Category Archives: Amazing Feats

The life of Pi

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It’s one of the most mysterious numbers in mathematics, and clearly one of the most loved. Well, how else did the little pi manage to wrangle two celebratory days a year – Global Pi Day, March 14, to represent pi’s decimal value of 3.14 and coincidentally Albert Einstein’s birthday; and Pi Approximation Day, July 22, to represent its fractional avatar 22/7.

Even as you read this, T-shirts, mugs and other memorabilia are being sold in various parts of the world to celebrate the world of pi ( ). In mathematics, pi denotes the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter and was first given its 22/7 formulation by Archimedes.

In India, there may not be memorabilia but the day is being marked with lectures and seminars on the mystery of pi as well as its Indian connection. “As this is also the Year of Mathematics in India, being Srinivasa Ramanujam’s 125th birth anniversary, mathematicians have been giving a series of lectures over the weekends in different parts of Chennai,” says R Sivaraman, of the Pie Mathematics Association, who will be speaking on Ramanujam’s life and contributions next week.

“Ramanujam provided great insight into the computation of pi through his power series formulae,” says Sivaraman. “Thanks to his formulae, for the first time, the pi value could be accurately calculated up to 17.5 million digits. No one had managed that before,” says Sivaraman. Now, of course, thanks to Ramanujam’s formulae, computers can calculate the pi decimal value up to 1.24 trillion digits. “Pi is central to every mathematician’s research. You just cannot steer clear of it,” says  Professor Rajeeva L Karandikar,  director, Chennai Mathematical Institute.

“You need pi for everything, right from digging a well to sending satellites into space,” says Sivaraman, who adds he believes that the more you know of pi, the more secrets of nature you can unlock. Incidentally, ancient Indian mathematicians Aryabhatta and Bhramagupta also cut into pi. Astronomer-mathematician Aryabhatta of the sixth century AD calculated its value up to four places, while Bhramagupta in the eighth century AD, used 3 as a “practical” value of pi, and the square root of 10 as an “accurate” value of pi.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Chennai / by Kamini Mathai, TNN / July 22nd, 2012

Young soldier confident of bagging medal at London Olympic Games

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Udhagamandalam:

Ooty’s Olympic dreams may very well be fulfilled by a young soldier from the Madras Regimental Centre (MRC) at Wellington in the Nilgiris who has qualified for the London Olympic Games.

Twenty-two-year-old Sepoy K T Irfan is the third Indian walker to qualify for the Games when he finished 19th in the World Race Walking Cup at Saransk in Russia on May 12, covering 20km in 1:22:09 hours. The ‘A’ standard in the 20km walk event for the Olympics is 1:22:30 hours.

Since his enrolment in the army, Irfan has been working hard and his perseverance paid off in 2011 when he won the national championship in the 20km walk held in Kolkata and Patiala. He participated in various state and national events, setting records on two occasions in Cochin and Patiala.

“The soldier has made his regiment, the Indian Army and the entire nation proud. Through hard work, unparalleled focus and devotion, he has qualified for the Olympics,” said Brigadier S S Jadhav, VSM, commandant of MRC.

Irfan hails from a modest family in Kizhuparamba village in Malapuram district in Kerala. He chose to join the Madras regiment as a sepoy in 2010 and completed his training period of one year in 2011. At the regiment centre he had been given special one-on-one training.

Irfan has won more than a dozen awards including TN State Athletics Championship in 2010, Kerala State Athletics Meet award in 2010, Inter State Athletic Championship held in Bangalore in June 2011 and Open National Athletics Championship held in Kolkata and Patiala in 2011.

He returned from Russia just a couple of days ago and is training at the National Institute of Sports/ Olympic squad in Patiala. “My ambition is to excel in sports at the international level. I have got this far only because of MRC and I am grateful to the regiment. I was given special care and individual training which has enabled me to qualify for the London Olympic Games,” he said.

“Irfan’s achievement will motivate youngsters to join the army. He is the third soldier from MRC to enter the Olympic Games,” said Jadhav.

Famous footballer M Thangaraj, ‘dribbler par excellence,’ a native of Ooty serving at the MRC, played for the Madras Province. In 1948 he was selected for the Indian Olympic Team. He could not make the trip to England though. In 1953, as a member of the touring Indian team, he played in the USSR and Romania.

In 1981, Subedhar Major, I Ibrahim, attached to 9 Madras unit of the MRC, won the bronze medal in the 100 and 400 meters race in the Olympic Games. Ibrahim retired from service a few years ago.

Olympic dreams

Famous footballer M Thangaraj, ‘dribbler par excellence,’ a native of Ooty serving at the MRC, played for the Madras Province. In 1948 he was selected for the Indian Olympic Team.

In 1981, Subedhar Major, I Ibrahim, attached to 9 Madras unit of the MRC, won the bronze medal in the 100 and 400 meters race in the Olympic Games.

Quote

My ambition is to excel in sports at the international level. I have got this far only because of MRC and I am grateful to the regiment. I was given special care and individual training which has enabled me to qualify for the London Olympic Games — Sepoy K T Irfan, athlete

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Coimbatore / by Shanthi Thiagarajan / TNN / May 17th, 2012

Mahabharata Mela at Kumbakonam in July

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Mahabharata Mela, a dance programme in which 1,500 artistes would take part to create the Guinness record, would be held at the end of July at Kumbakonam.

The programme would be organised by Sri Abhinaya Kalai Kuzhumam of Kumbakonam under the Dasasahitya scheme of Tirupathi Tirumala Devasthanam (TTD).

The dance programme would be overseen by the officials of TTD and those who take part in the programme would be taken to Tirumala for a three-day dance programme during Purattasi Brahmotsavam in September, said a press release issued by the Kalai Kuzhumam on Sunday.

TTD has approved the Kalai Kuzhumam to conduct the programme as the Kuzhumam has been taking part in the Sri Vari Brahmotsavam and Padmavathi Thayar Brahmotsavam. Dikshithachariyar, special officer of TTD, has issued the orders approving the Kuzhumam to organise the Mahabharata Mela, said the release. Dikshithachariyar and Shanthi Sarvothaman, Tamil Nadu coordinator of TTD, would oversee the programme in July.

Interested artistes, who have completed the salangai puja and is above 12 years, could contact 8883143777 and 9791797373 to take part in the programme. Artistes from all over Tamil Nadu could take part in the programme.

Arrangements for the Mahabharata Mela are done by Suryanarayana, senior auditor of Kumbakonam, Balasubramaniam of Kumbakonam Paraspara Sahaya Nidhi Ltd, S.Ganesan, Director of V.G.Homes, S.M.Martin of Star Manitha Neya sangamam, and dance teachers Vijaya Sarathy and Guna .

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / National> TamilNadu / by Special Correspondent / Kumbakonam, May 07th, 2012

Smashing all records as he reaches for the kill

Amazing Feats, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Sports

                           R.Badri Narayanan.   Photo: G. Moorthy / The Hindu 

Determination to succeed drives this man to raise the bar each time he wins a medal either in India or abroad. This time, R. Badri Narayanan, son of a temple priest in suburban Othakadai, has returned home with a bronze medal in the men’s singles at the Second France International Para Badminton Tournament, held in Rodez, France. This is not just one more addition to his kitty, but a reminder that he should scale new heights.

The left-handed Badri, who cannot use his right hand due to a congenital deformity, now wants to win more medals in the upcoming Asia Cup tournament. “I know I have to improve my skills. That is why I practise with normal players. My practice helps me react quickly while taking on the disabled players,” says Badri. He took to sports to overcome his predicament.

As an athlete, initially, he won several medals in State and national events. When he broke into badminton, it has been a shower of medals. His success stories were scripted in several tournaments, including in England, Israel and Malaysia. But every time he embarks on a medal mission he experiences starting trouble. He is not in a position to undertake a foreign trip on his own. Badri has to depend on sponsors for participation in any tournament. There have been many local sponsors who have lent a helping hand to Badri. He has recently written to the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, seeking her good wishes and support. At present, his aim is to win the Asia Cup tournament, wherever it is held.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / News> Cities> Madurai / by S. Annamalai / April 17th, 2012

 

48.2-ft dosa for Guinness record

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, Uncategorized

Madurai hoteliers on Sunday dished out a 48.2-feet-long dosa in a bid to enter the Guinness Book of World Records.

“We have outdone the previous record for the longest dosa, which was 38.2-feet-long, made by Vijayawada Hotel Owners’ Association,” said a confident chef K. Damodaran under whose supervision the dosa was made.

The Temple City Group of Hotels had sponsored the event as part of Suvai Durbar, a three-day food festival organised by Madurai Round Table 14 to raise funds to improve infrastructure facilities in government schools. The food festival culminated with the sizzling dosa-making feat.

“We wanted to roll out a dosa measuring 64 feet in view of chief minister Jayalalithaa’s 64 birthday but we ended up at 48.2 feet as the dosa pan did not get the required heat from the 38 burners that were on. Yet, we have beaten the previous record,” said K.L. Kumar, proprietor of the Temple City Hotels.

While 24 kg of batter and 3 litres of oil were used, 18 masters were roped in to make the lengthy crispy brown dosa that was rolled carefully without damaging it or spoiling the colour. Later, it was sliced and served free to the crowd of visitors that flocked the festival venue.

“On the first day, we came out with 45 feet dosa and increased this to 48 feet on Saturday. On Sunday, we added an additional 0.2 feet. In all, we have used 200 kg of batter,” Kumar said.

Chef K. Damodaran and his team attempt to set a record by making a 48.2-feet long dosa at Suvai Durbar, a food festival held at Tamukkam grounds in Madurai on Sunday — DC

The event was videographed and the CDs would be sent to the adjudicators of Guinness and Limca books of records, Kumar said.Two giant monitors were placed to enable the visitors to watch the event that started at 5 pm and ended at 8 pm.

A sizeable number of foreigners were seen enjoying the south Indian delicacy along with the locals post the event.

source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home> Channels> Cities> Region> Madurai / February 20th, 2012

German orchestra jams to Rahman’s tunes

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

Ektaa Malik attended the concert where the maestro sat and heard his own compositions played by The German Film Orchestra Babelsberg

The silence was almost eerie. The tension thick, like the Delhi fog. Pervading concentration levels of the 1500 people in attendance could alone have performed a telekinesis miracle.

Every creak of a chair, every cough and a sneeze was discretely suppressed.  There was a marked dearth of errant cell phones ringing and the resultant glares that would be directed at the one offender. The usual cranky audience of Delhi sat in spellbound silence, very akin to a group of well disciplined school children.

The German Film Orchestra Babelsberg could not have asked for a better atmosphere as they performed the compositions of AR Rahman, conducted and arranged by renowned orchestra conductor and music composer, Matt Dunkley. Delhi, in the august company of the Mozart of Madras, AR Rahman, sat and listened to AR Rahman.

Named Classic Incantations its a unique project that has the German Orchestra playing select compositions of Rahman. Ranging from his early compositions from Roja, to the dated 127 Hours, they have the best of Rahman’s music on their repertoire. This venture is part of the ongoing programme series Germany and India 2011-2012: Infinite Opportunities, which celebrate the completion of 60 years of diplomatic relations of Germany with India.

The stage was bathed in the milky blue light. The musical instruments onstage sparkled, as they waited in defiant splendour. The musicians took their places dressed in resplendent black and we had a concert on our hands.

The German Film Orchestra Babelsberg with its 100 plus musicians was the perfect symphony orchestra to be playing the musical genius of Rahman. Established in the year 1993, the Orchestra is an institution in itself, having collaborated with the German metal band Rammstein, they also featured with the progressive rock band Karat. The Orchestra often performs and teams up with various artists on cross over projects in popular music and jazz.

The first piece played was the Warriors of Heaven and Earth Suite. The 2003 Chinese film had its music done by Rahman when Sony Pictures asked him to compose in the western classical tradition. The Suite was perfect beginning to an evening that had the choicest offerings from the expanse of music by Rahman.

The folk melody of the Theme from Lagaan was heralded by the sound of the horn. The rousing theme cast a spell, as it also had the solo rendition of Deepiga S, who gave the vocals for theTheme. Deepiga is the proud member of the KM Music Conservatory Chamber Choir which provided the background vocals for the musical compositions. The KM Musical conservatory had been started by Rahman in 2008, to train students in the techniques of western musical performance and composition, along side tutoring them in advance classical Indian music.

The concert in addition to just featuring Rahman also had The German Orchestra give a musical tribute to all the great composers of India. They played the choicest renditions and commemorated and acknowledged their contributions to the Indian music industry.

Featured prominently for this segment was soloist Navin Iyer, a flautist who on previous occasion had worked with Rahman on the score for Slumdog Millionaire. The Orchestra brought together the musical scores of Swades, Meenaxi, Passage, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Subhash Bose, Robot, The Rising, in conjunction with the hallmark of Rahman — Theme from Bombay and Cry of the Rose from Roja.

The conductor of the Orchestra, Matt Dunkley was a sight to behold, as he swayed and conducted the 100 plus musicians with panache. His energy was contagious, as the musicians responded to the charged up atmosphere, and played to the gallery.

The finale of the concert had the maestro himself take the stage with the Orchestra and together they geared up for the epic finale.  Rahman took his seat behind the piano and he was accompanied by Asad Ali Khan on the Sitar and the two played the Slumdog Millionaire Suite.

The German Orchestra too joined in and for few minutes the auditorium resounded with the musical harmony. The reverberations were all around. The resultant applause was thunderous to say the least. When the Rahman and the Orchestra came together to take the final bow, the resounding cheer could easily have brought the roof down.

As wave after wave of cheers and clapping greeted the performers as they were felicitated, the cry for an encore got louder.

The German Film Orchestra and the Km Music Conservatory gave a beautiful rendition of the song Aayo Re Sakhi from the movie Water. A fittin end to a flawless evening.

The German Film Orcshetra brought to the fore the vast variety that orchestral music can offer. Every instrument, be it percussion, or woodwinds, together they transport one to a different place. Rahman agreed, as he said when he came on stage to be felicitated, “I always go some place else when they play, leave alone the fact that they are playing my music, its just that they play it so beautifully.”

At the beginning of the concert some one said, “This will be an emotional night, to say the least,” and yes, it was.

source: http://www.DailyPioneer.com / Monday, January 23rd, 2012

Indian-origin scientist & Nobel Prize winner Venkatraman Ramakrishnan to be honoured with knighthood

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LONDON:  Indian-origin scientist Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, a winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize for chemistry, will be honoured with knighthood in 2012.

Venkatraman works as a biologist at the Medical Research Council’s Molecular Biology Laboratories in Cambridge, BBC reported.

Born in 1952 in Chidambaram in India’s Tamil Nadu state, Venkatraman was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2009 along with two other scientists “for studies of the structure and function of the ribosome”, according to the Nobel Prize website.

The ribosome — the cell’s protein factory — translates genetic code into proteins, which are the building blocks of all living organisms.

Experts said the India-born scientist’s work solved an important part of the problem posed by Francis Crick and James Watson when they discovered the now-iconic double helix DNA structure as to “how does the code become a living thing”.

source: http://www.articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com / Home> Collections / News> News by Industry / IANS/ December 31st, 2011

India Post Released Srinivasa Ramanujam Stamp on 26.12.2011

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India Post released New stamp for Srinivasa Ramanujam in his 125th birth anniversary. Stamp Released by our honorable Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in Chennai also declared December 22, the birthday of Ramanujan, as ‘National Mathematics Day.’
Srinivasa Iyengar Ramanujan ( 22 December 1887 – 26 April 1920 ) was an Indian mathematician, Born in Erode, Tamil Nadu, India, to a poor Brahmin family, Ramanujan first encountered formal mathematics at age10. He demonstrated a natural ability, and was given books on advanced trigonometry written by S. L. Loney. He mastered them by age 12, and even discovered theorems of his own, including independently re-discovering Euler’s identity. He demonstrated unusual mathematical skills at school, winning accolades and awards. By 17, Ramanujan conducted his own mathematical research on Bernoulli numbers and the Euler–Mascheroni constant. He received a scholarship to study at Government College in Kumbakonam, but lost it when he failed his non-mathematical coursework.
He joined another college to pursue independent mathematical research, working as a clerk in the Accountant-General’s office at the Madras Port Trust Office to support himself. In 1912–1913, he sent samples of his theorems to three academics at the University of Cambridge. Only Hardy recognised the brilliance of his work, subsequently inviting Ramanujan to visit and work with him at Cambridge. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society and a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, dying of illness, malnutrition and possibly liver infection in 1920 at the age of 32.
During his short lifetime, Ramanujan independently compiled nearly 3900 results (mostly identities and equations).Although a small number of these results were actually false and some were already known, most of his claims have now been proven correct. He stated results that were both original and highly unconventional, such as the Ramanujan prime and the Ramanujan theta function, and these have inspired a vast amount of further research. However, the mathematical mainstream has been rather slow in absorbing some of his major discoveries.
The Ramanujan Journal, an international publication, was launched to publish work in all areas of mathematics influenced by his work.
source: http://www.sapost.blogspot.com / December 26th, 2011

India’s 22 Million Plus YouTube Sensation – The Kult Of Kolaveri

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Website: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YR12Z8f1Dh8
Sony Music India has created a viral phenomenon, the likes of which has never been seen before in India, for the cross cultural Tamil-English musical hit Why this Kolaveri Di. Reaching over 20million hits and counting on Youtube, 3.6 million Facebook shares and #Kolaveri hash tag trending on Twitter amongst media, fans, journalists, celebrities and industry barons in just over two short weeks, Why This Kolaveri Di has become an overnight hit that has now crossed over into the international markets.

The video received 83,000 youtube views within 24hours when it was first released to now become the most viewed video on Youtube. Composed by the 21 year old Anirudh, the track is sung by Tamil superstar and now singer Dhanush. Usually used as a popular slang term amongst Tamil youth, the term Kolaveri, meaning ‘murderous rage’, is now being picked up by marketers and brands alike and people in other parts of the work as a form of expression. The track is also the first regional language (Tamil) song ever to see a high rotation on Mainstream Music Channels – play listed on 43 Radio Stations Pan-India and gaining an audience as far afield as Australia and Czechoslovakia.

The simplicity and originality of the viral has also deeply engaged its audience and is the first viral video to be replicated with fans re-creating their own versions of the viral video. Since the video hit youtube just over two weeks ago the number of responses has been steadily growing; even renowned Bollywood playback singer Sonu Nigam’s four year old son has made his own viral which has already notched up over 1 million hits.

“We believed in our creativity and when we sat with the Sony Music team they saw the true potential in it. Our creativity and their vision has led to the song exploding globally. We are proud to be associated with a team and an international brand like them as we see the true value they bring to music”, says Anirudh the 21 year old Music Director.

The video was shot by the Sony Music team and has a raw feel to it, similar to any making-of or unplugged recording. The natural un-staged set-up of the video allows the viewer to connect with the track, creating a deeper level of engagement that sets it apart from other Indian viral videos.

Why This Kolevari Di is a track that is changing the landscape of how music is shared in India. Shridhar Subramaniam, President India and Middle East Sony Music Entertainment and the mind behind creating the viral rage adds “There is a change in the music landscape that we all are witnessing today. Regional Music has huge acceptability- growing at the rate of 20% per annum and regional advertisements are becoming national and today the success of our song ‘Why this Kolaveri Di’ is an endorsement to this phenomena. We have been a part of the change since 2008 when we entered the Tamil Music market and today enjoy a 60% market share. Our outlook and strategy has been to expand in this market and our recent foray in the Punjabi Music Market is another such step.”

“Now, it has been our conscious effort to long tail ‘Why this Kolaveri Di’ concept by creating official dance mixes of the song, exploiting publishing and distributing the same. We want to keep it fresh, buzzing and alive till each person world over has seen/heard it.”

Planned as part of the soundtrack for forthcoming film “3” and gaining more hits each hour, Why This Kolevari Di has signalled a new era in Indian music and that is bridging the gaps between regional and international musical differences.

Why this Kolevari Di is available to download on ITunes.

source: http://www.mi2n.com/ Music Industry News Network / December 18th, 2011

Rahman composes for Spielberg’s next

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A couple of days after launching the music of Ek Deewana Tha at the Taj Mahal, music maestro AR Rahman confirms his next big collaboration. He has teamed up with top screenwriter Alex Kurtzman and acclaimed Hollywood producer-director Steven Spielberg for the former’s directorial debut, Welcome To People (WTP)

Kurtzman has earlier been involved with big projects like Mission: Impossible III (2006), Transformers, Star Trek and Cowboys & Aliens among others. He has written the screenplay of this new film with regular collaborators Roberto Orci and Jody Lambert.

“Yes, I have just finished the soundtrack for WTP,” confirms Rahman. “It was great to work with Kurtzman, who is a top screenwriter in Hollywood, and have Spielberg backing it. I really had a great experience working on the film.”

Three years ago, Rahman had created history by winning multiple Oscar awards – among other illustrious trophies – for his super-successful soundtrack in Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire.

After the film’s success, Rahman has worked on Hollywood projects like Couples Retreat (CR, 2009) and Boyle’s 127 Hours without much success, but he’s excited about the new “soundtrack-oriented” film.

 

 

Spielberg“WTP’s music is a bit different from CR and 127 Hours. It’s much more emotional and dramatised. I have really enjoyed the process. I think it’s going to release early next year,” explains Rahman, adding that he is trying very hard to divide his time between family, Hindi films, Hollywood, Tamil cinema and other things.

“People must understand that now, due to time constraints, things can’t be like they were earlier. And since I am doing very few films, I want to do them satisfactorily with no deadline pressure,” says the maestro.

Interestingly, some time ago, Spielberg had stated that he wanted to work with Rahman. “I have heard interesting compositions of Rahman and would love to work with him in the near future,” the iconic filmmaker had said.

WTP stars Olivia Wilde, Elizabeth Banks, Michelle Pfeiffer, Chris Pine and Mark Duplass. The story is about a man who is tasked with delivering $1,50,000 of his deceased father’s fortune to a sister he has never met.

source: http://www.HindustanTimes.com / Entertainment / by Prashant Singh / Mumbai, December 24th, 2011