Monthly Archives: February 2015

Chennai Third Preferred Gateway for Tourists Coming Over to India

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, World Opinion

Chennai :

‘Enchanting Tamil Nadu’ is giving a leg up to tourist arrivals in ‘Incredible India’. Chennai airport has emerged as the third most preferred gateway for foreigners arriving in the country.

What’s heartening is that these people don’t just get their first glimpse of Indian soil in the city and fly off to another place. “The transit traffic is almost negligible on international flights in Chennai. Barely 1-2 per cent of the people have connecting flights through a city like Chennai. If they come, they’re here to be tourists,” said an immigration official. Even domestic transfers are limited when it comes to foreign tourists, he added.

In a trend that has held steady through the last two years, with Chennai having seen between 7.5 and 8 per cent of total tourist traffic, January 2015 has witnessed a slight jump with 8.39% of foreign visitors using the city as a gateway to India. The only other entry points that saw higher foreign tourist entry are Delhi with 28.72% and Mumbai with 21.87%. The numbers also indicated that the country that has been sending the highest number of their citizens our way is the US, followed by the UK and Bangladesh.

In numbers revealed by the Tourism Ministry, it is evident that Tamil Nadu’s tourism plan is enchanting enough to draw a fair share of independent interest, besides the larger tour options that foreigners undertake. Through 2014, the number of Foreign Travel Arrivals (FTAs) logged by Immigration sat at a considerable 74.62 lakh visitors. “Remember, these are only people who apply for tourist visas. Medical and business visas are separate, so it’s evident that every year people are coming to explore our country as a tourist destination,” said J Kishore, a travel agent. He added that most of the bookings were done through international travel networks online.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Express News Service / February 11th, 2015

Doc ‘App’lies Slo-Mo Tech for Closer Look of Eyes

Science & Technologies

Chennai :

Very soon, if you go to an eye doctor with blurred vision, he may well point his iPhone at your eye and take a quick video. Surprised? It’s quite simple, really. Instead of peering into your eye to check if the lens is dislocated, city-based eye specialist Dr Amar Agarwal has begun using a smartphone app to get amazingly ‘slow’ results.

The surgeon has used the popular iOS app Slo-Mo (or TruSloMo) to capture images of the patient’s eye that can be frozen and viewed really easily, “Only when it’s a really obvious shift can we see it by looking through a magnifier. Otherwise, what we would do is take a normal video of a patient moving their eyes from side to side and pause it frame by frame to see which way it has shifted,” said the Chief Surgeon at Dr Agarwal’s Group of Eye Hospitals.

EyeAppCF22feb2015

A dislocated lens can occur as a congenital issue or after an injury that causes trauma to the side of the head. It can cause blurred vision, progressively leading to blindness.

The problem with using a normal camera is that not only are the images shot at 25 frames per second (fps), the frozen frame would often be blurry and pixellated,

“These apps are amazing because they shoot at 250 fps and when the frames are looked at one by one, they’re almost in HD quality. We can see exactly how the lens has shifted and repair it with minimal surgery,” he added cheerfully. Apps that offer super-slow motion frames are readily available for both Android and iOS.

Having worked on the technique for over six months with around hundred patients, Dr Agarwal submitted the findings in a scientific paper to the Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, which has been accepted. “Once it is published, this technique can be easily used anywhere across the world. Nobody has thought of such a simple solution to one of the more complex eye problems that has been affecting people,” he added.

This development comes after the news that British researchers have developed tools for a smartphone — including a plastic clip on lens over the camera and an app — that will allow just about anybody to conduct eyes tests on a patient, using a smartphone and was created to assess blindness-causing conditions in rural and backward regions.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Daniel Thimmayya / February 13th, 2015

Homage to Henry Olcott on Adyar Day

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Leaders, World Opinion

Chennai :

The cacophony inside the Theosophical Society is of a different sort. Birdcalls of unusual kinds, the pattering of a squirrel and even a mongoose, the crackling of dry leaves and a bicycle whirring past. Inside the prayer hall, people are paying a silent tribute to the statue of Henry Steele Olcott, the co-founder and first president of the Theosophical Society. Opposite the statue, a plaque reads ‘There is no religion higher than truth.’

Every year, the Society celebrates Olcott’s death anniversary on February 17 as ‘Adyar Day’, as a homage to all the known and unknown people who contributed to the Society. From 1882 when the campus first came up on 28 acres, the now 250-acre Society has been celebrating Adyar Day since 1922. The day also marks the death anniversary of J Krishnamurthy, the renowned Indian philosopher and teacher who used to be part of the Theosophical Society.

Tributes were paid to the first president of the Theosophical Society, on Tuesday
Tributes were paid to the first president of the Theosophical Society, on Tuesday

Formed initially in New York city by Colonel Olcott and Madam Blavatsky, the society with its headquarters in the heart of Adyar began to advance theosophy, the seeking of knowledge of the presumed mysteries of being and nature.

Pic: Albin Mathew
Pic: Albin Mathew

The campus was developed with a vast amount of vegetation, in order to lend the atmosphere of calm, and the silence in the campus blocks the visitors of the outside world.

When Harihara Raghavan, the general manager of the Society refers to ‘Adyar’, he refers to the Theosophical Society. “Adyar is an oasis of peace, with the calls of birds, the river and the voices of silence,” he says. “When the Society began, Adyar was not even a part of Chennai, it was part of Chengalpet,” he adds. “South Madras has developed because of the Theosophical Society and Guindy Park.”

The sprawling campus, with the trees, the quaint buildings like the dispensary and a post office, and the representative monuments from many religions is a life away from the city. “We get around 600 visitors every day. Many of them come to just walk around — it is not necessary that everyone needs to understand what the Society stands for.”

The Society has worked towards the cause of education right from its conception. “Colonel Olcott has done much for the upliftment of the downtrodden. He started five schools to reach out to the children from those castes who were not allowed in regular schools,” says Raghavan. The Olcott Memorial School is still completely free for all students.

Today, Adyar has become a busy commercial hub and the river is not the pristine waterbody it was meant to be. But the society sits tranquil, cut off from the chaos of the surroundings, paying tribute to its founders in its own way.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Archita Suryanarayanan / February 18th, 2015

Offie who bowled over city of nizams

Sports

Not all players who have played cricket in the country can claim to have experienced the diverse ethos of two prominent centres of the game in the south -Madras and Hyderabad. V Ramnarayan belongs to this rare breed. Brought up in Madras, Ramnarayan’s professional commitments took him to Hyderabad. He went on to represent Hyderabad in the Ranji Trophy.

Hailing from a family with its share of cricketers, it didn’t take long for Ramnarayan to be smitten by the g ame. He grew up admiring of fspinner Jim Laker and R a m n a r ay a n too chose to take up the craft the illus trious Englishman excelled in. “By the time I was 16, I found a liking for it (offspin) and continued to pursue it,” says the 67-year-old.He recalls an incident where Venkatraman, physical director of Vivekananda College, overlooked him for the college team. “Later, when I did well against Vivekananda College while representing Presidency College, Venkatraman apologized for his error. It was a moment I will cherish.”

After honing his skills on the Madras league cricket circuit, Ramnarayan’s professional career took him to Andhra Pradesh where he joined SBI (State Bank of India) as a probationary officer in December 1970. He began playing cricket at the league level in Hyderabad and it didn’t take long for him to make a mark there. The prestigious Ranji Trophy soon beckoned, and Ramnarayan made his debut in 1975 against Kerala at Trivandrum.

“Playing zonal games in Hyderabad and that too alongside the likes of Abbas Ali Baig, Abid Ali, M A K Pataudi and M L Jaisimha prepared me to play at the Ranji level,” says Ramnarayan, whose figures in his debut match were an impressive 6-33.

Among the numer ous incidents of his career, the legendary offie recounts the one featuring Tiger Patau di with rel ish. “A day before Hydera bad’s Ranji game against Ma dras at Chepauk in 1975, one of the fans asked some uncomfortable questions to Tiger at our team hotel (Admiralty Hotel at Mandaveli). Tiger soon told skipper Jaisimha that he would open,” says Ramnarayan, who played 25 first class games for Hyderabad.

“The next morning,” he says, “Jaisimha had to persuade Tiger to bat at No 3.”

What followed was a vintage knock with Tiger notching up his highest Ranji score of 198. That also turned out to be his last innings at the MA Chirambaram stadium in Chepauk, remembers Ramnarayan.

“What was special about Tiger was his ability to take on challenges and come up trumps,” adds Ramnarayan.He may not have gone on to play at the highest level for the country, but Ramnarayan’s skills were considered good enough for him to make it to the list of probables for the national team’s tour of Australia in 1977-78.”I count on my blessings. To have played the game with some of the illustrious names in the Indian cricket is something that will alw ay s s t ay with me,” says the man, whose book Third Man: Recollections from a life in cricket was released recently.

After calling time on his career, Ramnarayan made a smooth transition into a career in writing. He went on to become an author of repute, and now edits Sruti, a well-known monthly magazine on the performing arts.But Ramnarayan has not cut himself from his beloved sport. He continues to be involved in the game by writing on it for various publications.

(A weekly column on famous sportspersons whose first playing field was Chennai and its neighbourhood)

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / by Prasad S, TNN / February 14th, 2015

After 34-year wait, decorated IAF man’s widow to get land allotted to him

Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All

Chennai :

As 80-year-old A Karpagam steps out of the Madras high court, her frail body bears signs of exertion. But there is hope and jubilation on her wrinkled face. Three decades after the state government allotted a piece of land to her husband — a decorated ex-serviceman — and subsequently cancelled it, the court has directed the government to hand over the plot.

After his retirement, former Indian Air Force flying officer S Devarajan was allotted 1.84 acres of land in a village near Sriperumbudur in 1981. But he was not given possession of the land and it was later sold to another person. After Devarajan’s death in1982, his wife Karpagam approached the revenue department several times, and finally, in 1998, another plot land was assigned to her in Kelambakkam village. In 2009, the second allotment too was cancelled saying the land was being used for public purpose

She approached the Madras high court, which in its order in April 2014 directed the government to allot her the land. This order was upheld by the court earlier this month, her counsel M Narendran said. Karpagam thanked Narendran for his efforts. “He has supported me. The high court, in its verdict, also appreciated his role in assisting the court,” she said.

Reminiscing about the old times, she said, “My husband often told me that he would ensure his family had a comfortable life; even when he is not around. He had reposed his faith in the government that it would provide him all benefits.”

Devarajan started his military career as a soldier in ‘boy service’ during the World War II. After independence, he fought in the 1962 India-China war and 1965 India-Pakistan war. He was decorated for his bravery in the face of Chinese aggression.

Death of her husband and a protracted legal tussle meant mounting costs. “Yes, finance was bit tough. After the death of my husband, I had to support my two children. My sister’s family helped us,” she said. “It’s painful when you are given something and it is taken back for no fault of yours, again given and again taken back.”

“It is sad to see the plight of retired defence personnel who, during service, sacrifice a lot to serve the nation. Regularly I read reports about ex-servicemen not getting the benefits due to them. Who is responsible for this,” she asked. But Karpagam does not believe she has been denied justice. “The court has recognized my rights. I will be happy if the land is allotted during my lifetime,” she said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / by Manish Raj, TNN / February 20th, 2015

On a different track

Sports
Special children at Vegam. Photo: V. Ganesan
Special children at Vegam. Photo: V. Ganesan

There’s frenzied drumming, the roar of cheering supporters and an air of excitement. You spot joy on the face of 14-year-old M. Dhanushpriya, a child with multiple disabilities. She participated in the ball-throw contest that had participants rated on the distance covered by a ball thrown by them.  “Even though movement is a challenge for her, she had been practising this with her cousin,” her mother says. You see the same happiness in a beaming Pughazh, a 25-year-old with Down’s Syndrome, who participated in several contests from balloon-bursting to assisted-walking, but never won any. He nevertheless gets to stand on the winning podium — in appreciation of his enthusiasm.

Wheel chair races, assisted-walking races, pop-the-balloon contests, hitting a ball by listening to the jangle of beads within it, ball-gathering contests….with proud parents, enthusiastic teachers and upbeat friends and relatives cheering the participants. The city recently played host to Vegam 2015, a modified track-and-field meet that gave hundreds of challenged children the adrenalin rush of competitive sports. Vegam saw over 1100 physically and intellectually challenged children participate in 140 modified track and field contests conducted on a single day, which earned it a nomination for the Limca Book of Records for holding the maximum number of events in a single day for the differently-abled.

For the past two months, children like Dhanushpriya have been looking forward to this day. These kids hardly ever get to play, leave alone compete in an athletic meet. Unfortunately, in India, Paralympics is not as high profile as it is in other countries, and the fun of everyday sports is denied to challenged children. “Vegam would like to change this scenario,” says N. Satish Kumar, founder of Chennai Social Service, the NGO that conducted Vegam 2015.

“We checked with special schools, researched on events conducted at Paralympics and formatted track and field events to give people with disabilities a chance to compete,” says R. Venkat of Chennai Social Service.

Vegam could not have been a success without the efforts of the 300-plus volunteers who managed the show. Besides CSS’s regular volunteers, it included students of SRM Easwari, Aalim Muhammed Salegh and MOP Vaishnav colleges, professionals from organisations like the Cognizant Technology Solutions and Thomson Reuters, members of the Inner Wheel Club of Nolambur, NSS volunteers from Rotaract Club, and even kids like 15-year-old Ashwath and 13-year-old Nithyashri who have been volunteering in conducting Vegam for the past five years. Meanwhile, mural artist Senthil Kumar chipped in with 25 huge, inspiring paintings of athletes running on prosthetic limbs, wheelchair athletes and other sporting images. From being just an indoor carrom competition in 2007, Vegam has grown bigger and better every year. It has now become a calendar event in the city, and lately, some special schools have started helping their students train for it. This year, the meet’s Championship trophy was won by Clarke school for Deaf, Mylapore while the Little Flower Convent School for Deaf and Blind, Nungambakkam came second and the Arvind Foundation, KK Nagar came third. Incidentally, Vegam gave away trophies not just for the winners, but also for those who participated, and even a trophy for the best cheering team. At Vegam, everyone was a winner.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Hema Vijay / February 20th, 2015

Standing Up For Those Who Cannot

Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Leaders, Science & Technologies
Dr Sujatha Srinivasan with her students|Albin Mathew
Dr Sujatha Srinivasan with her students|Albin Mathew

For those expecting a serious looking individual with a starchy manner and an intimidating persona are in for a pleasant surprise when one encounters Dr Sujatha Srinivasan who greets you with a hearty handshake and an all-embracing smile. Chatting nineteen to a dozen, she leads to the lab where her students are at work. She explains, “We are in the process of developing assistive devices for people affected by locomotor impairments. These people can lead independent lives via the use of orthotic, prosthetic and other assistive devices.”

Srinivasan is an associate professor and head of the Rehabilitation Research and Development Centre (R2D2) in IIT-Madras. The centre is Srinivasan’s ‘brainchild’. She is a BTech (Mechanical) from Indian Institute of Technology-Madras. After graduation in 1991, Srinivasan worked in Christian Medical College, Vellore in the area of bio-mechanics. Later, she spent 15 years in the US, of which eight was spent in working in prosthetic industry. Declining  lucrative job offers from reputed companies in India and abroad, Srinivasan felt her ‘call in life’ was research and development in the field of bio-engineering, to focus on a unique environment for assistive device development to provide for the country’s rehabilitation needs. With this in mind, she returned to India in 2008.

“Multiple sclerosis, amputations due to diabetes and aging are some of the common factors where patients are compelled to spend the rest of their lives in wheel chairs. Here we design physically related devices that keep the differently abled comfortable while allowing them mobility. For example, a polycentric knee allows bending, provides stability while walking. The device is externally used and is made of stainless steel and aluminium. Further, prolonged use of the wheelchair comes with serious side-effects like pressure sores. In view of this, we have developed a standing wheel chair which by rotating the lever the patient can stand for some time. We have developed it from scratch,” she admits proudly. Further, they have devised chairs that are mobilised by the children with cerebral palsy where motor skills are affected and for those with different kinds of disability. Since these children cannot use their hands to rotate the wheels of the chair, they have come up with this new technology—a body-motion controlled wheel chair—in which the chair moves in the direction the child moves.

The ‘Saathi Walker’ is another device developed to help children with no physical stability—the walker supports the child when it walks. Apart from all these devices, the most unique is the ‘Swimming Pool Lift’, an electric chair that gently drops the patient into the pool and lifts the patient back to the top. This was inspired by Madhavi Latha, a polio-inflicted banker, who when given up by doctors was advised to try hydro-therapy and went on to become a paralympic swimming champion in 2012. “Of course, we are trying to develop the chair manually as electricity comes with its own hazards and power in our country is a luxury!” she opines. Though the centre has adopted the concept of developing prosthetics from the West, they have changed the geometry to suit Indian terrain and are also looking at additional features like adding a rotator to the chair so that the patient can sit cross-legged on the floor.

Any initial struggles in setting up the centre? “Not much,” she replies, adding, “When the idea was first suggested to the IIT, they were very supportive. Regarding funding, TTK Prestige Co. chairman T T Jagannathan have helped us enormously; Society for Biomedical Technology and other organisations have helped considerably too. Phoenix Medical Systems has been constructively supportive in manufacturing wheel chairs of high quality at affordable prices. TTK Prestige is also our potential manufacturer with the same goal in mind.” About challenges, she says: “Trying to develop the product with a floating population of students who move on once the study course is complete is difficult as the new ones do not want to complete what someone else started. But we have overcome that now by employing them here on a salary basis.” Srinivasan aims at functionality and affordability to develop quality devices at affordable costs for all. The centre works in parallel with manufacturers to modify designs to suit easily available materials and are also working with NGOs and established manufacturers to commercialise the designs at affordable prices. Ananth from the Mechanical Engineering Department is seen working diligently on the computer and on the table is a pair of stainless steel device meant for the knees. He plans to open his own manufacturing company in conjunction with the R&D centre, while Vivek with a masters degree is satisfied with and encouraged by the research work at the centre.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> LifeStyle> Health / by Uma Balasubramaniam / February 21st, 2015

Setting His Feet in a Women’s Stronghold

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

AjithCF22feb2015

Chennai :

In the field of performing arts for more than two decades now, Ajith Bhaskaran has travelled far and wide with shows — solos, group and collaborative works.

However, performing Chennai and across India can be both a challenge and a different experience for the same reason. Talking to City Express, Ajith who has trained under Adyar Lakshman and the Dhananjayans, both from Chennai, says that organisations still prefer women dancers. “Abroad, they seek out male dancers for the very reason that they are men,” he strikes a quick contrast. “I find more work outside with theatre and dance companies, who are very interested. Here, going by my experience, the thought process is still traditional.”

Many still prefer to see female dancers or find their work more interesting,” he says. Ajith says that apart from being a male dancer, there are other obstacles or challenges that even women dancers have to cope with. “It takes longer to establish, compared to other professions, and not many think dance is a serious profession,” he lets on.

Training from a young age under a host of gurus like Bhanumathi Krishnan, Shanta Ponnudurai, Shanta Bhaskar in bharathanatyam, Ramli Ibrahim and Gajendra Kumar Panda in Odissi, Ajith began touring with Ibrahim on the latter’s production. Soon after completing a degree in law and pursuing it for two years, Ajith chose to get back to dance professionally.

“Despite pursuing law as a filial son, for almost two years, I found my ultimate calling in dance and decided to get back to it,” he says.

Establishing his own dance company Suvarna Fine Arts based in Johor Bahru, where today close to 300 Malaysian-born Indians are trained, there is also a performance wing which frequently tours around the world. Travelling across South East Asia, India, the US, Canada and Europe, Ajith also conducts lecture demonstrations and workshops. He regularly visits renowned dancer Viji Prakash’s school in California as a camp instructor in summer every year.

With a working knowledge in several languages like Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Sanskrit, Ajit says that while he trained in the Kalakshetra style over the years, he has developed his own body language. “My work is not restricted to the traditional repertoire. I would say bharathanatyam is the language I work with. It is about using classical dance as a powerful medium. There are diverse topics that I have worked on — for example, brahmakalpa, which was about the Big Bang Theory, with Rama Vaidyanathan, and there are bharathanatyam works like the one on Sufi poetry and the tree (Vriksha),” he says

Ajith will be participating at the Esplanade Theatre’s programme which will mark Singapore’s 5oth Year of Independence next year.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Janani Sampath / February 18th, 2015

Railways Opens up New Platform for Artistic Palettes

Arts, Culture & Entertainment
Pic: Martin Louis
Pic: Martin Louis

Chennai  :

How does an organisation try to make a public space under its control vibrant and add character to a space frequented daily by lakhs of people, whilst addressing concerns of   cleanliness? In the case of Southern Railways, they have opened their doors to any professional artists willing to exude creativity on the many walls of their stations across the Chennai division, as well as a special inspection coach.

Walls at terminal stations like Chennai Central, Egmore and MRTS stations at Greenways Road and Kotturpuram became canvases for painters participating in the Max Mueller Bhavan’s ‘Conquer the Concrete — Chennai’s First Street Art Festival.’ In addition, a Spanish painter sprayed the Divisional Railway Managar’s inspection coach with psychedelic colours as part of the festival.

ArtCF22feb2015

“We were looking for people for this as we had linked it to the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Fortunately, the institute contacted us at the same time,” said Gayathri, the Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, Chennai Division, Southern Railway.

Railway walls, traditionally, are utilised for either sticking posters, attaching banners or worse, as spots for people to relieve themselves of urine or paan-laced spit. Art on walls would at least discourage such activities and help in keeping the premises clean, Gayathri felt. Colourful walls with depictions would also come as a welcome change for the passengers as compared to those with a single hue.

According to Samyukta, project manager of the Street Art festival, painting in railway stations which are frequented by all sections of society worked to the advantage of the artists. “Many strangers would come up to the artists and give suggestions; a folktale narrated by a commuter was the inspiration for the giant cat painting at Egmore station,” she said.

Another artist portrayed his interpretation of the railway station as a place where only parts of the human body like legs and hands, and not faces, were visible, Samyukta said.

The official website of the festival says that the rationale behind the festival was to make art accessible by showcasing it in the heart of the city as opposed to a closed art gallery and thereby reaching a broader section of the public. The goal was to not only portray urban development and its associated challenges in Chennai but also to enlighten the need for public participation. Railway stations are probably the only public spaces which fulfill both the conditions, as well as give the visibility to the artists’ output.

An additional shot in the arm came in the form of interest shown by station-level railway officials. Seema Kumar, a professor at National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) who has painted one wall at Chennai Central, says that the station managers are very attached to the buildings and see it as their personal space. “They understood the importance of this exercise and enthusiastically gave a lot of suggestions as well,” she said.

The Chennai division wants to take this movement forward and Gayathri said that they were willing to give out spaces to any interested artists.  Already, students of NIFT are in talks to paint another wall at Central. “We were also wondering if any paint company would come forward and sponsors the cost of the paint,” she said.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Siddharth Prabhakar / February 19th, 2015

‘Farm-field school’ training for farmers

Business & Economy, Education, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Leaders, Nature

Veterinary College and Research Institute, Tirunelveli in co-ordination with Agricultural Technology Management Agency conducted a ‘farm-field school’ on ‘improved animal husbandry practices’ at Kalakkudi near Manur for six weeks from last January 7.

A total of 25 progressive farmers from Manur block benefited. Faculties of VC & RI conducted demonstrations including preparation of concentrate feed, conservation of fodder – silage making, cultivation of Co-4 feed, using the milking machine, de-worming and de-ticking for sheep and goat and oral pellet vaccination for Ranikhet disease in desi birds for the select team of beneficiaries.

In the valedictory function on Thursday at Kalakkudi, S. Prathaban, Dean of VC &RI released the training manual, distributed certificates and inputs package consisting of TANUVAS Smart Mineral Mixture, video lessons on dairy farming, sheep and goat farming and desi fowl rearing to the beneficiaries.

In his address, Dr. Prathaban stressed the importance of using scientific techniques in livestock farming to reduce production cost.

V. Saraswathi, Assistant Director of Agriculture, Manur block, narrated the activities of ATMA scheme. C. Manivanan, Professor and Head, Department of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Extension Education, VC & RI, Tirunelveli presented a report on the farm field school.

S. Senthilkumar, Assistant Professor, Department of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Extension Education, and Manivannan, a progressive farmer from Kalakkudi, also spoke.

Importance of using scientific techniques in livestock farming stressed

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Tamil Nadu / by Special Correspondent / Tirunelveli – February 22nd, 2015