With the ban on one-time use plastics coming into effect on January 1, customers bring vessels to buy food in Salem on Monday. | Photo Credit: E. LakshmiNarayanan
Avoid plastic carry bags, deliver food at the doorsteps of customers
Ban on plastic bags has forced many food business operators in the city to carry food items in stainless steel containers and deliver it at the doorsteps of customers.
Small shops selling variety rice, gravies and other food items are present in large numbers in the city, particularly in Guhai. Food items are packed in disposable carry bags and sold to customers.
However, after the plastic ban from January 1, Corporation Officials intensified raids against use of banned plastics. Catering service units could not find alternative or cost effective material for packing.
Though customers were asked to bring their own containers, only a few turned up.
Hence, in order to keep the business going, many caterers started delivering food at the doorsteps of customers.
Business hit
S. Malligeswaran, a caterer in Guhai, said that after the plastic ban he had lost 70% of his business as customers wanted food delivered in plastic bags. We have been educating the customers for over a month asking them to bring containers. Since many are labourers, the result was discouraging.
Now he uses a delivery van and reaches out to the customers.
His wife, M. Kalaiarasi, goes to the houses of customers to deliver food.
Between 11.30 a.m. and 3 p.m., she delivers food in localities near Tiruchi Road, and Dadagapatti Main Road. The couple said that to keep the business running it was bearing the additional cost of operating the van and was positive that people would co-operate in making the society plastic-free.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Staff Reporter / Salem – January 08th, 2019
It’s not quite often that we chance upon a social media app made in India.
Chennai :
It’s not quite often that we chance upon a social media app made in India. Enter Pixalive — designed and founded by 28-year-old Rajasekar Sundaresan, from a village called Soolamalai in Krishnagiri district.After completing his degree in electronic engineering, Rajasekar worked as a network engineer at Wipro for four years in 2008.
Inspired by popular apps like Snapchat and Instagram, Rajasekar quit his job in 2012 and went on to pursue his dream of designing an app with similar features. The app was launched in the first week of August by Disha Gosh, vice captain of the Indian Junior National Volleyball Team.
So far, it has 70,000 downloads and the count is expected to reach a lakh soon. “When I checked out the features of Snapchat it piqued my interest and helped me to further develop an app of our own with better features. My father sold his property and lent me money to pursue this app. I completed it in a year. Currently, we have two offices — Bengaluru and Chennai.
A team of 12 developers works with me. Getting investors is the challenging part,” said Rajasekar.
Pixalive is colourful app with stylish icons and funky fonts. It is said to have all the features that millennials look for today. Apart from basic features like sharing posts, photos, videos, texts and voice notes, the app boasts customised features like the ‘nearby’ option which restricts a user from sharing data on a specific geographical range and to a private or public group.
It also permits the user to access hashtags and news trending in a particular radius chosen by him or her. The data posted will be automatically erased from the application after seven days, thereby giving it a human touch to cherish moments till they’re available. “The app is designed for regional and international users. Language is not a barrier here,” he added. Pixalive is available on Android and iOS.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Vaishali Vijaykumar / Express News Service / January 08th, 2019
This concept, envisioned by celebrity chef Vinodh Kumar, will be implemented by 50 chefs from Saravana Bhavan at IIT Madras.
Masala dosa (File picture)
Chennai :
Hotel Saravana Bhavan will attempt to break the Guinness World Record by making a 100 ft-long dosa on Friday. This concept, envisioned by celebrity chef Vinodh Kumar, will be implemented by 50 chefs from Saravana Bhavan at IIT Madras.Speaking at a press conference in the city on Monday, chef Vinodh Kumar said that around 20 kg of batter will be used to make the dosa. “We have gone to great lengths to plan this endeavour, and we will be successful,” he said.
Currently, Hotel Dasapalla in Hyderabad holds the record for making the longest dosa measuring 54-feet-8.69-inches. “We could have decided to make a 60-feet dosa to claim the record, but we are going all in by making a 100-feet-dosa,” he said.
The 105-feet dosa pan for the event is being made in coordination with Saravana Bhavan’s engineering team, and it is learned that the pan will be maintained at a temperature of 180-200 degrees celsius to ensure the dosa batter doesn’t set immediately.
“The temperature will be maintained, so all the batter can be transferred to the pan and then the chefs will work in tandem to roll up the dosa,” said Vinodh Kumar, replying to a question from a journalist at the press conference.
Actor Nakul’s wife Shruti Nakul, who also spoke at the press conference, welcomed the initiative and expressed confidence that it would be successful. Saravana Bhavan’s general manager Damodaran was also present at the event.
The current record holder
Currently, Hotel Dasapalla in Hyderabad holds the record for making the longest dosa measuring 54-feet-8.69-inches.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Express News Service / January 08th, 2019
Prasiddhi Singh is a class 1 student of Mahindra World School
Chennai :
Prasiddhi Singh is unlike other five-year-olds. She has successfully raised Rs 41, 254 on Ketto, a crowdfunding platform for her mission to ‘save flora, fauna and the planet we live in’. The class 1 student from Mahindra World School is an inspiration to people of all ages. Talking to us about how environment-based issues piqued her interest at such a young age, Stuti Singh, Prasiddhi’s mother says, “My husband and I have always been inclined towards fitness, and we introduced Prasiddhi to jogging when she was two years old.
As a family, We participated in a Ridley Run event — for ‘Save the turtles campaign’ in 2015. She was the youngest participant in that event.” Since then, Prasiddhi has been actively taking part in several events, including tree plantation drives, beach cleaning, that promote environmental awareness. “Eventually, she started understanding the impact of pollution and wanted to do her bit to save the planet. We understood her interest in such activities and decided to give her the needed exposure,” shares Stuti.
The cause-driven child has also spent a considerable amount of time being mentored by Hafiz from CommuniTree. “Recently, Mahindra World City, where we live, conducted a ‘one lakh tree plantation drive’ and Prasiddhi used to ask her father almost every day to take her to the field to plant. That’s when we connected with Hafiz. She spent a lot of time with him understanding the way plants grow, how fences save plants from external damages, and why planting is instrumental in keeping the environment thriving,” she says.
After being part of the tree plantation drive, Prasiddhi discussed the possibility of planting another one lakh saplings in the area, with Hafiz, Praveen (her father) and Stuti. “She was determined and had her goal set. But, the scale of the project was quite overwhelming and that’s when Hafiz suggested that we plan it in multiple phases. We started exploring different crowdfunding options and chose Ketto. This is the first phase of a bigger project,” she explains.
Prasiddhi plans to harvest a micro fruit farm to feed the depleting bird population in the city and spread the message on the importance of trees. The idea for such a farm popped when Prasiddhi came across her father’s childhood anecdotes — about climbing trees, eating and enjoying fruits with his friends. “These tales resulted in fruit tree plantations, but her willingness to share it with other kids, especially the underprivileged, made us take this project to government schools to ensure that every child can enjoy the fruit forests,” says Stuti.
Prasiddhi wants to create her own ‘Kids Army’ — where she will plant trees in all the schools and create students club to maintain the trees. “I will monitor those fruit forests regularly,” she says. Prasiddhi’s observation about the depleting bird population comes from quite a startling incident. Narrating the incident, she says, “Sometime back, during a drive with my parents, a few butterflies dotted the windscreen.
I asked my parents, ‘Why do these butterflies come in our way?’ for which they answered, ‘We are coming in the way of birds and butterflies as we have cut a lot of forests and trees. They have lost their habitats.’ I was shocked. Since then, I have been keeping water for birds in my gallery. I want to take baby steps to make a difference.” Prasiddhi’s day starts in the wee hours, with a morning jog along with her father, followed by a gardening session and mantra chanting. She heads to school by 7.30 am, followed by playschool till 7 pm.
“She completes her school work there so that she can spend some quality time with us once she is back. At home, we play indoor/outdoor games and talk about the entire day’s activities. We have dinner together, read some bedtime stories and sleep by 9.30 pm. Our daughter inspires us and we are proud of her,” says Stuti.
Kids army
Prasiddhi Singh plans to harvest a micro fruit farm to feed the depleting bird population in the city and spread the message on the importance of trees. She wants to create her own ‘Kids Army’ — where she will plant trees in all the schools and create students club to maintain the trees. “I will monitor those fruit forests on a regular basis,” says Prasiddhi. She recently initiated the fruit tree planting in a children’s home in Puducherry. “This month, we will also plant in one of the government schools in Kancheepuram,” says Stuti Singh.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Roshne Balasubramanian / Express News Service / January 03rd, 2019
92nd annual conference and concerts of the Music Academy comes to a close
The Music Academy on Tuesday conferred the title of Sangita Kalanidhi upon renowned Carnatic vocalist Aruna Sairam at its Sadas, concluding its 92nd annual conference and concerts. Presenting the award, Governor Banwarilal Purohit said Ms. Sairam, who has had an illustrious career spanning decades could be credited with taking the art to a wider audience both in India and abroad. She was also known for her collaborative exercises in music with artistes of other countries, he said.
Mr. Purohit also spoke of how the people of Chennai had nurtured Carnatic music, classical dance and their traditions for several centuries. “This city now is ample testimony to the mix of tradition and modernity. It is a city where Sabhas, software and puttus and popcorn co-exist, to hold aloft music and culture. May this tradition continue,” he said.
Other awards
The Governor also gave away other awards, including Sangita Kala Acharya awards to mridangam vidwan Thanjavur R. Ramadas and Carnatic vocalist and guru K. Omana Kutty. The T.T. Krishnamachari awards were presented to veena vidhushi Kalyani Ganesan and veteran nagaswaram vidwan Sembannarkoil S.R.G. Rajanna. Premeela Gurumurthy, Vice-Chancellor of the Tamil Nadu Music and Fine Arts University, received the Musicologist Award.
N. Murali, president, the Music Academy, acknowledged contributions of all who had worked to make the 18-day-long 92nd conference and concerts wholesome and complete, including the rasikas, members, sponsors, musicians, musicologists, artists and the caterers.
Danceuse and guru Leela Samson said Ms. Sairam was one of 12 women artists who had been conferred the title of Sangita Kalanidhi by the Music Academy. Recalling that her guru Rukmani Devi Arundale had asked her to sing when she danced, Ms. Samson said perhaps vocalists too could dance when they sang. Musicologist Ritha Rajan, who offered felicitations to the other awardees, recalled how Mr. Ramadas would appreciate other artistes after concerts.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – January 02nd, 2019
Forty-five cyclists savoured the sights, sounds and taste of Northwest Tamil Nadu as they visited four waterfalls in seven days
In an age of bullet trains, express ways, and long haul flights, choosing a bicycle as a means of touring still presents a challenge. While there have been people who have toured the world on a bicycle since it was invented, it is still difficult to navigate even familiar cities today thanks to issues like safety, weather, road conditions, traffic, on-road support, and so on.
In 2010, to give more cyclists an opportunity to cycle in properly organised tours, Tamil Nadu Cycling Club (TCC), a Chennai-based not-for-profit organisation, began organising an annual cycling tour in partnership with The Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation. Vasanth Ramaswamy, Secretary TCC and curator of the tour, outlines the objective of the tour as “to promote eco-tourism in the state of Tamil Nadu and provide a platform for touring on cycles”.
The group poses together | Photo Credit: unknown
Given the vastness and diversity of Tamil Nadu, TCC has come out with different themes each year. In the first edition, the tour started in Coimbatore with the theme ‘Mountains’ and offered riders a chance to explore Ooty, Yercaud, and Kodaikanal. The subsequent editions explored themes like heritage sites, cuisines, the Eastern Ghats, Western ghats, the Nilgiris and wildlife. The focus was on visiting places that are intricately linked to these themes. The theme this year was ‘Waterfalls’ and the ride covered four waterfalls in Northwest Tamil Nadu. The tours typically start and end at one of the major towns in Tamil Nadu; this time, it was Erode. The intermediate halts over the next seven days were at Hogenekkal, Yercaud, Kallakuruchi and Kolli Hills. Forty five riders, including five women, participated.
The route for different days were designed to provide a variety of experiences; flat sections, uphill rides that test one’s determination, downhill rides that require good control, frustrating headwinds and tailwinds that provided much-wanted relief. “We avoid National Highways as much as possible as they offer very limited scenic beauty and most are all about speed,” says Venkat Venkatadri, one of the key organisers.
A stop for breakfast
The first day from Erode to Hogenekkal passed through some beautiful roads that had stiff headwinds and the second day had steep inclines. After a more relaxed third at Yercaud that was all about scenery, the fourth and fifth day offered gentle climbs in the Kalrayan Hills. The toughest one was reserved for the sixth day when riders ascended the Kolli hills. The last day was a ceremonial easy ride back to Erode.
When asked how this tour compared to the prestigious Tour de France, Rajaram Pattabiraman, the tour director, quickly dismisses the inevitable comparisons, “This is not a race; it is a tour. It is immaterial whether someone rides fast or slow, the entire distance or partially, all days or some days… We want each participant to enjoy the tour and will offer support and recognition to all riders in the best possible manner.” The participants came from all over the country including a few international riders. They were from all walks of life and of all ages. For many, especially those from other parts of India, it was a new experience to ride through Tamil Nadu in places that they had rarely heard about.
It is not always the destination that counts but also the journey. One may not find a small town like Kallakuruchi very romantic but, when reached through the Kalrayan Hills and breathtaking views of Gomukhi dam, it is a place worth visiting.
Riding up to the hill stations helps one enjoy every bit of the view from the top and a sense of accomplishment. Modern highways bye-pass most small towns and link only the major cities. Cycling through small towns helps us connect with many wonderful people and institutions. The friendly cheers from children make each rider feel like a celebrity. It also offers us a chance to try local cuisine and get a closer look at local customs and traditions.
It is an opportunity to pay heed to what songwriter and entertainer Eddie Cantor said, “Slow down and enjoy life. It’s not only the scenery you miss by going to fast; you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.”
Pedal winners
The tour covered four waterfalls:Hogenekkal, Kiliyur in Yercaud, Periyar in Kalrayan Hils and Agaiya Gangai in Kolli Hills
There were 45 riders including five women
The distance covered was 852 km
The total elevation was 11,111m
The total trip took seven days
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Life & Style / by S. Balaji / January 01st, 2019
