Monthly Archives: December 2017

City-based start-up gets IRs 45 crore in funding

Business & Economy, Education, World Opinion

Flinto Learning Solutions plans to expand to other parts of country, southeast and middleeast Asia

City-headquartered start-up firm Flinto Learning Solutions has received funding to the tune of ₹45 crore ($7 million) from Mumbai-based venture capital firm Lightbox.

The start-up, which is popularly called Flintobox, plans to utilise the funds it obtained to capture the pre-school market in India, which is worth over $4.5 billion.

Flinto is also gearing up for global expansion, starting with south-east and middle-east Asia.

Arunprasad Durairaj, chief executive officer and co-founder, Flintobox, said, “In India, pre-school penetration is less than 10% when compared to the developed countries, where it is anywhere between 90-100%. Flinto deep dives to address this major concern.”

The funds will be utilised to further strengthen the firm and expand to every nook and corner of India.

Currently, the start-up has over 4 lakh parents as customers from over 700 cities and towns, including Port Blair and Diu and Daman.

The firm is shipping more than 40,000 boxes per month.

Mr. Arunprasad said, “Flinto is redefining early learning by changing classrooms into big co-operative fun activity spaces where every child explores things that interest them. Flinto is designed in a such a way as to ensure parents/teachers spend time with children in a productive way.”

Lightbox partner Prashant Mehta says, “Flinto is addressing a massive need in early childhood development by delivering a subscription-based product to your doorstep every month.”

Life lessons

Flinto is the brainchild of three young entrepreneurs — Arunprasad Durairaj, Vijay Babu Gandhi and Shreenidhi Srirangam — who personally experienced the lack of quality early learning in India.

These experiences led them to set out to create tools and products that would change the way children learn and play.

In 2013, the founders pooled in ₹10 lakh from their personal savings to start this venture.

The first round of funding was ₹15 lakh raised through GSF accelerator.

They later got funding to the tune of ₹1.8 crore from Globevestor, a U.S.-based investment firm, with participation from Asian E-commerce Alliance (AECAL) and Mauj Mobile Pvt. Ltd.

The third (₹2 crore) and fourth (₹6.2 crore) rounds of funding were led by Ashwin Chadha, an angel investor and globevestor, with participation from existing investors.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Sangeetha Kandavel / Chennai – December 06th, 2017

Child rights activist from T.N. gets national award

Amazing Feats, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All
Recognising service: Activist Chezhian Ramu receiving the Rajiv Gandhi Manav Seva Award from President Ram Nath Kovind.
Recognising service: Activist Chezhian Ramu receiving the Rajiv Gandhi Manav Seva Award from President Ram Nath Kovind.

His organisation serves as a safe shelter for over 900 children across the State

Chezhian Ramu, a social worker and child rights activist based in Tiruvannamalai district, was awarded the Rajiv Gandhi Manav Seva Award, instituted by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.

Mr. Chezhian received the award from President Ram Nath Kovind, on November 14, Children’s Day. He is among the three social workers selected across the country for the award.

“It was a great honour to receive the award,” said Mr. Chezhian, who’s journey in protecting rights of underprivileged children began 25 years ago, when he lost his parents in a car accident. “I was left alone and moved to Tiruvannamalai. There I found an unreasonably high number of children begging. I began working for them without any organisation structure,” he said.

For the next three years, Mr. Chezhian devoted his time working on eliminating child beggary and providing job opportunities to their families. “It was not easy as a lot of them were stuck in organised begging rackets. But we managed,” he said.

He later joined the Swiss child relief agency, Terre Des Hommes, and worked on the rescue and rehabilitation of children affected during the 1993 Latur earthquake in Maharashtra. “The scene there moved me immensely and I decided to set up an organisation exclusively to protect children’s rights,” he said.

In the year 1994, he set up TDH CORE – Terre Des Hommes Children Organisation for Relief and Education in Tiruvannamalai, and Lifeline in 1998, where over 900 children are currently being looked after in 16 homes across the State. Four of them are schools meant for disabled children.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Staff Reporter / Chennai – December 05th, 2017

Musicologist Premeela Gurumurthy honoured

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Records, All

PremeelaCF04dec2017

Souvenir released to mark golden jubilee of her concerts

Musician and musicologist Premeela Gurumurthy has made immense contributions to the art of kathakalashebham, N. Murali, president of the Music Academy, said here on Sunday.

“She has made a unique contribution to revive the art. She even brought out a book on kathakalashebham. She is a multi-faceted personality, who has given musical discourses in different languages, and also has a deep understanding and knowledge of Tamil,” he said. He also noted that musician Musiri Subramania Iyer was instrumental in persuading her and her family to shift base to Chennai as he saw talent in her very early.

P. Duraisamy, vice-chancellor, University of Madras, said she played a key role in introducing new courses, including M.A. Bharatanatyam and M.A. Folk Music at the university when she was the dean.

‘Remarkable researcher’

“She is not only a dedicated teacher but also a remarkable researcher. She has made an excellent contribution to research in the field of music,” he added. On the occasion of 50 years of her concert performances, a golden jubilee special souvenir was released.

K.N. Ramaswamy, director, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, and V.V. Sundaram, co-founder and secretary of Cleveland Tyagaraja Aradhana Committee, United States, spoke.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Staff Reporter / Chennai – December 04th, 2017

Top District Officer, Colleagues Take A Bus For Team Bonding In Tamil Nadu

Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Leaders

The two-minute video shows their latest ride, a two-hour journey to Cozhai village as part of the monthly mass contact programme where they disbursed Rs. 1.4 crore worth welfare measures

Cuddalore District Collector Prashant M Wadnere on a local bus
Cuddalore District Collector Prashant M Wadnere on a local bus

Chennai :

A video showing Cuddalore District Collector Prashant M Wadnere and his team of some 40 officials, including senior officers, travelling in an ordinary government bus has gone viral.

The two-minute video shows their latest ride, a two-hour journey to Cozhai village as part of the monthly mass contact programme where they disbursed Rs. 1.4 crore worth welfare measures.

The collector is seated on the first seat next to the front door.

“More than saving fuel it’s more of logistics. This time spent with colleagues also helps in bonding as a lot of informal discussions happen. Unlike corporates, we don’t have such outing programmes,” the collector said.
The collector who has been doing this over the last one year says this system also helps remove the fear ordinary people have about the district administration.

“It’s also a confidence-building measure. People are now more forthcoming to speak to me,” he said.

source: http://www.ndtv.com / NDTV / Home> Section> Tamil Nadu / by J. Sam Daniel Stalin / December 01st, 2017

Madras HC inducts four women judges; tops nation with 11

Leaders, Records, All
Six judges were sworn in on Friday taking the number of judges to 60 which is 15 short of the sanctioned strength
Six judges were sworn in on Friday taking the number of judges to 60 which is 15 short of the sanctioned strength

Chennai :

By inducting four women additional judges on Friday, the Madras high court bagged the honour of having the maximum number of women judges on its rolls in the country. The court now has 11 women judges, overtaking the Delhi high court which has 10.

The sanctioned strength of the Madras high court is 75, but it has only 60 judges now. This is the first time that the number of women judges in the court has entered double-digits, and four of them were sworn in at the same time.

At least one-third of Tamil Nadu’s subordinate judiciary is taken up by women judges, as the state has been implementing one-third reservation for women.

Among other high courts of comparable size, the Bombay high court has nine women judges at present, while the Allahabad high court has just six women judges of the sitting strength of 98.

Of the six new judges sworn in by Chief Justice Indira Banerjee on Friday, Justice S Ramathilagam, Justice R Tharani, Justice T Krishnavalli and Justice R Hemalatha are women.

Besides the chief justice herself, the chartered high court already has six women judges – Justice S Vimala, Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana, Justice V M Velumani, Justice J Nisha Banu, Justice Anita Sumanth and Justice V Bhavani Subbaroyan.

The number would have touched the dozen mark, but for the decision of the Supreme Court to defer the selection of Sarojhinidevi, a senior district judge who had been recommended by the Madras high court along with the six selected candidates.

Her name was delinked from 11 names recommended in two batches for appointment as judges of the high court, in view of a pending case.

The apex court collegium had asked the high court to submit a status report on the matter. Since the pending case had been concluded in her favour, the high court sent the report to the apex court. Had she also been appointed, the strength of women judges in the high court would have touched 12, accounting for one-fifth of the sitting strength of judges in the court.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ The Times of India / News> City News> Chennai News / by A. Subramani / TNN / December 02nd, 2017

British era air raid shelter demolished

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All, World Opinion
The World War II air-raid shelter near Kasimedu being demolished. | Photo Credit: R. Ragu
The World War II air-raid shelter near Kasimedu being demolished. | Photo Credit: R. Ragu

Historian V. Sriram says structure near Kasimedu should be protected

A piece of the city’s rich colonial past made of concrete and metal is being demolished to make way for development work along Ennore Expressway. On Thursday, a hydraulic breaker found it hard to dismantle the concrete behemoth constructed several decades ago.

The air-raid shelter constructed by the British to withstand bombs during World War II that usually stands neglected near Kasimedu, will soon become history.

Locals not bothered

Locals unaware of the history of the structure, do not seem to be bothered about the demolition.

While those at the site said it was being pulled down for widening Ennore Expressway’s service lane, another said it was being done for laying of the Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd’s (CPCL) crude oil pipeline. However, both the National Highways Authority of India, which manages the road, and the CPCL denied that they had anything to do with the demolition.

Historian V. Sriram said the grey concrete structure was constructed by the British Government during the World War II as an air-raid shelter. He said several such air raid shelters were constructed in and around the city to house the local people in the event of an air attack.

Over the years the concrete building, which was not put to use for the purpose it was constructed, had remained neglected by government agencies and had gradually become a public convenience for the locals.

Dumping of garbage

The concrete structure resembling a water sump with no doors reeks of a bad smell and is filled with garbage going to show the way ‘historic’ building has been treated by the government authorities.

Mr. Sriram rues that when several buildings not of any historic value could be lifted and moved, this air raid shelter certainly deserves to be protected. He pointed out the concrete structure, though not converted into a museum, could have been preserved by moving it to the other side of the road so that it could serve as a reminder to a time when the city came close to be bombed.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by R. Srikanth / Chennai – December 01st, 2017