Foxtrot class INS Vagli submarine majestically berthed at the Chennai Port. It was officially handed over to the state government by the Indian Navy. (file photo)—DC
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
A simple technique used in small-scale textile shops paved the way for the librarians of Lady Doak College to classify their huge collection of books with ease.
Inspired by the way shopkeepers mark the prices of products using colourful stickers, the J X Miller Library started a unique method called ‘Rainbow Classification’. In this method, the staff paste colourful stickers on the spine of the books making their task easier when it comes to sorting and arranging the books.
J X Miller library is as old as the college itself which was established in 1948 by Katie Wilcox, an American missionary in Madurai region. There are 12 departmental libraries and 12 special libraries with thousands of books and journals in each. Apart from these, the college is also maintaining an archive on the history of the college and its founder.
S Sangaranachiar, library director said that they used to take a whole day during weekend to complete the laborious task of arranging books, which has now reduced to an hour everyday. “We were looking for some classification methods. The idea struck us in a textiles shop where a salesman told that they use the stickers to mark the prices. We ordered special stickers with single and double colours from a merchant in the city and pasted specific coloured stickers on specific books,” she said. The system is more than a decade old and has yielded good results too, the staff said.
After the system was implemented, the library staff were able to arrange the books in lesser time and could retrieve them quicker. “After introducing this method, we could track the books, which were misplaced by the students intentionally or unintentionally,” Sangaranachiar pointed out. The intentional misplacing is done by the students if they want to hide a book for later retrieval. “At the end of the day, we just give a casual screening of the racks and such hidden books could be spotted because they don’t match the specific colour code of the section. Tracking them with numbers or alpha-numerical would be slightly tougher and time consuming too,” one of the library staff said.
Another novel initiative undertaken by the library for its students is the Library Service Programme. As Part V stream of the collegiate education, the library offers a 120-hour library service course in which 20 hours goes in theory sessions while 100 hours are set aside for fieldworks.
Fieldworks include visiting village libraries and helping out the panchayats in library management. The students also organise story telling sessions for children in the villages and take a children’s library along during their visits. They also visit the district library to learn the nuances of maintaining a library. In addition to these, the library also offers an elective paper called Basics of Library and Information Services. It also organises lectures on plagiarism so that students don’t copy the works of authors for their assignments.
V Aparna and J Ruth Roobella, the final year students from English department, said that their library is more than the collection of books. “Apart from utilising the services of the library, we also get to learn a lot on library science too. The most attractive part is the rainbow system used in the classification of the books,” Aparna said.
source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Madurai> Books / TNN / December 13th, 2013
The four-day Poet Bharathiar Festival saw a variety of music and theatre events being performed./ Photo: K.V. Srinivasan / The Hindu
Speakers recalled Subramania Bharathi’s contributions to literature and culture
The Poet Bharathiar Festival, a four-day literature, music and theatre event, organised at Bharathiar Illam in Triplicane, came to a close on Wednesday.
Many personalities associated with Tamil literature, music and theatre participated. On the final day of the programme, eminent speakers waxed eloquent on Subramania Bharathi during the presentation of the Bharathiar Award 2013.
Former Vice-Chancellor of Thanjavur Tamil University Avvai Natarajan said Bharathiar introduced innovative aspects into Tamil literary realm with his empathy for persons in need. “He paved a new way with poetry,” he said.
Thirupanandal Kasi Mutt Sundaramurthy Thambiran Swamigal pointed to the contribution of Bharathiar in shaping the thoughts of the Tamil speaking world. “His Tamil poems enriched the language and combined Indian nationalism with spirituality. The poems simplified complex political ideas and helped us internalise the significance of national integration. But there are new challenges to such ideas because of modern developments,” said Sundaramurthy Thambiran Swamigal.
Suki Sivam, who received the Bharathiar Award 2013, said Bharathiar’s ideas nurtured and developed him “like mother’s care.”
“Some ideas in the works of Bharathiar may seem to contradict each other. But such ideas actually reflect Bharathiar’s quest for knowledge, news and concern for Tamils suffering in other parts of the world,” said Mr. Sivam.
Residents too found the events informative. “The events helped me understand various dimensions of literary contribution made by Bharathiar,” said P.T. Balaji, a resident from Mylapore.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Staff Reporter / Chennai – December 12th, 2013
Mridangam maestro Thiruvaarur Bakthavathsalam. / Photo: S.S. Kumar / The Hindu
Natural talent and hard work has brought Tiruvaarur Bhakthavathsalam many laurels.
Somewhere in the mid 1970s, this writer used to observe at concerts a tall, handsome young man dressed in impeccable white talking to seniors with folded hands. Those were the days when Tyagaraja akhandam used to be held at different temples of the city, where he would be present and vie with other players for an opportunity to play.
Looking back, he had all the elements of a young hero. Had he joined the movies, the field of Carnatic music would have lost a wonderful artist. A self-made man, Tiruvarur Bhakthavathsalam was given the Life Time Achievement award by Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan, Chennai, this year, which is also the sabha’s 75th anniversary – an honour that he has earned after almost 50 years of playing the mridangam. Incidentally, there is laya even in his address – he lives in Gali ‘laya’ puram near the Music Academy.
“I never learnt mridangam formally,” he begins. Smiling at the stunning effect made on the listener, he continues: “My mother Tiruvaarur Anandavalli was trained well in classical music by Tiruvarur Sethuraman. Thus it was chaste music, from dawn to dusk and often well into midight.
“I think my gurukulavasam started when I was in my mother’s womb. She sang in concerts almost till the day before I was born. By the age of three, I started singing the songs that I had heard from my mother. My maternal uncles Rajarathinam Pillai (thavil), Tiruvarur Krishnamurthy (mridangam) and R.S. Krishnan (violin) lived with us. My sister and I were then trained by Chinna Thambia Pillai, an uncle of Tiruvaarur Namasivayam. My mind was always set on the mridangam and I started playing at home during my mother’s practice sessions when my uncle was not around. Playing for various forms of kritis, padams, javalis, Tiruppugazh was a good exercise.”
Self-appraisal
Bhakthavathsalam was named after the presiding deity of the Tirukkannamangai temple. Although he was praised by everyone for his singing, during his mother’s concert he would pose like an accomplished mridangam vidwan while seated near his uncle. His mother was not sure of Bhakthavathsalam’s success in music and hence wanted him to become a banker. So he went to college to get a B.Com degree. “But I never completed it,” he says laughing. Then on a serious note, he adds, “I am generally wary of Life Time Achievement Awards. I always go into a self-appraisal mode to find out if I am really worthy of these honours. And such recognition calls for sustained hard work.”
He came to Chennai as most of the stalwarts were here and started attending concerts in temples and sabhas. Returning home, he would hone his skills by trying out all the complicated korvais that were presented in the concerts. Whether at Tiruvarur or Chennai, he was present at all the Radha Kalyanams (bhajans) and Nama Sankirtana Utsavams and played for long hours.
He was the regular mridangam player for Vamana Bhagavatar’s harikatha even during his school days, which prepared him for the future and also the numerous Tyagaraja Swami akhandams.
“It was at the Mylapore Sri Thyagaraja Vidwath Samajam that I started getting noticed. I used to wait like the 12th man in cricket to play, just in case the mridangam vidwan for the day did not turn up. I was not disappointed. Those days, the stalwarts attended the concerts of others and that was how I got the recognition. Again at Tiruvaiyaaru, I played for many seniors and they started recommending me to others. I have played for all the doyens of Carnatic music and collaborated with many Hindustani musicians and am also happy to be associated with the present crop of youngsters. ”
Styles of the vidwans vary and so he prepared himself from the morning of the concert by trying to assimilate that technique and by playing it mentally. This is one factor he attributes to his success.
He has high regard for institutions that organise concerts and this has prompted him to institute an annual award to be presented to an organiser during the anniversary of his Laya Madhuraa School of Music (See Page 3).
“I want to educate rasikas on the concept of mridangam. My disciples are now busy in concert circuits and I treat them as my sons. After all Guru is the one who opens your eyes.”
His wife Rajam is the granddaughter of Vazhuvoor Ramaiah Pillai and daughter of Vazhuvoor Samraj Pillai, both renowned dance gurus. He has three daughters.
Bhakthavathsalam recalls the contribution of his mridangam repairer Navaneetham, who is the grandson of Valangaiman Shanmugasundaram Pillai, to his success. “It is a great art and I admire his ability to prepare mridangams for various srutis perfectly”.
“My mridangam has elevated me to this level and I dedicate every success to the instrument. If at all there is rebirth, I want to be born as a musician again with the blessings of Samayapuram Magamaayi.”
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> Friday Review / by V. Balashuramanian / Chennai – December 12th, 2013
Vocalists Vijayalakshmi and Chitra, dubbed the Mambalam sisters, always bring their presentation with placid content and radiance and the coordination between the sisters is full-throated. So, when the sisters began their vocal recital for the Chennai Cultural Academy, Nungambakkam, their strong tonal presentation indicated their effectiveness in bringing out their robust performance.
They commenced with Swaminatha Paripalayamam in Dikshitar’s Raga Nattai. Their subsequent quick exposition of Thyagaraja’s Evarani in Raga Devamirtha Varshini reminded one of ‘musiri’ days. This indicated the lineage of one of the their mentors, Suguna Varadachari.
The duo brought out the contour, colour, content and the majesticity of the kriti Muruga Muruga of Periaswami Thooran, displaying the Raga Alapana of Saveri. Marked by spontaneity and refinement, their presentation won them applause.
Their pièce de résistance was Tyagaraja’s Kaligiyunte, of the Raga Keeravani. Presented with beautiful swara exchanges between the sisters, their elaborate exercise of the niraval was appreciated by the audience. We realised that there was a divine appeal when the sisters took up Dasarpadam in the Raga Desh, revealing timeless music, evident from the appeal it had on the milieu.
On the whole, there was effective coordination between the sisters when they presented the concert in unison. Their niraval and the precise exercise had the essence of commendable musicianship.
The sisters have earlier presented special programmes on several of Dikshitar’s kritis like Shodasa Ganapathy of Tiruvarur, marriage songs, select verses of Nachiar Thirumozhi and Saraswathi Andhadi. Therefore, it is not surprising that it won the appreciation of foreign audiences when they went abroad to the US, Singapore, UAE and Australia, among other places.
The duo’s sister Hemalatha, a noted violinist, gained instant audience approval for her supportive role in the concert. The percussion effects of Kalladaikurichi (mridangam) and Rengachary, the sisters’ father on the kanjira were both marvellous.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Narayana Vishwanath – ENS / December 11th, 2013
Philatelists don’t mind a little struggle to get hold of their target stamps. It is not often they come across rare stamps or special releases. Stamp collectors in Trichy won’t easily forget November as much to their delight 10 extraordinary new stamps or miniature sheets were released at the head post office here in one month alone. There was a scramble for the first-day covers of the commemorative stamps and souvenir sheets.
In May this year, 53 stamps were released, but 50 of them were commemorative pieces on 100 years of Indian cinema alone. Though, only 10 were released last month, each marked different events or personalities. V Jambunathan, who is in-charge of the Trichy Philatelic Bureau , told TOI that November was indeed extraordinary. It has to be so as significant events like Sachin Tendulkar’s 200{+t}{+h} test match and retirement. Besides, The Times Of India celebrated its 175th year.
The 10 new commemorative stamps that were issued were sold out soon after they were released. Unlike definitive stamps that are issued periodically depending upon demand, commemorative stamps are released only once, and normally a little more than four lakh would be issued across the country. A few of the significant events for which India Posts released commemorative stamps in November are: 50 years of Central Bureau of Investigation, 125 years of Intelligence Bueau , 150 years of Railway Workshops, 175 years of Times of India, Sachin Tendulkar’s 200th Test match.
At the counters a few mistook the TOI’s popular cartoon character ‘Common Man’ to be a “Standing Mahatma”. The first-day cover on the recent visit of Emperor and Empress of Japan (December 5) was popular, even though it featured only Qutub Minar and Tokyo Tower, and not the royal couple.
The stamp to commemorate 125 years of Intelligence Bureau, which was originally released on November 23, was re-released in a special function in Trichy by the deputy commissioner of police Abinav Kumar in the presence of assistant commissioner of IB Mathiyalagan and others. “Since it is an important event, we wanted to create some more awareness locally,” Kumar told TOI on Tuesday soon after the release of the stamp in Trichy.
The officials of the philately department had a hard time explaining to stamp collectors about the non-availability of a couple of limited-edition stamps that were sold out soon. Trichy head post office gets commemorative stamps to the tune of Rs 7,000. Considering, the soaring demand, authorities have now demanded raising the limit to Rs 10,000. “There are around 1,000 account holders with us who will get the stamps on the first day of release and this would amount to Rs 5,000. Thereafter, stamps for Rs 2,000 would be sold to the general public on first-come, first-served basis,” explained Jambunathan.
Since the first-day cover would fetch a fortune later, collecting it has become a must, said an avid philatelist involved in buying and selling of rare stamps.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Trichy / by Dennis Selvan, TNN / December 21st, 2013
“I am holding the novel as a mirror before my people. Let them identify themselves and their history and reflect upon it’’
Korkai, an epic novel in Tamil by Joe D’Cruz that captures the transformation in the life and society of fishermen in the Gulf of Mannar region between 1900s and 2000, has won him the Sahitya Akademi award for 2013.
“I never expected it. But I am happy because the award will turn my people’s attention towards the novel, while it will also bring about a change in the opinion of people about fishermen,” said D’ Cruz, who started observing the life of fishermen as an altar boy in his native village of Uvari in Tirunelveli district.
The novel, the author’s second, takes its title from Korkai, the ancient port of Pandiya kings in southern Tamil Nadu, which achieved prosperity through pearl fishing.
The story begins with the death of the king of the Paradavas, Don Michel D’Cruz. Paradavas are one of the ancient communities of the Tamil land and there are plenty of references to them in ancient Sangam literature. The king of the Paradavas was known as Pandiyapathy.
They converted to Catholicism in the 16th century as a token of gratitude to the Portugese, who helped them defeat attempts made by the Moors settled in Kayalpattinam to control pearl fishing. “They supplied guns and gun powder and the fishermen defended themselves with modern weapons,” said D’Cruz.
However, according to him, in course of time, everything turned upside down, as the church and the British rulers gained control of their destiny.
Recalling an incident that propelled him to write the novel, D’Cruz said he was shattered to notice the ancient palace of Pandiyapathy in Thoothukudi, once the native land of the Paradavas, in a state of ruin.
There are too many characters to be remembered in the novel that runs to over 1,000 pages. The author portrays changes in society through the eyes of Philip Dhandal, a character that bears resemblance to the author. D’Cruz, born in a fishing hamlet, struggled his way to Loyola College in Chennai to do his postgraduation and M.Phil in Economics.
Like his first novel Aazhi Sool Ulagu, Korkai also is written in the local lingo. In the process, it contributes to the vocabulary hitherto unrecorded words pertaining to the Neithal land (Sea and the land abutting it.)
“I am holding the novel as a mirror before my people. Let them identify themselves and their history and reflect upon it. I will be happy if the novel gives them an opportunity for introspection,” he said.
Asked about his critical approach towards Catholic religion, D’Cruz said Gandhi could be a Mahatma to one person but to another, he could be a leader responsible for a country’s partition.
“Why should you just see it as criticism made by the novelist alone? The novel reflects the lives and the changes witnessed by the fishermen community. The society I portray supplies adequate material to support my criticism,” said D’Cruz, who has released a compact disc titled Akkini Kunju, asking fishermen involved in freshwater and marine fishing to come together.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Books> Authors / by B. Kolappan / Chennai – December 20th, 2013
A two-day banana festival is scheduled to be held during December 14-15 at the Codissia Trade Fair Complex here.
Second edition
This is the second edition of the event. “It is being mooted at the State-level to promote development of certain agricultural commodities specific to the State. Banana has been identified as the nodal crop for the State owing to the quantum of production and the distinctive varieties of this so-called ‘poor man’s fruit,” farm varsity Vice-Chancellor Ramasamy said.
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University incidentally is the knowledge partner to this event.
The mela is being organised by the Tamil Nadu Banana Growers Federation in association with the Confederation of Indian Industry.
Around 3,000 farmers are expected to attend this event, a CII spokesperson said.
The Vice-Chancellor said that there were 128 varieties of banana, but less than 50 per cent of these were alive. All of these, including value-added products from banana fruit, by-products from banana fibre, psuedostem and leaves will be showcased during the two-day mela, he said.
“The University works with farmers and develops technology. One such technology was developed in 1998 for banana and given to the farmers.
“The President of Tamil Nadu Banana Growers Federation A.P. Karuppaiah improvised this and went for cold storage and ripening chamber to increase the shelf-life of the fruit. The State Government approved transfer of this technology to five different locations. “The Department is now keen to develop cold storage chain along the Theni-Chennai, Madurai-Tuticorin route,” he added.
Ripening chamber
“While cold storage chain is important, we also need ripening chamber. There are about 18 such chambers at present. The Department is planning to add a dozen chambers in and around Chennai, connecting all directions. The State is envisioning at least one cold storage chain and ripening chamber in every district during this Plan period. We want to take this to every village shandy in five years,” he added.
source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home> News> National / by The Hindu Bureau / Coimbatore – December 09th, 2013
As a voice over artist, cartoon dubbing artist, anchor, freelancer writer and a graphic designer, Srimathi Sridharan’s mantra is to plan ahead. After completing her bachelor’s in electronic media, she is now pursuing her master’s in communication at MOP Vaishnav College for Women, Chennai. She is also pursuing a diploma course in animation at IMAGE. “I am purely a career-oriented person who likes to grab and make use of every opportunity I get. I basically like to try out new things every now and then. I put my heart and soul in whatever work I do,” says the 21-year-old.
Ask her how she manages to multi-task and she explains, “Planning is the key. Each day, I put down a to-do list and make sure I complete the tasks before coming home. Once I’m home, I ensure that I spend quality time with my parents. Balancing work and life is very important to me. If you strategise and prioritise, you will have time to attend classes, finish your work and even go out with your family for dinner.”
Srimathi has been working since 2009 and feels that her journey has been good so far. “I really love to work and keep myself engaged. Trying out different things fascinates me. Monetary needs are secondary. Work should be satisfying,” says Srimathi, who earns approximately `15,000 per month.
This all-rounder’s future plan is to become a full-time journalist. “Dedication, skills and knowledge update is very vital for career growth. But this is not the end and I can’t say that I have enough experience in whatever I do. I have a long way to go,” she signs off.
— kaviya@newindianexpress.com
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Education> Edex / by Kaviya Sanjeevi – Chennai / December 16th, 2013
On the dark roofs of old, derelict temples hang these nocturnal mammals, oblivious to the buzz during day. As sun sets, they leave their abode and chart their path using their echolocation instincts. The seemingly insignificant bird, however, plays a pivotal role in agrarian ecology as it can check the growth of pests. However, the habitat of temple bats is in danger as many old temples are being renovated across the southern region.
The number of bats residing in temples has fallen drastically from 4,166 to hardly 2,000 within one year, says a recent study carried out by M Mathivanan, a member of Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology (ATREE), and two foreign volunteers. The previous study was carried out a year back. Most of the 61 temples visited by the team in Tirunelveli and Tuticorin, were a century to a millennia old.
“Lot of renovation is carried out in temple towers. This is destroying the habitat of temple bats. They leave as the once-dark spaces are illuminated after renovation and the rough surface where they perch is polished. It is difficult to hang from smooth ceilings and bright light scares them,” Mathivanan explained.
Experts said disappearance of bats will definitely impact agriculture. “Every bat consumes approximately 600 insects per hour and most bat species feed on insects. They play a crucial role in controlling pests in the field and environment in general,” said R Marimuthu of Zoo Outreach Organisation. “The fruit-eating bats on the other hand are crucial for pollination. The seeds are germinated better in their guts, hence they help in reviving forest species,” he pointed out.
Till a few decades back farmers used bat droppings as nutrients for chilly cultivation, the study noted. Rakshamuthu, a farmer of Ayansingampatti, said they used to collect the droppings from forests as well as temples. “Bat droppings should be mixed with cow dung as using the former alone would prove to be an overdose for plants due to its nutrient profusion. One sack of droppings will be enough for one acre and it was used predominantly in chilly cultivation. The practice disappeared with the usage of modern chemical fertilisers,” the old farmer recalled.
ATREE has decided to test bat droppings in agriculture. “We are testing it on paddy because most chilly farms in this region have been turned into paddy fields,” Mathivanan said.
Though temples need timely renovation, conservationists advocated that bat habitats could still be saved by avoiding lights on renovated towers. Further, bat houses could be established near agricultural fields so that they stay near the fields, helping pollination and pest control. “Considering the contribution of bats to ecology, we have decided to promote awareness on the need to conserve temple bats and their habitat in the region. We hope using bat droppings in paddy cultivation will yield good results,” Mathivanan added.
Factfile:
* The bat species found in temples: Schneider’s leaf-nosed bat (Hipposideros speoris), Greater False Vampire Bat (Megaderma iyra), Leschenault’s rousette (Rousettus leschenaultii), Black-bearded tomb bat (Taphozous melanopogon) and Egyptian free-tailed bat (Tadarida aegyptiaca)
* Leschenault’s rousette is a fruit-eating one, while the rest are insectivores
* Insectivorous bats help to check growth of pests, while fruit-eating bats help in pollination and germination
* The number of temple bats declined by half in the last two years – from 4,116 to 2,000
* Study covered 61 temples in Tirunelveli and Tuticorin districts
source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Madurai> Renovation / by J. Arockiaraj, TNN / December 03rd, 2013
