Monthly Archives: March 2015

He listens to the tinkles of history

Arts, Culture & Entertainment
Brigadier Mohan Thomas with his coin collection.
Brigadier Mohan Thomas with his coin collection.

This numismatist’s collection includes one quarter anna by the East India Company in 1835.

QuarterAnnaCF22mar2015

It started in a small way as a childhood hobby. It is now a collection, focussed and growing.

Brigadier Mohan Thomas, a resident of Selaiyur, has been collecting coins of various countries that were in currency during the earlier parts of the last century. The United States of America, United Arab Emirates, France, The United Kingdom, Liberia, Ceylon and Kuwait are among the countries that figure in his collection of more than 300 coins. “I started collecting coins from my relatives and friends. When I was in the Indian Army from 1967 to 2002, I couldn’t pursue the hobby. Post-retirement, I have been collecting coins of significant value — to give just examples, the 100 year of Civil Aviation of India 2011 and Saint Alphonsa Birth Centenary 2009. The pre-Independence coins were given to me by my relatives. The coins are valuable,” he said.

Other sparklers in his kitty are: One-Quarter Anna by East India Company in 1835, King George V one-by-twelve Anna in 1935, One-Quarter Anna King George V in 1936, One Penny in 1936, Five Francs in 1950, 20 Francs in 1952, and One Cent in 1957, The Second Queen Elizabeth, and Five Cents in 1944, George VI King and Emperor of India.

He celebrates the birth years of his family members by collecting coins issued by countries that year. Other coins of significant value that I have collected include Jawaharlal Nehru Birth Centenary Year 1989, Five Rupees coin, 200 year of State Bank of India (1806-2006) Two Rupees 1982 Asian Games, ONGC 50 year (1956-2006) and Reserve Bank of India Platinum Jubilee 1935-2010 One Rupee Coin, and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board 2012 Silver Jubilee Five Rupees Coin, he pointed out.

His parents, K. A. Thomas and Ponnamma Thomas, who served in security establishments of Madras between 1940 and 1945, are recipients of three George VI Medals. He can be contacted at 9444934080.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> DownTown / by T.S. Atul Swaminathan / March 21st, 2015

Madurai youngster lays first brick for ‘Make in India’ campaign

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Science & Technologies

Madurai :

If Prime Minister Narendra Modi tried to wean international manufacturers from China with his ‘Make in India’ campaign, in Madurai an entrepreneur has made the first inroads, albeit with a humble battery-operated cart.

Tejus Motors, a firm based in Thirumangalam here, will supply indigenous battery carts to FreshWorld, a start-up venture in Bangalore that supplies vegetables to households directly from farms. FreshWorld has been importing battery-run cars from China but has now ordered 20 such vehicles from the Madurai firm. Tejus will supply the first lot of carts in a month, its managing partner P Girithar Raja said. “Our vehicles are fully indigenous. We make our own batteries and mould the chassis of the vehicles too,” he said.

Raja, at a session organized by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), said time had come to prop up green technology and provide impetus to the industry such that it could manufacture vehicles that could readily ply on roads. The symposium – entitled ‘Clean Tech – Problems and Opportunities’ — pitched for use of green technology in new-age entrepreneurship.

In her keynote address, Mridula Ramesh, executive director of Sundaram textiles, said ‘clean tech’ provided several opportunities. And Tejus, which was put in touch with FreshWorld by Nativelead Foundation (a non-profit organization), wants to explore those as it has plans to manufacture battery-operated tractors which Raja says would help farmers in cutting costs incurred in transporting their produce.

Saying that entrepreneurship was the way forward, P Vasu, chairman, CII Madurai zone, noted: “It is predicted that India will have the largest employable population in the world by 2020. Entrepreneurship is the best way to utilize this resource.”

Shyam Menon, investment director, Infuse ventures (IIM-A), echoed similar sentiments and said start-ups were no longer limited to urban centres and could be initiated in villages too. “It is no longer related to IT and providing solutions to somebody sitting elsewhere. Now, you can become a start-up by finding solutions in water, energy and waste management in your own backyard and also help others in the process,” he said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Madurai / by Padmini Sivarajah, TNN / March 22nd, 2015

Watch him

Arts, Culture & Entertainment
Mohan Sundaram with some of his rare watches. Photos: B. Jothi Ramalingam / The Hindu
Mohan Sundaram with some of his rare watches. Photos: B. Jothi Ramalingam / The Hindu

Mohan Sundaram’s passion for watches started in school and is growing with time

For neighbours, N. Mohan Sundaram is a stainless steel businessman with a shop at Kondithope. But, for watch collectors , Mohan Sundaram is a man with a treasure trove.

“Often neighbours wonder why I have guests coming in luxury cars,” says the 54-year-old businessman who is an avid collector of watches.

Sundaram’s fascination for watches started in school when his father gave him a Hendry Sandoz. “The watch cost Rs. 65. I was the only student in class VI to sport a watch but after a few days my teachers asked me to stop wearing it to school,” says this resident of Old Washermenpet.

In high school, Sundaram would buy steel watches and improvise on them. “My father was into steel business and somehow watches and steel had a role in developing my hobby,” he says, showing the Omega winding watch ‘C’ on his wrist.

Mohan sundaram (not in picture) with his collection of old clocks at Old Washermenpet . Photo: B. Jothi Ramalingam / The Hindu
Mohan sundaram (not in picture) with his collection of old clocks at Old Washermenpet . Photo: B. Jothi Ramalingam / The Hindu

Sundaram says he has nearly 5, 000 watches and his passion has only been growing with time. HMT watches and Sequoia, a watch that slips into the ring finger, and a gold-watch coated are part of his collection.

Mohan sundaram (not in picture) with his collection of old clocks at Old Washermenpet in Chennai. Photo: B. Jothi Ramalingam / The Hindu
Mohan sundaram (not in picture) with his collection of old clocks at Old Washermenpet in Chennai. Photo: B. Jothi Ramalingam / The Hindu

His most prized collection is a Jagar Le Culture (JLC) made in solid gold.

Sundaram spends two hours regularly meeting watch collectors and learning about lesser-known models. He also visits places like Bangalore and Mumbai to meet collectors.

“All watches are not original. On quite a number of occasions, I have been cheated,” he says.

With his years of experience, Sundaram has many VIPs consulting him before buying an antique watch.

“Is the watch a duplicate? Have some of the parts been changed? Its make… I know it all,” he says.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> DownTown / by Liffy Thomas / March 21st, 2015

Liquor to milk: Distillers turn dairy farmers

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Nature

Coimbatore :

R Ravi, 43, from Shankara Nagar, was once a sought after man in the village just outside of Mettupalayam. Long before noon, at least half-a-dozen men would be waiting at his hideout on the forest fringes for a glass of the village’s best arrack. With every passing day his clientele increased because his arrack was known to have the best bite.

However, for the past 10 years the village’s best arrack brewer has been cutting trees and clearing fields for a meagre 150 to 200 a day to feed his family of four. “I learnt how to distil arrack because I started hanging around an arrack distiller in the village when I was eight years old and dropped out of school,” said Ravi. “I began serving customers and slowly learned the art of distilling,” he said. After his master died, he took over the business. “I would work till 11.30pm, earning up to 800 a day,” he said. Ravi’s reformation from an illegal arrack distiller to a tree cutter was not easy. “We would never know when we’d get caught by police,” he said. “Once we were picked up, our family members would have to go from station to station to trace our whereabouts,” he added.

In 2005, at least 80 arrack distillers in Mettupalayam and Karamadai panchayats were forced to leave their arrack business. “We kept them in jail for three months and counseled them, promising to give them jobs if they kept away from the illegal business,” said a senior inspector in Mettupalayam. “We told them that if they showed us that they had reformed, they would get a reward,” he said.

The government began distributing cows to reformed arrack distillers in 2011. We distributed around 120 cows in the district, said a government official.

The beneficiaries have been given medical and life insurance for the cow for three years, free periodical visits by the animal husbandry department and a one-day training programme on how to care for the cows. “This is to give the reformed men an alternative livelihood as dairy farmers,” said district collector Archana Patnaik.

S Arumugam, president of Palepalayam panchayat, said at least 50 men who received cows in last year have reformed. “Earlier, these arrack distilling units destroyed several families in our village. It is only in the last 10 years that men can be seen holding a job,” he said.

“The distillers are also working hard to sell their milk, keeping their cattle sheds clean and taking care of their calves,” he said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Coimbatore / by Pratiksha RamKumar, TNN / March 21st, 2015

Cops Get Website to Help Trace Missing Persons

Resources of Free Materials
Chennai :
The police department has opened a website, wherein, the details of missing persons or unidentified bodies can be viewed and tips furnished to the police by the general public.

A submission to this effect was made by Additional Public Prosecutor A N Thambidurai before a division bench of the Madras High Court comprising Justices S Manikumar and Aruna Jagadeessan during the course of hearing a habeas corpus writ petition, to trace a missing man, last week.

Thambidurai said that the details of the website, with phone numbers, have already been published in the news papers in all districts. In respect of Chennai, necessary publication would be effected shortly, he added.

Additional Solicitor General G Rajagopalan submitted that the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development in New Delhi has already formed a national portal — Track Child — under the Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS), for which guidelines too have been issued. The Ministry for Women and Child Development, New Delhi, has taken steps for effective computerised network to link Central Project Support Union (CPSU), State Child Protection Society, District Child Protection Units (DCPU), Child Care Instructions (CCIs), all police stations, Chief Welfare Committee Members (CWCs) and all Juvenile Justice Board Members (JJBs) to facilitate quick and early restoration of the missing children to their families. The website link is being made known to the public at large. Nodal Officers have been appointed to the ‘Track Child’ units in States and Union Territories.

All directions contained in the earlier order of the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court dated September 25, 2014 would be implemented by the central government, in its letter and spirit, he added.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Siva Sekaran / March 22nd, 2015

Help to raise a vegetable garden at home

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Nature
Roof Garden at Ganga Street, Besant Nagar. Photo: M. Karunakaran / The Hindu
Roof Garden at Ganga Street, Besant Nagar. Photo: M. Karunakaran / The Hindu

Soon, you can raise your own vegetable garden on the terrace. As part of the Urban Horticulture Development Scheme, the State government is planning to introduce ‘Rooftop Garden – Do It Yourself Kit’ in Chennai and Coimbatore.

Dr. R. Aravindan, deputy director, The Tamil Nadu Horticulture Management Institute, Madhavaram, said, “One house will be allotted a minimum of one unit (1 kit) and a maximum of five units. One unit will cost Rs.3,300 approximately. A 16-square metre moisture polythene sheet will be provided per unit to protect the roof floor from the rainwater.

Apart from that, ultra-violet stabilised poly bags with coco peat compressed bricks and vegetables – brinjal, tomato, chilly, bush beans, cluster beans and different types of greens – will be provided. With two litres of water, the bags will expand five times higher. After seven to ten days, bio-fertilisers and bio-pesticides with compost (one kilogram) should be mixed and used,” he added.

Garden tools – one litre hand sprayer, rose can, scoop, hand fork and two pro tray (50 holes) – and a hand book will be given to the beneficiaries.

The scheme is likely to be implemented in the middle of this month.

For details, contact A. Mohammed Nazeer, horticulture officer (Anna Nagar) at 9841155808, C. H. Rajeevan at 9840255347 and P. Punniyakodi at 9444989715.

For Perambur, contact N. Annamalai at 9444926440, K. Babu at 9444227095. For Thiruvanmiyur, contact M. R. Rajasekar at 9486725197 and S.V. Shanmugam at 9940658899.

Hi-tech sensor poly green house

The institute is setting up a hi-tech sensor poly green house on 28 acres, including five acres of State horticulture farm, 20 acres of ornamental garden and a horticulture management centre.

The green house will have imported saplings of capsicum (yellow, green, red and orange), lettuce, European cucumber, orchids, Dutch roses and anthura.

The house would be maintained with a temperature of 24-28 degrees Celsius throughout the year. It would be fully-automatic with irrigation, climate control devisers, foggers, shade nets, fan patch system ventilator and natural ventilator green house fan. The scheme is a frontline demonstration of National Horticulture Mission and National Agriculture Development Programme.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> DownTown / by T. S. Atul Swaminathan / Chennai – December 07th, 2013

JOBS to DIY for

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

A number of young professionals are now taking to quilling, woodwork, and needle felting to indulge their passion for craft

It was the desire to have a pair of burger ear rings that drove Shilpa Mitha to work with clay. And the amazing response she got inspired her to create other works of art. Today, the 28-year-old sound engineer is better known in the city for her figurines and dosa fridge magnets, all fashioned from clay.

“I was always interested in sound engineering and even worked with a studio for a while. But I didn’t like it, so I quit,” says Shilpa, who has a degree in electronics and communica tion and diploma in audio engineering. “I used to do paper quilling but found paper was not that versatile a medium and moved to clay.” She sells her creations under the brand name Sueno Souvenir.

A growing number of young professionals, be it engineers or IT professionals, are opting to step out of their air-condi tioned cabins to work with their hands – learning crafts such as quilling, wood work and metal work. While some have dared to take it up full-time, for others it is a hobby that con sumes most of their free time. And though most don’t have their own store, they sell their creations through Facebook pages dedicated to their brands.

The city has a Chennai Crafters group on FB, started in 2012 to bring young crafters under one um brella. On March 28, some of them will get together to display their creations at the third edition of their ex hibition – Urban Hands – at Luz House, Mylapore. 2 Showcasing her art would be Rohita Vee who discovered her love for making jewellery while doing engineering. “I always wanted to be in a creative field and thought of taking up architecture. When that didn’t work out I opted for engineering but found that I didn’t like it,” she says. Though she finished the course, she realized that she wanted to turn her love for making jewellery into a career. So she headed to the London Jewellery School for a diploma and has since been focussing on making metal jewellery under the brand name Roia.

“I plan to soon house my products in few boutiques, and target the Chennai and Bangalore crowd,” says the 24-year-old.

While Rohita’s nose pins are a sell-out, it is Iswarya Venkat’s quilled miniatures that are a hit with clients. “I make popular characters such as Iron Man, Batman, Popeye and The Powerpuff girls,” says Iswarya, who has a day job as a consultant with an IT company and works at night on her miniatures which sell under the brand name Creo. “This is just another way of expressing my creativity.” Since quilling is getting more common, Iswarya is now trying out needle felting, making little pendants that collegians can wear.

Unlike the others, Somasundaram Padmanabhan really doesn’t market his works. The 37-year-old engineer discovered that he could get nifty with his hands while scouting for a centre table. “We liked one but the shop refused to customize it so I just got myself the tools, and with a little help from YouTube videos, made it myself,” he says.

Since then he has made wall clocks, lamp shades, shoe racks, and inverter battery cabinets, usually for friends and family. “It is time-consuming, so I can’t really take orders.

Also I don’t have a proper workshop,” says Somasundaram, who runs a blog http:www.woodooz.com. “I started it to showcase my work but people wanted to learn, so I began doing posts on how you can make things with a minimal set of tools.”

Somasundaram does dream of taking it up in a bigger way but has yet to take that leap of faith. “I need to first secure myself financially,” he says.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / by Priya  Menon, TNN / March 22nd, 2015

VIT Alumnus Eyes Record on ‘Pi’ digits

Education, Records, All, World Opinion

Vellore :

An alumnus of VIT University has attempted to get into the Guinness World Record by memorizing 70,000 digits for the mathematical value of ‘Pi’. The documented feat, achieved on Saturday, will be sent to the Guinness World Record office in the UK shortly.

VIT Chancellor G Viswanathan said, ‘We took the initiative to encourage our alumnus who was interested in breaking the world record by providing all logistic support.’

25 year old Rajveer Meena, a native of Morchala village of Sawaimadhopur district in Rajasthan on Saturday was able to memorise 70,000 digits of the mathematical value of Pi. His memorisation was videographed and documented in the presence of 13 witnesses (representatives from media, NGOs, social organizations, professionals) and 20 professors from the VIT University and other colleges.

While the world record for this is being held by Chao Lu of Shaanxi province in China in 2005 for reciting 67,890 digits of the value of Pi in 24 hours and 8 minutes, Rajveer has recited 70,000 digits in just 9 hours, seven minutes.

source: http://www.neweindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home>States> Tamil Nadu / by Express News Service / March 22nd, 2015

Tree Bank making waves in the city

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Nature
For the cause of greenery: G. Mullaivanam, Founder, Tree Bank, giving saplings to residents of Virugambakkam. Photo: R. Shivaji Rao / The Hindu
For the cause of greenery: G. Mullaivanam, Founder, Tree Bank, giving saplings to residents of Virugambakkam. Photo: R. Shivaji Rao / The Hindu

As many as 355 volunteers plant a tree in each of the 155 divisions in Chennai everyday.

G. Mullaivanam, clad in a green shirt, walks down Krishna Nagar Third Street in Virugambakkam identifying the trees, the month/year they were planted and the occasion they were planted for. He also narrates how the residents maintain them with his guidance.

G. Mullaivanam is the proud owner of these and a lakh of other trees that are planted in Chennai. His Tree Bank is making waves in the city with 355 volunteers (including college students and IT professionals), planting a tree in each of the 155 divisions in Chennai everyday.

Tree Bank gives away free saplings to the public who approaches the Bank for one. And its job does not end there; it ensures that the new owner nourishes it with proper care. “Our team inspects the house of the people who takes saplings from us. It looks for an appropriate place for the tree taking into account the MetroWater line and EB line and train them on how deep the pit should be, and how to grow and maintain it. The resident is expected to mail a picture of the planted tree and the team regularly keeps a check on its growth,” says Mr. Mullaivanam. “Thrice a year, the team visits all the places where the trees were planted and help in pruning and other tree care services,” he adds.

People approach Tree Bank to plant trees during an important day in the family, such as birthdays, wedding days or death anniversaries of family members. “Sometimes, we ourselves plant the tree for them in a place mentioned by them,” he adds. Tree Bank has innumerable number of saplings/trees including all varieties from which people can choose the one they want. It has rare medicinal ones too. Mullaivanam, a third generation farmer, collects the saplings from all possible sources, waters them, nourishes them, prunes the trees and even prepares natural manures. He does all this for no monetary benefit. Farming and providing flower decoration services are his sources of income.

Mullaivanam says that he has been collecting and giving away saplings from the age of 13 but formed ‘Tree Bank’ enrolling volunteers in 2008 to take the concept to a higher level. “The idea is to involve the public and sensitise them to the fact that technology is increasing pollution and lifestyle is creating destruction,” he adds. Initially, Tree Bank gave saplings as gifts without any condition, but many came back to them as people could not maintain them. They found trees left uncared for. “People are too busy that they are not able to spare two minutes to water them,” Mr. Mullaivanam points out.

Tree Bank gives saplings to colleges and schools for study purpose and also to plant in their campus. With 7135 volunteers all around the country, it has planted more than four lakh trees and given away more than 13 lakh saplings.

Apart from this, the organisation also conducts environment awareness programmes in schools. It has launched a Child Team with 70 child volunteers. “The tree which the child plants will be named after him/her and fitted with a placard tied to the tree.” The children themselves dig the pit, plant the trees and grow them.

The organisation also conducts awareness programmes to teach the public how to arrest mosquito breeding, the ill-effects of consuming alcohol, etc. “We should not always look up to the Government for solutions. We are the Government and it is everyone’s responsibility to build conducive environment for living,” he adds.

Mullaivanam has requested the Government through a petition to make people plant four trees every time they buy a car and two trees for two-wheelers and to make space for tree planting compulsory for land registration. Anybody who wants to get saplings from Tree Bank should mail their details to treebankofindia@gmail.com or sms 97898 92080.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> DownTown / by R. Keerthana / Chennai – May 01st, 2012

Where dreams grow like mushrooms

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Nature
Women now cultivate oyster mushroom that fetches them a monthly income . Photo: K.V. Srinivasan / The Hindu
Women now cultivate oyster mushroom that fetches them a monthly income . Photo: K.V. Srinivasan / The Hindu

Thanks to an initiative by students of Ethiraj College and a microfinance company, women from slums become financially independent.

The rear end of Ethiraj College once had a large vacant land which was used for parking. Now, there stands a thatched hut which is changing lives of eight women from Thideer Nagar slum close by .

These women were trained to grow mushrooms , which provides them with a monthly income. Their lives changed when a couple of students of Enactus Ethiraj, a group promoting social entrepreneurship, along with representatives of Equitas, a microfinance group working with people from low-income groups, approached them.

“After a couple of hours of brainstorming, we zeroed in on the project we wanted to take up. We decided to grow mushrooms. We thought of teaching them where they lived. But, who would be interested in buying mushrooms in a slum. That’s when the management of Ethiraj College stepped forward and offered help. They not only decided to offer financial assistance but also gave a small piece of land for growing mushrooms,” says John Alex, programme director, Equitas.

Mushroom cultivation by Enactus Ethiraj Project Agaricus at Ethiraj College for Women. Photo: K.V. Srinivasan / The Hindu
Mushroom cultivation by Enactus Ethiraj Project Agaricus at Ethiraj College for Women. Photo: K.V. Srinivasan / The Hindu

The ground work began in December 2014 and the shed was ready by March 2015. These women were trained by Raghupathi, an expert in mushroom cultivation.

He taught them everything about oyster mushrooms and the conditions they are grown in.

“We built the shed, which is where these mushrooms grow in plastic packets. The temperature is controlled. It has to be humid all the time. Right next door, we have a room where these women do all the preparations. They pack the final product and put it out for sale,” says Kanchi J. Shah, president of the Club.

Sanjana Murali (vice-president), Maduvanthi Birla (joint vice-president), Kavitha Ramesh Kumar (secretary), Vidhyalakshmi C.A. (treasurer) and Kimberly Jane Moses (joint treasurer) and staff member Sumathy Ravi are the core members of the project. Those involved in the project are happy about the way it has panned out.

Forty-two-year-old Lalesh Mary says, “I wanted to do something out of my house, for a long time. When this opportunity came, I grabbed it. It opens avenues for other business opportunities. Moreover, I have learnt to cook mushrooms. Two months ago, I did not know such a thing existed.”

Mushroom cultivation by Enactus Ethiraj Project Agaricus at Ethiraj College for Women in Chennai on March 06, 2015. Photo: K.V. Srinivasan / The Hindu
Mushroom cultivation by Enactus Ethiraj Project Agaricus at Ethiraj College for Women in Chennai on March 06, 2015. Photo: K.V. Srinivasan / The Hindu

Oyster mushroom is healthy and high on proteins.

The college sells these products under the brand En-Kalan at the college premises.

It is also sold at departmental stores. For more details, write to enactusethiraj@gmail.com

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> DownTown / by Vipasha Sinha / March 14th, 2015