Ashraya Mahesh (13), a student of Bala Vidya Mandir, Adyar, was among the three finalists chosen for the Young Achiever Award, which is presented to budding talent in various fields such as sports, arts, education, vocation and generic interest, by The Rotary Club of Madras East.
Ashraya represented her school in the CBSE South Zone clusters four times, and won several medals in high jump, long jump, and 200 and 800 metre relays. Ashraya found her passion in tennis and was winner at the CBSE Clusters South Zone and runner up at KTC Tamilnadu Tennis Ranking Tournament held in August this year.
She won the gold at ‘Violet Under 19’ tennis championship and was also a quarter-finalist at the CTC All India Tennis Association Ranking Championship series for both singles and doubles under 14. Vijay Sankar, deputy chairman, Sanmar Group, who was the chief guest, presented the award to Ashraya. Vijay, who is also the vice-president of Tamil Nadu Tennis Association, has been actively involved in Sanmar’s entry into overseas countries in the groups’ core areas of strength.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Express News Service / November 17th, 2014
The Madras University has, for the first time, conferred the Doctor of Science (D Sc) research degree to a former Christian Medical College (CMC) scientist, Dr S Gunasekaran, for his lifetime contribution to research on insulin in the field of physiology. Governor K Rosaiah conferred the prestigious degree on him at the 157th convocation of Madras University held recently.
Gunasekaran received his Ph D in Physiology in the year 1981 from Madras University. With almost four decades in teaching at CMC, he devoted his research time to contributing to knowledge on primate pancreatic islets (insulin secreting cells) from monkeys, white pigs and to some extent human islets from brain dead persons.
Gunasekaran told Express that it was a big honour and recognition of his unique research work.
He recalled how he had teamed up with professor P Zachariah to study insulin. He established the first radioimmunoassay (to estimate hormones) technique in the country in 1973.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by V. NarayanaMurthi / November 19th, 2014
Kamal Haasan, in this first person account, recounts his experiences with Rudhraiya, director of Aval Appadithan, who passed away earlier this week.
“I first heard of director Rudhraiya from my mentor and writer Ananthu as this ‘brilliant student from the film institute.’ Of course, back then, we all knew him by his real name — Arumugam. He was this dashing young gold medallist from the Chennai film institute. He was also the students’ union leader and had the reputation of being a rebel. He made it quickly into our inner circle, a group of people driven by the passion to transform the world of Tamil cinema, such as myself, R. C. Shakthi, and Ananthu. In fact, there was a time when people would dread our meeting, as they knew that we’d be busy talking for hours together. One of my earliest memories of Arumugam has him helping me settle into the role of Prasanna, the protagonist with leftist views, in Apoorva Raagangal. A man with similar beliefs, he offered me invaluable advice.
I remember the conversations we would have back then. Films by directors such as Godard, Polanski, Rossellini, and Bresson featured regularly in our afternoon conversations. His connections with the Chennai film institute ensured that we were able to procure foreign films from there and send them a day later to the Pune film institute after watching them. It was like a Woodstock festival at Eldam’s Road. We were driven to make a film that we could be proud of, a film that would elevate our industry. The result: Aval Appadithaan.
I remember him as a man driven by a lot of anger. That’s perhaps why he rechristened himself Rudhraiya. His debut film was a pet project of our gang. That differentiated all of us from being just talkers. We were also doers. For a film that was shot mainly during my spare time (it was a year when I was acting in more than 20 films), we managed to give it great touches. The opening scene when I look into the camera and say “Konjam left-la ukaarunga” was meant as an encouragement to the audience to have leftist leanings. For a project born out of anger against the mainstream content of Tamil cinema, it could have easily turned out to be a whiny film, but it didn’t. Of course, the lack of finance meant it wasn’t a technically great film. Ilaiyaraaja was busy, and yet, we managed to arm-twist him into composing music.
It was amazing that during such a time, Rudhraiya, as he would have liked to be called in this piece, brought all of us together. He got us shooting with whatever camera we could lay our hands on. The good intention of the project meant that people like Rajini and Sripriya agreed to work, even though there was very little money in it. Ananthu and he wrote about women’s liberation at that time. Even when shooting, we would discuss so much about foreign cinema. Before a shot, for example, we could be heard asking each other how Godard would probably shoot that scene, how much exposure would he have used… We shot the film in two-hour sessions over four-five months, and when it came out, the result was amazing.
I was supposed to have acted in his second film, Raja Ennai Mannithuvidu, which unfortunately didn’t take off. It was a great story, but my work in films such as Sagalakalavallavan thwarted our coming together again. The industry had also humbled me a bit after Raja Paarvai. He didn’t take kindly to my acting in Sagalakalavallavan. And I remember patiently trying to calm his outburst by explaining that we needed money to make good films, and the commercial films I had taken to acting in, were only a means to that end. In its place, he made Gramathu Athiyayam and I had a few disagreements with him over it. I liked the idea, but felt that Aval Appadithaan’s synergy wasn’t there.
He was a different man in a way. It’s a pity that we mainly remember and herald the commercial successes more than the critical ones. He had so many more films in him, but could only make those two. This is why the West has festivals like Sundance that ensure such people aren’t left frustrated. Perhaps the strong revival of films like Aval Appadithaan will force people to consider bringing in an alternative movement, an alternative platform for parallel films.
He was also a man who took fierce pride in his work. He wouldn’t settle for working under somebody else. He knew so much about cinema and expected to take control. The camaraderie that was part of Aval Appadithaan, I think, he expected from other films. But it was not to be.
I met him again a year ago. Even during his last years, it was clear he hadn’t given up hopes of making another movie. Moviemaking, as many of us know, is an addiction. Some have stepped away, and some others keep trying. He belonged to the second category and I respect him for it. He needed more help from the industry. Just like Bharati will forever be remembered for his poetry, Rudhraiya will forever be remembered for the great film he made.
A still from the movie Aval Appadithan starring Kamal Hassan and Sri Priya / The Hindu Archive
The world will remember him for Aval Appadithaan, a film that shook the foundations of the Tamil film industry and still does. College students still watch it and generations are scratching their heads over how we managed to bring it out. I will remember him for his passion for cinema. He was one of those directors who wouldn’t mind holding a reflector aloft, if it meant that a scene would look better.”
As told to Sudhir Srinivasan
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> Cinema Plus / November 19th, 2014
Kaja Mohideen. PHOTO: GNANAVEL MURUGAN / The Hindu
The strong pith is removed using a machine and weight is reduced to 800 gm.
Innovation in marketing tender coconut has been his watchword. He has designed special machinery for peeling off the strong pith before despatching them to market.
The new shape of the tender coconut appears white all around – a value-addition with a new look. Its weight gets reduced from about 2 kg to less than 800 grams or so.
“The value addition mainly aims at attracting the consumers besides ensuring environment-friendly ambience at the retail sales outlets,” says Kaja Mohideen (50), referring to the growing demand for the produce in the city in the last one week since he introduced his sales.
With lightweight, it could be stocked at commercial complexes and medical shops. Using his experience of three decades in the trade, he had devised the plan of using a machinery for ‘clean coconut’.
Mr. Mohideen procures about 6,000 coconuts a week from Pollachi and a group of six workers work on the machinery peeling off the pith. Explaining the functioning of the machinery designed at Pollachi, he says adequate training had been imparted to all the workers on the task.
At the retail outlets on the pavements, the pavement vendors would be spared of the problem of collecting and disposing the waste pith.
White tender coconuts kept ready for sale. PHOTO: GNANAVEL MURUGAN / The Hindu
Export-oriented
Apart from local market, he has explored the possibility of exporting it the tender coconut to Australia. “There has been a growing demand for coconut in Australia. The container with a capacity for 6,000 tender coconuts would reach Australia by sea within 20 days from Chennai,” he says.
To attract customers, he has fixed the price per coconut at Rs. 20. “My investment on the machinery is Rs. 90,000 and I have to incur a huge expenditure for purchasing the coconut from Pollachi,” Mr. Mohideen added.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Tiruchirapalli / by Special Correspondent / Tiruchi – November 10th, 2014
Plan to extend model to Puliyampatti where people throng St. Antony’s Church
Treatment of mental illness has witnessed a paradigm shift with community involvement in the southern districts in a big way. The ‘Sivakasi model,’ experimented since 2002, has inspired psychiatrists to replicate it in other districts.
This model is the most viable to treat psychiatric illness as it involves the community, a service organisation and the government. It has also successfully got rid of the stigma associated with mental illness by taking treatment away from medical institutions to the doorstep of patients, says C. Ramasubramanian, State Nodal Officer, District Mental Health Programme.
It all began in 2002 when a group of psychiatrists, led by Dr. Ramasubramanian, began the free mental health camp, with the involvement of Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisations (SSSSO), Tamil Nadu, M. S. Chellamuthu Trust and Research Foundation, Madurai, and local philanthropists. It is organised on the fourth Sunday of every month.
In the beginning, patients from Virudhunagar district attended the camp where free consultation, medicines for one month and food are provided. Now, patients from seven southern districts benefit from it. The added feature is the presence of District Differently Abled Rehabilitation Officer to sanction maintenance grant, identity card and bus pass to persons with mental illness. The all-India president of SSSSO, V. Srinivasan, said at the 150th camp that similar camps would be organised in all districts of Tamil Nadu. The M. S. Chellamuthu Trust will train volunteers for the camps.
Problems of follow up, absence of local psychiatrists, after-effects of medicine and expenditure are addressed in the Sivakasi model. Volunteers of the service organisation are trained as lay counsellors by exposing them to causes, symptoms and myths of mental illness; medicines and their side-effects and how to identify relapse, says K. S. P. Janardhan Babu of M. S. Chellamuthu Trust. A reliable monitoring mechanism has been put in place by entrusting 10 families of mentally ill persons to each of the trained volunteers, who make periodic home visits. Efforts are on to provide vocational rehabilitation locally for those cured of their illness.
An amalgam of the Sivakasi model and the ‘Dava Duva’ model of Mira Datar Dargah of Ahmedabad is the ‘Margamum Maruthuvamum’ model, a marriage of faith and medicine.
The trust plans to extend this model to Puliyampatti in Tuticorin district where people throng the St. Antony’s Church to get their mental illness cured, says Mr. Babu.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Madurai / by S. Annamalai / Madurai – November 13th, 2014
Thennolaikara Theru is a place of quietness and old-world charm, despite being nestled against chaotic city roads. The main road branches out into three lanes, which are immaculately kept. Instead of commercial buildings which have become the usual sight in many streets of the old city, residential buildings fill the place. Many of these houses are concrete structures. But during ancient times, when thatched roofs dominated the scene, Thennolaikara Theru used to be an important place of business. “Thennolai” means coconut leaves, and the street used to harbor workers and artisans who weaved coconut leaves for thatched houses.
92-year-old M V Mani who owns a utensils renting shop in adjacent Chinnakadai street narrates the legend. It is believed that during the Nayak era or earlier, there were many people living in Thennolaikara Theru who used to provide thatches of weaved coconut leaves. Besides the weavers, there were also people who were experts at thatching houses, he said.
“Most houses in those days were thatched houses in fringes of city areas and there was always demand for coconut leaf thatches. Even when I was young, many houses in city were either thatched ones or tiled houses”, he recalled.
However, he has not encountered anyone making thatched roofs in the Theru during his days. “But there were few people who used to take up ‘bhandal’ contracts who lived in the street,” he said. Most residents were from Thevar community in those days but street has a mixed population now, he commented. P M Muruganandam, 45, remarks that he may be the last one of bandhal contractors in that street. And the story is similar to that of many streets which have lost their unique flavour as history took its course. “Many migrated over the period and there are all sorts of communities living together here,” he said.
Although the coconut leaf weavers have vanished over time, the street still has its fair share of artisans. Instead of house builders, temple builders throng the place now as craftsmen specialized in creating stucco works are plenty available in the area. According to Muruganandam, there are at least 30 artisans in the street who make objects like the figures we see on temple towers. “They are always in demand as people are constantly building and renovating temples here,” he said.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Madurai / TNN / November 16th, 2014
Eleven scientists from across the country are back in school in Coimbatore — this time to brainstorm, collaborate and come up with ideas to use renewable energy to mitigate climate change. They are participating in a 21-day winter school organised by Tamil Nadu Agricultural Engineering College and Research Institute in Coimbatore.
One of the villages that will serve as a model is Thalinji, near Tirupur, where electricity is being generated using biomass. “Four years ago, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) set up a 100 cubic metre biomass plant to generate electricity for 120 houses and 28 streetlights in association with a non-governmental organisation, Non-Conventional Energy and Rural Development Society,” said S Kamaraj, professor and head, department of bio-energy. The village generates 12 units of power every hour using the biomass plant, maintained by SAG Federation and women self-help groups. There are seven solar-powered street lights as well.
“In Gujarat, there is abundant availability of biomass, so I am looking to learn the various methods of using it as an energy source and implement the most viable one with the help of students and researchers there,” said Modi Vijayesh Mahendrabhai, assistant professor, Sardarkrushinagar Dantiwada Agricultural University, Gujarat.
Another participant is looking forward to learning the latest technology and replicating it in tribal villages in Vellore district. “We are working on a project on using waste land and waste water to create an algae and extract biofuel. This winter school will definitely give us more insight to our project,” said S Joshua Davidson, assistant professor, KVK, Vrinjipuram, Vellore.
According to the ministry of new and renewable energy, India is endowed with renewable resources and there is a potential to generate an additional 80,000MW of renewable energy. “At present, the total renewable energy power generation in India is 28,000MW of the total 2,30,000MW, which works out to 12.7%,” said K Alagusundaram, deputy director general, Indian Council of Agricultural Research.
With concerns about environmental degradation and climate change increasing, the importance of renewable energy for power generation is attracting greater attention, he added.
K Ramasamy, vice-chancellor, TNAU, urged that biomass availability in Tamil Nadu should be identified and a data bank should be created. “Energy plantations and biomass processing industries should be promoted to create energy-efficient technologies for biomass-based power generation,” he added.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Coimbatore / by Komal Gautham, TNN / November 09th, 2014
When her daughter Babli was diagnosed with Down Syndrome, Surekha Ramachandran refused to give up hope. Since little was known about the genetic disorder in the early 1980s, she educated herself. Now she shares her knowledge and experience to help other parents and children like Babli lead normal, full lives.
On Sunday, the Down Syndrome Federation of India (DSFI), which she established, will turn 30. After three decades of service, Surekha says she is yet to see societal attitudes change. “There has been more awareness about DS but attitudes have not yet changed, which makes a parent very apprehensive about taking a child out anywhere.”
Three weeks after Babli was born, doctors said she had visual problems. “When she was eight weeks, they told me she had mongloid features,” says Surekha. “Asking doctors questions was considered impertinence.” There were few experts on DS, and no specialized centers for treating the disorder.
In 1984, Surekha established the Down Syndrome Association of Tamil Nadu (DSAT), with six children and an educator. “They were of varying ages. By watching them, we learned where the lacunae were,” says Surekha, who then began establishing parent support groups across the country, starting with Maharashtra. She identifies an anchor person in each place, who then networks with other parents. Today, there are support groups or associations in every state. So, 10 years ago, she started DFSI to bring them all under one umbrella.
Along with DSAT, in 1984, Surekha also started Mathru Mandir, a centre that helps in early intervention. The airy, roomy place in Mylapore has mothers working along with their children and experts. “Even newborns are referred to us,” says Surekha. The older children also learn baking and weaving as part of occupational therapy. DFSI also counsels distraught families, train children to overcome shortcomings, provides physiotherapy and speech therapy, and works to spread awareness about DS.
On Sunday, as part of the 30th anniversary celebrations to be held at AVM Rajeshwari Hall on Radhakrishnan Salai, children of Mathru Mandir, along with children from Deepa Athreya’s School of Success will perform a short play. “It will show how you deal with a child with DS in your class, and it benefits other children as well,” says Surekha who works for inclusive schooling. “Being with a child with DS teaches other children qualities like tolerance and patience.”
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / by Priya Menon, TNN / November 16th, 2014
In 1928, B. Ananda Bai was the first woman law graduate in then Madras Presidency. Photo: The Hindu Archives
B. Ananda Bai was the lone female law graduate in then Madras Presidency, which included parts of Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
Cornelia Sorabji, the first woman to practice law in India, was born on November 15, 148 years ago. She was only one among the many pioneers who worked long and hard to breach the glass ceiling for women in courtrooms across the country.
For the women of Madras, the foundations of this struggle were laid by B. Ananda Bai in August 1928. After graduating with a degree in law from Madras University, she became the lone female law graduate in then Madras Presidency, which included parts of Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
Bai’s original career path, however, did not involve becoming a lawyer. According to the Palaniappa Brothers’ book Madras: the Land, the People and their Governance, it was only after being rejected in the government services that Bai considered entering the chambers of law. Finally, after a rigorous apprenticeship under V.V. Srinivasa Iyengar, she enrolled in the Madras High Court on April 22, 1929, to become the first woman advocate trained and specialised in the city of Madras.
Hailing from the South Kanara region (present day districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi), Bai’s father, Dr. Krishna Rao, was particular that all female family members receive a ‘liberal and academic education’.
While admitting that Bai represented a privileged minority, historian V. Geeta points out the 1920s and 30s were a time of churning for women. “With the social reform movement gaining ground, law became central to a lot of the debates regarding women, which were governing civil discourse. Both Hindu and Muslim women with The All India Women’s Conferences, for instance, were very vocal about their aspirations for empowerment through social legislation,” she says.
However, as Rukmani Lakshmipathi, president of the League of Youth, said at a meeting to honour Bai in 1929, “Education and medicine are becoming more and more popular with girls. That is not the case with law. We are glad that a beginning has been made in this direction, and an impetus has been given.”
K. Shantakumari, president, Tamil Nadu Federation of Women Lawyers, points out that storming the male bastion of law was far from easy. She says, “In those days, people were apprehensive and would not give cases to women. Societal taboos also forbid women from taking criminal cases. Because of this, many had to work under male lawyers and did not receive fair remuneration.”
By setting a precedent, in spite of these daunting obstacles, the likes of Bai and Sorabji made a career in law a distinct possibility for women. Today, as we celebrate the latter’s birthday, it only seems fitting to raise a toast to these pioneers for the new ground they broke.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Society / by Nitya Menon / Chennai – November 15th, 2014
An engineering heritage centre has been established at Rajalakshmi Engineering College, Thandalam near Sriperumbudur to showcase the growth of various branches of engineering. The centre was inaugurated by A. Sivathanu Pillai, managing director of BrahMos Aerospace recently. Dr. Pillai, distinguished scientist, Defence Research and Development Organisation, traced the development of space and missile technology in India under the leadership of Vikram Sarabhai and A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
He appreciated students’ effort in fabricating and displaying various engineering gadgets and emphasised that creative and innovative thinking was the need of the hour. “A strong industry-institute interaction and joint patents should be part of core activity in any technical institution” he said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – November 15th, 2014
Chennai :
