocks. Browsing through Lily’s collection was akin to going back to a time where life was much simpler.
Lily points out that most of her collection was sourced from south India. “I come from a family of collectors. It is in my blood,” she says, adding that there is a scarcity of good items to be found.
“There are a lot of fakes in the market,” she adds. The pieces of dancers in different mudras occupy a prominent place in the veranda. “I got those from a temple chariot,” explains Lily, showing us stucco figurines that are more than a thousand years old. The walls are dotted with Mysore and Tanjore paintings, depicting gods and goddesses in artistic finery.
Lily’s house is a living museum and the artifacts are a part of her space. “It is a full-time job,” she smiles, showing us the kitchen, with Chettinad-style utensils and urns with intricate figures and carvings, all carefully arranged.
Lily shows us the Chettinad spoon rack. “It is given to a bride during the wedding,” she explains. There is also a room, housing artifacts that are for sale. “We see all the people who bought art from us. They really cherish it,” she says.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Lifestyle> Travel / DC / by Tuba Raqshan / October 15th, 2013
The Indian Red Cross Society, chennai celebrated World Mental Health Day recently with the launch of a de-addiction clinic for alcohol and substance abuse.Dr V Kanagasabai, Dean, Madras Medical College and RGGGH, and Dr R Ponnudurai, Honorary Psychiatrist at Red Cross, presided over the meeting. More than 500 people comprising students and staff from colleges in and around the city participated in the event.
The event was conducted with the aim to create awareness on mental health among the youth in society. Psychologists at the Indian Red Cross said that many people did not know what mental health was and often there were misconceptions about the term “mental health”. Dr Ponnudurai explained that depression, dementia and other psychiatric disorders affected the mental health of an individual. He said, “Mental health of elderly people depends on mental health of the youth.”
The de-addiction centre is located on the Indian Red Cross premises in Egmore and aims to cater to people addicted to alcohol and drugs. People can avail the facilities at this centre free of cost. Group therapies and sessions with psychologists, counselors and psychiatrists are also arranged. The centre also aims to incorporate research in the future.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Express News Service – Chennai / October 16th, 2013
We were a gang of five in Presidency College, Madras, in 1944 when we recalled the heady days of the Quit India Movement and spun and wore only khadi. We’d never met Gandhiji and were excited at the thought of being able to see and hear him at a prayer meeting. We were lucky that our classmate had a house by the side of the maidan from where we could have a ringside view of the dais and the people who had gathered.
We left college after lunch and took a bus to the Hindi Prachar Sabha grounds. Already we could see busload of people being ferried to and fro. Although it was just noon, the roads were choc-a-bloc with people walking to the venue. The prayer meeting would start only at 6pm. Such was the veneration Gandhiji was held in.
Standing on the terrace of my friend’s house we watched the crowds below. They were well behaved, patient and did not need the police to control them. Volunteers went round serving water to the thirsty as the afternoon sun was hot and relentless. Slowly evening set in. The heat became less, the clock ticked on, and just a minute before six, Gandhiji came onto the dais and bowed to the people. There were no loud, noisy claps to greet his appearance. It was as if one was in the presence of someone divine. The silence was electrifying.
Then my friend’s daughter, about 12, dressed in a pavadai and blouse, sang the prayer effortlessly and with full-throated ease. Gandhiji then started to speak. Did the crowd understand what he was saying? It did not matter. They had come all the way, borne the scorching sun just to have a darshan of him. Gandhiji spoke on, frail as he was. The setting sun cast an orange glow as he ended his speech.
What was it about Gandhiji, “an ugly old man” as Sarojini Naidu affectionately called him, that so endeared him to people? Why was he worshipped by the common man? Was it because he sacrificed his career, went to jail many times, and wasn’t afraid to give up his life for his principles, taught ahimsa? It may have been all of these. But what endeared him most to the common man was that he was like one of them, to whom they could relate. He wore the scantiest of clothes, wooden chappals and cheap rimless spectacles. He ate sparsely. If ever there had been a politician who was dear to the hearts of the common man, it was this man. No wonder they called him the Mahatma.
One could say that “the elements so mixed in him/ That nature could stand up to all the world and say This was a man”.
I am filled with nostalgia when October 2 nears. To have been ruled by the British, to have witnessed the fight for freedom, to have seen how people sacrificed their careers and even their lives, all led by one man and then to have been freed was an exhilarating experience.
“Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive,
But to be young was very Heaven.”
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Opinion / by Radha Padmanabhan / October 05th, 2013
