VIT University here has decided to honour Sathish Kumar, the Vellore youth who won a gold medal for India in the 77-kg class in weightlifting in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, through a cash award. The university would felicitate him at a function to be held here after his return.
In a release VIT chancellor G Viswanathan said, the university would extend all support, including financial assistance, to Sathish Kumar, whose father N Sivalingam was also a national weightlifter and a security guard in the university.
Expressing happiness at Sathish’s achievements, Viswanathan, the founder president of the North Arcot Weightlifting Association for over 20 years said that he had done not only India and Tamil Nadu proud but also Vellore in a big way.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Express News Service / July 31st, 2014
Tambaram Sanatorium hospital was opened in 1928. This photograph was taken in 1936. Photo: The Hindu Archives / The Hindu
It is a little-known fact that the southern suburb of Tambaram is older than Madras itself.
A few centuries before East India Company acquired a small patch of land, now known as Chennai, there were several pockets in its vicinity which flourished, Tambaram being among them.
Chennai’s expansion, fuelled by the establishment of premier institutions and the creation of a railway hub, has bolstered Tambaram’s status as an important nerve centre in the immediate vicinity of the city’s limits.
1931 first electrified metre gauge train service in the country ran in the country ran between Tambaram and Chennai beach
1937 Madras Christian College, in its 100th year, moved to East Tambaram from George Town
1954 Indian Air Force Station, a premier training institution, was set up
DID YOU KNOW!Tambaram finds mention as ‘Taamapuram’ in temple inscriptions, notably the one Dating back to the 13th century, on the walls around the sanctum sanctorum at Marundeeswarar temple in Tirukachur village near Chengalpattu
A number of pockets around Tambaram have managed to retain their old charm, with life moving at an idyllic pace in sheer contrast to the outside world.
Chennai’s expansion, fuelled by the establishment of premier institutions and the creation of a railway hub, has bolstered Tambaram’s status as an important nerve centre in the immediate vicinity of the city’s limits. Photo: The Hindu Archives
“There were only lush green fields all over Tambaram. Living close to the Indian Air Force station, we used to get unlimited pleasure at the sight of aircrafts taking off. We were even allowed to go close to the runway when we were children,” recalls K. Loganathan (55), whose family has lived in Selaiyur for three generations.
For A. Suresh, the best part of his childhood was spending time with friends in the massive vacant spaces of Railway Colony.
“Our generation was very fortunate to be able to get a close look at steam engines. The railway staff was friendly and showed us how the engine worked. We used to play hide and seek in the long rows of goods wagons in the yard,” he says.
Tambaram has had its share of scare factor too. “The area known as ‘maan thoppu’ (mango grove) was much feared, and all the children in its vicinity were told to be home before sunset,” says E. Chandrashekar, another resident.
“Tambaram has its own rightful place in history,” says Johnson Wesley, a teacher, who predicts the suburb will continue to play a pivotal role in the city’s future too.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / K. Manikandan / Chennai – July 30th, 2014
Many forgotten memories were rekindled at College of Engineering, Guindy, on Saturday, when the class of 1985-89 got together to celebrate 25 years of passing out.
For Ravi Appan, who now works for Ericsson in the U.S., it was a chance to return to his alma mater and reconnect with the people from his past.
“The college was where I first met my wife, over 25 years ago. Although I had visited my college once, around 15 years ago, today was the first time I had the chance to really look at the campus,” he said.
The idea for the alumni meeting came up around six months ago, when P. Gopalakrishnan and R. Mahesh got together and decided the entire batch should meet. “Initially, we had just around 20 people signing up, and we almost dropped the plan. The impetus came when, around four weeks ago, close to 100 people agreed to come,” said Mr. Gopalakrishnan. “There is now a tentative plan to meet again in 2039, when we complete 50 years,” he said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / Staff Reporter / Chennai – July 27th, 2014
Picture for representational purpose (Photo: PTI/File)
Chennai:
The city based Combat Vehicles Research & Development Establishment (CVRDE) would soon come up with a futuristic battle tank that would trace an incoming missile from the enemy camp and retaliate with its own missile combining passive and active protection systems.
CVRDE director Dr P. Sivakumar on Monday said that their laboratory had embarked on a mission to develop a futuristic battle tank that would come with active protection system to safeguard the tank from Fin Stabilized Armour Piercing Discarding Sabot (FSAPDS) ammunition, the most lethal kinetic energy ammunition, capable of destroying all known tank armour. FSA PDS travels at a speed of over 1,700 metres per second and no country in the world has developed a technology to protect their tanks from such a lethal kinetic weapon.
“Countries like Israel, Russia, Germany and Sweden have technology for ammunition that travels at 1,000 metres per second and we are the first country to work in kinetic energy threats (missiles that travel at over 1,700 metres per second),” Dr Sivakumar said while speaking to DC on the sidelines of an international conference on energy materials at Sathyabama University.
Pointing out that CVR DE had incorporated softkill technology (passive protection technology) in main battle tank Arjun Mark 2, the eminent scientist said that if the enemy fires a missile using an infrared weapon, softkill passive technology in Arjun mark 2 would jam the infrared rays as it had only passive technology.
“Suppose the enemy fires a laser guided missile or a beam rider missile (BRM), etc, in such cases the futuristic battle tank will have laser sensors, which will identify whether it is fired from laser guided machine or BRM. The active protection system would launch grenades, which will generate smoke. By this process, we are going to hide our tank and the tank would also retaliate at the enemy by launching a missile. This way we are combining passive protection system and active protection system in a battle tank,” he said.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / DC / N. Arun Kumar / July 29th, 2014
S Adimoolam, a small-time waste paper trader in Chennai, employs his own family members. Apart from cutting cost, Adimoolam saves by not spending on hiring or on rents as he operates from his own small shop.
Adimoolam is not alone. He is part of a large community which is spreading entrepreneurial movement in the state.
Consequently, Tamil Nadu has emerged top among states having more household-enterprises, says the latest Economic Census released by the National Statistical Association on Wednesday. The state has 48.36% of the establishments within households out of the total establishments in the state. The national average is 38.39%.
“There are many small establishments which work from home or as cottage industries in the state. The jobs for these establishments come from big industrial units which outsource part of their work,” business economist Raman Mahadevan told TOI. These establishments quote a lower price for the job they do and it is a win-win situation for the big industry as well as the household establishment, he said.
Adimoolam for example, mainly deals with waste paper and his wife and other relatives manage the photocopier machine and electronic typing unit. “I am not educated but with whatever I know I manage the waste paper business but my wife and others take care of the copier machines and also sell prepaid mobile cards. The shop is owned by my family and therefore we save on rent and labour by employing ourselves,” said Adimoolam.
In other areas of the state, household establishments take up jobs of making small components for industries.
“For a household establishment, there is no fixed cost in the form of provident fund and other expenditure incurred by companies for employing people on their rolls. Thus a job which normally used to be done in the company itself is being outsourced,” said Mahadevan. The example in rural areas of household establishments is the beedi rolling industry, he said.
Across the country, there are 58.47 million establishments, including those in households. Uttar Pradesh has 67 lakh establishments, followed by Maharashtra with 61.25 lakh and Tamil Nadu comes third with 50.52 lakh establishments. The overall growth rate in number of establishments during the intervening period of 2005 and 2013 is 41.73% and employment grew by 34% during that period.
In terms of employment, Maharasthra has 11.26% (1.43 crore) of the total employment in establishments excluding crops production, plantation, public administration, defence & compulsory social security services activities).
This is followed by UP with 10.77% (1.37 crore) and five states, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Gujarat have the combined share of about 46.63% of total employment in establishments at the country level.
There are about 21.93 lakh handicraft/handloom establishments, accounting 3.75% of the total number of establishments in the country.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> India / B. Sivakumar, TNN / July 31st, 2014
VIT Chancellor G Viswanthan handing over prizes to one of the winning teams, which participated in the ‘Makeathon 2014’ | EXPRESS
Vellore :
The US-based Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and VIT University here have joined hands to set up what they say is the first-of-its-kind incubator facility at VIT, to promote innovations by the student community.
This was disclosed by Dr Kenneth Eugine Paik, director of Sana, a volunteer organisation.
He was here to take part in the ‘Makeathon 2014’ organised jointly by the MIT and VIT on its campus since Saturday last.
Speaking to Express on Monday, Paik said, “This is first-its-kind facility that we would be setting up in India with an emphasis on capacity-building of the students to convert their ideas into business models and later patenting them also. This way we would be channelising the interest of students to the betterment of the community,” he further said. The MIT team would help as patrons and mentors for the students. An MoU would also be signed between the two universities in this regard, he added.
Paik and his colleagues from MIT and University of California have been camping at VIT, to judge the ‘Makeathon 2014’ in which around 450 students had participated.
VIT Vice-Chancellor Dr V Raju said that 34 judges and 47 mentors were involved in the selection of the best prototypes of products developed by the students in 36 hours of non-stop work. A total of 28 teams had worked on healthcare, 18 on automation, 21 on energy and 10 on media science-related products. According to him, the programme was the brainchild of the creation lab that has been set up at VIT to encourage students to find simple solutions to compelling problems affecting society. VIT vice-president Sekar Viswanathan, while handing over prizes to the winning teams at a function held on Monday, said, “We need to encourage students to think freely. The traditional education system did not do this. Universities must promote free thinking by the students and VIT had already taken a lead in this direction.”
VIT Chancellor G Viswanthan, while appreciating the students’ efforts, said VITA had been a trend setter and the Fully Flexible Credit System (FFCS) that was introduced by VIT four years ago was being introduced by IIT- Khargpur this year.
Jay Patravali, a third year student of VIT, who had received an award at the Makeathon for developing software to enable robots communicate was upbeat with his idea. He said this software would have wide application in healthcare sector to help a surgeon to perform a surgery with the help of robots.
Sankalp and his team received an award for developing a low-cost Braille printer using any language.
Omkar and his team had developed a cranking portable mobilephone charger while Junwar and his team were awarded for developing an acupressure pad that could activate particular organs in the body.
The selected teams would also be participating in a ‘hackathon’ that is to be organised by Honeywell next month.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by V NarayanaMurthi / July 30th, 2014
Adithya Sivasankar and G. Prashanthi from Sri Akilandeswari Vidyalaya, Trichy, won the zonal final held in the city / Photo: M. Srinath / The Hindu
Sixty-five teams participated in the INTACH quiz, commemorating the 30th anniversary of the trust
Which is the area in the city that served as the horse stable for the Nawab of Carnatic? Which Indian island speaks Dhivehi, a language typically spoken in the Maldives?
If these questions leave you flummoxed, you may be surprised at the confidence with which teenagers of classes VII to X, participating in the Chennai Round of the INTACH India Heritage Quiz 2014, shot back answers without so much as batting an eyelid.
Held at Asian College of Journalism, the quiz series commemorated the 30 anniversary of INTACH or the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage.
Sujatha Shankar, convenor, INTACH Chennai Chapter, said, “As a society we tend to take our heritage for granted. We hope by such efforts the next generation takes ownership and gets involved in protecting what is ours.”
The quiz itself saw 65 teams of two each participating from over 20 schools across the city. The team of Arjun Pant and Sachin Vinaayak from Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Annanagar, went on to the zonal finals. Here, they met their counterparts from Pondicherry, Ooty, Kodaikanal, Salem, Madurai, Trichy and Coimbatore.
The winners of the zonal final were Adithya Sivasankar and G. Prashanthi from Sri Akilandeswari Vidyalaya, Trichy. The girls will soon be on national television representing the southern zone in the national semi-finals and finals to be held in Delhi.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / Staff Reporter / Chennai – July 18th, 2014
In-house canteens are an integral part of the campus. Photo: M. Karunakaran / The Hindu
From idli-vadai-pongal to vempampoo rasam and filter coffee, Chennai’s canteens have it all
Legend has it that the strike in Binny Mills in 1921 started over food. Led by V. Kalyanasundaram, it lasted six months, but was suppressed when the management tactically split workers into two groups, using canteen hierarchy. But the struggle didn’t go waste: It spawned the first workers’ union and the employee canteen got established on firm ground.
Today, every departmental canteen in Chennai has history added to its menu. “The 250-year-old College of Engineering, Guindy, gave south Indian industry its basic structure, which included the workers’ canteen,” says painter Srinivasan N., analysing the canteen concept. “In manpower-rich manufacturing, subsidised food is seen as a way to keep workers happy. Whether autonomous (IIT, DD, Anna University, Chennai Port Trust), Government-controlled (Ordnance Factory, Ripon building, ONGC, Southern Railway) or private (TAFE, Hyundai, Leyland), in-house canteens are an integral part of the campus. Now, brain-powered IT industries have switched to food courts,” he remarks.
Whether brick and mortar or chrome and steel, canteens here are a no-frills service. You check the prices of the standardized menu on the blackboard, buy coupons and accordingly collect food at the counter. Hot, soft idlis, crispy vadas, and thin dosais along with ‘meals’ are a staple.
Have you been to any of these?
AIR
The canteen opened on December 1, 1974 and shifted to the separate tower block in 1984. The shift at AIR starts at 6 a.m. and at 8 the staff is assembled in the canteen. Newsreaders are the first to choose from idli, puri, dosa or pongal and get their fill of tea or coffee. You can come back for bajji, vadai and bonda till noon, and after that you can go for a lunch thali that consists of rice, sambar, rasam, two vegetables, buttermilk, pickle and appalam for Rs 20. Peckish at 4 p.m.? Try out the kara sevai, butter murukku and the bajji.
While the pathway and the hall need sprucing up, nothing can dim the thrill of being in a place where Chennai’s luminaries broke bondas. “L.K. Advani came here in the 80s and had special coffee,” says Dr. Selva Peter, Deputy Director/Hony. Secretary of the canteen, listing out the celebrity visitors: Kannadasan, T.M. Soundararajan, P.B. Srinivas, L.R. Easwari, Sivaji Ganesan, Ilayaraja, Vairamuthu among others.
During the two years of the Isai Saaral programme, all popular Carnatic and Hindustani singers were treated to snacks, Selva Peter says.
Although the canteen staff number has dwindled, the cooks still serve “guests” from the Police Commissionerate nearby, Bank of India, Santhome branch and the Crime Records Bureau. At the All-India staff training workshop, out-of-state participants wanted to know which hotel the food was from. Not surprisingly, Sankaran, head cook since 1974, was quickly re-appointed when he retired.
Doordarshan
I join Dr. Balaramani, Asst. Director/Hony. Canteen Secretary for a special thali lunch that included bright orange jalebis and sweet mango pieces. “We make sure our guests visit the canteen and we ask them to try a meal. It costs no more than Rs. 44 (lunch is Rs. 25),” he says. Post-recording, artistes, accompanists and theatre assistants head straight to the canteen. “Only the fussiest stars leave without tasting the day’s fare,” he says.
Starting small in 1975, the canteen went departmental in 1980. “Our canteen is exclusively for the 500 plus staff, resource persons, AIR FM transmitter engineers on the premises, home guards and the TN Women Police on guard duty,” Balaramani says. The canteen specialises in dosai varieties, on Tuesdays you get idli-vadai-pongal-upma, Thursdays are for puri-masala and keerai vadai. At 1 p.m. you can choose from the lunch thali and variety rice, at 3 p.m. it is bajji, dosai, tea/coffee and kesari.
The Doordarshan dining hall too has been graced by a galaxy of cinema and theatre artistes. Helpers have served actors Vivek and Nasser, Vairamuthu, Kutti Padmini, Kathadi Ramamurthy, Delhi Ganesh, R.S. Manohar, Nagesh and G.V. Prakash. The canteen is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., five days a week, but was open for 18 hours on election counting day.
“This canteen is more than a mother to us,” says Sethu Madavan, who joined in 1986. “Today, a canteen employee’s children are engineers. We enter the hall with a prayer that the day’s work should go smoothly,” he says.
AGS Office
Annapurani of AGS office, they call their canteen of more than 50 years, in a nod to their women-dominated workforce. Homely food goes to all the offices in the complex, and if you are here, you can’t leave without sipping their coffee. Even though the canteen went from co-operative to departmental, conventional to steam cooking, plantain leaves to plates, the aroma of coffee is a constant, say officials. While vadais are permanent, major breakfast foods are on a weekly rotational basis. Lunch is served in a thali, but if you fancy tiffin, that is available too. One item you don’t want to miss is the rasam say insiders. Also, plan your visit — Monday for pongal and Friday for the famed rice upma-vathakozhambu combo.
Close to 400 officials pile in for breakfast and lunch. For the single, married-with-kids and long-distance commuters, the canteen is a boon – the food is good and the rates are low. Curd rice is rated high, as is the neer-moru. You can also pick from chappathi or mixed rice varieties. Food combos have add-ons like sweets and coffee.
A meal costs Rs. 15, coffee is Rs. 5 per cup. The canteen maintains quality by buying provisions from its co-operative store in the complex. Cleanliness is religion — steam cookers hiss, mechanical scrubbers clean up plates, a machine kneads dough, huge exhausts keep the spot smoke-free and an RO plant provides water.
If the sitting area gleams, the counter looks like it’s from a popular fast-food joint. Everything smells class, and most AGs are patrons.
The canteen prepares and supplies snacks for office functions, higher officials’ visits and farewell treats to save on office budgets. During Deepavali, the kitchen prepares 1.5 MT of mixture and nearly one MT of sweets, so make sure you order the special mixture and boondhi laddu. “The office canteen is an extension of our kitchen,” say employees. For me, its best feature is its proximity to the parking area.
Anna University
As students, parents and guardians gather anxiously at Anna University grounds during admission season, the one place that keeps them smiling all day is the “main” canteen. The food is cheap – Rs. 16 for a full thali and Rs. 4 for coffee, apart from the sweets and ice-cream which are on offer all year round.
While the campus is 250 years old, the canteen has its own history. Generations of students have succumbed to its gastronomical charms.
“My mentor Ravi and I would bunk classes, sit under the aalamaram opposite the CEG canteen and order bread omelette. Whenever I was asked which branch of engineering I was in, I’d say canteen branch,” said Crazy Mohan. Bread omelette was his son’s favourite too, at AU.
“People from the Cancer Institute and Science City take parcels of the healthy, non-spicy food,” said Registrar Dr. Ganesh, reminding me that the canteen bans soft drinks and preservatives. “The pav bhaji is very good here, have it with fresh fruit juice,” recommends Srinivasan.
“Prices are affordable, and the food is prepared with clean, modern kitchen equipment. An RO plant and a bio-waste-disposal system are part of this century-old canteen.”
The herbal food canteen at Chennai Corporation Campus. Photo : A. Muralitharan / The Hindu
Ripon Building
The canteen menu of South Indian delicacies at the Ripon Building were upgraded with a herbal touch in 2012. To ward off seasonal sniffles, it serves nilambu kashayam and sukku coffee; its vepampoo(neem) rasam is guaranteed to cure stomach trouble, thoothuvalai soup should help you breathe easy in cold weather.
In an effort to promote millets, the canteen serves varagu, saamai, thinai and kuthiraivali rice varieties. These can be washed down with herbal tea, herbal soups, juices and ginger buttermilk. The kollu (horsegram) rasam helps reduce weight, so eat away at this historic canteen.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Featurer> MetroPlus / Geeta Padmanabhan / Chennai – July 17th, 2014
She is spotted with some of the hottest hunks all over the country and biker-actress Alisha Abdullah enhanced that image recently when she and John Abraham bumped into each other in the city.
She even posted a photo online of the two rekindling their friendship, saying it was fantastic to get back in touch with John. “It was a chance meeting. We both ended up being in the same hotel, but a very fortunate coincidence indeed. I know John from nearly five years back when we were both brand ambassadors for a product, and though we have remained friends over time, you know how difficult it is to keep in touch in our industry. However, he was really excited to see me.”
And the bike-crazy duo apparently decided to collaborate on a project. “When he saw me looking fit and glam, John proposed the idea of working together and I was only too happy to agree, I mean, who wouldn’t? John was as warm and friendly as ever. He’s off to Los Angeles now, but we have set up a meeting for the second week of August to get together and brainstorm. The way he has maintained his body over the years is truly awesome, and I was absolutely gushing over him,” Alisha laughs. While shooting for her second movie is about to start, the racer says she’s struggling to balance her film, sport and fashion commitments. “But when the lure of Bollywood comes calling, it’s hard to say no,” she says.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Entertainment> Tollywood / DC / Gautam Sunder / July 28th, 2014
Santha Sheela Nair, retired IAS officer and vice president of Tamil Nadu Planning Commission, lighting the first lamp at the Chozeeshwarar temple in Gangaikonda Cholapuram on Friday | express
Jayankondam :
People of Gangaikonda Cholapuram and its surrounding villages took pride in celebrating the crowning millennium year of King Rajendra Chola.
Thousands of people, including women and children, thronged the Chozeeshwarar Temple on Friday evening and a huge rally started from Maaligai Medu, the village where remains of the king’s palace were excavated.
Three elephants walked in front of the rally in memory of the king whose skills on the battle field was well known. The elephants were followed by folk artistes, who caught the eye of people as the rally passed by. Slogans praising the king were raised all along the rally.
Writers Balakumaran, Kulothungan and Kudavayil Balasubramaniyan, who wrote books on the king and the temple, Santha Sheela Nair, vice-president of Tamil Nadu Planning Commission, P Senthil Kumar, commissioner of disciplinary proceedings, Nagercoil, K Dhanavel, IAS officer (retd) and Porko, former vice-chancellor of Madras University were taken on a chariot-like vehicle.
The writers were later honoured for their contributions to Gangaikonda Cholapuram.
Meanwhile, in Thanjavur, a torch relay commenced at Thanjavur Big Temple. The rally was flagged off by Collector Dr N Subbaiyan, in the presence of writer Balakumaran, who lit the torch. The torch was escorted through Thanjavur city by 1,000 volunteers on motorcycles.
From Palliagraharam, around 100 volunteers on bikes escorted 20 torch bearers, who took turns in taking the torch to Gangaikonda Cholapuram.
The torch was used to light up 1,000 lamps around the temple in Gangaikonda Cholapuram. The Thanjavur chapter of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) made arrangements for the torch rally. The team of torch bearers later joined the rally.
A huge crowd welcomed the rally when it reached the temple. Around 6.30 pm, Santha Sheela Nair lit the first lamp at the temple, after which a thousand small lamps were lit by women, marking the millennial year of the king’s coronation.
Ramu (75) of Thottikulam village, said, “I haven’t seen such a joyful festival before. When I was young I heard a lot about King Rajendra Chola and this temple. Only now am I seeing how the people are celebrating the king. The joy of people here gives me the feeling that the king is alive and in our midst.” Later, a grand symposium was held on the temple and writers and historians spoke about King Rajendra Chola’s achievements in various fields.
(With inputs from TNIE Thanjavur correspondent)
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by K. Ezhilarasan – ENS / July 26th, 2014
