Category Archives: Green Initiatives/ Environment

This solar-powered hand pump could be a farmer’s best friend

Green Initiatives/ Environment, Science & Technologies

Madurai:

A solar-powered hand pump developed by a teacher has simplified and reduced the costs involved in irrigation of small fields.

M Manikandan, a wiring and electrical teacher at the TVS community college in Madurai, said that this would be the good solution to many small farmers who do not have electric powered motors on their land. “It costs about Rs15,000, but I am ready to help any farmer who needs it because I want my invention to benefit farmers and the public,” he said. If fitted to street taps, in water scarce areas, the solar power hand pump would save time and energy for many women.

V Murali, from Paravai who works in a private firm said that he was always passionate about having his own orchard, but his financial situation enabled him to purchase only five cents of land. He had started planting a variety of saplings on his land, and each morning watered them manually with the help of his father by catching water in buckets. But it was time consuming and laborious as the plants started growing. “I went to banks seeking loans for setting up a pump system, but was refused the same because my plot was too small and it did not have a building on it,” he said.

In desperation he decided to dig a borewell and fit an electric motor and work out the finances later. It was then that he came across Manikandan who decided to invent a solar power hand pump for him, as his plot received copious sunlight during the day.

Solar panels were fitted on two pillars along with two 12-volt batteries and a small 1 Ah motor connected to them. The handle or force rod of the hand pump is connected to the motor. The device can pump out 1,200 litres of water per hour, and 12,000 litres per day. Murali is relieved because he has now dug out channels in his plot so that when the water reaches all his plants.

His well is just 100 feet deep, for deeper wells the handle of the hand pump will have to be elongated, according to Manikandan.

He is now in the process of inventing a submersible pump which can be powered by solar power. This would be a breakthrough technology and will go a long way in saving power, he added.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Madurai / by Padmini Sivarajah / TNN / July 11th, 2016

Victorian men who ended India’s water woes

Green Initiatives/ Environment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All, Science & Technologies, World Opinion

BookEpicEnggCF24jun2016

A book follows the lives and achievements of two engineering geniuses who changed the face of irrigation in India in the 19th century.

There is a thin but bright skein that runs through, and indeed often gets obscured by, the darker history of colonial rule in India. This thread represents the work of the small but extraordinary group of colonial innovators who pushed the boundaries in a diverse range of fields — from engineering to archaeology, from botany to triangulation and mapping.

A recent book by Alan Robertson, Epic Engineering: Great Canals and Barrages of Victorian India follows the lives and achievements of Arthur Cotton (1803-1899) and Proby Cautley (1802-1871), two engineering geniuses who changed the face of irrigation in India in the 19th century. Cautley designed and built the 700-mile Ganges Canal, and Cotton harnessed for irrigation the flow of two of the great river deltas of South India – the Cauvery and Godavari.

Though contemporaries in India, and equally qualified, the two men could not have been more different in their approach to engineering problems. The book deals in some depth with the bitter public battle in England when they returned after their India postings, over the efficacy of their respective engineering designs in India.

According to Robertson, Cautley was recognised and honoured by his Victorian contemporaries, although it is Cotton who is remembered over a century and a half later in the Indian mind — celebrated as he is in writing, popular lore and public statuary in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. In the 1930’s Cotton built the Upper and Lower Anicut to regulate and divert for irrigation the flow of water in the Cauvery and Coleroon (Kollidam) rivers. He then turned his attention to the Godavari delta, where in the 1930s the destruction of the weaving industry was exacerbated by a famine that together resulted in the death of one in four persons. The Godavari’s flow in monsoon was three times greater than the Nile in flood, Robertson writes, therefore greater the challenge. The many ingenious solutions Cotton devised to practical problems as they cropped up during the construction of the four-mile long Godavari anicut provides a flavour of the unconventional genius and the times.

In the same decades Cautely was making progress, though with some embarrassing reversals, on the Ganges canal. Later, in the adjudication of the dispute between Cautely and Cotton — who argued that the location of the headworks of the canal was wrong — a government committee sided with Cautely. However, “within a few years Cotton’s main criticism was quietly acted upon…” Robertson writes.

Historical archives and private collections in Britain still hold many stories on India including those that are already known but are waiting to be enriched with new information. Interestingly, the author of this enriched biography, Alan Robertson, was a nuclear physicist with an abiding interest in history. This led him to a post-retirement MA degree at King’s College on the mid-19th century indigo industry in India and on to the fascinating lives of the two Victorian water engineers.

Unfortunately, Robertson died before his book was published. Finding no publishers ready to accept the manuscript, it was eventually published privately by Catherine Hamilton, Robertson’s sister. Jeremy Berkoff, an irrigation expert who worked for many years with the World Bank edited and completed the manuscript.

Epic Engineering: Great Canals and Barrages of Victorian India

Alan Robertson / Beechwood Melrose Publishing, 2013, 254 pages

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Books / by Parvathi Menon / London – June 14th, 2016

Novel on tiger hunting wins Yuva Puraskar award

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All, Sports
PROUD MOMENT: Kaanakan is the second novel of Thirumangalam-based Lakshmi Saravana Kumar
PROUD MOMENT: Kaanakan is the second novel of Thirumangalam-based Lakshmi Saravana Kumar

Saravana Kumar’s novel ‘Kaanakan’ deals with Paliar tribes’ struggle against bid to appropriate their land for ganja cultivation.

Tamil writer and filmmaker Lakshmi Saravana Kumar’s novel Kaanakan, which depicts the life of Paliar tribe in the Western Ghats and hunting practices, has won the Sahitya Akademi’s Yuva Puraskar award for 2016.

“It deals with the Paliar tribes’ struggle against ganja plantations and the attempt to appropriate their land for the purpose in the 1980s,” said Mr. Saravana Kumar, who has penned three novels and six short stories and a poetry collection.

An associate of director, Vasanthabalan, Saravana Kumar, who had worked with him Kaaviya Thalaivan and Aravaan, is now working on his own film.

Kaanakan is Thirumangalam-based Saravanakumar’s the second novel. His first novel is Uppu Naaigaland his latest is Neelappadam .

“Kaankan deals with hunting and the ethics of hunting. It starts with hunting of a tiger and ends with tiger hunting men. The richness of a forest is always judged by the presence of tiger. There are some ethics when it comes to hunting. Females are spared by hunters,” said 31-year-old Saravana Kumar.

Tamil writer and publisher Kuzha. Kathiresan has won the Sahitya Akademi’s Bal Sahitya Puraskar for his contribution to children’s literature. Born in Royavaram in Pudukottai district, Mr. Kathiresan was trained in by Azha. Valliappa, a writer known for his contribution to children literature.

Simple lines with good messages are the hallmark of Mr Kathiresan’s works. He is running Inthinai Pathipagam, which published most of the works of T. Janakiraman and other great writers.

“I have written 4,000 poems and some of them were prescribed for schoolchildren in the State and Singapore,” said Mr. Kathiresan.

It deals with Paliar tribes’ struggle against bid to appropriate their land for ganja cultivation

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by B. Kolappan / Chennai – June 17th, 2016

Basking in the Afternoon glory

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Records, All

SrutiHariharaCF03jun2016

Acting, directing, championing city events, collecting film memorabilia… National Award winner Sruti Harihara Subramanian speaks to RAVEENA JOSEPH about her myriad interests

Sruti Harihara Subramanian won a National Award a few weeks ago. Her 63-minute documentary, A Far Afternoon — A Painted Saga, which captures the craft of artist Krishen Khanna, was also screened at Cinema Indien, Stockholm, and All Lights India International Film Festival, Kochi. It was nominated for best documentary at the New York Indian Film Festival, and has recently been invited to the Indian Film Festival, Stuttgart. Yet, hardly anyone has heard about it. “People don’t consider you a filmmaker when you do a project like this, because everyone is still glued to the idea of traditional cinema,” says Sruti.

Sruti grew up a fan of Mani Ratnam and A.R. Rahman. She collected clippings of their interviews and saved ticket stubs after shows. Cinema felt like another world, one she never thought she could be part of. “I come from a family of dancers and singers — we thought of these as hobbies, not careers. The arts were just not considered a lucrative career track.”

To leverage her creative streak, however, she pursued Visual Communication at MOP Vaishnav College for Women. A chance stint in modelling and the Miss Chennai 2002 title later, casting calls came her way. After-college activities soon included shooting for K. Balachander’s Sahana and Naga’sChidambara Rahasiyam. After that, “I was receiving offers to play the daughter-in-law when I was still in college. I just couldn’t relate to the characters,” she shrugs.

It was around the same time that she wanted to know what went on behind the camera. So, after college, she assisted actor-director Revathy in a few scripts, director Vishnuvardhan in Panjaa (Telugu) and Vikram Kumar in Yaavarum Nalam. “But, being an assistant director does not pay,” she laughs. To make some extra money, she started to do corporate and ad films. So, when Piramal Art Foundation approached her to make A Far Afternoon in 2014, she took it up like any other commissioned project. “But, making a documentary is very different. I had to unlearn everything about commercial filmmaking and that was a whole new experience. Krishen Khanna has a meditative pace to his work: he thinks about every stroke he makes, chooses colours with care, rethinks his choice, and spends time perfecting it. It was a challenge to translate that pace, keeping in mind audience patience.”

But, does the young filmmaker have an eye for art? “Making the documentary was a personal journey as well, because I learnt a lot about the subject. I’m a connoisseur, but not a collector.”

However, what she does collect is film memorabilia. She has over 25,000 posters, lobby cards, song books, film scripts, movie magazines and photo albums. Why? “Some of these magazines and song books date to the 1930s. As film historians age, these are the only sources to know what happened in that era. They show how people used to live, love, dress and create art.” While Sruti collects some of these from run-down production houses and cinema halls, her main source is the paperwallah. “We say we are a land of culture, and cinema is about a 100 years old. Is this how we preserve it?”

She started The Cinema Resource Centre in 2009, and it provides film researchers a wealth of information from the bygone era. Eventually, she hopes to have a one-stop museum-like space for all things cinema — a well-stocked library, curated shows, special movie screenings, and more. “But, right now, due to a lack of space, we are just archiving everything.”

Her office, tucked inside Ashvita Bistro, Alwarpet, is stacked with dusty lobby cards that are being digitised for preservation. The rest of the café too, founded by husband Ashvin Rajagopalan in 2002, is coloured by Sruti’s interests.

As she started terrace gardening, home composting and upcycling, the cafe too started holding workshops in ecological living, and retails upcycled products through Goli Soda, a brand she set up in 2013.

Sruti’s interests over the last couple of years have spurred trends that are now popular city events. “This is the city that made me. What we love doing in other cities, we are trying to recreate here, within our cultural comfort,” smiles Sruti.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / Raveena Joseph /June 02nd, 2016

Sailing in search of history

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All, World Opinion
TRAILING THE TURTLES: Historian Orissa Balu. Photo: Special Arrangement
TRAILING THE TURTLES: Historian Orissa Balu. Photo: Special Arrangement

Historian Sivagnanam Balasubramani, popularly known as Orissa Balu, deciphers the sea trade routes used by ancient Tamil sailors through his research on sea turtles

‘Thirai kadal odiyum thiraviam thedu’ (Seek your fortune even by venturing overseas) — Tamil poet Avvaiyar.

The Sangam literature is a rich repository of information on the ancient Tamil way of living. Amidst its chapters that vividly describe the beauty of nature, lifestyle and social structure of the old Tamil country, the Purananuru elicits the flourishing sea trade of those times. From ships, sea routes, daring maritime voyages to the merchandise that were traded and the expertise of the Tamil seafarers, it talks in detail of the mighty ocean and the strong bond the people shared with it.

For the past two decades, historian Orissa Balu, has been collecting real-life evidences and remnants from across the coast of Tamil Nadu and elsewhere in the world, correlating them with the references in Sangam literature. “The land expanse mentioned in the literary works is a much larger area than the present day Tamil Nadu state. Our ancestors had maintained trade links from Europe in the west to the Far East,” says Balu. “Excavations at Adichanalur have yielded skeletons of people belonging to five different races. It’s an indication that we have been a centre of international trade, paving way for exchange of culture and language.”

According the Balu, the root of the word ‘Tamilar’ comes from ‘Dramilar’, which in turn is a derivative of ‘Thirai Meelar’ – an expression to denote sea farers. “It was considered a science to be able to return from the sea. The Tamil seafarers had an advanced idea of direction, geography and weather. They were able to come back to their home turf after sea voyages spanning months and years covering millions of nautical miles. The word ‘Thirai Meelar’ is mentioned repeatedly in works like Manimekalai andSilapathikaram.”

Sea faring was such a thriving industry that the Tamil society is said to have had over 20 different communities working for sea trade. Literature talks about the Vathiriyars (people who weaved the sail), Odavis (men who built ships), Kuliyalis (Surfers) and Mugavaiyars (divers who fished pearl from the deep sea bed).

Balu who has done an extensive study on the ‘Paimara Kappal’ (sail boat), the indigenous vessel of ancient Tamils, says, “The sail cloth used in the Sangam age was 20 metres in width, 10 metres in height and could withstand a wind velocity of 250km/hr. It’s notable that even the women were experts in sailing and pearl fishing. Even today, we can find women diving into the sea in search of pearls along the coast of Tuticorin.”

He adds, “The mechanism of building the boat was unique as they used nearly 42 kinds of wood including the Karunkali wood for the central pole that withstood lightning. Today, the coastal Muslim community practices the age-old boat building technique. There are hardly 25 sail boats and five families of boat builders left in Kayalpatnam and Keezhakarai.”

The Sangam literature also documents the presence of over 20,000 islands in the Indo-Pacific Ocean, says Balu. ‘Muziris Papyrus is a document on the evolved sea trade of Tamils. It shows how advanced and strategically planned were the supply chain network and management policies of Tamil traders.” Balu postulates that ancient Tamil seafarers followed sea turtles and thus chalked maritime trade routes. For over 21 years, he has been doing research on sea turtles, mapping their migration routes.

“The turtle has the ability of returning to its home turf even after migrating thousands of miles in the sea. They float along sea currents and don’t swim in the ocean. The technique used by Tamil sailors must have been inspired from this,” he says. “There’s a proper documentation of the life cycle of sea turtles in Sangam literature.”

Balu is researching on the migration routes of Olive Ridleys, Green Turtles and Leatherbacks which visit the Tamil Nadu coast.

“My idea is to use historical facts for sustainable living in the present times,” says Balu, who runs the Integrated Ocean Culture Research Foundation, based in Chennai. “We have people from over 72 sea-related fields researching on various subjects. We have created a link between the stakeholders of the sea, from marine engineers and ship builders to fishermen.” Orissa Balu delivered a lecture at a programme organised by INATCH Madurai Chapter.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus> Society / A. Shrikumar / Madurai – April 29th, 2016

Hopped up on Seeds, Crops and Hope

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Nature
Narayan Murthy.Owner - goodseeds/Pic: Vinay Madapu
Narayan Murthy.Owner – goodseeds/Pic: Vinay Madapu

When Narayan Murthy came to India from the United States, he didn’t know that he would end up retracing his roots, in a journey that would last forever.

A management consultant by profession, he is the founder of GoodSeeds, an organisation that sells organic food and home products. And it doesn’t end there.

Narayan works closely with farmers across the region to help them find a platform where they can find buyers and connect with other farmers for better reach and productivity.

Says Narayan, “I left India in 1992 and went to the US for higher studies and a job. I completed an MBA from Booth School of Business, Chicago, after which I started working as a management consultant. I was earning quite a decent package and monetarily I was very sound. But there was a voice in my head which kept on telling me that this is not what I wanted to do. But I didn’t know what it was that I was looking for.” That’s when he decided to come back to India and spend a few years here, “I came back and after a year or so, I realised that it was my roots that I had been missing.”

Narayan Murthy, founder of GoodSeeds, which sells organic food and home products
Narayan Murthy, founder of GoodSeeds, which sells organic food and home products

Originally from Chennai, Hyderabad is now his home. But how did he land up here? He answers with a chuckle, “I got a job here in Microsoft as a strategic planner in 2008. Now this city is my home.”

It so happened that one day his friend complained about how good organic food is not available in Hyderabad. Since Narayan was already wondering what to do with himself, the idea appealed to him. Thus was born GoodSeeds in the year 2012. “The name came about because it was about sowing good ideas about what we eat, drink, who we live with and where we live,” adds Narayan. Sort of an eco-friendly contribution to society.

While the company sells a variety of organic items ranging from organic baby food and organic fruits to organic personal care products, farmers often come to them to gain market connections, “Many farmers get in touch with me. I connect them to the market and customers who choose to buy organic products. This way they are able to connect to other farmers as well. We also help them get access to seed banks, so that they can expand their crop portfolios,” informs Narayan.

GoodSeeds03TELAN27apr2016

He goes with farmers to different areas like Yadagirigutta, Anantapur, outskirts of Mysuru and Tiruchirappalli (Tamil Nadu) for advise and to network. As a result of his efforts, farmers are coming closer and becoming part of co-operatives. Narayan adds further, “It’s beneficial that small farmers become part of small co-operatives. For example at Timbaktu, Anantapur there’s a small co-operative of 40 farmers. A farmer can’t do everything alone. If he tries everything and it goes wrong then unfortunately it will be him who will starve. These days people give their lands to farmers on lease to grow crops. In return, the farmers are paid on a monthly basis. So, even if there’s a drought, farmers will get their money and manage to keep their respect intact, as well.”

They also encourage things like the Sunday organic bazaar held at Saptaparni, Lamakaan, Our Sacred Space and Goethe Zentrum, where farmers sell everything from organic fruit to staples like rice. It’s probably not as fancy as the farmers’ markets in the US, but hey, with people like him around — it may become a reality sooner than you think!

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Education> Edex / by Saima Afreen / April 25th, 2016

For honeys sake: Squeezing out sweet returns from backyard beehives

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Leaders

HoneyCF23apr2016

Coimbatore residents have been putting their backyards to good use … and no, we are not talking about just kitchen gardens. The braver of the lot are rearing honey bees in their gardens not only as a hobby but also as means to supplement their income.

M R Srinivasan, of the entomology department of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), said while many farmers attended the training programme conducted by them every month on beekeeping, the number of home makers and students taking part was, interestingly, on the rise. “This can be done anywhere as it does not require much investment or time. One needs some practice and should learn the basic nuances. We get entries from people from all walks of life,” he said.

While some women got interested in beekeeping out of curiosity, some wanted to produce honey in their homes. N Krishnaveni, a software engineer, said she found a beehive in her garden and became curious. “I wanted to learn the art of beekeeping. I was told that bees are best at cross pollination so I thought this would help increase the yield in the mango farm maintained by my family,” she said.

Like Krishnaveni, Saranya, an MBA student, wanted to get involved in beekeeping to increase the yield in her farm. But some women said they were aware of the benefits of pure honey and wanted to extract it on their own. “My husband is in the honey business and has a company in Bengaluru. But I want to rear them at home to extract honey for household purposes. I have already started learning the techniques,” said F Shabeena, a homemaker from Ukkadam.

Many women who already have terrace gardens and kitchen gardens are also rearing bees. K Jayanthi, 26, says she comes from an agricultural background and has always loved rearing bees. “I take part in various training camps conducted by TNAU and government to learn the techniques,” she said.

The women said they were not scared of the bees. “Unless we disturb the bees, they do not we disturb the bees, they do not attack. If right techniques are used, there is no danger at all,” said Krishnaveni.

An apiary expert, R Philip Sridhar said beekeeping was be coming popular as one just needs to give some time. “There are no maintenance costs involved. We need to check the chambers once a week at least to ensure the bee count is appropriate. One needs to check for the presence of eggs, honey and pollen storage. Moth attacks need to be prevented. Other techniques if learned, can not only make beekeeping fun but also yield commercial benefits to beekeepers,” said Sridhar.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Coimbatore / Komal Gautham / TNN / April 22nd, 2016

Behind those heritage walks lie a spirited search

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Nature, Records, All

If you have ever been on a heritage walk, you may have wondered about the wealth of information that was shared with you about the city, its history, its people and institutions. Where does all of these come from? On World Heritage Day (April 18), we spoke to four people who conduct these walks to find out.

If you have ever been on a heritage walk in the city, you may have wondered about the wealth of information that was shared with you about Chennai, its history, its people, its institutions and its organisations.

Where does all of this come from? Where do those who conduct heritage walks discover interesting nuggets of information about the city’s streets? On World Heritage Day (April 18), we spoke to four people who conduct these walks to find out more.

Who: Sudha Umashankar and Padmapriya Baskaran. Contact: sudha.ganesha@gmail.com

What: Walk down Harrington Road

How: When Sudha Umashankar moved to Harrington Road in 1977, it bore no resemblance to the well laid-out street with coffee shops, a shopping mall and eateries that it is today. “It used to be deserted in the evenings and it was notorious for house break-ins,” she says. For the walk, which was held last month, Ms. Umashankar spoke to residents of the road, went to institutions to collect information and read a lot. “Books about Chennai, publications such as booklets or magazines brought out to commemorate milestones — these are all useful. I did get information online, but corroborated it first,” she says. The trick is to put the whole thing together in a digestible way, spiced with rumours or legends that people can identify with. Her next focus is Marshalls Road — choosing a street with history, a unique facet to it or landmark institutions helps, she says.

(Pics: In NICA today)

Who: N.L. Rajah. Contact: nlrajah.advocate@gmail.com

What: Madras High Court Campus Heritage Walk

How: “One of the advantages of researching about an institution that has been there for so many years is that every development which has happened over the last century has been recorded in the form of letters, documents and books,” says N.L. Rajah, a senior advocate of the Madras High Court (HC).

Interactions with people who had worked at the High Court over the years and authoring a book, The Madras High Court: A 150-year Journey from Crown Court to People’s Court, also yielded a lot of information about the history surrounding the High Court; the legal history of the 150-year-old institution and the architectural value, all of which is explained during the walks. “Most of my walks are attended by architecture students wanting to learn about the sprawling premises, which will turn 125 years next year. As a part of the heritage committee of the HC, we speak about the ongoing renovation work and its importance for a structure with so much heritage value,” he says.

NICA IDs: 153220034/153220035/153220036

Who: V.S. Sukumar. Contact: 9840622611

What: Gandhi Nagar Heritage Walk

How: Having lived at Gandhi Nagar for 65 years, V.S. Sukumar, honorary secretary, Gandhi Nagar Cricket and Sports Club, knows the ins and outs of this area, which is one of the earliest planned layouts of Madras, built just after independence.

“Several of us have studied in the schools here, played cricket at the cricket club and even gone to the same nursery,” he says. Land documents, publications of the government from the time of the inauguration of the colony, the book South of the Adyar River and information from organisations are all sources of information, he says.

“There are also old institutions such as Theosophical Society and Kalakshetra nearby which are resources,” he says. Senior citizens apart, residents who have moved in to live in many of Gandhi Nagar’s bungalows-converted-to-apartment-complexes are interested in these 131 acres. The walk is held in December every year, he said.

Pics:

Who: Kombai S. Anwar. Contact: anvars@gmail.com

What: Nawab of Arcot: Walajah Trail

How: Kombai S. Anwar, who has previously hosted the ‘Nawab of Arcot: Walajah Trail’ and a walk focussing on the Islamic heritage on Mount Road says that he likes to focus on heritage which had been overlooked.

“We are inundated with heritage structures and monuments in Chennai so much so that many remain unaware of their value. I had a fair idea about these structures but information from books available at the Connemera, Madras University and Mohammeden Public Libraries in Chennai about Muslim monuments as well as the general literature of that period serve as great pointers towards how many of these heritage structures came to be,” he says.

He recalls that his initial tryst with research into the city’s heritage was as part of the Madras Gazetteers Project. “Visiting the many heritage structures in the city yielded so much information,” Mr. Anwar says.

Pics: In NICA today

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Zubeda Hamid & S. Poorvaja / Chennai – April 19th, 2016

Rare plant specimens are now just a click away

Education, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Nature, Records, All

Coimbatore:

More than 6,000 specimens at the 105-year-old herbarium in the Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding (IFGTB) can now be accessed by the click of a mouse, as the institute plans to digitise it.

The digitisation will help preserve the fragile specimens, prone to damage due to constant physical handling.

The Fischer Herbarium, which was started in the year 1911 on the Forest Campus in R S Puram, was created as a repository to house the many collections made by British forest officer Cecil Ernest Claude Fischer. He had an extensive collection of specimens from the Nilgiris, Palanis, Coimbatore forest divisions, Seshachalam Hills and Ganjam District of Andhra Pradesh. The herbarium also houses century old collections by forest officers,T F Bourdillon and M Rama Rao from the Travancore presidency. The herbarium was brought under IFGTB’s control in 1988.

The herbarium, considered a national repository by the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), contains 2,954 species, 254 families of plants and 1,257 genera, some of them as rare as the one by forest officer J R Drummond in 1879.

“The herbarium is visited by a lot of taxonomists and botanists. So, when they discover a unique species but have heard of similar looking species being present in a herbarium in another part of the country or world, they often have to physically visit the herbarium to cross check the facts,” said IFGTB director R S Prashanth. “But now they can cross-check with the image and data available online,” he said.

The digital herbarium, which can be accessed through the website www.frcherbarium.org, currently contains 6,231 of the total 23,000 specimens available with the IFGTB. “This digitisation was done by former librarian at the Kerala Forest and Research Institute K H Hussain,” said the head of the biodiversity division at IFGTB C Kunhikannan about the project which cost Rs 6 lakh.

“The website has uploaded the herbarium’s sheets and allows people to zoom into the image to take a closer look at the specimen and the officer’s own writings,” said Hussain. “We will be shortly applying for more funds to digitize the rest of the herbarium’s data,” said the director. The institute, however, admitted that they were yet to review all the data on the website and eliminate spelling errors that might have occurred since the data entry personnel were not taxonomists.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Coimbatore / TNN / April 13th, 2016

Bargur farmers eye rosemary cultivation

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Nature

Farmers on Bargur hills are gradually warming up to the idea of cultivating Rosemary herb, which, besides ensuring profitable returns, also keep wild animals at bay.

The farmers in 33 hamlets surrounded by reserve forest find the altitude of about 1,000 metres above sea level suitable for cultivation of the aromatic herb. The crop was promoted a few years ago by MYRADA Krishi Vigyan Kendra based in Gobichettipalayam.

Farmers on the hills have traditionally been cultivating ragi, onion, and beans, and have been suffering losses due to damage caused to the fields by wild boars, deer and elephants. The KVK introduced Rosemary as an alternative crop to reverse the trend of migration of the people towards urban areas.

There is good market worldwide for the oil extracted from the herb that grows as a perennial evergreen shrub to a height of up to one metre, according to a documentation by MYRADA KVK.

The oil is used as component in pharmaceutical and cosmetic products. According to Horticulture Department officials, though gradual, Rosemary is gaining attention of farmers as a dependable crop.

‘There is good market worldwide for the oil extracted from the aromatic herb’

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Tamil Nadu / by R. Krishnamoorthy / Erode – April 12th, 2016