Connemara Library opens its older section, which stores rare books, to book lovers in the city once a year during World Book Day week.
Visitors glance through rare books put on display at Connemara Public Library
Chennai :
It’s that time of the year when the older section of Connemara Public Library opens its door for the public — starting from World Book Day on April 23 until today. The searing heat does not stop people from dropping in and catching a glimpse of the preserved legacy, their rare book collection and the stunning architecture. Currently, the old section is used for storing rare books. It’s restricted to public but books can be accessed by scholars, researchers or students on request and can be read from the reception room.
There’s a red carpet path connecting the newer section to the older one. Ornate teak furniture, stained glass windows, vibrant patterns on the ceiling, arches engraved with sculptures and stacks of age-old books add to its beauty. The library was formally opened in 1896 to the south of Madras Museum, culminating in the museum theatre at the head of the campus. It is said to be named after Lord Baron Connemara, then Governor of Madras Presidency.
Past glory
The Madras Museum comprises numerous old buildings within its compound, and this library is one among them. The entire complex gains entry from Pantheon Road, which takes its name from the historic pantheon or public assembly rooms. References to the assembly room occur in 1789, a time when the city wanted a theatrical entertainment. Actively used in the latter part of 18th century, the government acquired the property in 1830 and established the Collector’s Cutcherry before the central museum in 1854.
Earlier, it had a single-floor high structure with two halls and a room for orchestra. The pantheon still exists. Two large wings with an upper floor are believed to be added when it was converted into a museum with further additions between 1886 and 1890. The space is said to have contained grooves in the roof over the stage to roll cannon balls to stimulate the sound of thunder. This structure is now a part of the two-floor old museum block, rear of the Connemara library.
Ageless charm
“What we see now is with later additions which are intricate and have a lot of details in terms of the stained glass or the teak finishes or the wooden brackets in the chambers. It has gone through four different purposes and the elements were added during consecutive additions. It’s an important part of Madras and a landmark that Chennai should be proud of,” said Thirupurasundari Sevvel, who conducted the trail as part of Nam Veedu Nam Oor Nam Kadhai. No two patterns in the stained glass windows are the same. It is said that the colours from the window reflect on marble floors at dusk.
The library benefitted from the Madras Literary Society on College Road — Fort St George campus — from where the Geology books were brought here. “We’ve displayed 300 books — from paintings to literature. Last year the library witnessed 2,000 people during public access. This year it’s open for five days. The count has crossed 1,000 in just two days.
The awareness has increased,” said a library staff. Considering its national depository, the library is entitled to get a copy of any book published by any publication in the world. The library is accessible for people with special needs. A walk around the space will not only expose you to the grandeur of the interior decor but also its treasured collection. The older section of Connemara Public Library is open until today from 10 am to 5 pm.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Vaishali Vijayakumar / Express News Service / April 27th, 2019
The product is now being used in all its intensive care units, fever wards and isolation wards
An indigenously prepared hand sanitiser has turned profitable for the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH). The largest public sector hospital in the city is all set to save nearly ₹31 lakh every year, after its own alcohol-based hand sanitiser was introduced in many units a few months ago.
Prepared in its own backyard by the College of Pharmacy (Madras Medical College), the hand sanitiser is now being used in all intensive care units, fever wards and isolation wards, such as for H1N1 influenza cases.
“Hand sanitisers are an important aspect of a health facility, particularly to a tertiary centre like us. On one hand, we have 12,000 outpatients visiting the hospital every day and another as 3,500 inpatients. On the other hand, we have a large population of medical professionals, including undergraduates, interns, surgeons and professors. It is vital to prevent hospital-acquired cross infections, and hence, we came up with the idea of developing our own hand sanitiser,” said R. Jayanthi, dean of RGGGH and MMC.
Reduced costs
Till February, when the in-house sanitiser was rolled out, RGGGH purchased commercially available hand sanitisers. The hospital’s monthly requirement was 1,000 units of 500 ml bottles; the annual requirement being 12,000 bottles. The cost of the marketed products ranged from ₹290 to ₹433 per 500 ml.
“The cost of procuring 12,000 bottles of a marketed product, considering an average cost of ₹341 is ₹40,92,000. Our hand sanitiser costs ₹82, inclusive of packing. So, the total cost for 12,000 bottles is ₹9,84,000. We will save ₹31,08,000 per year,” she said.
While this helped in cutting down cost, the hand sanitisers also reduced the need for using water for washing hands at a time of scarcity and it could easily be taken to different wards, Dr. Jayanthi said.
Jerard Suresh, principal, College of Pharmacy, MMC, said they prepared nearly 200 litres per batch of the lemon grass-scented hand sanitiser. It was tested for dermatological safety by the institute’s Department of Dermatology and efficacy against microbes by the Department of Microbiology.
Dr. Jayanthi said once they improve the capacity to make more, the hand sanitiser would be made available in the general wards of RGGGH. “Once we are self-sustained, we have plans to provide it for other government institutions. For this, we need licence and we are at it,” she said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Serena Josephine M / Chennai – April 27th, 2019
While he plays for 12 hours a day during weekends, he plays for four to five hours on weekdays.
Chennai :
Born and raised in Qatar, 21-year-old Monish Kumar was introduced to gaming in 2011 by his friends who asked him to casually play Counter Strike 1.6, a first-person shooter video game. He was instantly attracted to it, and today, he has played over 20 tournaments professionally and is part of Arknemesis gaming group.
“I loved the game and started gaming in Dubai servers. However, I did not know the local tongue, so I could not develop connections. In 2012, I came to Chennai for a vacation and realised gaming was a profession and people earned money through it. That day I decided to take it up professionally,” he says.
In 2016, Monish shifted back to Chennai to pursue Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Sri Venkateshwara College of Engineering, and also take forward his interest in gaming. “I started with League of Legends and one of my gaming friends introduced me to Overwatch, a team-based shooter game. I joined Arknemesis in 2017,” says Monish.
Though his parents were initially hesitant about him spending hours on gaming, when they realised Monish was being paid a salary and he was getting sponsors, they began supporting him.
Since 2017, Monish has been part of many tournaments. “My first was the Skirmish Tournament by Coolermaster where two Indian teams and one Malaysian team were battling against each other, and we bet both of them. At that point winning over an international team was a big deal. We came second in Indian Cyber Gaming Championship (ICGC), first in LXG Indian Land Gaming First Minor and second in LXG Indian Land Gaming Second Minor,” says the avid gamer.
While he plays for 12 hours a day during weekends, he plays for four to five hours on weekdays. After his graduation, he plans to pursue sports management. “E-sports is starting to get recognised as a sport. Getting into the management side might help organise and manage e-sports events,” he says.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by K.V. Navya / Express News Service / April 20th, 2019
The souvenirs for World Tamil Conferences at Chennai and Madurai and the souvenir for ‘World Semmozhi Conference’ at Coimbatore were prepared under his supervision.
Silamboli Su Chellappan
Chennai :
Well known Tamil scholar and an orator Silamboli Su Chellappan (91) passed away on Saturday due to age-related ailments at his residence at Tiruvanmiyur here. Leaders of political parties, including DMK president MK Stalin, MDMK general secretary Vaiko, TNCC president KS Alagiri and PMK founder S Ramadoss have condoled the death of the scholar.
Chellappan was born on September 24, 1928 at Siviyampalayam village near Namakkal and his discourses on Tamil epic Silappathikaram were well known and the late Tamil scholar RP Sethupillai hailed him as Silamboli Chellappan. Souvenirs for World Tamil Conferences at Chennai and Madurai and the souvenir for ‘World Semmozhi Conference’ at Coimbatore was prepared under his supervision. He also served as Director of Tamil Nadu government’s Tamil development department and Director of publications, department of Tamil University in Thanjavur.
He had travelled widely across the globe to attend many international conferences on literary events. Sanga Ilakkiya than and Semmozhi Thamizh Agapporul Kalanjiam were among the books authored by Chellappan.
In his message, Stalin said, “I convey my condolences on behalf of DMK over the demise of Silamboli Chellappan. His worked for Tamil and his deep relationship with the language would last eternally. ”Thol Thirumavalavan, VCK president said” He worked hard to spread Silapathikaram, an epic, among the masses. His death would be a big loss to Tamil and Tamil scholars”.MDMK’s Vaiko, Alagiri; S Ramadoss; and ER Eswaran, general secretary of Kongu Nadu Makkal Desiya Katchi, also condoled the death of the Tamil scholar.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Express News Service / April 07th, 2019
Team members after installing the smart fence for early elephant warning system in Parsa Wildlife Reserve in Nepal.
It was developed by a team of researchers from Bannari Amman Institute of Technology
A team of researchers from Bannari Amman Institute of Technology, Sathyamangalam, has installed a smart fence for early elephant warning at Parsa Wildlife Reserve in Nepal.
The team headed by Sanjoy Deb, and comprising R. Ramkumar and L. Rajasekar, designed and developed the system with active support from the college management. The long range LASER-based smart fence has already been installed at two places in Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve.
Since crop raiding by elephants was a major issue in areas located near Parsa Wildlife Reserve in Nepal, the fence was installed there in collaboration with the Nepal Biodiversity Research and Conservation Centre, a NGO based in Nepal. The team visited Nepal recently and installed the fence near the reserve area.
The team members said that the system was specially designed with minimum electronic components. Local team members in Nepal have been provided training in maintaining the system.
They said that the team was now working on improving its features and cost minimisation to make it a true global solution.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Coimbatore / by Staff Reporter / Erode – March 27th, 2019
Lakshmi Krishnamurthy tells us how Kalakshetra’s Visual Arts Department is coming out of the shadows
Visual appeal: Sringeri Amman (Tanjore painting)
For decades since its establishment in 1936, Kalakshetra in Chennai has been known as a premier institution for Bharatanatyam and applauded for its dance drama productions. The music department has been a close second. But the visual arts section, despite being a vibrant training ground led by eminent artists and an inexhaustible support for the institution’s stage craft requirements, never got the same exposure as the performing arts.
Things are changing though. This February, the institution’s visual arts students, staff and alumni put up an exhibition in Chennai’s Lalit Kala Akademi — “Kalanubhava”, featuring paintings and sculptures. Organised by the Kalakshetra Alumni Association along with Kalakshetra Foundation, this exhibition was, somewhat shockingly, the first ever such event to take place since the department started in 1942.
In early March, when the Kalakshetra Alumni Reunion was organised in North India to coincide with Rukmini Devi’s birth anniversary celebrations, the visual arts alumni once again exhibited. The event that travelled from New Delhi to Chandigarh and Kalka included illustrated talks by Lakshmi Krishnamurthy, currently heading Kalakshetra’s Visual Arts department.
Lakshmi Krishnamurthy
Lakshmi was honoured on a platform shared with Gurus N.S. Jayalakshmi, Shanta and V.P. Dhanajayan, C.V. Chandrasekhar, and C.K. Balagopal. “I was humbled to represent Visual Arts along with stalwart dance gurus,” says Lakshmi. The camaraderie, the presence of chief guest Yamini Krishnamurti and the praise showered on the exhibition by reunion organisers Swagata Sen Pillai and senior dancer Jayalakshmi Eshwar, she says, “brought tears to my eyes.”
She notes it was Kalakshetra’s current director Revathi Ramachandran who first addressed the visual and performing arts faculty on an equal footing and broached the idea of including an exhibition in Kalakshetra’s famous Art Festival, which for the past eight decades has featured only dance and music performances. These deliberations and alumni interest set the ball rolling.
The exhibitions paid homage not only to the aesthetics of Rukmini Devi (the topic of one of Lakshmi’s presentations) but also to the department’s first head, the late K. Sreenivasulu (1923-1995). A Fellow of the national Lalit Kala Akademi, Sreenivasulu is remembered alongside Jamini Roy for his love of rural art traditions and the ability to blend ancient techniques with modern sensibilities.
Lakshmi says, “Kalakshetra was/is synonymous only with dance. Now it is the genesis of the Visual Arts Department.”
Importantly, Kalakshetra’s dance students were never led to believe their art could flourish without the allies of music and visual arts. An important aspect of their training was a perspective on the interconnectedness of the arts and their relation to everyday life. The students learnt about the importance of raga choices, colours and fabrics, sculpture traditions and the intricate craft of coconut frond decorations; shared the campus with the Kalamkari unit and the dairy, and saw the moods of the sea close-up. Their routine included drawing and painting classes under Sreenivasulu, as well as informal training as his assistants during the preparation of props and sets.
Lakshmi and her colleagues too have designed sets and headgear and helped in restoration. The symbiotic relationship between performers and visual artists was underlined by Lakshmi at the Delhi alumni meet where she told the gathering, largely comprising dancers, “Your aharya (costuming and set design) needs us!”
Rukmini Devi’s first performance of Bharatanatyam in the 1930s highlighted this “confluence of visual and performing arts,” remarks Lakshmi. “She used a temple in the backdrop, and the front curtain had Nandi – The vahana of Shiva Nataraja.”
Experiencing the aesthetics of a performance in Kalakshetra, she feels, “spoils” viewers who then cannot settle for less. “The stage is set in a semicircular format, with puja area one step down on the right of the stage and the accompanists’ area on the left, also one step down. Lighting leads you to the puja area where the lamp devoid of the stem is aglow with five wicks and placed on a floral plate, thus avoiding visual disturbance. Focus is generated from accompanists’ area to the puja to the performer. The triangle is effective and alluring, the (spectators’) eyes dance with the dancers. The symphony is so phenomenal that the performance reaches a crescendo. From the entrance, the simple thorans, kolam and other decorations declare that minimal is beautiful.”
“Elixir 2” from the series “The Quintessential Elixir” | Photo Credit: Thyagarajan. N
Symbiosis aside, dancers trained at Kalakshetra tend to carry a stamp — adhering to a recognised ‘gharana’ or bani of Bharatanatyam — while the visual artists display no such gharana allegiance. Perhaps, this came about because under Sreenivasulu, the training was individualised.
“With sir, it was one-to-one,” says Lakshmi, who enrolled in 1986. “He could turn a moth into a butterfly.” She did follow a syllabus, but when she asked for old techniques, “the floodgates opened.” She learnt various mural traditions, Thanjavur painting, glass painting and folk styles among others, bolstered by her penchant for academic research.
“When you are learning a new technique, copying is allowed — but not tracing — to focus on the nuances of the technique,” says the noted artist. But once the technique is acquired, “a little of one’s self should be there. It should come from within.”
Appointed as HOD in 2011, Lakshmi consolidated the syllabus as a tribute to her predecessor and guru. While artist Palaniappan helped her organise the other areas of study, explains Lakshmi, the Indian art component was completely designed by her. Topics include the shadangas (the six essential aspects of painting, including appearance, emotion, precision, etc.), human figure proportion based on the Shilpa shastras, miniature paintings, besides different mediums including glass and jewellery design, art direction and creative composition in pan-Indian techniques. In the fourth year, students choose a specialisation.
After the course, “they can pursue post-graduation in Madras University and post graduate diploma course in Santiniketan,” says Lakshmi, adding, “We are trying to open up to more universities.”
Pointing out that Kalakshetra is “the only college giving such a detailed Indian art programme,” Lakshmi states that students can enter teaching, art direction, advertising, logo designing, digital arts, and more.
Lakshmi submitted a proposal in 2013 to paint murals on the cottages along the path to the auditorium, featuring scenes from Rukmini Devi’s iconic Ramayana series of dramas, using various Indian painting traditions. “The idea was to invite artists, and students could help and learn at the same time.” She has discussed the scenes from each drama with Guru A. Janardhanan, among the handful of veteran dancers remaining, on whom Rukmini Devi choreographed the productions over 14 years starting 1955.
The purpose of the Kalakshetra Foundation Act of 1993, under which the Government declared Kalakshetra an institution of national importance, was to further the objectives for which Rukmini Devi founded it. With some artists who worked with Rukmini Devi still in the field, the time is more than ripe to build on the enthusiasm engendered by recent events and implement the mural painting proposal among others. Such projects, provided they are well thought through, would help clarify the significance of this institution to the current generation.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Entertainment> Art / by Anjana Rajan / March 29th, 2019
Kailash Babu shapes works of art out of pencil tips and is all set to teach the craft at a workshop in the city
“I have a fascination for pencils, I have collected some 800 of them so far,” says Tiruvallur artist Kailash Babu, currently in Chennaito hold a pencil carving workshop. Having just finished shopping for art supplies, he continues, “Wherever I go, I end up buying pencils.”
Creating miniature sculptures out of the leads of pencils is a niche he has developed over the years. The 25-year-old has created sculptures of farmers, birds, still life, and letters, on pencil leads with diameters ranging from 6 mm to as small as 0.7mm — his smallest, a chair, was on a mechanical pencil lead. He also makes miniatures out of graphite bars, clay, polymers, and even shapes letters out of rice.
However, this wasn’t always what he set out to do; Kailash had planned to be a macro photographer. “Maybe even wildlife photography,” he adds, “When I was 18, I was researching macro photography, and stumbled upon the works of Brazilian artist Dalton Ghetti. He was formerly a carpenter, who eventually got into pencil carvings.” Dalton left a big mark on Kailash’s creative bent of mind. Though he dropped pursuing photography, his interest in all things macro remained alive and well.
“I started experimenting with pencil carving using pocket knives, shaving blades… I’d even take out blades from sharpeners,” he says. “I was initially reluctant to sell my art. I didn’t like parting with my works. But after four years of BTech, I still had two arrears. Then I decided I might as well pursue art full time.” Today, he has 185 sculptures in pencil leads alone.
His latest work — a series of carvings based on the theme of sexual harassment and women safety — will be displayed next month at Lalit Kala Akademi. He has also made a carving of a bloodied sanitary napkin, in order to raise awareness about menstruation among men.
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Tools of the trade
Kailash first sketches the design on to paper, then transfers into a 3D model on clay. He then works on a cylindrical wooden bar, before finally working on the pencil lead.
He prefers using Jumbo pencils for work that needs more detailing. “Germany makes some of the best ones,” he says.
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It’s on his Instagram account that Kailash gets most of his orders. But along with that, “I also get a lot of DM requests to teach this craft,” he says, explaining why he started conducting workshops. In his upcoming Chennai workshop, he will be teaching lettering, and the basics of making sculptures. “When you work on letters, you get to practise all sorts of curves that will be useful in making sculptures,” he says.
But the most important skill of all is patience, he says. “It’s true of any art. There have been times I have had to make the same miniature 16 times in a row, before I got it right. You can finish the whole thing, but it will get messed up or break when you are putting the finishing touches,” he says. “You have to keep going despite repeated failures. It’s a useful life lesson as well!”
The workshop will be held at Studio Pepperfry, in Phoenix MarketCity, Velachery, on March 31, from 10.30 am to 5.30 pm. Call 8190808991, or follow Kailash @bk_pencil_sculptures_
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Entertainment> Art / by Sweta Akundi / March 28th, 2019
Known for her responsiveness, late Dr Udaya Mahadevan was a rare package who excelled at everything.
Dr Udaya Mahadevan is a foundng member of Jeevodaya – first hospice for cancer care in South in 1992.
Chennai :
Dr Udaya Mahadevan was like a banyan tree, who provided shade on a sunny day, and home for all kinds of species to nurture and grow.The retired professor Emeritus of the Department of Social Work at Loyola College passed away on March 16 this year. An educator, practitioner, and researcher — she was a rare package who excelled at everything.
“She was a great teacher and has been a friend and mentor to many people who call themselves social workers today,” said TNM Deepak, president of December 3 Movement, a disability rights group. “She was a strong activist and a gender-sensitive social worker. She exemplified what a social worker should be like and her life is one that should be celebrated,” he shared.
She was from the 1973-1975 batch at Stella Maris College and completed her postgraduate degree in Social Work in the academic year 1974-1975. Subsequently, she received her Doctoral degree at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) Bengaluru, which was supported by the Faculty Development Programme, a fellowship offered to teachers by the University Grants Commission.
Udaya joined Loyola College Chennai as a faculty member of the Department of Social Work in 1977. During her tenure, she served as faculty coordinator of the Centre for Women Studies and the Centre for Social Inclusion and Dalit Studies.
To Udaya, social work was more than just ‘work.’ It was what she lived and breathed for. Her passion to enrich people’s lives, the drive to make society better, compassion for anyone in need, and iron will drove her to go to great lengths to be the force that she was. “At her core, it was her responsiveness that defined her,” said Vandana Gopikumar, one of the founders of The Banyan.
“She was non judgmental, an advocate for commemorating all family occasions by donating to NGOs eschewing rituals, an active blood donor from her college days, passionately involved in the rehabilitation of the handicapped, funding of fees/books etc. to the marginalised sections and a mentor for most city-based NGOs. Despite being terminally ill, she never fussed and went about her business calmly. We, of her circle, can only recall the haunting lines of Andy Williams ‘we had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun,’” said VM Prakash, brother of Dr Udaya.
A recipient of several prestigious awards, Udaya gained due recognition even as a young teacher. She won an award from the Indian Society of Psychiatric Social Work for her paper on Community Mental Health presented at the National Conference at Bengaluru. The Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) rightly recognised her as an Eminent Social Scientist as part of their Collegium comprising 250 social scientists in the country for 2016- 2017. “Her contribution is immeasurable. The service sector today is deteriorating. But, she was the gold standard in social work. She would serve those in need without ever looking at their background. I have seen her carrying people, waiting for hours till someone arrived to help a homeless person,” said Aspy Joyson, founder of Aruwe.
As a keen researcher, she contributed to the frontiers of Social Action Research. In this connection, she has been awarded the Dr Yedanapalli Research Award, the Dr TN Ananthakrishnan Commemoration Award and the Loyola College Research fellowship award. As a practitioner, she supported several NGOs, particularly Jeevodaya.
Hospice for cancer patients, she was active in enhancing the teaching and practice of professional social work at several social work teaching institutions. “Her academic achievements are well-known but what many don’t know is that she was a very good singer and was a delightful narrator of stories. She was humourous and witty while also being very knowledgeable. Her funeral was attended by so many people. It just goes to show that she truly touched so many lives,” shares Prakash.
A devoted social work educator, an ardent field practitioner, and a keen social researcher she has quietly and steadily contributed to the progress of social work education and societal development. Much like a banyan tree, which is considered to be a symbol of immortality, Dr Udaya too will live on through the numerous lives she has touched.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Dia Rekhi / Express News Service / March 26th, 2019
Even before showing her prowess at the international rollball tournament, city-based Mahimasree CS impressed the jury in the state.
Mahimasree CS
Even before showing her prowess at the international rollball tournament, city-based Mahimasree CS impressed the jury in the state. She was the only player from Tamil Nadu to be selected to play for the Indian team in the 3rd Asian Rollball Championship held recently at Belgaum. She was the only player from South India and youngest player in the team that won gold at the event. A class 9 student of Suguna PIPs School, Mahimasree was a skater initially.
When she was practising to skate, she was introduced to rollball by the physical director of her school, Rajasekar V, who also serves as the secretary of the Coimbatore District Roll Ball Association. “I started skating when I was in class 5. Rajasekar was my coach. Seeing my skating skills, he introduced me to rollball and trained me,” she says. Mahima was selected at district-level in rollball in 2016. “After the selection, I was appointed as the captain of the team,” she says.
In 2017, the 14-year-old participated in the National Rollball Championship in Goa, SGFI Rollball Championship in Chhattisgarh, and in 2018 she took part in Invitational Rollball Championship in Sri Lanka. Her team won bronze at the national meet, silver at the invitational championship and two gold and one bronze at SGFI championship.
“The first national- level match I took part in was in Udaipur in 2016 where my team secured fourth place,” says Mahima, who is a goalkeeper and defensive player in the sport. Talking about the recentlyheld Asian Rollball Championship, she says that it is her first venture into the international- level. “Players from 17 countries took part in the tournament. In the finals, I played offence and defence against Bangladesh and won gold with a score of 4-3.
It was difficult to win in the finals because the score was 3-0 in favour of Bangladesh. When we almost lost the hope of winning, the coach motivated us to play for the country and in the last 30 seconds, we placed the goal,” she shares. Mahima plays tennis, is a swimmer and an athlete. “Playing as a team taught me team spirit. I feel proud to have represented India,” she says, adding, “I aspire to represent India in the Olympics, and make the country proud,” M a h i m a says.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities>Chennai / by S P Kirthana / Express News Service / March 06th, 2019
Eight teams, including two from Tamil Nadu, emerged winners at the just-concluded Smart India Hackathon.
The teams from Tamil Nadu cracked the challenges in the Civil Aviation and Labour and Employment categories. A total of 32 teams participated in the event held in the Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology. The participating teams were assessed by experts from respective departments. Kancheepuram District Collector P. Ponniah and Civil Aviation Joint Secretary Usha Padhee distributed the prizes.
Across the country as many as 1,373 teams comprising over 10,500 engineering students participated in the hackathon organised by the Ministry of Human Resource Development.
As many as 148 teams participated in the contest held in five co-ordinating centres in the State.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – March 05th, 2019
