The state archaeology department, which is excavating the premises of the 1,000-pillar mandapam (pavilion) at the Sriranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam, has unearthed the statue of an elephant and several treasures including copper coins. Digging is currently on at the rear of the mandapam as a portion of it is buried in sand.
A 12-member excavation team, which commenced work from Monday, found the 12-feet tall stone sculpture of elephant on Tuesday. Four curators, who are assisting the archaeologists, said copper coins and stone idols too were found in the site. They expect more metals and idols during the ongoing excavation.
When the mandapam was last renovated in 2011 its sides were spruced up. Water was made to flow through the sides to strengthen the base of the structure. The renovation was carried out by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Trichy / by Harish Murali, TNN / March 06th, 2014
Chief Minister Jayalalithaa inaugurating a memorial for “Marshal” A. Nesamony through video-conferencing from the Secretariat on Thursday./ The Hindu
Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Thursday declared open a memorial for “Marshal” A. Nesamony (1895-1968) in Nagercoil through video-conferencing from the Secretariat. The memorial had been constructed at a cost of about Rs.48.7 lakh, according to an official release.
Hailed for his role in integrating the district of Kanyakumari [which was originally with the erstwhile Travancore princely state] with Tamil Nadu, Nesamony was an advocate by profession.
He held various positions including the post of chairperson of the Nagercoil municipality (1943-47); Member of Travancore Legislative Assembly (1943-47) and that of Travancore-Cochin State (1948-52). As leader of Travancore Tamil Nad Congress Party, he won from the Nagercoil parliamentary constituency in 1951 and later, as a nominee of the Indian National Congress, he was re-elected from the constituency in 1962 and 1967.
Nesamony was declared unopposed from the Killiyoor Assembly constituency in 1957.
As a mark of tribute to him, the Chief Minister has given a direction that on November 1 [the day on which Kanyakumari was transferred to Tamil Nadu], floral homage should be paid to the statue of Nesamony in Nagercoil.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Tamil Nadu / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – February 28th, 2014
A memorial established for the late freedom fighter Nesamani, fondly called as “Marshal” Nesamani, in Kanyakumari district was inaugurated by Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Thursday.
Through a video-conference facility from here, Jayalalithaa unveiled the memorial set up in Nagercoil at a cost of Rs 48.70 lakh, an official release said.
Nesamani, a prominent local figure, among the locals also served as Municipal Chairman in Nagercoil District and as the Member of Parliament, it said.
Jayalalithaa issued orders to celebrate the day of Kanyakumari District’s merger with Tamil Nadu in memory of Nesamani as a government function, it said.
Labour Minister K T Pachamal, Information and Special Programme Implementation Minister K T Rajendhra Bhalaji and senior government officials participated in the function, the release added.
PTI
source: http://www.zeenews.india.com / Z News / Home> State News> Tamil Nadu / Thursday – February 27th, 2014
On the centenary of the Pamban Rail Bridge, which connects Rameswaram to the Indian mainland, a look at its history and significance.
Infinite loop: A train runs along the Pamban Rail Bridge and above the dark waters of Palk Strait. / Photo: Bijoy Bharathan / The Hindu
It is 3.50am and the Sethu Express headed from Chennai Egmore to Rameswaram is chugging along, barely 10 minutes away from its destination. Then you begin to hear it, a metallic rumble as the train slows down to about a tenth of its intended speed. The doorways soon fill with a motley crew of half-asleep passengers comprising men and women, both young and old, who align themselves near the exits for the best view. Outside the train, the pitch darkness of early dawn offers mere silhouettes of the bridge. As the train treads the dark waters of the Palk Strait atop the Pamban Rail Bridge, the travellers are united in wide-eyed surrender, to an all-encompassing sense of awe.
It’s a sight that’s been playing in an infinite loop for about 100 years now, since the Pamban Rail Bridge opened in 1914. The bridge, which until 2010 was India’s longest sea bridge — the Bandra Worli Sea Link in Mumbai having now bagged that title — connects the island of Rameswaram to the Indian mainland. Often referred to as the economic and spiritual lifeline of this region, the bridge celebrated its centenary early this week. In the midst of the revelries, questions concerning the future of the bridge against its maintenance as a heritage site came to the fore. While the two sides objectively argue their cases, a subjective detour back in time might be just what the doctor ordered.
In the annals of the Indian Railways, one man’s name is synonymous with the Pamban Rail Bridge. Fondly known as the Metro Man of India, E Sreedharan, achieved the near-impossible task of restoring the Pamban Bridge to a fully operational state in a mere 46 days, after it was devastated by a cyclone on December 23, 1964. Reminiscing about that time Sreedharan says, “The damage to the rail bridge was so severe that it wasn’t considered worth restoring. The government was already planning to construct a road bridge connecting Rameswaram to the mainland. However, SK Patil, the then union railway minister, knew the importance of Rameswaram as a pilgrimage centre and decided to repair the bridge.”
Nature’s fury: Pamban Bridge in ruins after a cyclone battered it on December 23, 1964. / Photo: The Hindu Archives
Elaborating on those months of backbreaking work, Sreedharan says, “Of the 146 spans in the bridge, 124 had been damaged or washed away. We urgently needed metre gauge girders (support beams) to build the bridge. We sourced them from states as far as Assam and Rajasthan, but there was still a shortage. Thankfully, the fishermen in Pamban came to our rescue. They had spotted many girders that had been swept away in the cyclone and were lying 40 feet below, on the seabed. We salvaged those and worked at breakneck speed to complete the restoration. It used to take us three days to launch one girder. Soon we were launching a girder a day. On the last two days, we launched eight girders.” And the results were there for all to see. The project was estimated to be completed in six months, Sreedharan and his team accomplished it in 46 days.
But there’s an altogether personal history of sacrifice that is intertwined with Sreedharan’s association with the bridge. He says, “My wife was pregnant with our daughter when I was informed about the cyclonic damage to the Pamban Bridge. I was on Christmas leave at my hometown in Pattambi, while my wife was at her maternal home in Ponnali. I didn’t have the time to meet her before heading to Pamban and commencing work on the bridge. A few weeks later, I came to know that we had been blessed with a baby girl. However, I was unable to go see her as my presence was needed at the bridge at all times during the ongoing restoration work. Finally, after we had put the bridge back in operation, I was able to go home and see my daughter for the first time.”
The legacy of the Pamban Bridge and the need for its continued service is fully understood by engineers today. In 2006, a contingent from IIT Madras led by professor Kalyanaraman was entrusted with instrumenting the bridge. Many new members (structural elements used to brace bridges and buildings) were added to it and it was strengthened at the bottom as well.
Recounting his memories of the bridge, Dr S Arul Jayachandran, from the Structural Engineering Laboratory at the Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras says, “I was about four years old when the cyclone struck. My hometown, Madurai, was bathed in a pall of gloom. A few months later, I undertook the first rail journey of my life. It took me across the Pamban Rail Bridge. I remember how everybody peeped out of their windows in the train when it crossed the bridge on a particularly low-tide day. We were stunned and delighted to know that this was the same bridge that had once been ravaged by the cyclone.”
For Jayachandran, it was merely the beginning of a lifelong love affair. In 1983, for his undergraduate thesis, he presented the concept of an alternate bridge connecting Rameswaram to the mainland. He is now finalising a technical report based on a study that he had carried out on the Pamban Rail Bridge in December 2013. He says, “The 100-year-old bridge has a place of pride in the hearts of many generations of Indians. We consider it a part of our historical identity. From a purely conservationist point of view, it is a thing of beauty and must be protected. From a scientific viewpoint, the safety of the passengers is paramount. The bridge has withstood the test of time for more than a century. I am optimistic that it will remain so for another century.”
source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home> Features / by Bijoy Bharathan / February 28th, 2014
A couple of streets in Madurai are named after wells. Of these, Thottiyan Kinatru Theru has a few interesting tales behind its evolution.
The wide street which runs from Maravar Chavadi in South Masi Street to South Avani Moola Street is named after a well which existed in the locality till about a quarter century ago. A century back Thottiyan Kinatru Theru was known as Maravar Chavadi Street, said K Ganesan, a 64-year-old retired corporation employee. The street later acquired the current name after the local deity, Thottichi, enshrined in a small tank-like structure at the end of the street.
Many Maravar households existed in the locality. Marvars were mainly employed as soldiers in the armies of several dynasties that ruled Madurai. It was at Maravar Chavadi the Marvars used to assemble before marching to Kavalkooda or Kavalkotta Theru where the army post existed. “As the worship of Thottichi – the local deity – gained prominence in the last few decades the street came to be known as Thottiyan Kinatru Theru,” Ganesan explained.
Local residents say the deity is powerful. R Arumuga Perumal, who runs a petty shop near Thottichi’s shrine, narrated about a ritual on the street. People will anoint the deity with milk after child births in their homes. “She is a powerful deity who fulfils the prayers of her devotees. She demands milk from households in case of child birth. It is believed the new-borns develop trouble during sleep if the milk is not offered to the deity within 30 days,” the 49-year-old said.
Perumal recalled the existence of the well 25 years ago. “People entering into Meenakshi Temple through the south gate used to wash their feet with the water fetched from the well. Such wells existed in all four entry points into the temple area,” he said. However, the wells disappeared over a period, Perumal said.
R Shivakumar, author of Neerindri, a booklet on water bodies of Madurai said wells were water bodies shared by the community. While the wells within the city catered to drinking water needs and domestic purposes, the wells on the outskirts of the city were used for agricultural purposes. “Rapid urbanisation has eaten away these structures and the numerous borewells sunk in later periods depleted the water table in the city,” he remarked.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Madurai / TNN / February 23rd, 2014
Members of the Krishnagiri-based Indian Rivers Knit Movement (IRKM), an NGO creating awareness about the need for inter-linking and networking of rivers, who are on a ‘paadayatra’ from Hosur to Chennai to meet Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, passed through Vellore on Tuesday evening.
They were received by the members of the National Waterways Development Technologies, another Vellore-based NGO, led by president K K Sridhar and secretary Venkatesan.
The paadayatra has been undertaken to highlight the importance of the inter-linking of rivers and the protection of farmers, said Sardhar, director of the IRKM who organized the event.
Floods and droughts plaguing India, drive farmers to commit suicide and the only solution, to ensure protection to the farmers, is to link all the rivers, he said.
The NGO would appeal to the CM to come up with a policy to set up waterways by linking the rivers in the country.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Express News Service – Vellore / February 20th, 2014
A convict had killed the judge of the erstwhile Trichinopoli district on the court premises on February 22 in 1916
February 22 was an important day for the judicial officers and advocates of Tiruchi district. It was on this day in 1916 that H.O.D. Harding, the District and Sessions Judge of the erstwhile Trichinopoli, was murdered by a convict for a judgement he delivered, minutes before boarding a chariot on the court campus. The English judge from London had assumed office in October 1913.
The judge, known for his uprightness, had convicted an accused to life sentence in a murder case. The accused, who was subsequently granted bail by the High Court, reached Trichinopoli court with a deadly weapon and attacked Harding. The judge died on the spot.
Later, his body was flown to London. A monument was erected on the court premises in recognition of his service and every year on February 22 judicial officers and lawyers assemble at the memorial to pay their respects to the slain judge. This year too, P.Velmurugan, Principal District and Sessions Judge, along with Poornima, First Additional District Judge, A.R. Rahman, Second Additional District Judge, Balachandar, Chief Judicial Magistrate, and members of the Bar, placed a wreath at the memorial.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Tiruchirapalli / by M. Balaganessin / Tiruchi – February 23rd, 2014
The battle for the title of ‘oldest family in the world’ may not be over soon. Just when 13 Manja siblings from Shimoga had staked their claim in the Guinness Book of Records for the spot, another family originally from Thanjavur wants to correct that. While the Shimoga family’s collective age is 880 plus years, the new contenders – a family of 11 siblings – say their ages total a whopping 899 plus years, adding up the months and days too.
On Monday, K V Rajagopal, an 87-year-old retired railway executive currently living in Bangalore, responded to a report in TOI dated February 16 on the Manja family, and claimed that his family beat them in the age battle.
Their family hailed from Thanjavur but later migrated to Nagpur, said Rajagopal, elaborating, “We are a family of 12 siblings of whom 11 are alive. The eldest is 92 years old and youngest, 73. Both live in the US. The collective age of the Manja family adds up to 880 plus and it struck me that we 11 siblings are older by 19 years.”
Rajagopal, the third son of G V Rajagopal and Ranganayaki who are now deceased, says all his siblings were born before Independence. “We have witnessed the freedom struggle as our father was a freedom fighter. All my five aunts studied on scholarships abroad during those days itself,” says Rajagopal.
Theirs is a cosmopolitan family, pipes in his daughter Priyamvada Srinivasan. “Gujaratis, Marathis, Jews, Americans, a German and Punjabi are all in it. I am happy to be a part of this rich old family,” she says.
Currently the family has 43 members. But they have never met at one place together. “We all have flown the nest. We had an ancestral house in Nagpur, where no one lives now. Even our childhood photographs are not with us. As six of my siblings live in the US, one each in the UK and Geneva and other two in Nagpur, we hardly get to meet together at one place, but we are in touch with each other,” says Rajagopal.
“But we are not in any race. I am yet to decide on giving a representation to the Guinness authorities,” he adds. The current holders of the record are London-based Brudennel family with a collective age of 855 years.
NEWEST AND OLDEST?
Rajalakshmi Raghavan (92) lives in the US
V Srinivas (89) lives in Nagpur
K V Rajagopal (87) lives in Bangalore
V Kannan (84) lives in the UK
Kalyani Raghavan (82) lives in Geneva
Dr Maithili Schmidt (80) lives in the US
Sulochana Glazer (79) lives in the US
Rangachari Raghavan (77) lives in Nagpur
Dr Renuka Sethi (76) lives in the US
Badra Raghavan (75) lives in the US
Susheila Bhagat (73) lives in the US
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Bangalore> Namma Metro / by Sunitha Rao, R – TNN / February 18th, 2014
Art Chennai’s two-day conclave on the Future of the Past brought together on day two, panels that inspected the future of the city, of the painting, and of art’s curatorial practice – and went on to collectively deliberate over points of function, form and process.
In contemplating the Future of the City, Durganand Balsavar, architect and founder of Artes – Human Settlements Research Collaborative, harked back to its past and foregrounded the priorities that marked its development post-Renaissance, from a largely functional entity that met the habitation needs of its occupants, to an aesthetical one.
Girish Shahane, art director of Art Chennai and moderator of the conference raised the question concerning the conflict that arises between the pragmatic needs of development and the romantic ideals of heritage conservation. Integration, was S Muthiah’s recommendation. Madras’ chronicler cited as example Moore Market, saying it could have been accommodated within the expansion plans of Central Station. More importantly, reminded Balsavar, issues of development and restoration should be perceived as the city itself should – as a composite unit and not piecemeal.
Which is the argument made by some of the participant artists in the session on the future of the painting. Had new media, performance and installations dismounted the canvas from its once hallowed perch? Although Vivan Sundaram has long since moved away from the painting to explore other media, he acknowledged that institutions that fund and house art ought to make room for the whole clan. For artists Prajakta Potnis and Mithu Sen the painting continues to be a part of their practice, whether as the end product or the starting place of an idea.
From the configuration of art to the enterprise of its curator, the day closed with views from these new artistic operatives. Participants Natasha Ginwala, Zasha Colah, Akanksha Rastogi and art critic Zehra Jumabhoy discussed curatorial practice, like art itself, as emerging from conditions of its placement and transcending narrow notions of nationality.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / TNN / February 16th, 2014
People of Thillaiyadi village in the district have urged the Tamil Nadu government to observe the death centenary of Thillaiyadi Valliammai, a close aide of Mahatma Gandhi during his satyagraha struggle in South Africa .
When Gandhiji started his satyagraha against racial discrimination in South Africa , Valliammai, a 15-year old daughter of an immigrant worker from Thillaiyadi, joined him in the agitation.
She was imprisoned for three months during which she suffered from viral fever. She died on her 16th birthday – Feb 22, 1914.
The Thillaiyadi village panchayat has sent a memorandum to the Chief Minister urging the government to observe the death centenary, falling on coming Feb 22, in a fitting manner.
Soon after his return from South Africa, in 1915, Gandhiji visited the ancestral home of Valliammai in Thillaiyadi.
Years later, Gandhiji had once remarked that it was Valliammai’s sacrifice that increased his resolve to fight for India’s independence.
In 1971, the then DMK Government headed by Chief Minister M Karunanidhi built a spectacular memorial for Valliammai at Thillaiyadi where a statue of the girl, manuscripts of Gandhiji and several rare photographs have been kept.
source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> PTI Stories> News / by Press Trust of India / Nagapattinam (TN) – February 15th, 2014
