Giving some relief to the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco), which found it difficult to provide power connections to farm pump sets, the Department of Agricultural Engineering has established 70 solar-powered pump sets in the district, , which could produce 2,800 kw of green energy per day.
The solar-powered pumping system, with 80 per cent subsidy, will provide farmers energy security for irrigation throughout the year. Farmers in the district have taken a lead in setting up solar pump sets as they havewater sources such as open and bore wells, suitable for erecting 5 HP AC solar pump sets.
The solar pump sets were operated for about eight hours a day, M. Yuvaraj, Executive Engineer, in-charge (Agricultural Engineering), said, while demonstrating their prowess during a press tour on Tuesday.
He said the 70 solar pump sets would generate 8.40 lakh kw of energy a year.
M. Sellamuthu, a farmer in Manakarai, had an open well but irrigation became expensive as his oil engine consumed a minimum of five litres of diesel a day. He had three and a half acres of land but cultivated just one crop in an acre all these days.
“I never imagined that I could cultivate in summer,” an elated Sellamuthu said. He operated the newly established solar pump set for eight hours a day and was cultivating groundnut, pulses and vegetables in two and a half acres now. The recent summer rain has raised water level in the well and he is set to expand cultivation area by another acre.
Mr. Yuvaraj said that the department had formed a group of 16 farmers of Scheduled Castes and backward classes and helped them rejuvenate a bore well and lay pipelines at a cost of Rs. 6 lakh under the State Balance Growth Fund with 90 per cent subsidy.
Similarly, under the National Agriculture Development Programme, it had been proposed to dig community irrigation bore wells by forming 150 groups of 10 farmers each with total land holding of 25 acres this year.
Each bore well with pipeline facilities would be established at an estimated cost of Rs. 7 lakh for a group with 50 per cent subsidy, he added.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Tamil Nadu / by D. J. Walter Scott / Sivaganga – May 28th, 2015
The intention was to get chatty about cheese. But the conversation veered off to reveal how Kodaikanal’s best known family for producing cheese is famous for a lot more
You will never get it wrong while visiting the Manis in Kodaikanal. A visit to their home is invariably greeted with the ‘eat cheese’ welcome! The plate loaded with rusk and toasts topped with the ‘Kodai Cheese’, the brand they are reputed for, lay in front of me temptingly through the interview. And honestly, the ‘cheese content’ of the assignment remained restricted only to eating. For, when you are sitting with the two ladies of the family – Lalitha Mani and Janani Harisanker, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law duo – you can only hear and see how they share their homes, lives and hearts with animals, patients and people in general.
The business of cheese is of course managed by Lalitha’s husband G.S.Mani and her son Harisanker. And both are mostly away at their newly established factory in Batlagundu (see box). But it is this dynamic pair of saas-bahu making news more often in Kodaikanal. They are either chasing tourists who make the Kodi roads dirty or rescuing stray animals from the streets or ensuring good medical care of patients in the hospital started by them.
Lalitha Mani and Janai Harisanker. / Special Arrangement
And when they are not doing social service, they are either landscaping their gardens or playing golf. Lailtha and Janani connect so well that you fall in love with them when they say, you can drop the ‘in-law’ bit from our relationship. “We are like mother and daughter,” they echo, asserting on the beautiful relationship.
Janai Harisanker with Pebbles. Photo: Special Arrangement
When Chennai-bred Janani wedded into the Mani family seven years ago, she was not sure whether her in-laws would be happy with her role as a silent volunteer for the Blue Cross, the 55-year-old animal welfare organisation based out of Chennai. She was even more upset when her mother told her that her adopted stray dog Pebbles, was missing her and refusing to eat. With much trepidation she checked with her mom-in-law if she could bring Pebbles over to Kodaikanal for a few days.
“Pebbles is your dowry we will happily accept,” Lalitha told her newly-wedded daughter-in-law. That one line not only changed the relationship between the two women forever but it also made Pebbles a permanent resident of Kodaikanal.
“Amma has an amazing way of dealing with people and is extremely supportive where she sees something good,” says Janani fondly about her mother-in-law. Lalitha returns it with, “And Janani is very friendly and caring”. But these are not just complimentary words for each other. They go much beyond in action.
Just a few days ago, says Lalitha, while returning from work we saw people in the car ahead of us throwing chips wrappers out of the window. “We stopped and picked up the empty packets, overtook the car, handed over the packets back to them with the request that they should properly dispose them off,” narrates Lalitha. “And we both are pretty well known in the town for doing this,” laughs Janani.
Though they are often referred to as the “dynamites of Kodi”, Lalitha worries about when people will ever learn to be responsible by themselves. The duo distributes garbage bins and bags to various agencies in the hill town and also places them at strategic locations in the heavily crowded tourist hotspot. But look at Kodi, rues Lalitha, how dirty it has become. She came post-marriage in the Seventies and finds it difficult to digest how the idyllic town with flowing streams has been reduced to such a trash spot.
For her own peace, she along with her husband does the landscaping of her properties and much to her delight has found her daughter-in-law sharing the same interest. Janani being the quintessential nature lover and environmentalist is a student of urban architecture and of late has been doing projects in Coimbatore and Kodaikanal, particularly the villa properties. “I never encourage any exotic species of flora or fauna but only promote and integrate the locally known birds, animals and trees for perfect harmony with the territory and environment,” she says.
Both of them are now trying to work out a waste management proposal for Kodi in collaboration with Wasteless from Auroville. While Lalitha feels there is not much hope, Janani says, there is still a chance to save the township.
But it is her animal rescuing mission that sets Janani on a hyperactive schedule. In the last five years she has rescued 45 stray dogs and cats, all of whom have found a place either in her or Lalitha’s home, or in friend’s homes. She has attended 20-odd emergency calls and treated injured dogs, horses and cows. She practices reverse psychology with pony owners and makes them take care of their animals better.
Animal welfare works with care and compassion, not threat,” she underlines.
Both the women have also been instrumental in reviving one of the oldest units of SPCA (Society for Prevention of Cruelty Against Animals) in Kodaikanal. It was established in 1929 by the Americans and continued to work with the help of senior citizens of Kodi. But the association went defunct in 2002 following diversion of Government funds to the Dindigul unit of SPCA. So now it has been renamed Kodaikanal Protection and Care for Animals and Janani is in the forefront rescuing stray pups and kittens.
In the middle of all this when does she find time for golf? With my father-in-law laying the first organic golf course in Kodi, I could not stay away from it for long being a sportsperson, smiles Janani, already on a winning spree in various city tournaments.
Both her’s and Lalitha’s minds are cluttered with ideas to better the environment of their much loved town. “Recycling is the buzzword for everything now,” they say.
The Kodai Cheese
For four decades the “Kodai Cheese” brand has been popular for its special range and nutritious value. “We believe in creating our own brand and identity with value-added quality,” says Harisanker who now controls the business with his father G.S.Mani, who took over Kodi’s famous Cheese Factory from his father in 1977.
Harisanker./ Photo: Special Arrangement
The family has a word of mouth reputation to uphold and prides in producing boutique innovative cheese with techniques adopted from around the world.
What started from a rural village as a family-owned dairy with six suppliers in 1972 has grown in magnitude manufacturing 150 metric tonnes of cheese every year. In the beginning horse-drawn wagon collected 50 litres of milk per day, today 4,000 litres of milk goes into the making of Cheddar, Mozarella, Ricotta, the Blue cheese and the latest handmade Cambrie. The entire line is made with fresh antibiotic-free milk, experience and from authentic recipes in eco-friendly way, according to Harisanker. The whey created in the cheese making process is used for making organic compost for the entire vegetation, fodder, flowers, fruit and other trees grown on their property.
The KHMS Hospital
The Kodaikanal Health and Medical Services is a Trust formed by G.S.Mani with six other trustees to cater to the health and medical needs of the residents and visitors to Kodaikanal. The trust runs the 16-bed hospital established in 2009 and is equipped with a pathology lab for basic investigation facilities and essential facilities like the ICU, Operation Theatre, Ultrasound, X-ray machine, pharmacy and an ambulance. “The idea is to stabilise the patient here in case of an emergency before they can travel to a big hospital in Madurai or Dindigul,” says Lalitha Mani, who holds charge of administrative responsibilities. The hospital caters to 25,000 patients in a year and the treatment is highly subsidised.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Soma Basu / Madurai – May 07th, 2015
Several innovative and eco-friendly measures are being adopted at the compost yard in Musiri.— Photo: B.Velankanni Raj
60 to 70 tonnes of compost generated at yard every month
The Musiri town panchayat has adopted several innovative solid waste management measures at its compost yard in the town. Operation of eco-san toilet, planting thorn-less bamboo around the sprawling 4.17-acre yard, segregation of bio-degradable and non-degradable waste, and generation of vermicompost from waste are some of the salient features of the yard.
The town, with 18 wards, accounts for a daily collection of 10.75 tonnes of garbage of which nine tonnes is segregated as biodegradable waste. “We have mobilised the support of women self-help groups in collecting and segregating the garbage,” says B.Gunalan, executive officer of the town panchayat.
About 60 to 70 tonnes of compost is generated from the yard every month. There is good demand for the manure from the banana cultivators and betel vine growers of Musiri, he said.
The thorn-less bamboo planted on the yard serves to demarcate the boundary of the facility and acts as its compound.
Further, the plant species has the ability to absorb large volume of carbondioxide and hence helps in limiting the odour generated from the yard, he said.
The eco-san toilet at the yard helps in preparing compost, minimising use of water, and preventing pollution of groundwater, he said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Tiruchirapalli / by Special Corrrespondent / Tiruchirapalli – April 15th, 2015
The food habits of the modern society are decided by companies that manufacture and process food. However, it is crucial to bring back some of our traditional food varieties back, including the nutrition-rich millet.
Nowadays, millets are included in bakery products like bread and bun to ensure healthier consumption of food. Millet varieties like Kuthiraivali, Varagu and Samai are used to prepare noodles. Consumption to millets is believed to help reduce chances of cancer and diabetes, and also controls obesity since it contains good amounts of fiber, protein and minerals.
S Kanchana, head of the food science and nutrition department at Tamil Nadu Agriculture University (TNAU), said, “We conducted a training programme two months back for entrepreneurs to teach them about the millets that can be used in bakery products. Millets like Varagu, Thenai and Kuthiraivali has good amount of fibre and protein. Moroever, people who consume millets are 20% to 30% less likely to develop insulin resistance and diabetes-related diseases.”
Health mixes containing millets are sold at the Uzhavan Unavagam, or farmers canteen. Small millets like Thenai, Samai, Kuthiraivali and Varagu are low in glycemic index, which helps maintain blood sugar levels.
V K Balaji, 43, a farmer who runs a snack stall at Uzhavan Unavagam said, “We prepare noodles and snack items using small millets. Children and old alike enjoy consuming snacks made of these millets. It helps to maintain blood sugar levels and hence it is advisable to consume millets”.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Madurai / by Karishma Ravindran, TNN / April 01st, 2015
The flower of Crucifix Orchid resembling a ‘Holy Cross’ grown in Nagercoil.
Sixty-three-year-old Stanley Joy Singh of Nagercoil grows ‘Holy Cross’ flowers with passion.
. He developed an interest in growing orchids from his school teacher Robinson Sigamani when he was in standard VIII while on an eco-tour to Pechiparai dam. Since then, the orchids in his backyard have grown in numbers. Today, over 600 varieties bloom in his backyard under shade.
Talking about the ‘Holy Cross’ flower, Mr. Singh says that they display a significant three-lobed lip and resemble a cross. The species originated from tropical and sub tropical USA and the Caribbean Islands. The popular and captivating species is commonly known as Crucifix Orchid.
The Holy Cross flowers bloom for two months in a year in February and March in four colours – orange, red, pink and blue. However, over 100 hybrid varieties of Holy Cross bloom all through the year in different colours.
“The passion flower, Crucifix Orchid, symbolises the passion of Christ for humankind, which consummated in his crucifixion and death on the Cross,” says Mr. Singh.
According to environment educator, S.S. Davidson, the plant is easily cultured at homes in pots as it is a tropical plant.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Telangana / by R Arivanantham / Nagercoil – April 04th, 2015
Chennai has the right weather for many fruit-bearing trees, but lack of rain and poor upkeep has left government nurseries without saplings.
If you are a tree lover who wishes to raise fruit bearing trees in your backyard, here is good news and bad news: With just a few square foot of land you can have some trees, but the gov ernment horticulture nurseries just don’t have enough saplings.
Fruit-bearing tree saplings such as mango, jackfruit, guava, pomegranate, sapodilla and custard apple are supposed to be sold in the department-owned nursery in Aathur, a village near Chengalpet. One has to travel nearly 60km to the south on the GST Road and another 2.8km west after reaching Chengalpet town to get to the nursery .
A visit to the place on Wednesday revealed that the nursery right now has only mango tree saplings and each sapling is priced at `50. This is one of the oldest horticulture nurseries, started in 1961. The dilapidated building inside the nursery reflects the state of affairs. Take a walk around and the wilting saplings show the impact of acute water scarcity in Kancheepuram district due to monsoon failure last year. Local people said an attempt was made to sink bore wells inside the premises at a depth of 350ft recently, but it failed to fetch water.
When contacted, horticulture department officials said fruit-bearing tree saplings are sold in four nurseries in Kancheepuram district. In Chennai there is nursery in Madhavaram, where one could get flowering, ornamental flowers and avenue species of tree saplings. The one in Kilpauk has been converted into a training centre and the one in Tiruvanmiyur now sells only manure.
“The nurseries in Kancheepuram sow the seeds of fruit bearing trees in May every year. After grafting, it takes at least three months for the saplings to be ready for sale. Quality saplings are sold only between September and March and some of the additionally raised saplings would be available for sale beyond March,” an official said. In order to overcome the water shortage, the department has created two pools inside its Madhavaram nursery , where rainwater was stored. This helped in recharging the groundwater table there.
Interestingly , a private nursery just opposite the horticulture nursery in Aathur has a variety of fruitbearing tree saplings, but at a higher price. A Banganapalli mango species sapling here is sold at Rs400 and that of a jack fruit at Rs700. J R Babu, owner of the nursery , said the mango seeds come from Seemandra and the jack fruit from Virudhachalam in Cuddalore.”I also faced water shortage this time. I drilled a bore well and was lucky to strike water at 350ft,” he said.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / by P. Oppili, TNN / April 02nd, 2015
A five-member team, including a woman, that has been paddling their fibre kayaks for six days on the scenic Gulf of Mannar Sea completed their expedition here on Sunday, doing so with the satisfaction that they have been able to educate at least some coastal communities on the need to keep beaches free of pollution and littering.
Jehan Driver, Arjun Motha, Rizwan Gani, John Suganth and Charmine Pereira from Quest Expeditions and Aqua Outback had set off from Kuntakal near Rameswaram in Ramanathapuram district on Tuesday, flagged off by Ramanathapuram district collector, K Nandakumar. They were received here by Coastal Security Group (Marine Police). The team paddled for 49km a day and camped in some beach at night. “We stopped at coastal villages and talked with local people. We told them how important it was to keep their coastal environment clean and protect their resources for sustained living,” said Rizwan Gani. Jehan Driver, who led the team, explained that the objective of the expedition was to create awareness about the vast natural reserves Tamil Nadu has to offer and the sustainable practices that will keep it pristine. The expedition also aimed to promote Kayaking as a sport and let people know the importance of preserving the natural environment of the marine biosphere to encourage other sportsmen and sportswomen to practice and enjoy their non-motorised sports.
“Gulf of Mannar is a marine eco-system in the country that has remained clean till now and it should be protected. We could share this message among the people we met in the coast during our paddling. We collected more information on the beaches, besides watching pristine islets to check if there are any poaching activities. We could see that marine life is still flourishing in the region and we should protect them together,” Driver said. The team also expressed their concern about untreated sewage mixing in Gulf of Mannar waters. Based on their findings, they will prepare a report which they will submit to concerned government agencies, they said. Government agencies like Indian Coast Guard and Coastal Security Group and additional director general of police, C Sylendra Babu were of great help, they said. Having succeeded in their first venture, they plan to turn this into an annual event to keep the tradition alive.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Madurai / TNN / March 30th, 2015
The community radio of Dhan Foundation has bagged second prize in the category of community engagement awards at fifth National Community Radio Awards.
Minister of finance, corporate affairs and I&B, Arun Jaitley presented the awards at a function held in New Delhi on Monday. The ‘Vayalagam’ community radio has been operational since 2011, operated by the Madurai District Tank Farmers’ Federation under the Dhan Foundation. The station, which is available at an FM frequency of 90.4, covers a 15-km radius.
“Uluthundu Vazhvom”, a radio show focusing on agriculture, is one of the most widely listened-to programmes in the region, overtaking even commercial FM channels. The programme has many takers among the elders here.
The eight-hour channel is estimated to have a regular audience of 5,000 people, mostly farmers in the Kottampatti, Singampunari and Natham blocks. Besides passive listeners, it also has listeners who interact with the programme coordinators.
Popular shows include farmers’ views, experts’ views and harvesting techniques which the listeners claim have benefitted them immensely. Programme designer T Sundarapandian said they planned the shows based on seasons and the farmers’ requirements. The crop of the season is also a deciding factor in the programmes on the channel.
The radio station organises monthly review meetings with the farmers and programmes for the next months are planned based on the farmers’ expectations and reviews. As most farmers use their mobile phones to access the programmes, the station also gives out information on the “talktime” plans provided by mobile networks everyday.
“Gramathu kuyil”, another popular programme, broadcasts songs sung by people from the local community, which are recorded by the programmers either on the field or on the studio. Shows detailing important events in history that had taken place on a specific date also received good response, Sundarapandian said.
Much to their delight, farmers receive special wishes on their birthdays and anniversaries as the volunteers in the village information centres work closely with the farmers, obtain information from them and pass it on to the radio. Farmers are hoping that the station would go from being an 8-hour channel to a 24-hour service like other FM channels.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Madurai / TNN / March 18th, 2015
If Prime Minister Narendra Modi tried to wean international manufacturers from China with his ‘Make in India’ campaign, in Madurai an entrepreneur has made the first inroads, albeit with a humble battery-operated cart.
Tejus Motors, a firm based in Thirumangalam here, will supply indigenous battery carts to FreshWorld, a start-up venture in Bangalore that supplies vegetables to households directly from farms. FreshWorld has been importing battery-run cars from China but has now ordered 20 such vehicles from the Madurai firm. Tejus will supply the first lot of carts in a month, its managing partner P Girithar Raja said. “Our vehicles are fully indigenous. We make our own batteries and mould the chassis of the vehicles too,” he said.
Raja, at a session organized by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), said time had come to prop up green technology and provide impetus to the industry such that it could manufacture vehicles that could readily ply on roads. The symposium – entitled ‘Clean Tech – Problems and Opportunities’ — pitched for use of green technology in new-age entrepreneurship.
In her keynote address, Mridula Ramesh, executive director of Sundaram textiles, said ‘clean tech’ provided several opportunities. And Tejus, which was put in touch with FreshWorld by Nativelead Foundation (a non-profit organization), wants to explore those as it has plans to manufacture battery-operated tractors which Raja says would help farmers in cutting costs incurred in transporting their produce.
Saying that entrepreneurship was the way forward, P Vasu, chairman, CII Madurai zone, noted: “It is predicted that India will have the largest employable population in the world by 2020. Entrepreneurship is the best way to utilize this resource.”
Shyam Menon, investment director, Infuse ventures (IIM-A), echoed similar sentiments and said start-ups were no longer limited to urban centres and could be initiated in villages too. “It is no longer related to IT and providing solutions to somebody sitting elsewhere. Now, you can become a start-up by finding solutions in water, energy and waste management in your own backyard and also help others in the process,” he said.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Madurai / by Padmini Sivarajah, TNN / March 22nd, 2015
Roof Garden at Ganga Street, Besant Nagar. Photo: M. Karunakaran / The Hindu
Soon, you can raise your own vegetable garden on the terrace. As part of the Urban Horticulture Development Scheme, the State government is planning to introduce ‘Rooftop Garden – Do It Yourself Kit’ in Chennai and Coimbatore.
Dr. R. Aravindan, deputy director, The Tamil Nadu Horticulture Management Institute, Madhavaram, said, “One house will be allotted a minimum of one unit (1 kit) and a maximum of five units. One unit will cost Rs.3,300 approximately. A 16-square metre moisture polythene sheet will be provided per unit to protect the roof floor from the rainwater.
Apart from that, ultra-violet stabilised poly bags with coco peat compressed bricks and vegetables – brinjal, tomato, chilly, bush beans, cluster beans and different types of greens – will be provided. With two litres of water, the bags will expand five times higher. After seven to ten days, bio-fertilisers and bio-pesticides with compost (one kilogram) should be mixed and used,” he added.
Garden tools – one litre hand sprayer, rose can, scoop, hand fork and two pro tray (50 holes) – and a hand book will be given to the beneficiaries.
The scheme is likely to be implemented in the middle of this month.
For details, contact A. Mohammed Nazeer, horticulture officer (Anna Nagar) at 9841155808, C. H. Rajeevan at 9840255347 and P. Punniyakodi at 9444989715.
For Perambur, contact N. Annamalai at 9444926440, K. Babu at 9444227095. For Thiruvanmiyur, contact M. R. Rajasekar at 9486725197 and S.V. Shanmugam at 9940658899.
Hi-tech sensor poly green house
The institute is setting up a hi-tech sensor poly green house on 28 acres, including five acres of State horticulture farm, 20 acres of ornamental garden and a horticulture management centre.
The green house will have imported saplings of capsicum (yellow, green, red and orange), lettuce, European cucumber, orchids, Dutch roses and anthura.
The house would be maintained with a temperature of 24-28 degrees Celsius throughout the year. It would be fully-automatic with irrigation, climate control devisers, foggers, shade nets, fan patch system ventilator and natural ventilator green house fan. The scheme is a frontline demonstration of National Horticulture Mission and National Agriculture Development Programme.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> DownTown / by T. S. Atul Swaminathan / Chennai – December 07th, 2013
