A seminar on ‘Tamil for Science’ will be held at Dr G R Damodaran College for Science in January. Jointly organized by the college and the linguistics department of Bharathiar University, the seminar will bring together professors and researchers who will deliberate on how to develop Tamil such that it can be effectively used to teach and communicate science subjects, both to students and the masses.
The seminar which will be held on January 8th and 9th will discuss measures to popularise science through the vernacular language. It is being organized as part of the centenary celebrations of Dr G R Damodaran. Teaching science and technology through the vernacular has been considered an effective way to take science and technology to the masses. Researchers say that though there have been several attempts to popularise science through Tamil, nothing has come to fruition. For one, there is a lack of standard vocabulary for scientific terms. For instance, computer is called ‘Kanini’, ‘Kanipaani’ or ‘Kanipuri’ depending on the region. This issue can be resolved by preparing a standard document comprising Tamil words for each specific scientific concept or object. These words should be simple which the general population can comprehend.
“We need to come up with equivalent Tamil words for electronic gadgets and scientific terms,” said C Sivashanmugam head of the department of linguistics, Bharathiar University. Such effort will help make the teaching of science in the vernacular easier, he added.
Popularising Tamil words is the key to its success. D Padmanabhan, correspondent of Bharathidasan University and editor of ‘Kalaikathir’ magazine, founded by Dr G R Damodaran to spread science through Tamil said that one of the major challenges they face is to take developments to the general population. Those interested in participating in the seminar should contact Sivashanmugam at 0422-2428401.
source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Coimbatore> Tamil / TNN / November 28th, 2013
To ensure a continuous supply of fresh vegetables to urban markets, the State Horticulture Department will set up 40 collection centres and 100 retail outlets in Coimbatore and Chennai.
Speaking to Express on the sidelines of Farm to Fork: Challenges and Opportunities in Indian Agribusiness & Food Processing Industry, organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry here, Satyabrata Sahoo, State commissioner, Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Agriculture Department said that the State government had sought expression of interest from aggregators or private entrepreneurs for setting up 16 collections centres.
The aim is to create a forward linkage from rural to urban areas.
He said that Chennai and Coimbatore would have 50 retail outlets each under the scheme.
The move will ensure an assured income to farmers in rural areas adjoining the cities. Clusters of farmers will be formed to supply produce to a society run by the farmers at the district level.
Private entrepreneurs or aggregators will be engaged to collect, sort, grade and pack the produce at their location and supply it to retail outlets in the city. This scheme will be implemented as a public private partnership, he said.
Sahoo said that rooftop gardening would soon be implemented in the State in 12,000 places.
“We have called for tenders,” he added.
Nine thousand of these will be taken up in the city while 3,000 rooftops in Coimbatore will be converted into gardens.
Earlier, addressing the gathering, Michael Carter, Australian Trade commissioner said that Australia’s Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), Department of Biotechnology, had entered into a `148 million partnership to help stamp out iron-deficiency anaemia, a major cause of maternal death during childbirth.
The project will see new strains of iron-rich bananas.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Education> Student / by Express News Service – Chennai / November 28th, 2013
At the 9am mass today at the Church of Teresa of Avila in Nungambakkam, about 40 musicians of various faiths will come together to pay homage to the Christian patron saint of music, St Cecilia. While the feast of St Cecila is actually celebrated on November 22 world over, a 38-year-old tradition at St Teresa’s Church honours her with a special mass attended by a 40-piece orchestra and a 20-member choir on the nearest Sunday.
“A commemorative mass was being celebrated since the 1920s at the Presentation Church on Mount Road, but the tradition moved to St Teresa’s 38 years ago,” says Fr P J Laurence Raj, the parish priest. Incidentally, while music festivals and recitals in honour of St Cecilia take place every year on her feast day, the earliest recorded festival took place in Normandy in 1570.
The annual tradition plays out without fuss. An ensemble of independent musicians, many of whom play for the film industry, and the likes of A R Rahman, Illayaraja, Harris Jayaraj and Pritam gather on the assigned morning of the mass to strike up a rousing orchestral performance during the liturgy. “They perform every year for free, because they want to do something for God,” says Jerry Fernandes, coordinator of the programme. Fernandes, a violinist who has played for Illayaraja since his first movie, is leader of the Madras Chamber Orchestra.
“Because it’s a liturgical performance, the programme comprises only of hymns, but we play a marching tune at the end of the service, of which one or two encores are often requested,” says Fernandes. One of the veteran performers at the mass is Kerala Kumar, a 57-year-old freelance violinist who has played for Malayalam music director M Jayachandran (films like ‘Pranayam’ and ‘Celluloid’) and Tamil composer D Imman (of such films as ‘Kumki’ and ‘Mynaa’).
“I have been performing at this mass for the last 15 years, for the love of music, and the love of God,” he claims. For cellist P S Srinivas, who plays for Illayaraja and A R Rahman, music is above religion and this is why he has been part of this special ensemble for the last 25 years.
source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / TNN / November 24th, 2013
A first aid kit for snake bite at Adventure Shoppe in Coimbatore / Photo: K. Ananthan / The Hindu
Nature enthusiast A. Sivakumar speaks to K. Jeshi on how hitting the outdoors brings alive the conservationist in every traveller
He spends weekends in the company of birds, butterflies and Nature. He goes trekking in Wayanad, Mudumalai and the Niligiris and believes enjoying Nature is the first step in conservation. “You take ownership and want to give something back,” says A. Sivakumar.
He enrolled as a member of Salim Ali Naturalist Forum (SANF) for bird watching. During an outing, he realised that trekkers often sourced camping and trekking equipment from other States. That’s when he got the idea of starting Adventure Shoppe. It stocks equipment for camping and trekking, riding, racing and wildlife management, and has compact travel kits and accessories. “We want to encourage people to travel more. The idea is to kindle the conservationist in every traveller,” says Sivakumar.
Initially, orders were hard to come by. Sivakumar persisted, personally meeting forest officials, wildlife and Nature enthusiasts, birders and conservationists. “The word spread. My first order was for 10 sleeping bags for the Forest Department,” he recalls.
Slowly, he was approached for providing equipment (carabiner, hooks, climbing rope and body harness) for windmill installations and cleaning of high-rises. Sivakumar explored wildlife management equipment and introduced a range of camera traps. “The Forest Department uses it to record wildlife. Recently, it also helped them arrest a poacher,” he points out.
A camera trap at Adventure Shoppe in Coimbatore / Photo: K. Ananthan / The Hindu
What’s new?
All the products are imported from the U.S. and South East Asian countries. “Selecting the right product, supplier and brand makes up 70 per cent of our work. We go in for CE-certified products as we are dealing with lives. Hundreds of products hit the market every day and we keep a watch on what’s new.” There is stiff online competition, but credibility keeps us going, he says. This wildlife enthusiast has also supplied 5,000 snake bite first-aid kits to 240 battalions of the CRPF. “In 2010, we got just five kits because we weren’t sure about the product. The former Director-General K. Vijayakumar saw the product on our website. They found the product useful. In fact, the kit saved the life of one of my friends Rajkumar, who worked as honorary wildlife warden of Nagarhole.”
Sivakumar’s clientele is spread across the country and includes conservationists, racers, riders, climbers, trekkers and corporate houses, besides Government departments. Recently, he supplied multi-function watches for Indian Air Force pilots. They track heart beat, altitude, latitude, longitude and work as a barometer.
At the shop
He walks me down his shop in Fun Republic. There are temperature-specific sleeping bags (that can keep you comfortable even at minus five degrees!), infra red and no-flash camera traps, scuba-diving accessories, archery equipment, fishing accessories, racing suit for riders, backpacks…. There is also a mini refrigerator, Swiss knife, riding luggage for bikers, universal dynamo charger for cell phones, gloves, boots and helmets. The latest addition is wildlife T-shirts.
A.Sivakumar of Adventure Shoppe / Photo: K. Ananthan / The Hindu
He says there is great potential for his products in Coimbatore. “People from here often travel to the Himalayas and Rishikesh. They buy water-proof shoes, hiking poles and winter clothing. They also buy compact travel accessories such as foldable chairs, cots and a multi-fuel cooking stove that works on petrol, diesel or kerosene.”
In the pipeline are plans to launch a no-flash camera traps for home security and a life straw with an inbuilt filter. It ensures that the water trekkers drink from any open body is instantly filtered.
Sivakumar says weekend travel has taken off in a big way. So has dirt biking. “Customers ask for helmets that cost Rs. 40,000 or more. They are aware and prioritise on safety.”
He also helps travellers makes the transition to conservation. “I tell them that photographing Nature alone won’t do. They should stay connected with Nature, observe and conserve. It helps them stay stress free.” Sivakumar follows what he preaches. He takes off on his Royal Enfield 500 cc bike during the weekends. “I am a biker and a conservationist,” he smiles.
Trekking essentials
Good footwear, sleeping bag, compass or GPS, first-aid kit, camping tents, backpacks, water bottles, rain coats, protective gear, multi-fuel stove. “One has to go prepared inside a forest. You need to wear protective shoes to avoid ankle injury. Carry sleeping bags to protect yourself from lizards, snakes, and insects. A pepper spray works as self-defence, and also distracts elephants and bears.”
Camps for children
Sivakumar and a couple of friends have started Iternis that arranges two-day, two-night treks and nature camps for children and adults. Call: 9843222000.
To know more, visit: www.adventureshoppe.com
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by K. Jeshi / Coimbatore – November 21st, 2013
Ancient and rare rock murals reflecting the pre-historic character of the district have been discovered in the Tirumayyam Fort premises, an official said today.
The existence of rock paintings which depict dances that existed in 5000 BC was known earlier, historian and District Chief Educational Officer N Arulmurugan said.
The paintings, made with red colour painting material, were found during a study of the Fort by a team of historians, including himsef, he told reporters here.
“The rock paintings at the Fort reflect the pre-historic character of the district… They are older than the murals of Sithannavasal, painted between 7th and 9th AD,” he said.
The painting on one side of the cap shaped rock near the entrance of the fort had faded. But on the otherside one can see row of paintings including one depicting man and a woman lying down in reclining posture.
Another painting is a dance programme wherein a couple are playing some musical instruments and another couple dancing holding their hands. This type of dance was mentioned in ancient Tamil literature ‘Tolkapiam’ as “Undattu” (a dance), he said adding a spectator, probably the queen or the chief of the area, had been separately drawn in a big size.
On the northern side of rock also many images had been painted. One of them showed several men following a woman in a queue.
Paintings had also been found on the roof of the cave between the Shiva and Vishnu temples in the fort. Some paintings show about the use of animals as a mode of transport and use of weapons made from rock for hunting animals.
Arulmurugan urged the archaeological department to protect the paintings.
The district was one of home of pre-historic man. A very large number of burial sites have been found. In and around Pudukkottai, there are many vestiges of the oldest habitations of man and some of the lithic records known in the south.
source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> PTI Stories> National> News / by Press Trust of India / Pudukottai (TN) / November 22nd, 2013
With SpiceJet’s Madurai-Dubai flight taking off tonight, putting the customs airport in the Temple City on an expansion mode, a stall exclusively for Madurai malli (jasmine), which the city is famous for, was opened to promote the flower known for its fragrance in the international market.
N. Jegatheesan, malli exporter and president of Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, has taken a small 4×4 square feet space at the international terminal on rent to make the queen of flowers available for arriving and departing passengers.
The neatly strung fresh jasmines, tied with banana fibre, is sold in two boxes1.5 m long strand for Rs 100, and 3 m long string for Rs 300. Given that stringing the buds is an art perfected by the flower sellers of Madurai, and is looked at with awe by tourists, a skilled jasmine ‘weaver’ has been engaged to keep tying the flowers to demonstrate the craft to tourists.
Union minister of state for commerce and industry E.M. Sudarsana Natchiappan, who inaugurated the stall on Friday, welcomed the move to have a stand for Madurai malli at the airport as the flower, like the Meenakshi temple, is synonymous with the city’s heritage. He urged the trade and industrialists to take steps to promote the flower in the international market.
On day one, the patronage for malli boxes was good. “We kept 50 boxes for sale as it was the opening day. But to our surprise, all were sold out even before the arrival of passengers of the inaugural Dubai flight,” Jegatheesan said. If the swanky airport sports a jasmine stall now to help passengers grab a strand or two, the book Madurai Malligai authored by educationist, Dr Uma Kannan, has already been made available to help international tourists have an insight of the city’s ubiquitous flower and its versatility.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com/ Deccan Chronicle / Home> News> Current Affairs / DC / November 23rd, 2013
If habits die hard, then good habits must be inculcated in kids from impressionable ages. This was the thinking behind the distribution of baby toilets made of plastic to 65 people in the first phase of the scheme, said Trichy Corporation may A Jaya.
Distributing the baby toilets to the parents at the corporation office, Jaya said this was part of the government’s commitment to make the state open defecation-free by 2015. In the rural areas, the government was implementing a host of measures to underline hygiene education for effective behaviour change under the total sanitation campaign (TSC), but it was the first time baby toilets were distributed in the city.
“In the corporation and municipal limits, as many as 30% of the people still defecate in the open and at the least the children from the stage of infants must be taught against defecating in the open. Hence, the scheme is introduced by the state government,” said V P Thandapani, corporation commissioner.
Known as ‘mini-toilets’ the portable plastic pieces would be provided in higher number to cover all those who needed them, said Dhandapani. “This is to inculcate the habit of using the toilets at home, so that they do not think of defecating in the open,” he explained. Research proves that the children could be brought to such a good habit within a matter of a week, he further said.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City>Trichy / TNN / November 19th, 2013
Chennai-based drugmaker Arvind Remedies has filed for patenting a new drug for treating chikungunya, chicken pox, and combating the herpes viruses such as Varivella Zoster Virus, and Human Herpes.
The drug, slated for clinical trials, will be formulated into a product with higher bio-availability and minimum side effects, according to a release by the company.
The company had signed agreements in 2010 with Presidency College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu Veterinary & Animal Sciences University, and Indian Institute of Integrative Medicines, Jammu, for developing the drug.
source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home> Companies / Chennai – November 19th, 2013
Hirotec India Pvt Ltd (HIPL) is in preliminary discussions with automobile original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to supply car doors that are currently produced by the carmakers themselves. While not disclosing the names of the OEMs, senior company executives said one in located in Maharashtra and another in Gujarat. If the discussion are fruitful, the production facility will be located close to the OEMs.
Speaking to newsmen on Tuesday to announce the commencement of work on HIPL’s new Keeranatham plant near here, Takahiro Hayama, Director and President, HIPL, Coimbatore, said the company is focusing on the production of closure (doors, hood and deck lid), assembly tooling and hemming systems.
The construction of the first phase of 75,000 sq ft built-up area at Keeranatham will be completed at an investment of Rs 40 crore.
Explaining why HIPL chose Coimbatore to locate the factory, he said tooling manufacture for the automobile industry is now turning local as companies look for cost efficiencies. HIPL, which is part of the $1.3-billion Hirotec Group, hopes to gain from the engineering skill available locally as its new facility becomes operational in 2014.
The company has invested about Rs 25 crore in its existing facilities and hopes to witness a three-fold increase in turnover to Rs 120 crore during the current fiscal. Geeth Narayanan, VP-Engineering, HIPL, said the facility will focus on tools for the manufacture of closure panels like car doors. The company counts almost all OEMs as its customers, Narayanan said. Apart from the first phase, the factory has space for the construction of another 1 lakh sq ft. This facility is important for HIPL as it will “get more work done out of Coimbatore”.
Senthil Kumar Parthasarathy, VP-Business Development, asked about the group’s plans for a car door manufacturing plant, said the company is in discussions with an Indian OEM on the lookout for such a supplier. But the required volume is currently low. HIPL is looking at a few other OEMs so that the cumulative volume will be higher “to leverage on the investment” (for the plant).
For achieving economy of scale, a minimum annual volume of 2 lakh units will be required, Hayama said. From past experience of the group, a global player in this product segment, he would put the investment requirement at $30-$40 million for a door manufacturing plant.
source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home> Companies /by R. Yegya Narayanan / Coimbatore – November 19th, 2013
“we will be crossing yet another milestone in our branch expansion programme by opening of our 400th branch on the 22nd November, 2013 at 25/59 K B Dhasan Road, Teynampet, Chennai – 600018.
The Bank was started at the temple town of Kumbakonam as a part of Swadeshi Movement to support Local Agriculture and Commerce in the year 1904 and entered the 110th year of service to the nation on 31st October, 2013.
The 400th branch will be opened by the Veteran freedom fighter and personal Secretary of Mahatma Gandhiji, Shri. V. Kalyanam.
The bank proudly dedicates this milestone to the participants in the Swadeshi Movement, Freedom Fighters and Customers / Stake holders / Employees of the bank -past, present and future.”
