Monthly Archives: August 2019
05
It’s official! This Chennai boy is the best speaker in the world
These self-professed nerds would take on topics of international relations and economics over sports and pop culture any day.
It was India all the way at the World Schools Debating Championships (WSDC) 2019 in Bangkok. The five-man team fielded by the country won the championship and one of the team-members, Chennai’s Tejas Subramaniam, went on to be crowned the ‘best speaker in the world’.
A proud mother Vinutha Subramaniam said she was among those who had given up debating with him as he already was the best speaker in the family.
“After one point he knew too many things. So, we couldn’t debate with him. He started speaking quite early and by the time he was 1, he could speak complete sentences. At around 2, he would speak a sentence in Tamil and be able to repeat it in English so much so that we would call him ‘Major Sundarrajan’ (after a famous Tamil actor),” Vinutha said.
The team, which also included Bhavya Shah, Manya Gupta, Saranya Ravindran and Prithvi Arun, had already prepared 140 motions before the championships with the help of their coaches Dhruva Bhat, Sayeqa Islam and Dhananjay Ashok among others.
“There was not a single topic that we were baffled by,” said Saranya, a student of Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan Senior Secondary School in Chennai.
The team might have made giant strides this year, but proving their mettle on the global debating circuit was an experience in itself.
“Because we are accented, sometimes I think we are not understood. Like, for example, when the judges give us our feedback, they tell us you made a new argument in your third speech when we clearly made it in our earlier speeches too,” Tejas, who like Saranya studies in Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan Senior Secondary School, said.
First visually impaired speaker to debate in the final
Bhavya, a student of Rao Junior College of Science in Mumbai, the team’s ‘Funny guy’, became the first visually impaired speaker to debate in a WSDC final and to make it among the top 10 speakers.
He was named the sixth best speaker in the world.
Bhavya shared some of his most memorable moments.
When debating against Canada opposing the motion “This House would ban the practice of ‘importing brides’, Canada’s argument was that if importing brides were to be legalised, other refugees would be affected because of the opportunity cost,” Bhavya said.
“So, I argued that this was an argument against any other form of immigration. What if team Canada so decides, ‘we don’t want Indians coming into the country because they’re better at debating than we are?’,” he said.
Point made, the team went on to win defeat the Canadians 3-0.
It was Canada whom they defeated in the final also, proposing the motion “This house regrets the glorification of soldiers as heroes”.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by Express News Service / August 03rd, 2019
e-slippers, gliding platforms and more: meet the student innovators of Maddur
The students of Buchireddy Palli Government School have been winning accolades for their clever innovations aimed at saving lives
It is morning in Maddur, a little village nestled in the valley of the lush Tiruttani hills in Tamil Nadu. I make my way past the railway crossing that looks straight out of an R.K. Narayan story and climb into a rickshaw. It takes me past houses with decorative pillars and thinnais(porches) of old-fashioned houses. As the auto sputters down, I hear the rattle of power looms — the main occupation in Maddur is weaving.
Maddur, of late, has earned a new distinction. The students of Buchireddy Palli Government School have been winning accolades for their clever innovations aimed at saving lives and improving the lives of people with disability. Maddur has few streetlights, and many pedestrians fall prey to road accidents. So Class X students S. Parthiban and V.M. Akashwaran came up with ‘e-slippers’.
The footwear operates on the principle of piezo-electricity and has LED strips that light up when the user walks. Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, which charge devices like mobile phones, are connected to the slippers.
The duo has also come up with a multi-purpose walking stick with sensors that can detect hazards such as fires or floods.
The Buchireddy Palli Government School is an austere, three-storied building that houses both English and Tamil medium departments from classes VI to XII. When I get there just before lunch break, I spot some bright-eyed children sneaking out of their classrooms. Science teacher R. Dharmalingam, has nothing but appreciation for his students. “They are self-driven, curious and never afraid to ask questions,” he says.
“Most of their projects are self-funded, but the headmaster has also helped. I have sat with them after school hours to encourage them.” The school’s involvement is obvious. Dharmalingam accompanied Akashwaran and Parthiban when they showcased their work at the Southern India Science and Technology Fair in Bengaluru.
Out of the box
At Akashwaran’s house, we are greeted with effusive hospitality. Akashwaran and his friend Gunasekaran, still in their uniforms, are poring over a cardboard model. I ask them what they are working on. “This is a gliding platform meant for people with disability or the elderly so that they can cross railway platforms without having to use the overbridge,” Akashwaran tells me. The two then demonstrate the working model.
Akash thought of this when I complained about the climb at the station. Since then he’s been trying to figure out a workable solution,” beams his mother Vatsala.
“It used to be based on hydraulic motion but I changed it to a motor-based system. The platform will move forward when the switch is pressed. IR sensors will detect approaching trains and the platform will then retreat,” Gunasekaran explains. They have even thought about warning systems — a buzzer sound to alert the blind and a flashing red light for the deaf.
M.N. Haripratap is in Class IX in the same school. He has designed a bridge model where the structure opens up during high tide to allow ships to pass and then folds back again. It won him a district-level prize from the Chief Education Officer of Thiruvallur district.
The students’ love for science and innovation is apparent. “Akash took part in a science exhibition at Sri Krishna Polytechnic and was fascinated by what he saw,” says Vatsala. Interested in electronics, programming and robotics, he recently received a special prize for excellence in science from Anna University, Chennai, during its tech fest, ‘Kurukshetra’. He was also awarded a token of appreciation by former ISRO director Mylswamy Annadurai.
“I want to be a scientist,” says Akash. “Abdul Kalam has always been a role model for me.” I ask him what’s next on the agenda. His small, serious face lights up as he talks of solar-powered cycles, ambulance-sensitive speed-breakers, and earthquake-sensing fences.
Whatever the students of this special school do next, I know they will put Maddur on the map with their thoughtful, people-focused innovations.
The writer is a civil engineer and dog lover with a nose for music and art.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sci-Tech> Environment – Young Minds / by Gayatri Ramdas / August 03rd, 2019
Looking beyond the label
Bonding over sustainable fashion & conscious living, three feisty women set up Wildflower — a brand that resonates with their cause.
Chennai :
Friends Sangeetha Arul, Anjula Giriam and Shibi Kumaramangalam had a vision — to organise pop-up events that were different from the rest. So, the trio established Wildflower in 2018, a platform that promotes sustainable and ecofriendly brands from all over India. “We believe that conscious shopping decisions can make a positive impact on the environment, society and lifestyle,” share the trio. In a freewheeling chat with CE, they discuss their journey, life lessons, philosophies and more. Excerpts follow.
Tell us about your journey in event management?
Sangeetha: I was in the communication field and coordinating has been one of my strong skills. When I was in the US from 1999 to 2012, I used to help around with Tamil Sangam, a group where all the US-based Tamil people would gather and conduct events. I realised that management was one of my strengths and decided to put it to good use. Anjula and I went to college together, but were doing different things. We met after a long break in 2012 and decided to start our own company.
Shibi: I’m a lawyer and I predominantly work in the field of women’s rights, sexual harassment at the workplace. But I’ve always been interested in sustainable fashion and conscious living. When I heard about Sangeetha and Anjula’s business idea, I was impressed with the way they had put everything together — promoting conscious consumption. I decided to collaborate with them for the pop-up, which aimed to promote awareness about ethical fashion.
How do you choose the brands you work with?
Shibi: When it comes to choosing brands, we ensure we invite brands which promote sustainable living and fashion. For instance, Last Forest is a brand that we support. They come from Kotagiri and work with the Toda tribe. Apart from ensuring that a brand is ethical, we also focus on the procurement process, that is sourcing and packaging is done in an eco-friendly way.
We follow a strict no-plastic policy. We try to promote the concept of ‘less waste’ by creating awareness on reuse, repurpose and recycle. We want to show people that being environmentally friendly and conscious is not unaffordable. Working with local brands not only supports local entrepreneurs, but it also enables the customers to develop a good rapport and relationship with them.
What is the first step towards a sustainable lifestyle?
Sangeetha: We send out around 80,000 bags of garbage every day, just think about the volume of consumption and wastage. I believe that rather than just a handful of people working towards a sustainable and eco-friendly lifestyle, thousands of people doing it imperfectly is fine and that makes a huge difference. We need to encourage people to take small steps…it will go a long way. Shibi: I’m very passionate about sustainable fashion and conscious living. This is my first venture with Wildflower, we organise events that promote conscious consumption. It is not about making profit, but we want to introduce shoppers to a sustainable principle.
What is your most memorable event of all the events you have organised so far?
Sangeetha: The first event which was held in March 24, 2018 at Hiranandani called Spring Fling Fashion was quite memorable. We had to start from scratch — right from finding vendors, talking, convincing and sourcing from them, everything had to be done. It was trial and error. Another challenge was to get in touch with these sustainable brands from all over India
. People were apprehensive. We learned a lot from the event. Though it was challenging, it was a learning curve and served as a stepping stone for us to do bigger and better. Our dream is to extend our help to all the start-ups and budding women entrepreneurs. We want to help them with marketing and communication services. Anjula: We had just started and everything was new to us, but it was nice to see people turn up from different parts of the country to Chennai. We received excellent response for our first event.
Tell us about a typical day.
Sangeetha: My day starts at 6 am. As soon as I send my children to school, I start preparing for my meetings, as per the day’s schedule. I usually have phone calls lined up with vendors and clients. By the end of the day, I am exhausted.
Event management is challenging, but I love my job! Shibi: I send my six-year-old daughter to school, go on with my day job, meet friends in the evening and hang out with them. I feel women are inherently very good multi-taskers. Sometimes I also help to rehabilitate abandoned pets. Anjula: I’m a part-time home baker. First thing is to manage the house and my child. I read when I’m not baking or busy meeting people for the events.
What are your life philosophies?
Shibi: Surround yourself with positive people and positive energy. Do one good thing and try to give back. Life is short, eat the cake, drink wine, buy the shoes. Sangeetha: I try to live a balanced life, hoping to make a small positive impact on the environment and society. Anjula: Whatever life throws at you, take it slow.
What do you love about Chennai?
Sangeetha: A big chunk of my life was in the US. But currently, Chennai has become a place where I can do what I love while being surrounded by friends and families. Shibi: I’ve lived away from the city most of the time and there is no place like home. With my regular meet-ups with my friends at Chamiers and exploring new places — Chennai offers a beautiful experience.
Anjula: I grew up in a conservative environment and after moving to Chennai from Sivakasi after my marraige, I was able to be myself without people judging me. I meet friends and feel quite lucky. Not everybody gets to do that.
How do you recharge your energy at the end of the day?
Sangeetha: When everybody goes to bed, I ensure I spend time with myself. The peace helps me get through the next day. Shibi: Socialising and Netflix Anjula: I read books.
What are the life lessons you have learned through your work experience?
Sangeetha: We couldn’t say no to people before and now we know where to draw a line. I learned to be tough and sure of what we want from others and their expectations. You can’t please everyone. Anjula: I learned new skills from the most unlikely places and people. I am not a social person, but I realised I could be if I wanted to. From printing to creating promos, we learned the nuances of the business.
What plans do you have for Wildflower?
Sangeetha: Currently, we are keeping it small and taking forward all the lessons we have learned more sustainably. It’s about quality and not quantity for us. We want to make a difference. Shibi: We don’t want people to just buy, but also know about the products and become ethical in consumption. We want to provide our customers with affordable cotton dresses which are not mass-produced…skincare brands which recycle ‘dabbas’, cloth pads.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Rinreichui Kashung / Express News Service / August 01st, 2019
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