Category Archives: Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Liquor to milk: Distillers turn dairy farmers

March 22, 2015Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Natureadmin

Coimbatore :

R Ravi, 43, from Shankara Nagar, was once a sought after man in the village just outside of Mettupalayam. Long before noon, at least half-a-dozen men would be waiting at his hideout on the forest fringes for a glass of the village’s best arrack. With every passing day his clientele increased because his arrack was known to have the best bite.

However, for the past 10 years the village’s best arrack brewer has been cutting trees and clearing fields for a meagre 150 to 200 a day to feed his family of four. “I learnt how to distil arrack because I started hanging around an arrack distiller in the village when I was eight years old and dropped out of school,” said Ravi. “I began serving customers and slowly learned the art of distilling,” he said. After his master died, he took over the business. “I would work till 11.30pm, earning up to 800 a day,” he said. Ravi’s reformation from an illegal arrack distiller to a tree cutter was not easy. “We would never know when we’d get caught by police,” he said. “Once we were picked up, our family members would have to go from station to station to trace our whereabouts,” he added.

In 2005, at least 80 arrack distillers in Mettupalayam and Karamadai panchayats were forced to leave their arrack business. “We kept them in jail for three months and counseled them, promising to give them jobs if they kept away from the illegal business,” said a senior inspector in Mettupalayam. “We told them that if they showed us that they had reformed, they would get a reward,” he said.

The government began distributing cows to reformed arrack distillers in 2011. We distributed around 120 cows in the district, said a government official.

The beneficiaries have been given medical and life insurance for the cow for three years, free periodical visits by the animal husbandry department and a one-day training programme on how to care for the cows. “This is to give the reformed men an alternative livelihood as dairy farmers,” said district collector Archana Patnaik.

S Arumugam, president of Palepalayam panchayat, said at least 50 men who received cows in last year have reformed. “Earlier, these arrack distilling units destroyed several families in our village. It is only in the last 10 years that men can be seen holding a job,” he said.

“The distillers are also working hard to sell their milk, keeping their cattle sheds clean and taking care of their calves,” he said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Coimbatore / by Pratiksha RamKumar, TNN / March 21st, 2015

Help to raise a vegetable garden at home

March 22, 2015Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Natureadmin

Roof Garden at Ganga Street, Besant Nagar. Photo: M. Karunakaran / The Hindu

Soon, you can raise your own vegetable garden on the terrace. As part of the Urban Horticulture Development Scheme, the State government is planning to introduce ‘Rooftop Garden – Do It Yourself Kit’ in Chennai and Coimbatore.

Dr. R. Aravindan, deputy director, The Tamil Nadu Horticulture Management Institute, Madhavaram, said, “One house will be allotted a minimum of one unit (1 kit) and a maximum of five units. One unit will cost Rs.3,300 approximately. A 16-square metre moisture polythene sheet will be provided per unit to protect the roof floor from the rainwater.

Apart from that, ultra-violet stabilised poly bags with coco peat compressed bricks and vegetables – brinjal, tomato, chilly, bush beans, cluster beans and different types of greens – will be provided. With two litres of water, the bags will expand five times higher. After seven to ten days, bio-fertilisers and bio-pesticides with compost (one kilogram) should be mixed and used,” he added.

Garden tools – one litre hand sprayer, rose can, scoop, hand fork and two pro tray (50 holes) – and a hand book will be given to the beneficiaries.

The scheme is likely to be implemented in the middle of this month.

For details, contact A. Mohammed Nazeer, horticulture officer (Anna Nagar) at 9841155808, C. H. Rajeevan at 9840255347 and P. Punniyakodi at 9444989715.

For Perambur, contact N. Annamalai at 9444926440, K. Babu at 9444227095. For Thiruvanmiyur, contact M. R. Rajasekar at 9486725197 and S.V. Shanmugam at 9940658899.

Hi-tech sensor poly green house

The institute is setting up a hi-tech sensor poly green house on 28 acres, including five acres of State horticulture farm, 20 acres of ornamental garden and a horticulture management centre.

The green house will have imported saplings of capsicum (yellow, green, red and orange), lettuce, European cucumber, orchids, Dutch roses and anthura.

The house would be maintained with a temperature of 24-28 degrees Celsius throughout the year. It would be fully-automatic with irrigation, climate control devisers, foggers, shade nets, fan patch system ventilator and natural ventilator green house fan. The scheme is a frontline demonstration of National Horticulture Mission and National Agriculture Development Programme.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> DownTown / by T. S. Atul Swaminathan / Chennai – December 07th, 2013

JOBS to DIY for

March 22, 2015Arts, Culture & Entertainmentadmin

A number of young professionals are now taking to quilling, woodwork, and needle felting to indulge their passion for craft

It was the desire to have a pair of burger ear rings that drove Shilpa Mitha to work with clay. And the amazing response she got inspired her to create other works of art. Today, the 28-year-old sound engineer is better known in the city for her figurines and dosa fridge magnets, all fashioned from clay.

“I was always interested in sound engineering and even worked with a studio for a while. But I didn’t like it, so I quit,” says Shilpa, who has a degree in electronics and communica tion and diploma in audio engineering. “I used to do paper quilling but found paper was not that versatile a medium and moved to clay.” She sells her creations under the brand name Sueno Souvenir.

A growing number of young professionals, be it engineers or IT professionals, are opting to step out of their air-condi tioned cabins to work with their hands – learning crafts such as quilling, wood work and metal work. While some have dared to take it up full-time, for others it is a hobby that con sumes most of their free time. And though most don’t have their own store, they sell their creations through Facebook pages dedicated to their brands.

The city has a Chennai Crafters group on FB, started in 2012 to bring young crafters under one um brella. On March 28, some of them will get together to display their creations at the third edition of their ex hibition – Urban Hands – at Luz House, Mylapore. 2 Showcasing her art would be Rohita Vee who discovered her love for making jewellery while doing engineering. “I always wanted to be in a creative field and thought of taking up architecture. When that didn’t work out I opted for engineering but found that I didn’t like it,” she says. Though she finished the course, she realized that she wanted to turn her love for making jewellery into a career. So she headed to the London Jewellery School for a diploma and has since been focussing on making metal jewellery under the brand name Roia.

“I plan to soon house my products in few boutiques, and target the Chennai and Bangalore crowd,” says the 24-year-old.

While Rohita’s nose pins are a sell-out, it is Iswarya Venkat’s quilled miniatures that are a hit with clients. “I make popular characters such as Iron Man, Batman, Popeye and The Powerpuff girls,” says Iswarya, who has a day job as a consultant with an IT company and works at night on her miniatures which sell under the brand name Creo. “This is just another way of expressing my creativity.” Since quilling is getting more common, Iswarya is now trying out needle felting, making little pendants that collegians can wear.

Unlike the others, Somasundaram Padmanabhan really doesn’t market his works. The 37-year-old engineer discovered that he could get nifty with his hands while scouting for a centre table. “We liked one but the shop refused to customize it so I just got myself the tools, and with a little help from YouTube videos, made it myself,” he says.

Since then he has made wall clocks, lamp shades, shoe racks, and inverter battery cabinets, usually for friends and family. “It is time-consuming, so I can’t really take orders.

Also I don’t have a proper workshop,” says Somasundaram, who runs a blog http:www.woodooz.com. “I started it to showcase my work but people wanted to learn, so I began doing posts on how you can make things with a minimal set of tools.”

Somasundaram does dream of taking it up in a bigger way but has yet to take that leap of faith. “I need to first secure myself financially,” he says.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / by Priya Menon, TNN / March 22nd, 2015

Tree Bank making waves in the city

March 22, 2015Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Natureadmin

For the cause of greenery: G. Mullaivanam, Founder, Tree Bank, giving saplings to residents of Virugambakkam. Photo: R. Shivaji Rao / The Hindu

As many as 355 volunteers plant a tree in each of the 155 divisions in Chennai everyday.

G. Mullaivanam, clad in a green shirt, walks down Krishna Nagar Third Street in Virugambakkam identifying the trees, the month/year they were planted and the occasion they were planted for. He also narrates how the residents maintain them with his guidance.

G. Mullaivanam is the proud owner of these and a lakh of other trees that are planted in Chennai. His Tree Bank is making waves in the city with 355 volunteers (including college students and IT professionals), planting a tree in each of the 155 divisions in Chennai everyday.

Tree Bank gives away free saplings to the public who approaches the Bank for one. And its job does not end there; it ensures that the new owner nourishes it with proper care. “Our team inspects the house of the people who takes saplings from us. It looks for an appropriate place for the tree taking into account the MetroWater line and EB line and train them on how deep the pit should be, and how to grow and maintain it. The resident is expected to mail a picture of the planted tree and the team regularly keeps a check on its growth,” says Mr. Mullaivanam. “Thrice a year, the team visits all the places where the trees were planted and help in pruning and other tree care services,” he adds.

People approach Tree Bank to plant trees during an important day in the family, such as birthdays, wedding days or death anniversaries of family members. “Sometimes, we ourselves plant the tree for them in a place mentioned by them,” he adds. Tree Bank has innumerable number of saplings/trees including all varieties from which people can choose the one they want. It has rare medicinal ones too. Mullaivanam, a third generation farmer, collects the saplings from all possible sources, waters them, nourishes them, prunes the trees and even prepares natural manures. He does all this for no monetary benefit. Farming and providing flower decoration services are his sources of income.

Mullaivanam says that he has been collecting and giving away saplings from the age of 13 but formed ‘Tree Bank’ enrolling volunteers in 2008 to take the concept to a higher level. “The idea is to involve the public and sensitise them to the fact that technology is increasing pollution and lifestyle is creating destruction,” he adds. Initially, Tree Bank gave saplings as gifts without any condition, but many came back to them as people could not maintain them. They found trees left uncared for. “People are too busy that they are not able to spare two minutes to water them,” Mr. Mullaivanam points out.

Tree Bank gives saplings to colleges and schools for study purpose and also to plant in their campus. With 7135 volunteers all around the country, it has planted more than four lakh trees and given away more than 13 lakh saplings.

Apart from this, the organisation also conducts environment awareness programmes in schools. It has launched a Child Team with 70 child volunteers. “The tree which the child plants will be named after him/her and fitted with a placard tied to the tree.” The children themselves dig the pit, plant the trees and grow them.

The organisation also conducts awareness programmes to teach the public how to arrest mosquito breeding, the ill-effects of consuming alcohol, etc. “We should not always look up to the Government for solutions. We are the Government and it is everyone’s responsibility to build conducive environment for living,” he adds.

Mullaivanam has requested the Government through a petition to make people plant four trees every time they buy a car and two trees for two-wheelers and to make space for tree planting compulsory for land registration. Anybody who wants to get saplings from Tree Bank should mail their details to treebankofindia@gmail.com or sms 97898 92080.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> DownTown / by R. Keerthana / Chennai – May 01st, 2012

Where dreams grow like mushrooms

March 21, 2015Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Natureadmin

Women now cultivate oyster mushroom that fetches them a monthly income . Photo: K.V. Srinivasan / The Hindu

Thanks to an initiative by students of Ethiraj College and a microfinance company, women from slums become financially independent.

The rear end of Ethiraj College once had a large vacant land which was used for parking. Now, there stands a thatched hut which is changing lives of eight women from Thideer Nagar slum close by .

These women were trained to grow mushrooms , which provides them with a monthly income. Their lives changed when a couple of students of Enactus Ethiraj, a group promoting social entrepreneurship, along with representatives of Equitas, a microfinance group working with people from low-income groups, approached them.

“After a couple of hours of brainstorming, we zeroed in on the project we wanted to take up. We decided to grow mushrooms. We thought of teaching them where they lived. But, who would be interested in buying mushrooms in a slum. That’s when the management of Ethiraj College stepped forward and offered help. They not only decided to offer financial assistance but also gave a small piece of land for growing mushrooms,” says John Alex, programme director, Equitas.

Mushroom cultivation by Enactus Ethiraj Project Agaricus at Ethiraj College for Women. Photo: K.V. Srinivasan / The Hindu

The ground work began in December 2014 and the shed was ready by March 2015. These women were trained by Raghupathi, an expert in mushroom cultivation.

He taught them everything about oyster mushrooms and the conditions they are grown in.

“We built the shed, which is where these mushrooms grow in plastic packets. The temperature is controlled. It has to be humid all the time. Right next door, we have a room where these women do all the preparations. They pack the final product and put it out for sale,” says Kanchi J. Shah, president of the Club.

Sanjana Murali (vice-president), Maduvanthi Birla (joint vice-president), Kavitha Ramesh Kumar (secretary), Vidhyalakshmi C.A. (treasurer) and Kimberly Jane Moses (joint treasurer) and staff member Sumathy Ravi are the core members of the project. Those involved in the project are happy about the way it has panned out.

Forty-two-year-old Lalesh Mary says, “I wanted to do something out of my house, for a long time. When this opportunity came, I grabbed it. It opens avenues for other business opportunities. Moreover, I have learnt to cook mushrooms. Two months ago, I did not know such a thing existed.”

Mushroom cultivation by Enactus Ethiraj Project Agaricus at Ethiraj College for Women in Chennai on March 06, 2015. Photo: K.V. Srinivasan / The Hindu

Oyster mushroom is healthy and high on proteins.

The college sells these products under the brand En-Kalan at the college premises.

It is also sold at departmental stores. For more details, write to enactusethiraj@gmail.com

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> DownTown / by Vipasha Sinha / March 14th, 2015

Showcasing the State’s artistic traditions

March 21, 2015Arts, Culture & Entertainmentadmin

A total of 181 paintings are on display at the Museum Theratre —Photo: R. Ravindran

The art and culture department of the State government on Thursday opened a five-day exhibition in an effort to showcase the talent of painters of various districts of Tamil Nadu.

As many as 181 paintings, both traditional and modern, are on display at the exhibition at the Museum Theatre. “We received over 580 entries, and a team of experts, including the regional director of the Lalit Kala Akademi and principal of the Government College of Fine Arts selected the winners,” said a senior official of the department.

The entries to the traditional and modern categories were divided into two based on the age — above or below 30 — of the artists and 20 from each category were given cash awards.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – March 20th, 2015

In Chennai, a decade in design

March 21, 2015Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economyadmin

Lata Madhu at her store PHOTO: R. RAVINDRAN / The Hindu

Co-founder of Collage Lata Madhu talks about what makes her boutique tick and the city’s growing style sensibilities

“Retail my stuff out of Chennai?” exclaimed designer Nupur Kanoi, petrified, when she was approached to put up her collection in this city. This was in 2012. Three years later, her edgy designs, including dhoti skirts and jumpsuits, are on the most popular list at the Collage store, which turns a decade old this year.

Lata Madhu knew it would work… and it did. “Chennai is one of the most experimental markets in the country,” says Lata, who started Collage along with sister Priya Vasudevan, in 2004. “I was looking for something to do. I started with displaying a collection of designer clothes and accessories at Apparao Galleries. It was a 1,400-square-foot space… basically three small rooms upstairs in the gallery. But the response I received was overwhelming,” she says. That prompted her to start her own space. “I wanted something that had a ‘wow’ factor. So, we got a good architect and designed this store that was 3,900 sq.ft. We started with designers such as Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Raghavendra Rathore, Meera and Muzaffar Ali….”

For Lata, it’s always important that she believes in the designer and the work Collage is showcasing; it doesn’t matter how big the name is. “You can’t base your business on luck. Our store is not just about the names. It’s about curation, and what’s kept where at what time,” she adds.

At a time when multi-designer outlets were at a nascent stage, and Chennai hadn’t entirely woken up to the concept, did she feel Collage may not work? “Every time someone has introduced a new element in the city, it has worked. We are more into classic stuff. If you know your market and your clientele well, you can do well,” she says.

The proof of that lies in the fact that designers who started their careers showcasing at Collage have done well and keep coming back to the city with their collections. Manish Gupta, Rimzim Dadu, Nikasha Tawadey and labels like Pashma by Shilu Kumar are a few examples. “Manish started retailing out of here eight years back and his clothes were between Rs. 16,000 and Rs. 35,000. Now, it’s in the range of Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 50,000 and people still buy them,” says the 45-year-old, and adds, “There are also designers who have outgrown us. We don’t want something very predictable.”

Tarun Tahiliani, Priyadarshini Rao and Manish Arora are the other best-sellers. The store, now 4,100 sq.ft., stocks the works of over 35 designers.

Shortly after Chennai, Collage was launched in Bangalore and Kochi, in 2006 and 2012, respectively. The Bangalore operations are overseen by Priya who, unlike her sister, is quite a fan of western wear. “Even though I stock western wear, I am not as excited about it as when I see a lehenga. How much craft can you show in western wear? It has to have a fabulous fit,” says Lata.

A big believer in Indian fabrics, Lata’s future plans include starting a store in New York – one that will have something Indian. That apart, Lata says her plan is to keep working till the end. “I don’t have a background in fashion. I didn’t even know how to stitch a button. But this is my passion. And passion is when you know what you are putting up on the racks is what you love.”

As for the challenges in starting from scratch and setting up a store of this stature, Lata laughs, “I can write a book on that.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Priyadarshini Paitandy / March 20th, 2015

World Sparrow Day: Will sparrows ever return to this temple named after them?

March 21, 2015Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, Alladmin

Madurai :

In the 1960s, late freedom fighter Govindasamy Naidu had a dream where a sparrow appeared and told him to build a temple for Goddess Kali near the North Masi Street in Madurai (Tamil Nadu).

In fact, an idol of the goddess and three tridents (her weapons) had been there for more than a century. However, there was no temple for the deity.

The area, which is a concrete jungle now, was home to house sparrows then. Naidu believed that the goddess had sent one of the sparrows to tell him to build a temple for her.

And it had not taken much time before the Sittukuruvi Kaliamman Temple was built in the area (‘Sittukuruvi’ in Tamil means sparrow)

And sparrows continued to live in the vicinity of the temple.

Renowned author of folklore A Sivasubramanian has said many local deities found an association with the fauna of the region.

“Sparrows found a mention in the Sangam literature, dating back to 300 BC, where they are mentioned as ‘Manai Urai Kuruvi’ (bird that lives in the house),” he said.

“Sittukuruvi Kali is one such example where even smaller birds living in the vicinity found an association with the deity. The surrounding areas were known for trading grain, and sparrows found it an ideal place to live,” he added.

People believe that Sittukuruvi Kali is a powerful goddess. “She is a very powerful goddess and is known to cure lumps or pimples. If people pray to her for cure, she will cure them. And they will offer her salt in accordance with the custom,” said 80-year-old T Kothaiamma.

For Kothaiamma, Sittukuruvi Kali has been her solace and strength after she lost her husband when she he was 25.

The temple remains intact, so also is people’s faith in the temple. But the sparrows are missing.

“Sparrows used to fly around the goddess. They flocked the area during festivals. But I can’t see them now. They all have gone,” bewailed Kothaiamma.

The Sittukuruvi Kaliamman Temple in Madurai (TOI photo by Iniyan Lenin)

Pujas are performed at the temple daily, and people say the goddess hear their prayers always.

But will the sparrows ever return to the temple named after them?

March 20 is observed as the Word Sparrow Day.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Environment> Flora & Fauna / by J. Arockiaraj, TNN / March 19th, 2015

An intimate portrait of the city’s many facets

March 19, 2015About Chennai(Madras) / TamilNadu, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders, Records, Alladmin

(From left) author Tulsi Badrinath, N. Ram and S. Muthiah at the book release function. Photo: R. Ravindran

‘Madras, Chennai and the Self: Conversations with the City’, a book that explores the metropolis through the personal stories of an eclectic cluster of 12 individuals, was launched on Wednesday.

The author Tulsi Badrinath paints a portrait of a city that is both rooted in tradition and dynamically modern. Launching the book, N. Ram, chairman, Kasturi and Sons Ltd., said, “There is a certain familiarity when one reads the book, but there are also many surprises that the author brings out through her writing.”

Historian S. Muthiah, who received the first copy of the book, said, “This book is by far the best among all the writing on Madras. It is a literary work on how the author sees the city of Chennai through the conversations she has with many people who call this place home.”

Some of the personalities featured are Dalit writer and activist P. Sivakami, the Prince of Arcot Nawab Mohammed Abdul Ali, actor Vikram and priest and karate enthusiast K. Seshadri to name a few. By bringing together disparate narratives of people and the spaces they inhabit, Ms. Badrinath attempts to capture the flavour of a city that is both intimate and contemporary.

The book launch concluded with a panel discussion with chronicler Sriram V. and scholar A.R. Venkatachalapathy interacting with the author.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Staff Reporter / Chennai – March 19th, 2015

Museum to Come up on MMC Campus

March 19, 2015Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All, Science & Technologiesadmin

Chennai :

After a brief lull, efforts to convert the Institute of Anatomy building at Madras Medical College into a full-pledged museum have gained pace. A seven-member “core committee” headed by college Dr R Vimala, has been formed recently to work out the design and suggest the kind of exhibits.

The decision to have a fullfledged museum was taken after the anatomy department was shifted to the new campus on the erstwhile Central prison premises in 2013.

Dr R Vimala said the museum would have exhibits of evolution of medicine at MMC, rare photographs, British-era certificates and documents, history of doyens of the alumni and historical events of the college. Also old equipment, medical devices would occupy a place. “We are looking forward to contribution of rare pictures of relevance to this Institution. Soon we will create a new email id, enabling people to share,” she added.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Dr Sudha Seshayyan, Director, MMC Institute of Anatomy, said the heritage structure, popularly known as ‘Red Fort’, would not be disturbed. Only renovation to rectify the damages would be done. “We also seek help from government curator for maintaining the museum. Now, there are more than 1,000 specimens of which a few are century-old precious possessions. So funds for renovation works are invited. Once ready, it will be open for doctors, medical students and the public,” she added.

Meanwhile, MMC alumni, starting from 1961 batch, have donated Rs 2 lakh till Saturday, giving hope that funds will pour in.

Dr Sudha further said names of people donating above Rs 5 lakh would be inscribed on a plaque. It is estimated that the work for the conversion into museum would take another two years.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Express News Service / March 17th, 2015

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