Category Archives: Business & Economy

Checked and found worthy!: The Kandangi sari gets a GI Tag

Business & Economy, Records, All
J Hema Jayamurugan, president, Amarar Rajeev Gandhi Weavers Cooperative Production and Sales Society Limited works the loom at the organisation’s office in Karaikudi | Photo Credit: M Moorthy
J Hema Jayamurugan, president, Amarar Rajeev Gandhi Weavers Cooperative Production and Sales Society Limited works the loom at the organisation’s office in Karaikudi | Photo Credit: M Moorthy

Kandangi weavers are jubilant as they hope the recent GI Tag to the distinctive cotton sari will bring back its fame

In a rented apartment on Alangudiyar Street in Karaikudi, Sivaganga district, where the Amarar Rajeev Gandhi Handloom Weavers Cooperative Production and Sales Society Limited has its office, the mood is jubilant. Six years after the cooperative applied for a Geographical Indication (GI) tag from the Geographical Indications Registry in Chennai for its distinctive Kandangi cotton sari, the approval has come through. “The phones haven’t stopped ringing,” says J Hema Jayamurugan, president of the society. “After years of being overlooked, suddenly everyone wants to know our story.”

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Tag of Uniqueness
  • The Kandangi sari was one of three heritage products from Tamil Nadu that were granted the GI tag in late August; Dindigul’s handmade locks and Palani’s Panchamirtham, a sweet prasadam (offering) unique to the Arulmigu Dhandayuthapani Swamy Temple there, were the other two.
  • The GI tag is granted for a period of 10 years. Renewal will depend on the standards being maintained over the years.

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Weaving was brought to this region in the 17th century, when the present-day districts of Sivaganga, Pudukottai and Ramanathapuram were ruled by the Sethupathy kings. Kandangi (meaning chequered in Tamil) saris were originally woven in silk (pattu Kandangi) but are now made of coarse cotton, and measure between 5.10 to 5.60 metres, with a width of 47-49 inches.

“Around 40-50 years ago, women from well-to-do families of the Nagarathar Chettiar community started asking weavers to recreate their silk sari patterns on cotton because they were easier to wear in the hot weather,” says S Palaniappan, former president of the Karaikudi cooperative, and Hema’s father. “But whether it is silk or cotton, the chief distinguishing mark of a Kandangi sari is its mub-bagham (triple) colour design.”

Kandangi cotton saris woven by the Amarar Rajeev Gandhi Weavers Cooperative Production and Sales Society Limited, in Karaikudi. The Cooperative has been successful in obtaining a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for the Kandangi sari | Photo Credit: M Moorthy
Kandangi cotton saris woven by the Amarar Rajeev Gandhi Weavers Cooperative Production and Sales Society Limited, in Karaikudi. The Cooperative has been successful in obtaining a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for the Kandangi sari | Photo Credit: M Moorthy

Woven in colours like bottle green, mustard, russet and yellows with broad borders encasing a body embellished with just stripes or checks, the Kandangi sari is a design classic. The ease with which it can be replicated could also explain why powerloom weavers and designers are selling lookalike mixed-fibre products as ‘Chettinad cotton saris’ at considerably higher prices in urban centres. “We came to know about this large-scale plagiarism only after customers started coming to us with complaints of their Kandangi saris shrinking by 2-4 inches after each wash. Since we treat our yarn (purchased in bulk from National Handloom Development Corporation in Coimbatore) rigorously to prevent shrinkage after weaving as per government norms, it became clear that poly-cotton fabric was being passed off as Kandangi to the general public,” says Palaniappan, who also worked on getting the handloom stamp of authenticity in 2016 for the co-operative’s products.

“Before the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act of 1999, no traditional product in India was protected legally with regard to its location or uniqueness,” says P Sanjai Gandhi, the Chennai-based IP lawyer who filed the application on behalf of the Karaikudi weavers’ group, under the aegis of the Department of Handloom and Textiles, Government of Tamil Nadu .“The GI tag is a like a comprehensive protection for the whole art — method of production, producers and product. A tag will definitely stop the theft of IP rights.”

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Chettinad Checklist
  • Today, many of the once desolate stately homes in Chettinad have been revived as heritage hotels. Package tours often include a day trip to Athangudi, known for its handmade tiles; to Kanadukathan, for its weaving; and Karaikudi, famous for its antique stores. Other well-known products from this area include the ‘kottan’ or palm frond baskets and fried snacks made by Chettiars.

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Amarar Rajeev Gandhi Handloom Weavers Cooperative has 176 members who collectively use around 35 looms in Karaikudi. Around 90-100 Kandangi saris (currently priced at ₹868) are produced per month by mostly women weavers, as the men have drifted away to more lucrative jobs in other sectors. A majority of the stock is marketed through The Tamil Nadu Handloom Weavers’ Cooperative Society (Co-optex). “In the olden days, a weaver would be able to earn only ₹320 to weave four saris. Our members are given ₹360 per sari, which is why many of those who had left the profession are now coming back,” says Hema.

Demonstrating how the padauk wood looms operate, Hema says that most of the pre-weaving work, such as dyeing and starching the threads and transferring them to the spindles and rollers, is still manual. “We are looking to establish weaving sheds where members can use the looms as per their requirements, because the tiled floors in modern homes don’t allow us to lower the loom below the ground, and we don’t have the space for more than one or two in a standard room,” she points out.

In the nearby village of Kanadukathan, S Krishnaveni is closing a sale for 30 cotton saris at her Sri Mahalakshmi Handloom Weaving Centre. “These are Kandangi colours, but the cotton is different,” she clarifies, as she folds and stacks up the saris.

A common destination for tourists visiting Chettinad, the centre maintains separate looms for Kandangi cotton saris. “Our Kandangi cottons are sold to boutiques in cities like Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. Local customers prefer saris that look grand but don’t cost much. They feel the Kandangi cotton is a bit too plain,” says Krishnaveni.

She feels the GI tag will help to reduce the online sale of Kandangi lookalikes. “But more than the customer, standardisation will help weavers to value the beauty of their craft and product,” says Krishnaveni.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Life & Style> Fashion / by Nahla Nainar / September 16th, 2019

This Tamil Nadu village gets its first bus service after 73 years of Independence

Business & Economy, Records, All

It was nothing short of a festival for the people as they garlanded the bus and celebrated bursting crackers and distributing sweets.

Just a week ago, Tamil Nadu CM launched Chennai’s first ‘luxurious’ air-conditioned, electric buses. While it sure is a remarkable feat, a village in Tamil Nadu is celebrating a bus service being commissioned in their village – first time after independence.

73 years after Independence, this is the first ‘freedom ride’ for people of Meenakshipuram village near Virudhunagar district’s Thiruchuli town. After repeated requests and protests, the villagers’ wish for a bus service has finally come true.

With no means to travel, the villagers were forced to walk 4 km every time to nearby M Reddyapatti village to get a bus, according to a report in Vikatan . They were even denied of transportation for so long that people including school students, faced a lot of difficulties. Even the relatives of the people were reluctant to visit them because of the lack of connectivity.

It was nothing short of a festival for the people as they garlanded the bus and celebrated bursting crackers and distributing sweets. Even the driver and conductor of the bus was honoured, the report said.

Now, M Meenakshipuram will get a bus in the morning and evening to help school and college students to travel.

In a time where we celebrate phenomenal rocket launches, the sky was the only limit for these villagers on getting their first ticket to ‘freedom to travel.’ It was indeed their first freedom ride since independence.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu  / by Online Desk / September 02nd, 2019

Now, fish farmers can produce own farm feed

Business & Economy, Science & Technologies

Floating feed production capacity of this feed mill is 100-150kg per hour and sinking feed production capacity is 400-500 kg per hour.

Chennai :

Fish farmers can soon prepare their own farm feed under an expert’s guidance as Tamil Nadu Dr J Jayalalithaa Fisheries University (TNJFU) has established an aqua feed extrusion mill at  Muttukadu.
The feed manufacturing mill, that has come up at a cost of Rs 3.98 crore at the university’s directorate of incubation and vocational training in aquaculture (DIVA) located at Muttukadu, has been established to develop new cost-efficient feed technologies and formulations which will be disseminated to fish farmers for preparing their own on-farm feed at a lesser cost, compared to commercial feeds available in the market.

Vice-chancellor of the university, S Felix said fish farmers from across the State, can visit the plant with their raw materials and will be provided all necessary assistance to make their own fish feed. Felix said that the aim of the project is to help fish farmers in minimising the feed cost in fish farming and enhance their profitability. The mill will be inaugurated within a fortnight. The mill will also boost the research activities to develop cost-efficient feeds formulations for Tilapia and Pangasius fish varieties and special broodstock feeds for Carps, said the varsity official.

Floating feed production capacity of this feed mill is 100-150 kg per hour and sinking feed production capacity is 400-500 kg per hour.

The cost of new aquafeed extrusion mill building is Rs 50 lakh. The mill has been established under the project on the development of cost-efficient feeds, funded by NADP.

MoUs to be signed
The TNJFU will soon sign a memorandum of understanding with fisherfolk, farmers and new feed mill companies, to transfer the technologies.“The fish feed manufactured in our mill will be much cheaper than the products of private companies,” said Felix.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Binita Jaiswal / Express News Service / September 03rd, 2019

A century old, and creaking

Business & Economy, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All, World Opinion
The facility clearly needs better maintenance.
The facility clearly needs better maintenance.

Once a lifeline for motorists and railway workers, the steel overbridge in Perambur Loco Works is now in a state of neglect

The British-era steel overbridge across the railway line in Perambur Loco Works is eroding. Signs of erosion will be visible to anyone who bothers to take a close look at the facility. Often, motorcyclists using the overbridge stick to one lane as half of the carriageway has eroded, exposing rusted steel beams beneath it.

Located between the railway stations at Perambur Carriageway and Villivakkam, the steel overbridge was built in the early 1930s to connect railway institutions, including Loco Works and ICF. It has two steel bridges with bitumen-topped ramps that are separated by a concrete sloppy median. The steel bridge towards Periyar Nagar and Kolathur is older; the second bridge was constructed by the Chennai Corporation in 2011 to decongest the lone narrow bridge.

For long, the overbridge was the only source of connectivity to various institutions from Loco Works and Perambur.

It’s still popular among a section of people. Even today, hundreds of railway employees and motorists use the overbridge to reach the rail line. As the main entrance of Loco Works is located near the ramp of the overbridge, it is convenient for the staff to reach the bridge. But, maintenance of the overbridge is deteriorating.

Over the years, the overbridge and its ramps have been damaged due to poor maintenance and weathering. Most of the electrical fittings including bulbs on the lamp posts are either damaged or stolen. Overgrown bushes on the concrete median block the view of pedestrians, who are mainly rail commuters from Loco Works railway station and railway employees.

The speed breakers on the ramp especially towards Periyar Nagar are not painted. The connecting roads to the bridge also do not have adequate street lights, forcing motorists to rely on the headlights of the vehicles.

“At night, we cannot see the unevenness of the carriageway, especially towards Perambur. I have seen people skid on the overbridge,” says K. Shanmugam, a motorist from Perambur. He says most of the street lights on the ramp are not functioning and many pedestrians carry small pocket-sized touch lights to cross the section.

“Steps will be taken to give a facelift to the overbridge soon,” says a Corporation official.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by D. Madhavan / August 31st, 2019

Dindigul lock, Kandangi saree get GI tag

Business & Economy, Records, All

DindigulLocksCF31aug2019

The two iconic products face similar challenges and have been on the decline over the years

Will granting the Geographical Indication (GI) tag to two iconic, but dying products from Tamil Nadu be able to revive them?

The products — the Dindigul lock and the Kandangi saree — were given the GI tag by the Geographical Indications Registry in Chennai on Thursday. While the application for the lock was made by the Dindigul Lock, Hardware and Steel Furniture Workers Industrial Co-operative Society Limited, the Amarar Rajeev Gandhi Handloom Weavers Co-operative Production and Sales Society Limited filed the application for the Kandangi saree.

It remains to be seen whether the GI tag will infuse fresh interest in these two products and improve their performance in the market, and thereby revive the workers dependent on these products.

“Dindigul lock and Kandangi saree were registered today,” Chinnaraja G. Naidu, Deputy Registrar of Geographical Indications, said on Thursday. He added that both these products were losing their sheen in the market, and the GI tag would help them get some recognition.

Lock City

The famous Dindigul locks are known throughout the world for their superior quality and durability, so much so that even the city is called Lock City.

The abundance of iron in this region is the reason for the growth of the lock-making industry.

Though machine-made locks are easily available, government institutions like prisons, godowns, hospitals and even temples use the older pattern locks. These lock manufacturing units are limited to an area of 5 km in and around Dindigul. There are over 50 varieties of locks made by the artisans.

But over the last few years, this industry has been slowly dying due to competition from Aligarh and Rajapalayam. Marketing these locks has also been a challenge. A. Premkumar, a third-generation lock maker, who runs Jegankumar Industries in Nagal Nagar, said, “The lock industry in Dindigul is focussed [more] on quality than production (referring to quantity). Aligarh replicates mechanisms from here but produces in large quantities. The GI tag will help people differentiate Dindigul locks from others.” He added that several people have moved away from the craft due to meagre wages and waning demand.

Currently, this industry is worth over ₹20 crore per annum.

The Kandangi saree, manufactured in Karaikudi taluk in Sivaganga district, is facing challenges similar to Dindigul lock’s. V. Krishnaveni, who runs Sri Mahalakshmi Handloom Weaving Centre in Kanadukathan, said the GI tag for the Kandangi saree will help revive lost patronage. The market is flooded with sarees that are woven in other parts of the State and look like the Kandangi saree.

The original Kandangi saree is manually made using a winding machine, loom, shuttle and bobbin. It is a team effort of the families who live in the town of Karaikudi and it forms part of their livelihood. These sarees are characterised by the large contrast borders, and some of them are known to have borders covering as much as two-thirds of the saree.

The sarees are usually around 5.10 meters – 5.60 meters in length. The Kandangi sarees exude brilliant colours like bright yellow, orange, red and a minimal black in the traditional pattern of stripes or checks with broad borders woven in coarse cotton. Over the years, more interesting colours have been introduced for the saree, which is worn in a particular manner.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Tamil Nadu / by Sangeetha Kandavel & A. Shrikumar / Chennai – Madurai, August 30th, 2019

Milk ATM takes village in Tamil Nadu’s Dharmapuri by storm

Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Nature, Records, All

40-year-old Murugan from Kelagampatti village came up with the idea after he saw that people even in villages were unable to source fresh milk through the day.

The milk ATM installed by Murugan in Kelagampatti village | Express
The milk ATM installed by Murugan in Kelagampatti village | Express

Dharmapuri :

Necessity is the mother of invention. When 40-year-old Murugan realised that people even in villages were unable to source fresh milk through the day, as and when they wanted, he decided to do something about it and voila! An entrepreneur was born.

Murugan’s milk ATM has taken the Kelagampatti village in Harur by storm. The machine provides undiluted and unprocessed milk 24/7, and the demand has been strong. “The machine accepts Rs 10, Rs 20, Rs 50 and Rs 100 notes, and people can choose the amount of milk they want to buy,” explains Murugan. “People can also get a special debit card to buy milk from the machine,” he added.

These ‘debit cards’ are like prepaid coupons. For Rs 10, the machine will dispense 225 ml milk. “I am giving these RFID cards free of cost, based on consumers’ demand. There is no limit on recharge amount, but most people charge for Rs 500,” says Murugan. So far, 30 people have subscribed to the card.

A history graduate and a farmer, Murugan bought the milk dispenser from a private market in Haryana for Rs 4 lakh. “Other vending machines sell milk in packets. I wanted to reduce plastic usage, so people bring utensils to take milk from this machine,” he said. It has been six months, Murugan now sells 150 litres of milk daily.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Jevin Selwyn Henry / by Express News Service / August 29th, 2019

Meet the man who built a dosa batter empire in the US

Business & Economy, Leaders, Nri's / Pio's, World Opinion
On the grind According to Mani, four containers of the batter are sold every minute across the US
On the grind According to Mani, four containers of the batter are sold every minute across the US

Every day, fresh batter for spongy idlis and crisp dosas makes its way across the West Coast of the US to homesick Indians, and Americans enamoured by this gluten-free, vegan treat. A man from Thirunelveli is behind it all

In a quiet neighbourhood in San Jose, California, a young Mexican boy opens rice and dal bags. He apportions them onto 150 containers using an automatic weighing and dispensing machine; then soaks them in water. Another operator, cleans the rice and lentils, and loads them onto the 34 custom made stone wet grinders. The machines start whirring and another Mexican employee, wearing a head net and apron, hovers over them with a super-size spatula, constantly checking on batter thickness.

“There are 25 employees who work here, and they can pronounce the names of Indian food and ingredients more articulately than I can,” smiles Mani Krishnan, founder and president of Shastha Foods, which makes 12,500 kilos of fresh idli and dosa batter every week. With this batter, approximately 100 million dosas have been served across the US, over the last 16 years. “Let’s simplify that further,” he adds. “Every minute, four containers of Shastha idli or dosa batter are being sold across the US”.

Hailing from Kadayam village, Thirunelveli, Mani recounts that when he decided to start this business in 2003, it was neither new nor unheard of in America. “There were already players in the market. I think the system that I created, helped me maintain quality, ensure consistency in delivery and also scale up. I am proud to say that it is Indian technology at work in the US.”

Prior to becoming a foodpreneur, Mani managed a profitable business selling Intel processors, mother boards and hard disk drives to Indian organizations for 18 years. “I had 25 offices in India. However, that business went South and I came to a point where I had to re-build my life from scratch. I was in my 40s by then.”

The genesis

Using his experience in Indian import, Mani decided to bring filter coffee powder to America. “We stumbled upon the idea to sell idli batter in 2003; we did not do a formal market study but we made an observation; it was the phase when there was a steady rise in Indian nuclear families in the US and people had no time to buy the rice, soak it, grind it and allow it to ferment”. In the beginning, Mani would grind the batter using Ultra1.5 litre grinder and deliver the containers to Indian stores in San Jose. Today, his batter is in 300 stores across the West Coast of the US.

“I envision batter to be distributed the same way we get our milk everyday,” he says. The first batch was delivered in his car. As the company grew, they acquired a refrigerated cargo van. “Soon, we out-grew that and we invested in small refrigerated trucks. We now use three small 14ft refrigerated trucks and a cargo van because we need to drive through city roads and smaller neighbourhoods; we need to be able to park!” he quips, adding that delivery happens seven days a week.

Mani Krishnan at the facility | Photo Credit: special arrangement
Mani Krishnan at the facility | Photo Credit: special arrangement

The first five years, Mani faced challenges which were beyond his kitchen. “There were restrictions on the import of two main ingredients required to make the batter: rice and dal. At one point, I was buying rice from Africa, Dubai and USA. Once you are in production, you need to supply; stopping is not an option,” says the 66-year-old, who holds a Masters in Accounting from the University of Bombay.

The heart of Shastha’s operations is a 7,000 square foot spotless kitchen with several stone grinders in stainless steel drums, which have been customized to work in rhythm. Mani and his friends brainstormed to create a process flow for the plant to minimize overall movement. “I learned that one cannot come up with 100 percent accurate design in the initial stage itself. As the business grew, we had to make minor modifications to meet the new challenges. The 100 percent organic products launch in 2017, is a good example. This was not envisaged in the early stages but when this new line of products was approved, I had to make some minor modifications without disrupting the production of the other 13 varieties of batter, and still launch the organic line.”

A fresh plate of khitchari made of millet batter | Photo Credit: My Friday Food Swings
A fresh plate of khitchari made of millet batter | Photo Credit: My Friday Food Swings

Rise of the millets

Though it sounds uncomplicated, most people still find it a challenge to make idli batter, which will result in softest idlis, every single time. “Processes can be automated; the quality and consistency can be maintained only by human intervention. We process small batches. Our batter is a combination of rice, urad dal and salt. We don’t add any other ingredients.”

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Rice cakes from afar
  • “There are no artificial ingredients in Shastha batter variants to make it last forever,” explains Soma Sengupta, a California-based food blogger (My Friday Food Swings). A working mother and food blogger, she created two recipes using the Shastha batter which was showcased at the Incredible India booth at the Travel Adventure Show in Santa Clara in 2019. “I created a multi millets adai with their readymade batter and the ayurvedic millets khitchari. My inspiration was of course the super grain millets.” At her home kitchen Soma tweaks traditional recipes with a little fusion for her daughter. “With the Shastha dosabatter I often make a dosa quesadilla with cheese, peppers and some pasta sauce. I also make pizza uttapams and idli pops served with guacamole.”
  • Since dosas are vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free, a large non-Indian population is also trying the ‘steamed rice cakes’. One such customer is Brad Osterhout, from Roseville, California who has been using the batter for almost one year. “I was trying different foods with friends at work and loved the taste and protein available in the batter,” he says, adding “Quinoa was the first batter I tried and I really enjoyed the taste. I paired it with vegetables and a mango chutney. I learned to make dosas from YouTube videos.”

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Along with his wife Anandhi, Mani experiments with most of the batter at home, sharing it with colleagues and friends for feedback, before going large scale.

“Hands down, our idli and dosa batter are still the most popular and fast selling product line. However, batters like the brown rice dosa, oats dosa, quinoa idli, millet dosa, adai, pesarattu are also doing well,” reveals Mani. He has been given the nod of approval for his vegetable idli batter from his close circle of friends, and it will soon be available in the market. “My future plan is to grow the non-idli dosa batter business; which is primarily millets.”

A believer in old school word-of-mouth advertising, Mani actively supports Indian events at the Bay area. His idlis are served at gatherings conducted by the Tamil Mandram, at the Spring Festival, Concord Murugan Temple and Livermore Temple. “The goodwill has carried us through. The community and Indian grocery stores have supported our journey, so we believe in giving back in our own way.”

With a gleeful smile, Mani says he is keen on introducing a robot, which will pack 25 containers of batter within a minute. “Robotics will increase productivity and efficiency. I don’t have to constantly ask my team to spend less time on their phones!” jokes Mani. Just then a notification from Doordash and Grubhub appear on his phone, to collect a container of pesarattu batter and idli batter. In the other room, his administrative staff are managing the online orders. Meanwhile a team is creating an icebox to package batter for deliveries in other parts of the US. Looks like there is much more grinding to do.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Life & Style> Food / by Jayanthi Somasundaram / August 27th, 2019

A regal affair by the Duchess in Chennai

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Leaders

The Duchess Utsav is a platform for budding entrepreneurs, especially women to showcase an eclectic mix of fashion accessories, organic weaves, fabrics etc.

The event will be conducted in association with Calonge
The event will be conducted in association with Calonge

Chennai :

From bespoke clothing, an eclectic mix of fashion accessories, organic weaves, fabrics and blends to home and lifestyle products, eco-friendly gifting options, gourmet food and other healthy munchies — get ready to be spoilt for choice at the Duchess Utsav.

The Duchess Club was founded by the joint managing director of Savera Hotel, Nina Reddy, Sujata Mundhra, Anu Sachdev, Anu Agarwal and Rathi Neelakandan. The annual fiesta is a platform for budding entrepreneurs, especially women. As it gears up for its 18th edition, co-founder of Duchess Club, Sujata tells us what’s in store.

“When we started the Utsav 17 years ago, it was simple. We promoted few homepreneurs of which several have their own stores, boutiques and even conduct solo exhibitions. The aim is to provide a platform for budding female entrepreneurs. This has been our USP” she shares.

A freewheeling session on skincare by Dr Shraddha of Helios Skin & Hair clinic will be conducted on the first day. “On the second day, we will curate a fashion show where the brands will walk the ramp and display their products,” she says, adding that brands from other cities will also be exhibiting their products.

The two-day event will also feature one-of-a-kind silver and Swarovski jewellery brand Kreshya; an array of classic and contemporary silhouette for women from Sharath Sundar’s ‘Linen Collection’; handloom fabrics fused with modern techniques from Looms & More; traditional and contemporary saris and dupattas for the festive season by Safetypinz; georgettes, organzas, linens, raw silks, and tussar saris from the house of Vallika; lifestyle elements from BOLD; table and kitchen linen by Bottega Perreira; Indian crafts from Santushtee, and kids clothing by Whims n Fancies.

With people turning to a more sustainable and conscious lifestyle, the Utsav is also playing host to several eco-friendly brands like Nammaboomi for all your sustainable disposable needs, Sorrel Gardens for garden accessories and artefacts, Fat Cow Dairy for organic milk and ghee, and Zwende for personalised eco-friendly gifting solutions.

No carnival is complete without the yummies. The souk will feature a plethora of food stalls — healthy munchies by Hungrezi, cheese from JK Cheese, homemade jams from 101 Strawberries, sweet treats from Pinch of Love and marinades from Cook Town.

Award-winning jewellery brand AVR Swarnamahal will also be launched in Chennai as part of the Utsav. “The brand has created designs exclusively for the Utsav and we will be launching them too,” says Sujata. The 18th edition of Duchess Utsav will be inaugurated on August 29, 10 am at Hotel Savera. The exhibition will conclude on August 30 at 8 pm

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Express News Service / August 27th, 2019

App uses AI to detect banana pest, diseases

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Nature, Records, All, Science & Technologies, World Opinion
Versatile: The App can detect symptoms on any part of the crop and is trained to read even images of lower quality. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
Versatile: The App can detect symptoms on any part of the crop and is trained to read even images of lower quality. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

An App using this tool can diagnose the disease and give treatment options

Identifying diseases and pests on banana crops will now be just a click away. Researchers have developed a new artificial intelligence system (AI) which can look at photographs and tell what disease the plant has and also give recommendations and treatment options to the farmers. The results showed that the model was over 90% accuracy.

Training the network

The neural network was given about 20,000 images showing diseased and healthy plants. “Just like teaching a kid to tell an elephant from a horse, we taught the AI to identify leaf, root, fruit diseases and pests. Pictures from Uganda, Colombia, Congo and India were fed into the system for the training,” says Dr. Sivalingam Elayabalan from the Department of Biotechnology, Imayam Institute of Agriculture and Technology (IIAT), Trichy, Tamil Nadu. He is one of the authors of the study published in Plant Methods.

The tool is now incorporated into an App called Tumaini, meaning hope in Swahili, and being tested.

Expansion of scope

The team is planning to add more diseases based on regions and also make the App available in local languages. “When users take the photo, it gets uploaded to a global system for large-scale monitoring. Also, it is automatically GPS-tagged so we know what and where the problem is. We are also planning to incorporate high-resolution satellite monitoring to check the health of large fields,” explains Dr. Michael Gomez Selvaraj, from the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Colombia in an email to The Hindu. Dr. Selvaraj is the senior author of the paper. The App can detect symptoms on any part of the crop, and is even trained to read images of lower quality.

Major Indian diseases

The app is now being tested across many countries and when the confidence of 100% is reached it will be available for free download. “Yellow leaf spot and Fusarium wilt are the major fungal diseases in India and farmers spend a lot of money on fungicides. Apart from the fungal disease, the viral disease such as Banana Bunchy top virus is a big problem in hilly areas of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Northeast region. The App can tell the farmers in advance bringing down the treatment costs,” says Dr. Elayabalan. “We are now testing the App in Tamil, and it will soon be available in Hindi and Malayalam. The National Research Centre for Banana (NRCB) and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) have shown interested in the App.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sci-Tech> Science / by Aswati Pachi / August 17th, 2019

Dr. M.S. Swaminathan Award for Environment Protection presented

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Former Justice Prabha Sridevan, right, presenting the award to Kenneth M. Quinn. Rotary Club of Madras East vice-president T.R. Gopalakrishnan is also seen.
Former Justice Prabha Sridevan, right, presenting the award to Kenneth M. Quinn. Rotary Club of Madras East vice-president T.R. Gopalakrishnan is also seen.

Former diplomat Kenneth M. Quinn honoured at event

Former U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia and President, World Food Prize Foundation, Kenneth M. Quinn on Thursday underlined the need for encouraging small holder farmers, who are mostly women, to run their farms.

Speaking to reporters after receiving the Dr. M.S. Swaminathan Award for Environment Protection presented by the Rotary Club of Madras East and Cavinkare Private Ltd., he said post-harvest food waste must be brought down, which is why connectivity to small villages was important.

“Small farmers need to take their produce to markets and they need to be provided the latest scientific inputs so that they be able to have sustainable farming practices to produce quality food,” he said, adding more should be spent on agricultural research.

Speaking at the award ceremony, he suggested that agriculture scientist M.S. Swaminathan be awarded the Rotary International’s award for world understanding and peace. Former Judge of the Madras High Court Prabha Sridevan thanked Mr. Quinn for working to rid the world of hunger and ensure access to quality food. UN-WHO Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan, and daughter of Prof. Swaminathan, said Mr. Quinn had brought about many improvements to the World Food Prize, including increasing the cash award.

Appreciating the Rotary International’s efforts for eradicating polio, she said the campaign was in its final stages. Club vice-president T.R. Gopalakrishnan and Cavinkare CMD C.K. Ranganathan were present.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Tamil Nadu / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – August 09th, 2019