V.Vaikunth and S.Christopher pose with their rooftop solar panels and solar devices. (Photo: DC)
Chennai:
S.Christopher and V.Vaikunth are no ordinary engineering students. They are creating a revolution in the solar power industry, designing and manufacturing their own solar powered devices. These third year engineering students at Sathyabama University have started to make waves in the industry. They have installed their devices in more than 10 educational institutions and commercial establishments.
“There are several misconceptions about solar energy such as they can be used only for a short period. We wanted to disprove these, so we began a company to produce and install solar powered devices. We have been working together for six years on solar research and have done several installations,” Christopher, the mechanical engineering student said.
Asked about their unique selling proposition (USP), the young entrepreneurs instantaneously said, “We refurbish solar panels which are as old as 10 years and reuse it, which brings down the cost of the project, as people think solar is expensive.” The two young students started a company “Vaik & Chris Stalz” to commercialise their products. Vaik & Chris Stalz, which has a gamut of solar household products also plans to produce solar bike, solar car and solar quadrapros.
Continuing their success story, Vaikunth said that they had not only ventured into the solar power industry but computer accessories too. “We have come up with a change in the computer’s printer, according to which a person need not use the printer’s inbuilt cartridge, and can instead use an external toner, which we have developed so that your ink does not get exhausted,” Vaikunth, a third year electronics and instrumentation student said.
Presently, these young entrepreneurs have installed solar powered street lights at Sathyabama University, and a solar power generation unit at a voluntary service organisation in Chengalpattu.
Let’s make history in solar power and become a global leader in this technology to make India’s flag fly high, was what these students said when asked about their ambitions.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / DC Correspondent / August 03rd, 2014
Hero stones, commemorating the death of persons who have laid down their life in battle or died while fighting for the cause of a particular community, can be seen in places near Thirumoorthi Hills and Gudimangalam. Photo: Special Arrangement / The Hindu
The space is not commensurate with the number of artefacts on display-exhibits made of stone are often kept on the ground in poorly lit corners and at locations that hamper visitor movement.
A visit to the district museum is unlikely to figure in the list of places one likes to spend time on a holiday. For, not many know that there exists a museum in almost every district in the region, which partly has to do with it low-key presence in locations where the rent is affordable. Invariably the locations are government owned buildings.
The poor patronage has to do with the way the museums are maintained. The space is not commensurate with the number of artefacts on display-exhibits made of stone are often kept on the ground in poorly lit corners and at locations that hamper visitor movement. In some museums a few items are in the open, outside the premises.
Security at the museums is another issue. In a few museums, valuable finds are no longer there as the Department of Museums has shifted it to Chennai. Historians and history enthusiasts, who wish to remain anonymous, want the Tamil Nadu Government to improve the museums in the region in such a fashion that they become a sought-after destination.
The Hindu looks at some of the museums in the region and how they fare.
In Udhagamandalam, the Government Museum is awaiting new place – the wait is around a quarter-a-century old. And, it will end in 2015 when it moves to the Connemora Cottage. At present it functions at a rented building on the Ooty-Mysore Road.
The Connemora Cottage is near the historical Stone House, which now forms part of the Government Arts College. The Cottage, constructed in 1884-85, is named after Lord Connemora. At its present location, the Museum attracts only about a hundred visitors a month during the off season period. During the season, the Curator K.A.Murugavel claims, the flow increases. The items on display are coins, megalithic burial urns, tribal goods, stuffed birds, rock art, palm leaf manuscripts and a few musical instruments. A few stone idols have been displayed at the entrance.
Geetha Srinivasan, Convenor, Indian National Trust for Art, Culture and Heritage (INTACH), the Nilgiris Chapter, says the potential for developing the museum is enormous.
In Erode, the Government Museum enjoys the advantage of a good location – it is opposite the VOC Park. This makes the visitors to the Park to hop into the Museum. On an average, not less than 1,000 persons, most of them students, visit the Museum.
Inadequacy of space is, however, conspicuous. Though moving to its own permanent building on a sprawling area would be the permanent solution, the Department of Museums is understandably in a dilemma since there is no certainty that the existing public patronage will continue. The array of stone sculptures placed outside the museum is enough indication of the space constraint.
“Space is a constraint. But the inculcation of the sense of history that the Museum is now able to ensure by virtue of its location is of higher importance,” said S. Jayasankar, Professor of History and Principal of Vasavi College.
Among the prized possessions at the Government Museum is the statue of Lord Dakshinamoorthy dating back to 12th century, the oldest among the collection of statues. Urns used for storing grains, burial urns and materials used by Sholaga tribe of Erode district reflect the civilization in the region.
An excavation at Kodumanal in the district being carried out by a team of Pondicherry University is expected to add to the collection.
In Tirupur, a newly carved district, the demand for museum has only increased. Dr. K. Manivannan, a historian, told The Hindu that a museum was essential for Tirupur so that lots of hero stones and other valuables artefacts presently lying scattered or under the possession of different persons could be brought under one roof.
Hero stones, commemorating the death of persons who have laid down their life in battle or died while fighting for the cause of a particular community, can be seen in places near Thirumoorthi Hills and Gudimangalam, he said.
R. Sangameswaran, an Assistant Professor of History, said setting up a museum would enhance the tourism in the district.
In Salem, the District Museum, functioning since 1975, has exhibits related to numismatics, philately, stone balls and canons, exquisitely-carved stone sculptures and display on articles used by the British. Among the interesting exhibits are the six burial urns that were unearthed in Musiri, Omalur, Mohanur, Kamalapuram and Salem. Each weighs about 80 kg.
A 300-year-old stone carving that was retrieved from Pethanaickenpalayam in Attur that depicts a man taming a bull is on display. A picture of this was submitted as a proof to the Supreme Court in the Jallikattu case to show that the bull taming existed in olden days as well.
Also the wardrobe and articles used by Namakkal V. Ramalingam Pillai were also on display. But those that are in display are in competition with those that are lying dumped in a room, in dust.
Members of the Salem Historical Society had been asking for revamping the museum for a better display of the exhibits, said its secretary J. Barnabas.
Curator M.N. Pushpa told The Hindu that proposal for constructing a new building has already been submitted .
In Coimbatore, the Government Museum is in a pitiable condition because exhibits of historical importance are few. Apart from a few stone idols, urns, megalithic tools and wood carvings from a temple car, there is very little. The floor is damaged and roof is full of cobwebs.
With inputs from D. Radhakrishnan, R. Krishnamoorthy, R. Vimal Kumar, S.P. Saravanan and Karthik Madhavan
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Coimbatore / by Coimbatore Bureau / Coimbatore – August 02nd, 2014
Venkatesan, former director of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) explaining about the abandoned monuments to the volunteers of ‘Ahimsa Walks’ at a cave in Vallimalai in Vellore on Sunday | Express Photo
Vellore :
A group of self-motivated individuals keen on protecting ancient monuments undertook a walk to Vallimalai Hills near here on Sunday to create awareness on the significance of such monuments while underlining the need for protecting the abandoned ones by the Archaeological Survey of India.
Led by Puducherry-based businessman Sridharan, volunteers from across the State held the‘Ahimsa Walk’ to publicise the importance of non-violence and peaceful living, which was preached by Jain saints in Vallimalai region in the eighth century.
“Most of such ancient sites that contain Jain inscriptions are not known to the people by and large. We would like the messages of the Jain saints, who had stayed in caves in various parts of the State since the Sangam period and which have a lot of relevance in today’s turbulent lifestyle, to be understood by the locals and the general public,” said Sridharan. He said the neglected cave temples created by Jain saints and kings in the southern part of Vallimalai should be taken over by ASI or “otherwise we would lose these valuable messages to anti-social activities in these caves,” he said.
Further, he said, Jain saints had evolved these caves as monasteries of peace and social work where they had extended healthcare to locals and inscriptions in this regard could be found out in Vallimalai caves. These monuments contained wealth of information, which were relevant even today and hence should be protected, he added. Sridharan and his team have been undertaking ‘Ahimsa Walks’ since January 2014 mostly in Villupuram district to promote the concept of Ahimsa and to create awareness about the Jain saints of yesteryear who preached ahimsa.
“We started our first walk in Chenji area in Villupuram to create awareness on many abandoned sites that contained Jain monuments. An estimated 500 such sites are present in the State and we would like to organise walks to highlight the significance of each one of them while emphasising the need for protecting them,” he added.
Professor Ramesh, who is heading the Departments of History and Archaeology at a private college in Villupuram and is participating in the walk, said the Sunday walk was the first one in Vellore district. “We usually study the inscriptions in the abandoned sites and document the same during walks,” he said. The abandoned monuments in the caves in the southern part of the Vallimalai Hills eulogised the period of Ganga dynasty in Vellore region during the eighth century, he added.
Noted epigrapher Venkatesan(retired director of ASI), who accompanied the team, quoting an inscription found in Vallimalai caves, said a Jain monastery had been established there by the Ganga King Rajamalla after he captured this region from Chola king and another one at Seeyamangalam.
The next walk by the team would be in Tiruvannamalai district in Seeyamangalam area near Thellar to create awareness about some abandoned Jain caves in the region next month.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> TamilNadu / by V. NarayanaMurthi / August 05th, 2014
It can make a breakthrough in the field of regeneration of organs
What is common between earthworms and liver, a lot says researchers.
Since liver, like earthworm, has got regenerating capacity even though 80 per cent of the glandular organ gets damaged, it is believed that some of the crucial findings of the research being done on the Manonmaniam Sundaranar University campus on earthworm’s regenerative capacity and its genome may help in devising a bio-artificial liver through the researches going on in the highly sophisticated laboratories of the Cedars — Sinai campus in the United States.
The MSU research has attracted the attention of Prof. Vaithi Arumugaswami of Regenerative Medicine Institute, Cedars — Sinai, U.S., who is actively working with a team of scientists on bio-artificial liver through stem cell research for the past few years. Manonmaniam Sundaranar University’s Department of Biotechnology, that has established one of the well-equipped labs in the country, is conducting researches on earthworm and mice to study their regenerative capacity after almost completing the gene mapping of earthworm by a team of researchers led by S. Sudhakar, Head, Department of Biotechnology, MSU.
“Since many of the genes of the earthworm resemble the gene found in humans, we, through the stem cell research, can make a breakthrough in the field of regeneration of organs like liver. We’re working towards this direction,” says Dr. Sudhakar, who had worked in the U.S. for several years.
When he recently met Prof. Vaithi Arumugaswami, the meeting gave a lot of confidence for both sides about significant progress in their respective researches and taking it to the next level with their findings.
“Since viral infection or alcoholism cause liver cirrhosis and liver cancer that ultimately leads to death, we’ve to look for liver transplantation involving huge sum of money and have to wait indefinitely for cadaveric transplantation or for a brain-dead patient. As liver has got regeneration capacity, we, through our researches, try to devise a bio artificial liver,” says Dr. Vaithi, who was at MSU for delivering lectures for the students of biotechnology on Monday.
Towards this direction, Dr. Vaithi, who hails from Kadayam in Tirunelveli district and did his master’s degree in veterinary science Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, and his team are now conducting researches on mice, rat and pig by overloading its liver with liver-toxic medicines like paracetamol or dimethyl-nitro-amine.
“With the gene mapping we have the basis to show a lot of similarities between earthworm, mice and pig, we hope that we can take the research on realising the dream of bio artificial liver to the next level,” hope Dr. Vaithi and Dr. Sudhakar.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Madurai / by Special Correspondent / Tirunelveli – August 06th, 2014
A 900-year-old tree is still being revered and worshipped as “God” by the Kota tribe in Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu.
Udhagamandalam (TN):
A 900-year-old tree is still being revered and worshipped as “God” by the Kota tribe in Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu.
The tribe, with a population of some 3,000 people, including 1700 women, in seven villages, perform prayers in front of the 250-foot tall tree on auspicious occasions such as marriage, construction of a new building, or housewarming.
The villagers also make confessions or take pledge before this tree in Kunda Kotagiri, said Bellan, chief of the seven villages and a retired post master.
The diameter of the tree, said to be planted over 10 generations ago, is so huge that some 50 persons have to form a human chain around the tree, he claimed.
Kotas worship fire, moon, and nature and perform prayers in front of the tree for every single occasion and festival.
Despite having temples in all the seven village, with Ayyanoor Ammanur as presiding deity, the villagers’ foremost belief is the tree and they visit it first before conducting any function.
Tourists or general public are not allowed to stay for long near the tree and they are asked to leave immediately after offering prayers, Bellan said.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Coimbatore / PTI / August 03rd, 2014
A brass trident and a nandhi idol believed to be dating back to a few centuries were unearthed by the corporation workers in Dindigul when they were desilting the famous Kottaikulam in the foothills of the rockfort in the city on Saturday.
The rockfort, which was constructed in 1605 by the Nayak dynasty in Madurai assumes historical importance. In the 18th century it passed on to the Kingdom of Mysore. Tipu Sultan was crowned the king of Dindigul and he used the fort for the purpose of training his soldiers and also storing their weapons. The Kottaikulam tank at the foothills was dug by him to meet the drinking water needs of his forces. The fort is now maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India and the tank has not been desilted for many decades.
Now, the Dindigul Corporation has taken up desilting work of this tank for the purpose of rain water harvesting. On Friday, workers struck something hard when they reached the depth of about 10 feet and unearthed a brass trident and a little later, the nandhi idol. The trident is said to be weighing about 12 kg and is six feet in height while the idol is two feet tall. Mayor V Marudharaj and corporation commissioner Rajan and other officials rushed to the spot on being informed and later the discovered items were handed over to the Dindigul West tahsildar. Last week the workers discovered an entrance to a secret passage on one side of the tank, which had been covered by silt.
Sources said that a temple dedicated to goddess Abirami Amman had existed on top of the hill during ancient times and it was destroyed during Tipu Sultan’s period. “The idols from the temple seem to have been thrown into the tank after the destruction of the temple,” they added.
The desilting work of this tank has been taken up at a cost of Rs 10 lakh and is said to be one of the most stable RWH structures in the region, because it can harvest all the rain water that gushes down the rockfort during heavy rains. Once restored it would definitely impact the water table in the region.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Madurai / by Padmini Sivarajah, TNN / August 03rd, 2014
N. Manikkam at his hand-composing unit at Green and Company Photo: K.V. Srinivasan / The Hindu
Despite all odds C.N. Manikkam and his 82-year-old binding and printing machines hang on stubbornly, refusing to be swept away by modernity
Manikkam sits still in his dimly lit office, gazing at the bustle of Triplicane outside. He has no one for company, except the ancient binding and printing machines he inherited from his grandfather. Together, man and machine seem to be in a trance. Tucked behind a bus stop on Triplicane High Road, Green & Co. is almost invisible to the eye. It’s the rusted name board that attracts the observant passerby. It fights for space with those of the neighbours’, but is determined to announce the shop’s presence. The board just won’t give up; it hasn’t been dusted or painted; no one cares much for it. But it goes on with its job — much like C.N. Manikkam.
“The company was started by my grandfather S. Chengalvaraya in 1932,” says the 55-year-old. A native of Chengalpattu, Chengalvaraya travelled to Burma and Bombay for work and arrived at Madras to set up a company to employ the skills he acquired from his travels. “The chunk of his earnings was obtained from binding school books and bill books, and printing wedding cards and posters,” explains Manikkam. “He rented an office for Rs. 3. The property belongs to the Nawab of Arcot. It was once a stable for royal horses,” he claims.
Chengalvaraya composed every word by hand, as was the technology in his time. “He had 20 people working for him. There were five in each department such as printing, binding, and cutting,” says Manikkam. Chengalvaraya would sit by the wooden table at the entrance, overseeing the work. His son Nagalinga took his place in 1950 — his workforce was cut by half due to falling demand. Today, Manikkam sits at the same table — he is the boss, he is the worker. “Sometimes, my brothers give me a hand,” he says. “My sons are in the IT field. They are not interested in printing,” he adds.
“Technology has advanced. People have moved on,” says Manikkam. Everything in his office, from the rooms where the printing and binding work is done to the high Bombay terrace with teakwood beams, is just as it was during his grandfather’s time. The type cases with their small cabinets and types in varying sizes and alphabets, the Indo-Europa Trading Company’s binding machine from Punjab…they stand in the same positions that they did over 80 years ago.
Manikkam hand-binds books using his grandfather’s method. “Hand-bound books withstand wear and tear,” he says. “We do not use pins. The pages are stitched together by hand.” Such books are known to last for over 50 years, he says. “It depends on how well it is maintained. We have seen hand-bound dictionaries and ledgers outlive men.”
Orders have dwindled and Manikkam leads a lonely life at work. But he refuses to progress to advanced machines. “The technology that I use requires skill. A man has to work for at least 15 years to become an expert at the job. We still have our regular customers who are not comfortable with the current crop of printing units,” he says. But why is he so unrelenting? “I tried,” he sighs. “I tried to learn to use a computer. But my mind won’t cooperate,” he shrugs. “I’m happy doing this. This is what I know; this is what I respect.”
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus> Society / by Akila Kannadasan / August 04th, 2014
The residence of Ramalinga Vallalar in Seven Wells. Photo: K. Pichumani / The Hindu
No other regional variation of Tamil language has been subjected to as much ridicule as Madras Tamil — a dialect with inflections that make it sound rude, while it’s actually intimate.
Late thinker-comedian N.S. Krishnan would have the audience of ‘Kindanar Charithiram’ in stitches whenever he mimicked rickshaw pullers vying with one another to get a customer.
Critics of Madras Tamil, probably, missed the other side of ‘tharmamiku Chennai’ (the city filled with values of dharma), as described by Ramalinga Vallalar, the author of Thirvarutpa, a spiritual work in praise of the grace of god.
The city has been a citadel of Tamil scholars, especially in places like Choolai, Egmore, Thambu Chetty Street, Lingi Chetti Street and areas around Pachiyappa’s School, in what was then known as the ‘old black town’.
Vallalar lived in Chennai for 33 years on Veerasami Pillai Street in Seven Wells. He moved here with his family from south Arcot district to eke out a livelihood, after his father died.
He penned the bulk of his work while living here and left for Vadalur after he was disillusioned with ‘thettiley mikuntha Chennai’ (a city filled with vices).
Now researchers have secured photographs of Vallalar’s disciples who were instrumental in publishingThiruvarutpa. P. Kamalakannan, a retired government employee, and a researcher on siddhars, has succeeded in collecting the photos of Irukkam Rathina Mudaliar, Sivanandapuram Selvaraya Mudaliar and Puduvai Royal Hotel Velu Mudaliar.
Kikiti Somasundaram Chettiyar of Mylapore and Velu Mudaliar rendered financial assistance to the publication.
The disciple who actually persuaded Vallalar, who was not interested in publishing his works, to print his seminal work of Thirvarutpa was Rathina Mudaliar, a native of Irukkam, a small hamlet near Pulicat, now north of Chennai.
He lived near his residence on Veerasami Street.
P. Saravanan, the author of Arutpa-Marutpa and Kantana Thirattu, says it was Rathina Mudaliar who threatened to go on a fast so that Vallalar would consent to publishing his works. The first volumes were published in 1867.
Another person who worked closely with Rathina Mudaliar was Sivanandapuram Selvaraya Mudaliar. Both Rathina Mudaliar and Selvaraya Mudaliar decided to publish Vallalar’s works along with Thozhuvur Velayuda Mudaliar, the principal student of Vallalar, after a few persons printed his works with numerous errors.
Now the State government is holding parleys with the owners of Vallalar’s house to convert it into a memorial after CPI (M) whip K. Balakrishnan made a request to Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by B. Kolappan / Chennai – August 01st, 2014
Prof Ghosh and his students discussing the conceptual design at the VIT University | Express
Vellore :
House on Mars will be in cuboidal form with a curved roof! With Mangalyan all set to land on the red planet, a group of students of VIT University here have come up with a conceptual design to construct houses for human settlements on Mars.
The curved roof design is to facilitate light from the sky to be positioned appropriately to optimise solar gains.
“The wall in the building comprises Titanium Aluminium alloys, fibre glass and insulating aerogels. This unique man- made fabric associated with a unique building form ensures that the temperature in the dwelling never gets cold below 25 degree Celsius,” Pranav Sanghavi, one of the designers said.
Combining design components with planetary climate for the first time, the students Pranav Sanghavi, Ashutosh Jadeja and Manu Manish Jaiswal along with their guide Prof. Satyajit Ghosh, have sucessfully simulated Martian climate.
They have presented the findings in a research paper, “A nuanced thermal analysis of a proposed living space on Mars” at a conference on Mars at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, U.S.A.
The students pointed out that with Mangalyan the country was poised to be in the forefront of the Martian explorations.
Prof. Ghosh at VIT’s School of Mechanical and Building Sciences, said the student team had successfully simulated the Martian climate with a state-of-the-art code to help optimise the housing design. ‘As we had mechanical engineers in our team, they presented a robust design using the most sophisticated architectural tools,’ he noted.
The team will soon construct a prototype of the house in the campus, Ghosh added.
VIT chancellor G.Viswanathan appreciated the efforts taken by the team and assured them of all necessary support.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Express News Service / August 03rd, 2014
A leopard in Mudumalai, Tamil Nadu. / Photo: Jomish Mohan / The Hindu
“Those who have never seen a leopard under favourable conditions in his natural surroundings can have no conception of the grace of movement, and beauty of colouring, of this the most graceful and the most beautiful of all animals in our Indian jungles.”¯ Jim Corbett, Man-Eaters of Kumaon
Wildlife researchers say that in tiger-dominated forests, the leopards — smaller in build — keep a very low profile.
If we went by this theory, the leopards in the suburbs of Madras were lucky as there were never any tigers in this part of the State. Thus, the scrub jungles on the southern fringes of the city came to be known as leopard country. These majestic spotted animals still continue to come out of their habitat and encounter humans, who have encroached into what were once their lands. Given the fear the movement of a leopard causes among people, the outcome for the cats, more often than not, is rather unfortunate – they are trapped in cages and find themselves in a zoological park.
S. Subburayalu, former Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, who served in the city, says Vandalur and its surroundings always had leopards. In those days, they would come out whenever there was a disturbance in their natural habitat, or if there was water scarcity.
Recalling the incident of a leopard straying onto the airfield at the old airport in Meenambakkam in February 1983, Mr. Subburayalu says they received a complaint from the airport police and security personnel that a wild animal strayed into the north-western sector of the airfield. Following this, a team of forest officials combed the Cowl Bazaar and Manappakkam areas, but the animal could not be traced, he says.
Later the Forest officials did a reconnaissance using the aircraft of the Madras Flying Club. However, the animal could not be sighted. It was later identified as a black leopard, which the officials tried hard to, but failed to trap. Similarly, in 2002 a leopard from the wild strayed into the Vandalur zoo. Authorities had to keep the zoo closed for a month, he recalls. The movement of leopards continues in the urban areas near the city even today.
“In those days, human habitations were not located so close to the Reserved Forest boundaries. So there was not much of man-animal conflict. This is one of the reasons for increased human-animal conflicts today,” he adds.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / P. Oppili / Chennai, July 31st, 2014
