Category Archives: Amazing Feats

Geared up

April 4, 2014Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All, Sportsadmin

Mission on wheels: While cycling to Delhi from Chennai, S. Nagoor Meeran made many friends./ Photo: M. Karunakaran / The Hindu

Nagoor Meeran, a tailor, cycled to Delhi to meet Abdul Kalam. Vipasha Sinha on his feat

Neither the merciless weather nor the bumpy roads could stop S. Nagoor Meeran from meeting the APJ Abdul Kalam in 2003. At that time, Kalam was the President of India.

Nagoor started his journey to the capital by cycle from Tenkasi. In 35 days, he rode through Chennai, Hyderabad, Nagpur, Bhopal, Agra. It was commendable for a 57-year old to perform such a feat.

Ten years later, Nagoor shares the story of that journey and talks of his love for cycling.

“The Lion’s Club was planning to do an event to promote world peace. They had different ideas in mind but I suggested that I could cycle all the way to Delhi and meet the president,” says Nagoor, who is a tailor by the day and watchman by the night.

It was an Imam from his town who suggested to him the idea long ago and this seemed like a perfect opportunity. He had also met Kalam’s brother in Rameshwaram and expressed his interest in meeting the head of the country.

“However, when I reached Delhi I was told I could not meet the President. Yet I was hopeful. I wrote about my journey and the purpose of the meeting and left the request in a glass box kept for people who wish to meet the President. Reading it, he agreed to meet me. I quickly changed my clothes ahead of the meeting. Mr. Kalam was kind enough to have lunch with me. We spoke about three things – the need to promote peace and communal harmony, development in his native town of Tenkasi, and my desire to visit Mecca. I also presented a letter appreciating him,” says Nagoor.

He also got a chance meet other ministers and personalities. All that he carried for the journey on a basic Hercules cycle was a small bag and a bottle of water. He says there were many people who helped him complete his quest along the way.

“I would start in the morning and by six in the evening, I would look for a temple or a police station or a forest department office where I could spend the night. Some people would offer food and water. Between Agra and Delhi come these humungous soft drink outlets, I went there and they gave me two big bottles of cool drinks for the journey. Since water was a major problem, I would befriend the truck and lorry drivers on the highway, and they would erect tents where they could rest. I would use their water tanks to clean my clothes and take a bath. There were times when I would go without a bath for days. I also maintained a diary with the signature and names of all the people who helped me during the journey,” says Nagoor, who has to spend around Rs. 10,000 for this trip, which was partially sponsored by Lions Club and Sun Tv.

Completing his mission, he took a train back to Chennai. Now, he carries in his small bag a photo taken with Kalam and few newspaper clippings lauding his feat. Ask him why he took that journey, he says: “It was just for the love of cycling.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> Down Town / by Vipasha Sinha / Chennai – March 29th, 2014

8-hr Surgery Saves Cuddalore Farmer

March 19, 2014Amazing Feats, Science & Technologiesadmin

A 59-year-old farmer got a new lease of life after doctors from JIPMER performed an eight-hour laparoscopy and one third of the liver affected with tumour was removed.

The surgery was performed on February 15 and the patient is fine after two weeks of the surgery, said Dr Biju Pottakkat, assistant professor of surgical gastroenterology.

The patient hailing from Cuddalore came to JIPMER with cancer of the large intestine four months ago. It was found that the cancer had also spread to one part of the liver.

The tumour in the large intestine was removed and was treated with chemotherapy. One tumour in the liver remained intact even after the chemotherapy.

The three-inch tumour was in the left part of the liver which the doctors planned to remove through laparoscopic surgery.

The operation was named anatomic left lateral liver sectionectomy and was performed by Dr Biju Pottakkat and Dr R Kalayarasan from the Department of Surgical Gastroenterology and supported by anaesthesia team led by Dr S Adinarayanan.

Four small holes of one centimeter each were used for the operation. One third of the liver affected with the tumour was removed and the entire operation was completed through key hole laparoscopic surgery.

It took eight hours and the patient became conscious immediately after the surgery. Although the operation was complex, blood transfusion was not needed in this case.

Doctors used a special equipment named ‘laparoscopic ultrasonic surgical aspirator’ for the operation, which was recently purchased.

“The patient was made to walk a day after the surgery on February 16 and started taking food. A week after the surgery, he was discharged and is now doing well,” said Dr Biju Pottakkat.

The operation which would cost around `1.6 lakh in a private hospital was done free of cost.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Express News Service – Puducherry / March 02nd, 2014

Krishna college students create record

March 4, 2014Amazing Feats, Education, Records, All, Science & Technologies, World Opinionadmin

Santikar Young (right), Designated Adjudicator, South Asia Elite World Records, handing over the ‘Elite World Records’ certificate to S. Annadurai (second left), principal, Sri Krishna College of Engineering and Technology, and L. Sivakumar (left), vice-principal, for the record the college set in making the maximum number of handmade pollution masks within a given time./ Photo: S. Siva Saravanan / The Hindu

The students created 2,493 handmade pollution masks in 30 minutes

Students of the Sri Krishna College of Engineering and Technology have created a record for making 2,493 handmade pollution masks in 30 minutes, says a release from the college. Elite World Records has recognised the feat and issued a certificate.

Attempt

The release said that the students made the attempt as part of the Entrepreneurship Week 2014 celebrations, which the National Entrepreneurship Network promoted. Santikar Young, Designated Adjudicator, South Asia, Elite World Records, was present to judge the attempt.

The students created 2,493 masks between 11 a.m. to 11.30 a.m.

The release quoting S. Malarvizhi, Chairperson and Managing Trustee, said that the objective was creation of awareness in the people that pollution prevention masks could be easily made.

The college principal and the vice-principal received the record certificate from the designated adjudicator, the release added .

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Coimbatore / by Staff Reporter / Coimbatore – March 04th, 2014

This family’s collective age sniffs 900 years

February 26, 2014Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All, World Opinionadmin

Bangalore :

The battle for the title of ‘oldest family in the world’ may not be over soon. Just when 13 Manja siblings from Shimoga had staked their claim in the Guinness Book of Records for the spot, another family originally from Thanjavur wants to correct that. While the Shimoga family’s collective age is 880 plus years, the new contenders – a family of 11 siblings – say their ages total a whopping 899 plus years, adding up the months and days too.

On Monday, K V Rajagopal, an 87-year-old retired railway executive currently living in Bangalore, responded to a report in TOI dated February 16 on the Manja family, and claimed that his family beat them in the age battle.

Their family hailed from Thanjavur but later migrated to Nagpur, said Rajagopal, elaborating, “We are a family of 12 siblings of whom 11 are alive. The eldest is 92 years old and youngest, 73. Both live in the US. The collective age of the Manja family adds up to 880 plus and it struck me that we 11 siblings are older by 19 years.”

Rajagopal, the third son of G V Rajagopal and Ranganayaki who are now deceased, says all his siblings were born before Independence. “We have witnessed the freedom struggle as our father was a freedom fighter. All my five aunts studied on scholarships abroad during those days itself,” says Rajagopal.

Theirs is a cosmopolitan family, pipes in his daughter Priyamvada Srinivasan. “Gujaratis, Marathis, Jews, Americans, a German and Punjabi are all in it. I am happy to be a part of this rich old family,” she says.

Currently the family has 43 members. But they have never met at one place together. “We all have flown the nest. We had an ancestral house in Nagpur, where no one lives now. Even our childhood photographs are not with us. As six of my siblings live in the US, one each in the UK and Geneva and other two in Nagpur, we hardly get to meet together at one place, but we are in touch with each other,” says Rajagopal.

“But we are not in any race. I am yet to decide on giving a representation to the Guinness authorities,” he adds. The current holders of the record are London-based Brudennel family with a collective age of 855 years.

NEWEST AND OLDEST?

Rajalakshmi Raghavan (92) lives in the US

V Srinivas (89) lives in Nagpur

K V Rajagopal (87) lives in Bangalore

V Kannan (84) lives in the UK

Kalyani Raghavan (82) lives in Geneva

Dr Maithili Schmidt (80) lives in the US

Sulochana Glazer (79) lives in the US

Rangachari Raghavan (77) lives in Nagpur

Dr Renuka Sethi (76) lives in the US

Badra Raghavan (75) lives in the US

Susheila Bhagat (73) lives in the US

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Bangalore> Namma Metro / by Sunitha Rao, R – TNN / February 18th, 2014

Plea to govt on death centenary of Thillaiyadi Valliammai

February 24, 2014Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All, World Opinionadmin

People of Thillaiyadi village in the district have urged the Tamil Nadu government to observe the death centenary of Thillaiyadi Valliammai, a close aide of Mahatma Gandhi during his satyagraha struggle in South Africa .

When Gandhiji started his satyagraha against racial discrimination in South Africa , Valliammai, a 15-year old daughter of an immigrant worker from Thillaiyadi, joined him in the agitation.

She was imprisoned for three months during which she suffered from viral fever. She died on her 16th birthday – Feb 22, 1914.

The Thillaiyadi village panchayat has sent a memorandum to the Chief Minister urging the government to observe the death centenary, falling on coming Feb 22, in a fitting manner.

Soon after his return from South Africa, in 1915, Gandhiji visited the ancestral home of Valliammai in Thillaiyadi.

Years later, Gandhiji had once remarked that it was Valliammai’s sacrifice that increased his resolve to fight for India’s independence.

In 1971, the then DMK Government headed by Chief Minister M Karunanidhi built a spectacular memorial for Valliammai at Thillaiyadi where a statue of the girl, manuscripts of Gandhiji and several rare photographs have been kept.

source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> PTI Stories> News / by Press Trust of India / Nagapattinam (TN) – February 15th, 2014

Winner of 1kg gold to help fund wedding, educate poor children

January 19, 2014Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Nri's / Pio's, Records, Alladmin

Dubai:

Indian expatriate Jayaprakash Balureddy knows exactly what to do with the one kilogramme gold in his hand — help prepare for his wedding and help educate children in his hometown.

Balureddy, 30, from Tiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu, bagged the first 1kg gold prize (roughly worth Dh146,000) on Thursday from the Dubai Gold and Jewellery Group (DGJG) for this year’s Dubai Shopping Festival.

“This is definitely a big help for me. This is like receiving my three years’ worth of salary at one time only. That’s why I want to help,” Balureddy, an air conditioner technician, told Gulf News.

Balureddy said he plans on selling the gold bar so he could put the money to good use.

“I want to use a portion of the money to help my family and also for my wedding on February 10. I will use some of it to pay off my loan here,” Balureddy, the sole breadwinner of his family, said.

Balureddy said he will use the rest of the money, roughly Dh50,000, to help send underprivileged children to school in his village.

“I know how they feel. I myself had difficulty getting an education because we had no money when I was growing up. So I want to help.”

Balureddy was buying gold ornaments on Thursday for his wedding when he was given a raffle coupon. The Indian resident said he was clueless about the raffle and was surprised when raffle organisers called him.

“I didn’t believe it at first when they called me because I had just bought the gold an hour before that. I asked myself, ‘How can this happen?” he added.

Sunny Chittilappilly, DGJG chairman, described Balureddy as an extremely lucky man. And this, he said, was what they had meant by doubling the chances for everyone to win at the gold raffle.

“We lowered the minimum spend to Dh500 and gave two raffle coupons to give everyone more chances of winning,” Chittilappilly said.

Apart from the 1kg gold given away daily, the group is also giving away a diamond solitaire ring every day for 32 days.

source: http://www.gulfnews.com / Gulf News / Home> Gulf> UAE> Leisure / by Janice Ponce de Leon, Staff Reporter – Gulf News / January 04th, 2014

All differently abled children in Perambalur getting therapy

December 28, 2013Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All, Science & Technologiesadmin

Differently abled children at a day care centre in Perambalur district./ by Special Arrangement / The Hindu

Autorickshaws employed for bringing kids to day care centres

The district has registered a rare achievement in the care of differently abled, with “zero home-based differently abled child” in the district. All the 467 differently abled children in the age group of 0 to 18 suffering from multiple disabilities have been attached to the 10 day care centres run under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA).

It was the initiative taken by the district administration with the active participation of the SSA, Pudu Vaazhvu Thittam and the department of differently abled welfare that saw the new horizon in the form of creation of adequate day care centres.

Till a couple of years ago, the district accounted for only four day care centres – one in each block. District Collector Darez Ahamed, a qualified doctor, realising the importance of adequate facilities for the rehabilitation of youth with disabilities, got six more day care centres under the SSA. He allocated Rs. 3.35 lakh for each centre from the Collector’s discretionary funds for improving the infrastructure, besides procuring physiotherapy-related equipment and teaching learning material.

The differently abled children identified at the special screening camps were enrolled and attached to these day care centres and this enabled them get the benefits extended by the government.

In the absence of adequate day care centres, many children with disabilities remained indoors for years and the rehabilitation initiative of the government did not reach them because of the distance involved, absence of adequate trained hands, and so on.

The Collector’s initiative has brought relief to the parents of these hapless children, who undergo special education programme in the centres. Special teachers and physiotherapists had been attached to them. Till recently, one physiotherapist was in charge of two centres, but now each centre accounted for a physiotherapist. The parents could not bring their children to the centres for want of transport facilities. Now, autorickshaws have been hired for bringing these children to the day care centres every day and Rs.12,000 is earmarked for each centre for a month – Rs. 4,300 under SSA and Rs. 7,700 under Pudu Vaazhvu Thittam. The children’s performance is monitored by special teachers and their physical and behavioural patterns are monitored regularly.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Tiruchirapalli / by Syed Muthahar Saqaf / Perambalur – December 19th, 2013

Heritage museum project kicks off

December 24, 2013Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, Alladmin

Chennai:

The preliminary work on establishing the ambitious Tamil Nadu Maritime Heritage Museum project at the ancient port town of Mamallapuram, near here, has commenced and efforts will soon be initiated to ready a huge platform to haul up the decommissioned INS Vagli.

The 36-year-old warhorse, belonging to the Vela-class diesel-electric submarine of the Indian Navy, will be towed to the site, located about 60 km from here, once the Chennai port gives the nod.

The vessel could not be shifted to the 30-acre land owned by the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC), that is executing the project, owing to squally weather conditions.

“We will have to get the weather clearance report from the Chennai port before towing the submarine,” a senior TTDC official said, adding that the corporation could not take the risk of transporting the vessel when inclement weather conditions persist. The sky has to be clear to tow it.

“We hope to tow it during the last week of January 2014. Towing will not be a problem, but hauling the vessel would surely be an arduous task,” the official said.

A platform running to a distance of 100 m would be readied to haul up the nearly 96 m long submarine. International tenders would be floated to establish the museum on a Public Private Partnership basis.

The preliminary work, especially temporary fencing around the site near the shore temple, has begun.

But before commencing the civil work, the TTDC has to obtain CRZ clearance as the proposed museum comes under an ASI-protected area.

Officials hope to complete the project in a year’s time, which augurs well for domestic and international tourism and will pave to highlight the maritime history of Tamil Nadu.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> News> Current Affairs / DC / J.V. Siva Prasanna Kumar / December 13th, 2013

India’s First Minimal Access Transplant for Lung Performed Successfully at Global Health City, Chennai

December 14, 2013Amazing Feats, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All, Science & Technologiesadmin

— Minimal Access Transplant procedure provides immense patient benefits

— Recipients recover faster due to reduced pain and risk of infections

The Lung Transplant Surgeons at Global Health City, Chennai, part of Global Hospitals Group, performed successfully India’s First successful Minimal Access Transplant for Lung on a 61 year recipient. On 24th November 2013, Mr. Raja Babu Shah underwent the minimal access transplant procedure, bringing smiles on the face of his wife and their three kids. Mr. Raja Babu Shah, was diagnosed to have Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis several years ago. It is a progressive interstitial lung disease and shows poor response to maximal medical management. So he was on the waiting list for Lung Transplantation under the Cadaver Transplantation Program of Tamil Nadu since July 2013. He has been confined to bed and wheelchair for more than a year now.

On November 24, a suitable donor became available at Christian Medical College (CMC) Vellore. So Mr. Raja was offered a Lung Transplantation, which would give him a near normal life without oxygen. This was a Minimally Invasive Lung Transplantation.

The surgical team was headed byDr. Jnanesh Thacker – Senior Consultant Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeon, Specialist in Heart and Lung Transplantation for Global Hospitals Group, and his team consisted of Dr. Nandkishore Kapadia, Dr. Vijil Rahulan, Dr. Govini Balasubramani, Dr. Manohar, Dr. Kalyan, Dr. Rajgopal & Dr. Sanjay Singh. Elated over the success of the country’s first Minimal Access Transplant procedure for lung, for the team at Global Health City, Chennai, it’s what they are committed to do every day, deliver their best to save lives, demonstrating exceptional clinical capabilities, innovation and deploy most advanced treatment, technology & utmost patient care.

“Raja Babu Shah is the recipient of India’s first recipient of Minimal Access Lung Transplant. He is also the oldest patient in India to receive a Lung Transplantation and his recuperation is going to be reduced with less pain due to Minimal Access method adopted” said Dr. Vijil Rahulan, Head of Department of Respiratory Medicine & Senior Consultant Pulmonologist, Global Health City.

Speaking to the media, Dr. Jnanesh Thacker iterated that “Based on clinical evaluations and considering the age of the patient, we knew this transplant surgery is going to be a litmus test. We got together as a team to discuss what we need to ensure for best clinical outcomes and after that the decision was made to take the road less travelled – Minimal access mode. We did a Minimal access anterio-axillary thoracotomy with an incision, 7 inches long, just below the nipple. We ensured that the internal mammary artery is preserved.”

Dr. Nandkishore Kapadia, Senior Consultant, Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeon, Global Health City added saying “This was like a time bound mission shown in the movies, with the cadaver lung retrieval done at CMC Vellore, transported to Global Health City, Chennai, within a time span of 105 minutes, followed immediately by a four- hour recipient surgery”

Speaking on this occasion, Dr. Ravindranath – Chairman & Managing Director, Global Hospitals Group applauded the Transplantation Team’s effort in saving the life of this patient with a novel attempt helping faster recovery. He also stated “I was pleased to know that the patient was off the ventilator on the next day and he walked inside his room on the third post operative day.”

Referring to the two patients who had received successful Lung Transplantation the previous year, Dr. Ravindranath said ‘I am also extremely happy to meet Ms. Hanan Hasan & Ms. Fatima,both from Bahrain. As a foremost Transplant center & the largest lung transplant program in the country, we are pleased to have successfully completed our 10th lung transplant at Global Health City, Chennai with this Minimal access thoracotomy incision.

GLOBAL HEALTH CITY

Global Health City, Chennai is a 500 bedded super specialty tertiary care facility, with a capacity to expand to 1000 beds. It renders 360 degree advanced tertiary healthcare services as a foremost premier tertiary care super specialty health city that performs the most complex transplant procedures for liver, heart, lung, kidneys and one of the most advanced organ specific cancer care programme. With the finest combination of expertise, experience, state-of-the art technology and well coordinated team work, every step is aimed at ensuring excellence in patient care.

source: http://www.moneylife.in / MoneyLife.in / Home / by Business Wire India / Chennai, TamilNadu – November 29th, 2013

53-yr-old delivers capsule baby

December 11, 2013Amazing Feats, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Nature, Records, All, Science & Technologiesadmin

Picture for representational purpose only.

Coimbatore :

A 53-year-old woman delivered a girl baby through the capsule test tube baby technology at a hospital in Erode on Thursday morning. Pankajam Velappan, who battled infertility for over two decades, is now an ecstatic mother, said Dr Nirmala Sadasivam, Medical Director, Maaruthi Medical Centre and Hospitals, Erode.

This capsule test tube baby technology was first introduced in USA in 2011 and a year later in India. The advantage of the capsule IVF is that it is far less expensive than test tube baby treatment.

The procedure requires minimal ovulation induction with few hormonal drugs. The procedure involves retrieving of eggs from the woman and fusing it with the prepared sperm.

The prepared material will be placed inside the capsule under ideal aseptic laboratory condition and this is then kept in the woman’s vaginal cavity to promote the culture of the embryos.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> News> Current Affairs / DC / November 29th, 2013

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