The Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI), Adyar, founded on April 24, 1948 and the world’s largest leather research institute, celebrated its 66th foundation day here on Thursday. The foundation day events were marked by the participation of industry, universities and R&D institutions. “The Institute has over the years grown in stature and played a pivotal role in the cause of the leather sector on a global platform. The recent success in executing consultancy projects for the benefit of the Ethiopian leather sector is an example in this regard,” said A B Mandal, director, CSIR-CLRI.
“It has been a year of accomplishments for the Institute, especially in reaching industrial beneficiaries with appropriate technological intervention,” he pointed out. “There has not only been an extension of outreach on the international platform but has also been further reinforced, thereby sharing technical capabilities as well as expertise with the global leather sector.”
Delivering the CLRI foundation day lecture on ‘Innovation: An important tool in science’, D Balasubramanian, former director of CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology and current director of research of L V Prasad Eye Institute, both in Hyderabad, stressed the need for technological innovation in every sector to usher in development and progress.
In a conscious effort to motivate researchers to protect intellectual properties, the Institute honoured staff members whose patent applications had been filed during 2012-13 with a ‘Certificate of Appreciation.’
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Express News Service – Chennai / April 27th, 2013
Touching Lives: Run by the students of M.O.P Vaishnav College for Women, M.O.P FM accords priority to issues affecting underprivileged women. / Special Arrangement / The Hindu
FM radio stations at three colleges spread hope, cheer and awareness in neighbourhoods across the city. Vasudha Venugopal tunes in
A few years ago, many city colleges were swept up on a wave of enthusiasm for community radio. While most of these campus initiatives flickered weakly and sputtered out, three are still burning bright. The students-run FM radio stations at Anna University, Loyola College and M.O.P. College have grown into thriving centres of education and entertainment for the neighbourhoods they were targeted at.
M.O.P FM
Run by the students of M.O.P Vaishnav College for Women, this community radio gives priority to issues plaguing underprivileged women. Women in the slums around the M.O.P. campus constitute its major target group. The radio station, launched in 2005, also deals with health care, entrepreneurship and related issues.
There are programmes that specifically target women domestic helpers and their children.
“These women are often unaware of the care they should take during pregnancy. It was only after one of the doctors in our shows asked a listener not to miss her regular scans that she went for a long-pending scan. Fortunately, she discovered she was going to have twins then,” said a volunteer.
Volunteers take the trouble to get off air and connect with these women in a more real manner.
“Our primary focus is to encourage these women into entrepreneurial roles,” said a student. So, while these women are trained over the radio in vocations such as beauty care, money management, catering and fashion designing by experts, they are engaged in interaction with college principal Nirmala Prasad in an attempt at helping them.
Interviewing achievers from the community is another key area. Said a student serving at M.O.P FM, “We interviewed this girl when she topped her school in Class X exams. Her parents were pavement dwellers. She came back for an interview when she again topped her school, this time in Class XII exams. Now she studies with us, in our college.”
LOYOLA FM
This community radio, started by the students of Loyola College in 2005, has 20 programmes designed to serve 23 slums in Nungambakkam and Chetpet. The effort to reach out to these slum residents in this manner has brought the issues plaguing them into sharper focus.
“Every student in Loyola has to spend at least 120 hours every year in social service activities, and the radio station enables them to reach people they have to assist,” says Rex Babu Jaysingh, project manager at Loyola FM.
Loyola FM is also a big-hearted promoter of efforts at creativity. It lends its air waves to music created by student bands.
ANNA FM
After grueling work involving three houses, domestic help Shanthi settles down to listen to Magalir Neram every day on Anna FM. This 32-year-old mother of two does not stop with lapping up advice from doctors and experts drawn from a variety of fields. She sometimes dons the cap of an active participant, sending in recipes or getting involved in other ways.
“We started with the women in the slums of Kannigapuram. With a view to making them feel comfortable, we encouraged participant only from women,” said Christie, who manages the station. A graduate of electronic media, Christie got in on the ground floor. From 2004, when Anna FM was launched, she has seen this community radio touch numerous lives. “For a short period, I worked with other organizations. I came back to Anna FM when I realized nothing else I do could be more fulfilling.” The possibility of sustained engagement with neighbourhoods appealed to Christie and eventually brought her back to the world of community radio. Christie says the reward of community radio is two-fold. “There is so much to learn from people. And there is so much more to give back to people.”
Anna FM is on air for nearly 11 hours a day and seeks to engage women from subaltern sections. Social awareness programmes are a hallmark of this station. And interestingly, the listeners are sometimes roped in as resource persons. As part of orientation drives, people in surrounding neighbourhoods are taken on a tour of the station. They are encouraged to go on air, after which they are allotted slots. In an effort to involve the community, radio sets have been distributed to people in nearby slum.
“Our programmes are largely related to health, hygiene, education, setting up an enterprise, developing new skills and yoga. Almost everything geared to developing people into better and happier citizens,” said Christie. “True empowerment is possible only when you impart skills to the community and let them take charge of their lives.”
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Vasudha Venugopal / Chennai, April 29th, 2013
The Royapuram Railway Station was the first in South India, which made the locality a centre for Anglo-Indians | EPS
It was just after Vasco da Gama discovered the sea route to India in 1498, throwing doors open for Indo-European trade. Since it was difficult for Portuguese women to travel to India, the Portuguese men were allowed to marry Indian women, specifically only those who were fair and from good families.
The marriage resulted in descendants of mixed race, who came to be known as Lucitanians. Somewhere around the same time, the Muslims had already entered India to rule a considerable part of the country.
Harry MacLure, editor-publisher of Chennai-based Anglos in the Wind, an international magazine for Anglo Indians, and Anglo Ink that is engaged in encouraging Anglo-Indian literature, reveals, “In places like Santhome, there was a visible Lucitanian population and it is said that the British was surprised to see the non-Indian looking crowd. In fact Anglo-Indian is a relatively newer term. They were known as Eurasians. Later those of European-Indian origin came to be classified under the Anglo-Indian category. It is actually fallacious to believe that Anglo-Indians are only British descendants.”
Former MP and Tamil Nadu MLA Beatrix D’Souza points out to an interesting Anglo-Indian connect to French Governor Dupleix, in one of her articles for Anglos In The Wind. Dupleix married a Tamil-Portuguese widow from Mylapore called Jeanne Vincens.
Referred to as Creole, with a Portuguese father, she could be classified as one of the earliest Anglo-Indians. Santhome, she says, earlier known as San Thome named after one of the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ, St Thomas, became one of the first settlements for Lucitanians.
The locomotive and carriage workshops of the Madras Railway at Perambur were a centre for several Anglo-Indians, making them a significant part of the workforce. Even in other government sectors like telegraph, customs and forest department they were found in large numbers.
With the advent of railways, the Royapuram railway station was built in 1856, becoming the first railway station in South India. It was a strategic spot for the British operations due to its proximity to Fort St George. Royapuram railway station remained a hub for railway operations till the Central Railway Station replaced it in 1907. Found in large numbers in other areas like Perambur, Purasawalkam, Vepery, St Thomas Mount, Pallavaram and Aynavaram, their lives have always been intertwined with the railways.
“That became a pattern for settlement for Anglo-Indians, just like railway colonies came up next to railways yards,” adds MacLure, who is working with S Muthiah on a book that documents the 500-year-old history of the community.
It is said that during those days people set their watch according to the arrival time of the Bangalore Mail. D’Souza adds,” Those were the days of the Anglo-Indian train drivers who ensured that the train ran on time and as per schedule.”
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Janani Sampath / ENS – Chennai / April 29th, 2013
North Tamil Nadu has been industrially active — at least 2,000 years ago! This surprising piece of information could provide ample lead to probably rewriting the history of mankind and his abilities to utilise natural resources to make iron-based tools and utensils.
In addition to an ironsmelting unit in Kariamankalani village, evidences of the earliest human settlements — presumable that of well-organised tribes who knew the uses of iron was discovered for the first time in Kariamankalani village about 30 km from here. Both these discoveries came to light during a recent excavation by S. Rama Krishna Pisipaty, professor and geoarchaeologist, SCSVMV University, Enathur They seemed to have mastered the art of making blocks with iron ore and charcoal husk. “The settlement shows signs of early living place of humans and contains evidences of temporary huts,” says the professor who unearthed stone boulders at the site near Vadamangalam, a nondescript village near Sriperambudur.
The big boulders were used to form a circular structure. About 50 such circular structures besides 20-25 iron smelting units using bloomery method has been unearthed for the first time in northern Tamil Nadu. Also some 15 x 10 cm rectangular blocks were found. “It may not be workers’ dwelling places,” Pisupaty said in reply to a query.
Though people were nomadic at that time, they however lived in groups close to the places where natural resources abounded. “This explains the presence of habitations near the smelting units. Hardly 3 km away, last year I had found the tortoise-shaped burial grounds dating back to the same period,” he adds.
Besides a mountain, a lake also exists close to this site. Preliminary estimates reveals that the people during the Iron Age had extracted iron, purified the metal and made blocks, which were exported to other places.
Pipes (for blowing wind and cooling the molten iron) of varying sizes are also found. At Palnerllur in 2010 the same team discovered iron smelting and smithy. The present site is much earlier than the Palnerllur site. Human activities at the new site dated back from Stone Age.
Pebble and other microlithic tools were also found, says professor Pisipaty.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> News> Current Affairs / by J. V. Siva Prasanna Kumar – DC / March 31st, 2013
Sujata Pai isn’t just a sari designer. She revamps them as well. Ask her why she finds it terribly exciting and she says it is like giving new life to an old treasure — especially for women who have plenty of unused saris in their cupboards. Brimming with innovative ideas, her aim is to make bridal saris which are wearable for all occasions. “It all started because of my wardrobe. I hardly took quite a few saris off the shelves. But after adding personal touches to make the sari look unique, I’ve loved wearing them,” she smiles.
With varied hues, Sujata’s label, ‘Ambi’ reflects her simple style with a range of fabrics like Chanderi, Benaras silk, georgettes, chiffons, organzas, tussar and Maheshwari. Woven withwith handpicked embroidery, patchwork and block prints, her designs are deeply entrenched in Indian culture. Sujata explains, “Whenever I come up with a sari design, I think to myself: ‘Imagine I’m going to wear it’. So, I put in extra care for each one.” Incidentally her range of garments also includes lehenga saris, salwars, anarkalis and skirts.
When it comes to the six yards of silk, minimalistic design has been Sujata’s mantra. “Previously saris were designed in a rigid manner, but now it takes more of an Indo-western avatar to attract young women,” she says. Using handwoven silk, the sari maker opines that traditional craftsmanship ought to be taken forward to the global market in an effective way. Going light weight and easy to drape is the way to do that, she says. “The panels are pre-stitched so you don’t even need to pleat the sari,” smiles the psychology graduate who has mastered the art of the weave without a degree in designing or textiles, but is inspired by Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Ritu Sharma, and Manish Malhotra
(For more details, contact: 9840778558)
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / by Express Features – Chennai / May 02nd, 2013
Brodie’s Castle on the banks of the Adyar is one of the historic homes of Chennai. Photo: Special Arrangement / The Hindu
Brodie’s Castle, along the Adyar, is said to have brought ill luck on several of its residents
Bradis Kesil Road, says a signboard towards the end of R.K. Mutt Road. This is what lack of awareness and official apathy have done to one of the most intriguing places in the city.
Brodie’s Castle on the banks of the Adyar is one of the historic homes of Chennai. It is said to have brought ill luck on several of its residents. James Brodie, of the firm of Jarvis and Brodie, built it in 1796. Perhaps inspired by an eponymous castle in Scotland, he designed it with sloping outer walls and two castellated turrets. The nearest settlement was Mylapore and the road leading there became Brodie’s Castle Road. Today most of it is R.K. Mutt Road, with the last short stretch alone retaining the old name.
Shortly after he moved in, Brodie’s businesses failed forcing him to rent out his castle. The first tenant was Sir Thomas Strange, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Madras. Brodie moved back in 1802 only to drown in the Adyar. The business family of Arbuthnot then purchased Brodie Castle. They rented it out as a house by the river fetched high rent in hot Madras. It was also an artist’s delight making it a favourite subject for watercolours.
In 1810, Edward Vaughan, chaplain of St. George’s Cathedral, moved in, only to lose his wife immediately. He rose to become archdeacon and stayed on at Brodie’s Castle till his retirement in 1829. In 1866, Brodie’s Castle was in the news for the wrong reasons when James McIvor of the Bank of Madras was its occupant. His two daughters, an aide-de-camp to the Governor and the president of the Madras Corporation were killed in a boating accident.
In 1906, the firm of Arbuthnot crashed and Brodie’s Castle was bought, in the distress sale that followed, by Subramania Pillai of the firm of P. Venkatachellum, famed for its condiments and curry powders. It became one of the 75 houses that Pillai owned in Madras. He chose to rent out Brodie’s Castle. Charles Cotton, chief secretary, was a tenant, and he filled the house with fine furniture and art. He was one of the few lucky residents.
Chief Justice Sir Lionel Leach occupied it in 1937. One afternoon in October 1943, the Adyar burst its banks and destroyed many of Sir Lionel’s possessions. Lawyers had a good time imagining the dour Judge sitting in his high-backed chair and futilely commanding the river to rise no further. In 1949, Brodie’s Castle became the residence of P.S. Kumaraswami Raja, the then Premier of Madras State. He lost his post following a stunning electoral defeat in 1952, despite contesting from his family stronghold of Srivilliputhur.
Brodie’s Castle was never a residence thereafter. In 1956, it became home to the Central College of Karnatic Music, now the Isai Kalluri, and in 1968, was renamed Thenral. Maintained after a fashion, by the PWD, it survives, and is worth a visit.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by SriRam V. / May 02nd, 2013
Ma. Ve.Pasupathi at his residence in Villivakkam. Photo: K. Pichumani / The Hindu
Deciphering palm-leaf manuscripts, Ma. Ve Pasupathi has published 40 literary works. He recently received the prestigious U Ve Sa award for this singular work. T. S. Atul Swaminathan in conversation with the scholar
A few minutes into a conversation with Ma. Ve. Pasupathi, it is clear this Tamil scholar follows closely in the footsteps of the grand-father of Tamil literature, Mahamahopadhyaya Dr. U.V. Swaminatha Iyer.
And it is fitting that he has received U Ve Sa award by the Tamil Nadu Government for his contribution to Tamil literature, especially compiling palm leaf manuscripts and handwritten manuscripts. The award was conferred on him by Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa on April 15 at the Secretariat.
Ma. Ve. Pasupathi has published 40 Tamil literary works from palm-leaf manuscripts, written more than 70 research articles, and plain-texted eight literary works, including 1,832 songs in Thirupudai Marudur Puranam. He is a former honorary curator of Dr. U.V. Swaminatha Iyer library, Besant Nagar.
‘More than 16,000 people in 30 districts across the State are in possession of 5, 84, 134 Tamil palm leaf manuscripts. But till date, it has been difficult to find what has been written. The need of the hour is experts, who can read and translate these manuscripts,” says Pasupathi. Restoring palm-leaf manuscripts will bring many classical Tamil literature works to light, he adds.
Dr. Uttamadhanapuram Venkatasubbaiyer Swaminatha Iyer played an instrumental role in publishing long-forgotten works of classical Tamil literature that lay encrypted in palm leaves, he points out.
He adds, “The writings on palm-leaf manuscripts can be in Tamil, Sanskrit or Grand alibi dating back to 18 or 19 century.
The ability to understand where a poem or prose ends and begins has to be mastered.”
Ma. Ve. Pasupathi can be contacted at 9444881281.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Chennai / by T. S. Atul Swaminathan / Chennai – April 22nd, 2013
Veteran musician T K Ramamoorthy died at his Royapettah residence in Chennai on April 17. He was 91 and survived by wife and 11 children.
Ramamoorthy partnered with film musician Vishwanathan to compose music for more than 700 South Indian films from the 1950s. The duo known as Mellisai Mannargal (the kings of light music) gave hundreds of memorable songs in films likeRatha Kanneer, Pudhayal, Pathi Pakthi and Nichaya Tamboolam.
Born in Tiruchy, about 250km from Chennai, Ramamoorthy became an accomplished violinist by 16 years of age and gave concerts under his parents’ tutelage.
He was spotted by film musician C R Subburaman and taken to Madras (the present-day Chennai) to work for AVM studios. There Ramamoorthy met Vishwanathan, who was an expert at harmonium, keyboard and piano. Vishwanathan was seven years younger to Ramamoorthy but they had an instant rapport.
Their big break came when Subburaman died in 1952 while composing for films Devadas, Chandi Rani and Marumagal.
The two musicians completed Subburaman’s work and became inseparable until 1965. They were the highest paid musicians of that period and honed generations of singers and musicians besides taking film music to a light racy level.
After their amicable separation in 1965, Ramamoorthy composed music only for 19 films whereas Vishwanathan had more professional success. However on the request of friends, the pair came together again for the 1995 Tamil film Engurintho Vandhan but did not continue their partnership.
Ramamoorthy and Vishwanathan have won many national awards, the most recent being a felicitation ceremony organised by Chief Minister Jayaram Jayalalithaa in 2012.
source: http://www.gulf-times.com / Gulf Times / Home> International> India> Tamil Nadu Round Up / by Umaima Shafiq / April 21st, 2013
Chocolate lovers at the newly-opened museum in Ooty. / – DC
Ooty:
If it is A.R. Rahman for music, then it is Rahman brothers in the Nilgiris hills for home-made chocolates. The choco-brothers, well-known in the home-made chocoloate industry, have opened a new chapter in the annals of home-made chocolates as they have set up their chocolate museum — M&N Chocolate Museum — on Mysore Road, near HPF factory.
The brothers claim it’s a first-of-its-kind in the country and it gives an insight into the history of chocolate-making, especially the home-made chocolate.
The museum, with its vintage architecture and interiors that remind one of British country architecture, also boasts of models of horse carts, boat, idols, chocolate fountain, ancient chocolate making implements, cocoa seeds and the photographs of three Swiss men who were pioneers in home-made chocolate-making, along with signages on the health benefits of chocolates, besides a counter to house varieties of home-made chocolates.
Fazloor, the younger of the duo, who completed a course on chocolate-making at Ecolechocolate Institute in Canada and who conducted quite a few innovative shows on home-made chocolates here in the past, said home-made chocolates are a roaring confectionery industry now as people from all walks of life like them.
“The cool weather profile in Ooty gives a special flavour and taste to the home-made chocolates. We make a little more than 100 varieties of home-made chocolates using nuts, resins, dry fruits and even some herbs. Home-made chocolates need special touch of the hands to bring out the desired taste.
Of course, Ooty is famed for its nature, flowers, vegetables, spices and fruits. Home-made chocolates of Ooty, which carved a name for themselves, are extra-natural attraction in the field of confectionery with a touch of delicacy. That is why they easily attract the locals and tourists,” he added.
His brother Abdul, a mechanical engineer by profession who turned a chocolatier with some inspiration and help from his brother, said the chocolate museum is an attempt to give the much-needed insight into the history of chocolate-making which dates back to the Mayan era.
The Mayans were known to be the first users of cocoa. Cocoa is the basic ingredient in chocolates and in these modern times, home-made chocolate-making has leavened by vari-
ous innovations.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> News> Current Affairs / by B. Ravichandran, DC / April 27th, 2013
PIECES FROM THE PAST: At the sandhai. Photos: M. Periasamy / The Hindu
Every Sunday for nine years now, Shahul Ameen arrives at 8 a.m. on N.H. Road with cardboard boxes too full to tape shut. He spreads a tarpaulin sheet by the pavement outside a shuttered shop, hoists two poles on the road, throws another tarpaulin sheet over them and settles down in this makeshift shanty to unpack his wares.
Out come worn DVD players, Japanese headphones, mobile phone covers, chargers, ancient tape recorders, rusted sound mixers, dismantled mixies and second-hand CDs. Along the length of N.H. Road, others like Shahul slowly begin setting up the Sunday-only sandhai of second-hand electrical and electronics goods. With his products now neatly ordered and his morning chai downed, Shahul plonks cross-legged on a cane charpai, almost to say, “Let the haggling begin.”
Pic: M. Periasamy / The Hindu
“1,500!” says Babu. “800,” says the customer. “1,300!” snaps Babu. “1,000,” begs the customer. They meet at Rs. 1,100 and the customer walks off with a massive set of boombox speakers, its cloth covering bearing tell-tale holes. “People come here from all over Coimbatore every Sunday because there are at least 20 stalls to choose almost anything electronic from,” says Babu, who’s been a part of the sandhai for five years.
While most other sellers stay on till 8 p.m. when the market officially closes, Babu packs up once he’s made a decent sale. Babu spends his week going house to house in colonies across Coimbatore buying old electronic goods by weight. “Sometimes we buy from kabadi-wallas as well,” he says. Shahul finds his wares through similar methods but frequents exchange melas across the city and outside as well.
Unlike these two, Babu, owner of an electronics service unit just off N.H. Road sells at the sandhai the leftovers from his centre. “I have products which are too old to be fixed, so I bring them here and mechanics and other electricians buy them for the spare parts,” he says. Another hot product is mobile phones and their accessories, both new and second-hand. “Many sellers have small cellphone outlets elsewhere. When they accumulate models which are no longer manufactured or sold by mobile brands, they bring them here and sell it for half-price without guarantee cards,” explains Shahul. “They get rid of their stock and we get mobiles that work,” says Shashidharan, a regular customer at the sandhai for the last five years.
A long shot
It’s a hit-and-miss affair with products here, adds Shashidharan. He once bought a second-hand remote that claimed to work on any television set but didn’t do so. His spoil for today is a clock backlit by fluorescent lights shining through water with floating plastic fish in it. Through the years he’s frequented the sandhai, Shashidharan says he’s seen it expand to include stalls that sell more than just electronics. Some electronic stalls now stock new film DVDs and music CDs; others have cardboard boxes full of old cassettes with Tamil songs and well-used VCD tapes. Those like Pandian have set up stalls selling rubber chappals for Rs. 20, feeding off the sandhai’s constant crowd. “Through the week we sell at Race Course and we bring the excess here on Sundays,” he says. He is accompanied by a chat-walla, mosambi-juice seller and others peddling clothes.
The sandhai gets most of its footfall thanks to the buses that stop on N.H. Road and make their way to the heart of Town Hall. “Each of us gets 90 to 100 customers and altogether at least a 1,000 people come through each Sunday,” says Shahul.
Each stall usually has a huge crowd milling around it, few among them buying though, most just looking to replicate the bargains others make. Eavesdrop on a few conversations and you’ll hear a fair smattering of Hindi, for many migrant labourers from North India come to the sandhai for second-hand products that could make their short stay here more comfortable. Besides those buying, there are those looking to sell old goods too. As we speak, a man offers Shahul a walkman from the 90s. “Not interested,” says Shahul pointing to the walkmans he’s already got to sell. As others stand in the unforgiving heat, peering over Shahul’s wares, he gets himself a lime juice to last him through the second half of this sandhai Sunday.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Esther Elias / Coimbatore, April 30th, 2013
