Category Archives: Business & Economy

After an award by Portugal govt, inventor of low cost napkin machine wins Padma Shri

Business & Economy, Records, All, Science & Technologies, World Opinion

Coimbatore :

For Arunachalam Muruganantham, the year 2016 couldn’t have started off any better. It was only a few days back that he got to know that he had been honoured by the Portugal government as Indian Business Leader of the Year.

Even before congratulatory messages for the recognition were still pouring in, Muruganantham’s mobile phone has gone again into a non – stop ringing mode. The 52 year old native of Coimbatore, acclaimed for invention of low cost sanitary napkins, has been chosen by the union government for Padma Shri award 2016.”I am not usually excited by awards. But Padma Shri is an exception,” says Murugantham who had just landed in Coimbatore on Monday evening after a tour of various cities addressing a variety of audiences ranging from students to businessmen.

“The award will be an inspiration for youth, especially engineering students. Rather than helping me, the award might inspire another Muruganantham to emerge,” he said.

He hopes that youth would start realizing that social activism doesn’t always mean getting on to the streets and serving the poor. Youth, especially engineering graduates, should realise that social change and improving someone’s life could also be done through an invention, using engineering,” Muruganantham tells.

There are lakhs of youth without jobs. They should identify a social cause and be a solution provider by coming up with more machines like the low cost sanitary napkin making machine,” he said.

The Coimbatore based social entrepreneur, who was listed by TIME magazine as one among world’s 100 most influential persons in 2014 was born in a poor family of handloom weavers in Coimbatore.He lost his father at a young age and had to drop out of school at the age of 14 years.

Soon after marriage, he realized troubles of women during menstruation after marriage, he started experimenting with sanitary pads to help his wife. When women members of his family grew tired of being test subjects, he started experimenting with sanitary pads on himself. SSubsequently, he came up with a machine to make those low cost sanitary pads and sold his first napkin making machine in 2004 in Madhubani in Bihar. tnnIn the decade since then, he has sold 2500 machines across India and abroad as NGOs and corporates saw the value in promoting the machine for better personal hygiene among women.

I am not inclined to display the Award in my house or call myself Padma Shri,” says Muruganantham signing off with the note that he has a long way to go to ensure that every single woman in the country uses a sanitary napkin.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Chennai / TNN / January 27th, 2016

Shampoo production modernised at Gandhigram Trust unit

Business & Economy

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Production capacity of the unit increased from 10 tonnes to 20 tonnes

Gandhigram Khadi and VIPC Trust, an ISRO-certified manufacturing company functioning under Gandhigram Trust, had modernised its shampoo production to improve quality and expand its market base, said K. Shiva Kumar, secretary, Gandhigram Trust.

Talking to media persons here on Thursday, he said that the unit had invested Rs. 10 lakh for modernising its plant to improve production and quality of the product.

Erection of modern mixing plant enhanced quality, helped maintain uniform colour and increase production also.

Similarly, production capacity too had been increased from 10 tonnes to 20 tonnes, he added.

Automating entire process

The unit had also planned to automate the entire production process from preparation to mixing and filling to labelling and packing.

Such modernisation was necessary to tap highly potential shampoo market and expand market base.

The total sale of aloe vera shampoo and herbal shampoo was Rs. 3.05 crore in 2014-15 and it rose to Rs. 3.23 crore in 2015-16.

About 51.7 per cent of the total sale revenue came through sale of 170 ml containers and share of 500 ml bottle was 45.58 per cent.

Sale of 110 ml container was 3.25 per cent.

Sachet sale picking up

Sachet sale was picking up well in rural market.

At present, the unit had successfully tapped shampoo and soap market in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

“We want to modernise the plant on the basis of demand and supply. Rapid modernisation will speed up production but scale down work force. The main aim of the unit is to create more jobs to rural women. We want to ensure that modernisation does not affect job creation,” he also added.

Own lab

The unit had its own lab to test the quality of products.

To ensure high quality, the unit utilised services of external labs in cities, he added.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Tamil Nadu / by Staff Reporter / Dindigul – January 23rd, 2016

Click and repair

Business & Economy, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features
service deal webpage
service deal webpage

Need a plumber? Help is just a click away

How do I fix a dripping, leaking faucet? How to repair and replace a ceiling fan? Homemaker P.V. Kailasi faced a tough time to maintain her independent home at Vadavalli.

“While people living in apartments have access to a network of service providers, independent house owners have to verify the credentials of a plumber or an electrician before letting them in. Since the segment is highly unorganised, it is difficult for one to contact the right person to get the job done on time and at the right price,” she says.

P.V. Kailasi
P.V. Kailasi

Kailasi along with her son S. Vivek, a design engineer have started www.servicedeal.in that connects a verified datapool of plumbers, carpenters, gardeners, and electricians with customers who are in need of help.

“We thought an online platform would be the best way. We have built our database after verifying their credentials . Once they fulfil the criteria we give them a photo proof ID and enrol them. When a customer makes a request on the portal, we check the availability of the service provider and send a representative to inspect the job. We mail a quotation and designate work after getting the approval from the customer,” says Vivek.

Kailasi, who operates the website out of her home, says communication skills are vital. “You are constantly liaising between two parties. We get a minimum of two calls per day from R.S. Puram, Saibaba Colony and Vadavalli with requests as varied as broken shower tap, broken glass window, a fan regulator or a ceiling fan. We have to learn the exact location and address and communicate it to the servicemen,” she says.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Coimbatore / K. Jeshi / January 18th, 2016

2015: The year that saw many Kovaiites make headlines

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Science & Technologies

They did not want to follow the masses and hence, took the path less travelled. And then, nothing could deter them from making the headlines in 2015. Here are a few Kovaiites who thought out of the box and won the hearts of many in Coimbatore.

Shradha Prasad While students her age were burning the midnight oil to prep for their examinations, Shradha Prasad had a different agenda in the mind. This space enthusiast and mechanical engineering student from Amrita University was short-listed for the Mars-One mission. She is the only one from India residing in the country to be part of the final selection round of the mission that aims to establish a permanent human settlement on the red planet by offering a one-way trip to the chosen ones. “I want to do ample justice to the mission by being a thorough help in the scientific experiment. Once I reach there, I want to give my best to make the conditions favourable for human settlement.”

Aravind P Right from his childhood, Aravind P was sure that he would not settle for a nine-to-five job like many of his friends. And he did stand apart from the rest, by making it to the Guinness Book of World Records for memorizing the longest binary sequence of 270 digits. For this language teacher, it was a chance encounter with a record for memorizing the longest binary digit sequence a couple of years ago that pushed him to take up the challenge and surpass the record. “Every morning I would spend three hours staring at my laptop trying to recall sequences on the screen. I started with 90 numbers and gradually started increasing the sequences.” Aravind has started a memory club in the city to help students reduce learning time.” He is also contemplating working on memory enhancement techniques for adults.

Auto Chandran When M Chandra Kumar (‘Auto’ Chandran as he is fondly known) returned to Coimbatore after walking the red carpet at the 72 Venice Film Festival in September, he received a hero’s welcome. The auto driver from the Hopes auto stand was in Venice for the screening of the film Visaaranai, which was based on his book Lockup. The film won the Amnesty International Italy’s Cinema for Human Rights Award and became the first Tamil film to have won the honour. The book Lock up published in 2006, chronicles Chandran’s first-hand experience in police brutality as a young man when was working in Guntur. “We have to stop glorifying encounters on screen. Police enquiries have to be done in a fair manner and for that, we have to make some changes in the constitution itself.”

Sakthi B When Sakthi B, a civil engineering student from Coimbatore, did backward skips with his hands clasped, many made jaws drop. The 20-year-old made it to the Guinness Book of World Records by doing the maximum number of backward skips- 46 skips in a minute, a record hitherto held by Brittany Boffo, an Australian (40 skips in one minute). The attempt was recorded in front of a large gathering at a mall in the city. “When I first started working toward it, I was a tad doubtful if I would be able to achieve the feat. I used to wonder ‘Will this ever happen’? But after a few days, I decided to work hard and give it my best.” He is now awaiting the results for 25 skips in 30 seconds, which is expected to come in January.

Rathi Punithavathiyar The transgender community seems to be going places in the city. While Padmini Prakash (country’s first transgender newsreader) made headlines in 2014, it was the turn of author Rathi Punithavathiyar to hog the limelight in 2015. Ostracized by her family at the age of 14, Rathi became the first author from the city to have penned a book. But the journey wasn’t a cakewalk & she even resorted to begging for survival at a point of time. Despite the fact that she had studied only till Class 10, Rani was confident that she would author a book. Her book revolves around stories of transgenders and is expected to hit screens in January. “I hope one day the society would treat us as equals.”

Sabari Venkat 12-year-old Sabari Venkat has no vision in his right eye, and has partial vision in his left. But that didn’t deter the Class VIII student from being winning with the ‘Creative Child with Disabilities’ award by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. “I want to eradicate corruption & illiteracy. I want India to become a leading nation by 2016. I enjoy addressing those issues through my speeches,” says Sabari, who aspires to become a journalist when he grows up. Sabari was also featured in a calendar titled I’m special’.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Coimbatore / P. Sangeetha, TNN / December 31st, 2016

Seacology prize winner donates 2 lakh to schoolto local school

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Nature, Records, All, Science & Technologies, World Opinion

Madurai :

The woman from a fishing hamlet in Ramanathapuram, who won the coveted Seacology Prize from Berkeley in California, has donated one third of her prize money (2 lakh) to a local school specifying that the amount should be used to construct more classrooms and develop the playground.

The beneficiary was the Chinnapaalam Government Middle School.

M Lakshmi, 46, a seaweed collector was chosen for the prize for her contribution to the development of her community by the non-profit environment organisation, Seacology, which is committed to conserving island environments and cultures. She travelled all the way to the US to receive her prize money of $10,000, the equivalent to 6.48 lakh, on October 9 this year.

Lakshmi, also a ward member of the Chinnapaalam panchayat near the coastal town of Pamban, had never gone to school.

She started collecting seaweed at the age of seven. Then she went on to cultivate the seaweed and also educate local women on the same, using methods that did not harm the marine life in the Gulf of Mannar, where her profession was based.

According to Lakshmi, women could achieve their goals in life and become instruments of development if given higher education. “This is a small contribution with which I hope to enhance the chances of children, especially girls, in the region to pursue higher education,” she said.

Local people, who are already proud of Lakshmi for putting their tiny village on the global map, lauded her effort to help the local school.

“She is committed to developing this backward village and we will do everything possible to help her,” they said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Madurai / TNN / December 26th, 2015

The culture curator

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features

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Abhinaya Rangarajan’s Facebook page, ‘The Artist Project’, is a tribute to the Indian craftsman

She is 23, but Abhinaya Rangarajan has her life sorted. While she is an architect during the day, by dusk, she is a busy entrepreneur. The Artist Project, a Facebook page started by her in July, is getting “overwhelming responses”.

The page that is followed by around 5,500 people, features an artist/artisan from across India every two weeks, and promotes his or her products.

“If you are buying a handmade product, you might as well care to know the hands that made it. After all, the product is a cumulative result of all the skills that the person possesses,” she says, taking just a second’s glimpse at her cell phone that beeps occasionally. “Ever since I started the page, messages have been pouring in — orders, enquiries and requests to be featured. I did not see it becoming such a hit. I get around five to six orders a day, am still coping with the success,” she says.

Abhinaya notes all the orders, and at the end of the week, passes them on to the artisans, who either courier it to the address of the customers themselves or send it to her.

“While I used to handle everything myself, with increasing orders, I now have an intern working for me; a final-year college student,” she says. A no-profit venture, Abhinaya runs it for the sheer pleasure of helping encourage the craftsmen/artisans (she refers to them as artists), and to provide a platform for those who either do not have access to market benefits.

Abhinaya02CF02dec2015

Each post on the Facebook page has a brief description about the artist’s background, besides high resolution photos of their products. Till date, seven artists have been unveiled on the page — Auroville-based shoemaker Rajasekaran who runs ‘Aasai footwear’; an alumni of Vidya Sagar, Swaminathan who weaves mats and sells them in his boutique; Nimisha Zachariah who specialises in textile jewellery; Amrita Giriraj, a visual arts graduate from Stella Maris, who makes accessories from shells; award-winning leather puppet makers D. Venkatramana and K. Ramdas from Andhra Pradesh; and Karishma who makes home decor using bangles.

“The artists featured by us are happy. For example, the puppet makers were almost out of business. They were hosting workshops for a living, which hardly helped them meet their needs. Now, they get orders for their products, and make money,” says Abhinaya. “And Karishma, who had started making bangle decor as a means to pass time while she was pregnant, has now taken it on as a full-time project,” she adds.

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It all began when Abhinaya, who graduated in Architecture from SRM University two months ago, was interning in Bangalore. “Since there was not much work, I would pack my bags and head to the outskirts every weekend. It was one one of those trips that I came across the wooden-toy makers of Channapatna. There were a line of stalls, all selling the same products,” she says.

And from her conversations with the artisans, she realised that they did not know how popular their toys were all across the world, and were definitely not getting the due for the amount of effort and time they put in.

Besides her steely resolve to give the artists a bigger audience, Abhinaya, who is planning to pursue a Masters in Product Design, says her interest was piqued also by the urge to know more about the creative products. “Also, I was a DIY kid myself. Be it birthday parties or get-togethers, I wanted to make my own earrings and hats. So this was expected,” she says with a child-like laugh.

For details, look up The Artist Project page on Facebook.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Naveena Vijayan / Chennai – November 30th, 2015

A new dawn for community radio

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy

It is a powerful medium. The radio station is expected to reach 50,000 people in 30 villages in both Puducherry and Tamil Nadu,  K. Senthilkumar,Director, SARVAM

Your FM station brings happiness to the community as they get to hear their own voices on the radio. This is what makes our station special!” says Natesan Bala, station manager of the PudiyaUdayam community radio station at Poothurai village (Villupuram District, Tamil Nadu) near Puducherry, which was launched on Tuesday.

The PudiyaUdayam 91.2 FM radio station is a project of the Sri Aurobindo Rural Village Action and Movement (SARVAM) which has been working in the area of village integral development for the last ten years.

It now works in 15 villages, including Poothurai, says K. Senthilkumar, Director, SARVAM, and head of the radio project.

“We had a journal called Grama PudiyaUdayam (village new dawn) which was well-received by the villagers. This is when we thought of a community radio station which can reach out to more people, including those who are illiterate. We got the licence from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting last month,” says Mr. Senthilkumar.

The radio station is expected to reach 50,000 people in 30 villages in both Puducherry and Tamil Nadu, and broadcasts can be heard up to 10 km away, says Mr. Senthilkumar. The radio station, which is equipped with a 30 metre tower, includes studios for live programming, recording and hosting talk show programmes.

For and by the villagers

The station will be managed by a village committee of 12 members and volunteers, apart from Mr. Bala and Ilandjejiane, programme coordinator, who will together decide on the programmes. Programmes for children, women, labourers and aged persons, apart from devotional and patriotic songs, and health segments have been planned. The villagers participate in the programming by recording their own songs and stories, including long-forgotten tales, say Mr. Senthilkumar.

Some scheduled programmes include ‘Namma Ooru Nalla Ooru’ which will have information about a historical place or monument of the area. Another programme is ‘Ninaivirukkum Varai’ which will have senior citizens taking listeners down memory lane with their memories. ‘Nambikkai Siragugal’ will have interviews of successful women self-help groups and entrepreneurs. “This community radio station is easily accessible to the villagers, and its doors are open to the community,” says Mr. Bala.

“It is a powerful medium. Students will benefit through motivational talks on how to prepare for examinations. With Jipmer close by, we will have doctors giving information on health. We will also be getting officials from the agriculture department to talk about farming, as well as a programme on livelihood options. Radio also keeps aged people engaged,” says Mr. Senthilkumar.

Programmes on the first day included devotional songs, a segment on diabetes and interaction with P. Agilan, Director, Indian Bank Self Employment Training Institute and Anbu Kamal Raj, Lead District Bank Manager, Indian Bank on banking initiatives.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Tamil Nadu / by Annie Philip / November 25th, 2015

City bizman to launch int’l brand of sanitary napkins

Business & Economy, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Science & Technologies, World Opinion

Coimbatore :

A Muruganantham, who ushered in an era of low-cost sanitary napkins with a machine he invented, is all set to launch his own international brand of sanitary napkins in January with an initial investment of 75 crore. He has already partnered with two major brands in the sanitary napkin industry to launch his new venture.

Muruganantham, who was ranked among the 100 most influential people in the TIME magazine, said he had submitted the documents for registration. “I have submitted four names. Once we are through the registration, we will decide on formal announcement,” he said. Muruganantham will own more than 65% shares in the company and also be in charge of the management.

“I was approached by many people, but I partnered with companies that were willing to agree to my terms and conditions,” Muruganantham, who sold his first machine in 2004 in Madhubani, Bihar.

“In 2004, when I sold my first machine, only around 5% of women were using sanitary napkins. Today, it has grown to around 13%. To be able to live my dream, I realized it is important to become a corporate. I aim to achieve my dream in the next 20 years. And, for this, I will need support from central and state governments, educational institutions and society,” he further said.

Along with the launch of the new company, Muruganantham will also introduce his new sanitary napkin manufacturing machines. “The machines will be available in two types — power operated and powerless. The powerless machines are tailor-made for villages, where power supply is poor,” he said. The machines will be designed in the US and manufactured in the country. “I have got engineers from Pennsylvania to work on the design,” the Coimbatore-based entrepreneur said.

The school-dropout-turned-social-entrepreneur said the company would have its headquarters in Mumbai. “We have found a place in Nariman Point. We will have regional offices in Chennai, Delhi and Kolkata,” said the 52-year-old, adding that the company will have 2,500 production centres across the country.

The company will also have offices in Singapore and Dubai to cater to international market. Muruganantham said he has so far sold 2,500 machines, besides supplying his products to 17 countries, including Kenya, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and Ghana.

“At present, around 970 people are with me as volunteers and supporters in Coimbatore and other places. I will be hiring around 250 people for administration,” Muruganantham said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Coimbatore / by Adarsh Jain, TNN / November 03rd, 2015

Erode Spice Development Agency starts functioning

Business & Economy

Spice Development Agency formed in Erode by the Union Commerce Ministry to promote turmeric processing and export has started functioning. A Deputy Director has been posted for it.

The SDA covering the entire State will also promote processing and export of chilli, pepper, small cardamom, tamarind, clove, nutmeg and coriander. Headed by the Chief Secretary, the SDA consist of members representing the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, State Government, Ministry of Agriculture, Spices Board, ICAR and other related Central and State organisations besides industry stake-holders.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Tamil Nadu / by R. KrishnaMoorthy / Erode – November 04th, 2015

Ancient sari forms weave new success tale this festive season

Business & Economy

Chennai  :

Lakshmi K raised her voice to be heard over the ruta-tut-tut of the weaving frame. For more than 400 years, Vadamanapakkam village -about 30km from Kancheepuram -has resounded with the rattle of these contraptions that spun out cotton saris closely resembling the more famous silks produced in the vicinity.

Lakshmi’s family and a handful of her neighbours are today the only ones who are working to keep an ancient form of weave alive.

“Every time we say we make Kancheepuram cotton saris, people look surprised as the district is known more for the silk variety ,” said Lakshmi, 55, a fourth generation weaver.

But this festive season her community saw a sudden spurt in demand after Tamil Nadu Handloom Weavers’ Co-operative Society Ltd (Co-optex) initiated a project in May to revive ancient sari varieties in the state.

“Pictures of some of our saris were put up on Facebook. We are now getting orders from as far as Mumbai and Delhi,” said Kannadasan, Lakshmi’s husband.

“We have to work overtime to meet the demand as most villagers have left this profession,” he said. It takes around three days to weave one sari. The designs are similar to Kancheepuram silk saris, with the pallu and zari being spun out of cotton yarn.

Along with Kanchi cotton, Co-optex has been in the process of reviving other varieties like Sungudi, Kodalikarupur, Kandangi, Sungudi, Chinnalampatti and Koorai Nadu saris that were popular decades ago. Since May , around 3,000 such saris have been sold so far through Co-optex. The saris have tags with the names of the weavers and how long they have been in the profession.

“The tags helped us boost sales of these saris in a big way . A lot of people are also buying them to help these weavers,” said Co-optex managing director T N Venkatesh. The state government is also providing several incentives to these weavers.

The Kandangi cotton variety from Chettinadu region, known for its dark colours and check patterns, sold the most under the project with around 1,000 orders being placed. The cost of the saris is based on the availability of weavers, the craftsmanship and the raw materials used. These saris are priced between Rs 600 to Rs 3,000.

Sungudi cotton saris, traditionally made in Madurai and known for their rich colours, design and craftsmanship sold the least under the state government’s project with only 75 being taken.

To cater to current tastes, officials are also intervening in design and colour to popularize these saris. “The core features like the weave and feel of the fabric are retained. We tweak the design and colour to suit the needs and appeal to the aesthetics of modern-day working women,” said the official.

Turn a tag attached to these saris sold through Co-optex and two words stare back at you: Thank You. “The note is for the customer for being part of the struggle to continue a lineage,” said Venkatesh.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Chennai / by Ekatha Ann John / November 03rd, 2015