Tailoring trainees displaying miniature models of their creations in Tiruchi on Monday. / Photo: R.M. Rajarathinam / The Hindu
A total of 58 women received certificates at the valediction of the training programme organised by ROTECH Institute, a project started by Rotary Club in 1997 for providing tailoring and embroidery training to women of low income groups, at St.Mary’s Middle School, Mannarpuram, here on Monday.
The women had undergone six-month-long free training in embroidery and tailoring under trainer P.Amutha. “The institute aims at making poor women economically self sufficient,” said K.Natarajan, president, Rotary Club of Tiruchi.
“Every year, we target a different area so that we can ensure that a larger number of persons are benefitted form the initiative. Till date, over 2,000 persons have been trained by ROTECH,” he added.
The trainees displayed miniature models of their creations for everyone to witness the various patterns and techniques of design that they had learnt during the course. G.Selvanayagi, district employment officer, distributed certificates to the women and advised them to make best use of the skills acquired through the programme.
Two tailoring machines worth Rs.4,000 were given to two women from very poor families. “I need a livelihood to help me survive and support my two daughters, after the death of my husband two years ago. This training has proved to be very useful and the machine will help me earn a livelihood,” said A.Fathima, one of the recipients of the tailoring machine.
K.Sureshkumar, chairman, ROTECH Institute, Arockia Mary, correspondent, St. Mary’s Middle School, family members of the trainees and members of Rotary club were present.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Tiruchirapalli / by Staff Reporter / Tiruchi – January 28th, 2014
Along with Nammalvar, his brothers Balakrishnan, an engineer, and Ilangovan, a former MLA, practised organic farming.
Chirping of birds rented the air. Gentle breeze from hundreds of trees blew across the farm. It was the farm maintained by the family of G. Nammalvar (75), organic farming scientist, who passed away on December 30, at Ilankadu, his native village near Thirukattupalli.
It was a hot summer in June 2004, when this reporter visited that place to see Nammalvar along with V.Palaniappan, Adviser to Thiruvaiyaru Knowledge Resource Centre of Dr. M. S. Swaminathan Foundation.
Rays of sun and summer heat could not enter the place as it was a mini woodland with all kinds of trees. Birds were in large numbers and went on chirping.
Nammalvar, with his green head gear and flowing beard, was sitting on a wooden coir mesh cot under a tree.
As he took us through the farm and explained the activities, we understood that Nammalvar not only preached organic farming but also practised it in his family farm.
Along with Nammalvar, his brothers Balakrishnan, an engineer, and Ilangovan, a former MLA, practised organic farming.
Nammalvar showed the variety of trees he and his brothers had planted in the farm.
He showed how the leaves that withered from trees and other biological waste were turned into compost.
He also demonstrated the ‘Pancha Kavyam’ was prepared using five products — cow’s urine, dung and milk, ghee and buttermilk. “Pancha Kavyam can be used as a growth regulator and pesticide repellent for crops,” he said.
It was Nammalvar’s padayatra for ‘reviving natural resources and fertility’ (Iyarkai Valam Meetpu Nadaipayanam) in 2004, organised by Centre for Ecology and Research, a voluntary organisation, that made people rally behind him.
The yatra which commenced on June 5, 2004 covered a distance of 550 km in 25 days from Poompuhar to Grand Anicut, passing via 344 villages in Cauvery delta districts.
The padayatra created public awareness of the importance of organic farming, sustainable agriculture and participatory development at Thirukattupalli, Thiruvaiyaru and Orathanadu.
His last campaign for nearly a month from December 1 in Cauvery delta districts was against the proposed methane extraction project.
He was planning to organise a rally at Mannargudi on January 25 to protest against the proposed project.
Hundreds of people, mostly farmers, paid homage to late Nammalvar whose body was kept at Bharath College of Science and Management here.
R.Vaithilingam, State Minister for Housing and Urban Development, paid homage to Nammalvar. The Minister placed a wreath on the body of Nammalvar on behalf of Tamil Nadu Government, said a press release issued here on Tuesday.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Tiruchirapalli / by G. Srinivasan / Thanjavur – January 01st, 2014
K.R. Balan once travelled on a rented bicycle to sell buns to petti kadais. Today he owns one of the biggest bakery chains in the state.
One morning in 1967, 14-year-old Balan from Kavumpuram boarded a train all alone to Coimbatore. He lied to his mother saying he was going to Calicut to visit his sister. He did that because he wanted to do something to save his poverty-stricken family. “We lived in olappuras – thatched huts. My mother was a daily wage labourer. Father did some small business and farming. I had no education. Life was my teacher,” says Balan who is 61-years-old now. Today he leans back on a plush armchair in his swanky air-conditioned office at Ganapathi, from where he controls K.R. Bakes, one of the biggest bakery chains in the state.
When he started out, Balan would cycle around Coimbatore in a bicycle that he would rent for 25 paise. He sold buns and barley biscuits to shops in the outskirts. In a year’s time, he along with his three friends set up a small shop in Idayarveedhi. “We had no man power or machines and we worked almost nonstop. We woke up as early as two in the morning to make the goodies.” While his friends handled the production side, Balan, who had a way with people, steered the marketing and delivery. “I spotted potential customers as I travelled around in my cycle. Soon, we started sourcing our snacks to almost all the village shops.” The buns were a great hit, recalls Balan. “Coimbatore had many mills. In the evenings, tired labourers would come to our outlet for chai and a coconut bun. Chai shops were considered beedi points and undignified places for women. People would disparagingly refer to us as ‘those chai wallahs’.” But, things changed. The cycle gave way to the scooter and then a Bullet bike. The demand for their buns and cakes rose. Balan zipped around his scooter across the Valayar border to supervise the K.R. outlets that mushroomed in many parts of Kerala.
While his friends decided to move on to other things, Balan stuck on. “I loved my job and had full faith in it.” The brand name KR came into being in the late 80s. “Our outlets had different names. A friend suggested I bring them all under one brand. I chose the name K.R. Bakes.” The two letters, which Balan later added before his name as initials, changed his destiny. From a small room that sold coconut buns, K.R bakes became the most popular bakery brand name. Now, there are 30 outlets in Coimbatore and many more in Erode, Cochin, Malappuram, Palakkad and Trichur. By early 2000, they even introduced a fast food section that sold North Indian items. “We introduced the idea of a coffee shop, way before any coffee outlet chains set up their shops here. But, we cater to the common man and do not compromise on quality. All our fast food are made right in front of the people and served hot.”
Balan and his sons never miss the IBA, an international trade fair for bakery, confectionery and snacks held once in three years in Germany. “It is a great platform where you are exposed to innovative ideas and developments in technology. Bakers from all over the world showcase their products and ideas. I realised my job was indeed honourable.” The Coimbatore production has the latest Italian cookie machine, icing machine, imported egg breakers and cake mixers. “It is not like the olden days. One cannot afford to be laid back. The competition is high now,” says Balan. Balan knows what it is like to be poor and uneducated and this is what has prompted him to help educating economically underprivileged children. “We also tell our labourers to educate their children and assist them financially. Education is important. I know its value as I was deprived of it,” he says. “We have doctors and lawyers in the family now,” he says with pride. His three sons help him in his business. So do his brothers who handle the outlets from different cities. Balan remembers making his sons work at their retail outlets, when they would come home on vacation. He would pay them too. “They never would spend that money. They would save each penny. I wanted them to know the value of hard earned money. I wanted them to know that the money left by ancestors is easily squandered, while the one earned through sweat stays forever.”
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus> Food / by Parshathy J. Nath / Coimbatore – January 09th, 2014
The certificates for the six-month course on NGO management, on Friday, was distributed to 16 people, including 12 women at the Holy Cross College in Trichy, one of the oldest colleges for women in South India.
Receiving the certificate from Sr Stella, president of Assisi Aid Projects India, in the presence of Holy Cross principal Dr (Sr) Jeusin Francis, Jaya Mani, a 50-year-old widow said she used to wonder whether she would ever have a chance to even enter the Holy Cross premises, let alone getting enrolled for a programme, whenever she passed through the college at Teppakulam. “Then I continued to dream of getting my two daughters enrolled in the college, but in vain,” said Jaya Mani. “Now, I cannot even dream of getting my two grandchildren enrolled in the college, because they are males,” she quipped.
But Jaya Mani was all the more happy as she was getting a certificate with the Holy Cross College emblem at its very premises. But it was all thanks to the efforts of Antony Stephen, a faculty member of the department of social, who with the support from Sr Jeusin Francis, got the 60 hours three-credit course approved by the HCC board of studies. Three subjects were taught: Introduction to NGO management, project planning management, and project cycle management (PCM).
In the past, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development ( NABARD) used to train the workers of the NGO for duration of five days, when as a visiting resource person Stephen found out that the workers lacked the knowledge for auditing procedures, its legal requirements and liaising with funding agencies. Thus, the unique course was born. The minimum requirement was eight years of schooling, and age was no bar.
For the first time, two batches of 16 people were awarded certificates. One of them a 62-year-old man, K Chandrasekhar, was previously a bonded laborer, and now runs a NGO called DEW (Development Education for Workers). Stephen said the new certificate course would become a permanent feature of the autonomous college.
source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Trichy> South India / TNN / January 11th, 2014
Rapunzel may have used her locks to allow her lover to visit her, but Chennai’s long-haired girls are using their locks to give hope to children with cancer.
The Rotaract Club of Women’s Christian College (WCC) has adopted an initiative where girls can contribute their hair to make wigs for poor cancer patients. The hair would have to be a minimum of 10 inches long. The students plan to get the wigs made and donate them to the Adyar Cancer Institute.
The girls, who plan to receive hair donations from the public, too, got the idea from Locks of Love, an American organisation that organises a similar donation. “We were looking to take up an initiative that will reach people directly,” said club president Rennee Saradha, a final year student who plans to tonsure for the cause. A group of students visited Adyar Cancer Institute to find out if wigs were required. “We need at least 100 wigs a month,” said Dr V Surendran, psycho oncologist at the institute.
Cancer patients lose hair during chemotherapy. While the hair does grow back once they are cured, patients, especially children and girls tend to feel embarrassed during the treatment. “Hair loss affects their body image,” said Dr Surendran. “So they become even more depressed during the treatment.”
Wigs in the country are expensive and are not easily available. A 10-inch wig costs between 4,500 and 6,000. “Many patients who come to our institute are poor, and they opt for free or subsidised treatment. They cannot afford a wig,” said Dr Surendran.
The initiative will be inaugurated on February 4 with the WCC students being the first to donate hair. “We aim to contribute at least 200 wigs from hair collected from the campus,” says Saradha who plans to contribute her 14 inch-long hair.
The girls have tied up with Green Trends Salon which will visit the campus everyday through February and cut and save the hair of donors. “We have started training our stylists to cut eight-inch locks from customers, but ensure their hair style and looks are not altered drastically,” said S Deepak Praveen, senior marketing manager of the salon.
What the girls need now are more volunteers to donate hair and sponsorship for the cost of making the wigs. “It is a labour intensive small-scale industry. They are charging us 3,500 to make a wig,” says Saradha. “Every rupee counts for the cancer-affected children.”
The Rotaract Club of Women’s Christian College (WCC) has started an initiative where girls can contribute their hair to make wigs for poor cancer patients. Rennee Saradha (left) and Ramya Ramachandran will be among the first to donate their hair.
source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / by Pratiksha Ramkumar, TNN / January 12th, 2014
Indian expatriate Jayaprakash Balureddy knows exactly what to do with the one kilogramme gold in his hand — help prepare for his wedding and help educate children in his hometown.
Balureddy, 30, from Tiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu, bagged the first 1kg gold prize (roughly worth Dh146,000) on Thursday from the Dubai Gold and Jewellery Group (DGJG) for this year’s Dubai Shopping Festival.
“This is definitely a big help for me. This is like receiving my three years’ worth of salary at one time only. That’s why I want to help,” Balureddy, an air conditioner technician, told Gulf News.
Balureddy said he plans on selling the gold bar so he could put the money to good use.
“I want to use a portion of the money to help my family and also for my wedding on February 10. I will use some of it to pay off my loan here,” Balureddy, the sole breadwinner of his family, said.
Balureddy said he will use the rest of the money, roughly Dh50,000, to help send underprivileged children to school in his village.
“I know how they feel. I myself had difficulty getting an education because we had no money when I was growing up. So I want to help.”
Balureddy was buying gold ornaments on Thursday for his wedding when he was given a raffle coupon. The Indian resident said he was clueless about the raffle and was surprised when raffle organisers called him.
“I didn’t believe it at first when they called me because I had just bought the gold an hour before that. I asked myself, ‘How can this happen?” he added.
Sunny Chittilappilly, DGJG chairman, described Balureddy as an extremely lucky man. And this, he said, was what they had meant by doubling the chances for everyone to win at the gold raffle.
“We lowered the minimum spend to Dh500 and gave two raffle coupons to give everyone more chances of winning,” Chittilappilly said.
Apart from the 1kg gold given away daily, the group is also giving away a diamond solitaire ring every day for 32 days.
source: http://www.gulfnews.com / Gulf News / Home> Gulf> UAE> Leisure / by Janice Ponce de Leon, Staff Reporter – Gulf News / January 04th, 2014
Pamban in Ramanathapuram symbolises the communal harmony of the coastal southern district, where members from Muslim, Hindu and Christian communities live in unity. While the Swami Vivekananda Mandapam is situated on the seashores in Kundukaal, the Pamban Swamigal’s Memorial is located within a densely populated Muslim area.
The entrance of the street where the memorial is located has a notice on the wall of a house, which reads: “No public thoroughfare; area reserved for women.” However, there are no restrictions on the entry of people from any religious faith.
M Guhan, a member of the lineage of Pamban Swamigal, said “Hindus, Muslims and Christians have been living here for generations and address each other as Mama (uncle) and Macchan (nephew or brother-in-law).”
“We have put up this notice, only to restrict eve-teasing and movement of drunkards,” says K Seeni Syed Ammal, president of Kadarkarai Meenavar Kootturavu Sangam, a fishermen cooperative. The street serves as a short-cut to hit the main road and earlier drunkards used to tease the women while the men folk were away.
A Christian priest, Rev Samson noted that there were instances when inebriated men created nuisance by bathing in the street. M Mohandas, another resident, agreed that when the street was a thoroughfare it led to frequent instances of misbehaviour. “This is being wrongly propagated as a case of communal fatwa,” he added.
Manithaneya Makkal Katchi leader and Ramanathapuram MLA M H Jawahirullah said no fatwa has been issued anywhere in the district. “Not only do non-Muslims visit these villages, they also invite Muslims for social functions,” he said.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Express News Service – Ramanathapuram / December 30th, 2013
The CM also inaugurated projects aggregating 2,816 new apartments involving a cost of Rs 106.79-cr in other parts of the state.
Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa has inaugurated a Rs 222.60-crore building project to be built by the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board. The project comes up with 6,000 new apartments at Ezhil Nagar Okkiyam Thoraipakkam, Chennai.
The chief minister also inaugurated projects aggregating 2,816 new apartments involving a cost of Rs 106.79-crore in other parts of the state.
The Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board has been involved in several projects for the development and relocation of people living in slums across various cities in the state.
Besides a housing complex at Thoraipakkam, another 792 apartments at Ammankulam in Coimbatore, 207 apartments in Tirunelveli and 102 apartments in Pudukottai were inaugurated by the chief minister via a video conferencing from the secretariat.
Drinking water projects
A host of drinking water supply projects totaling over Rs 30-crore were also commissioned by the chief minister.
These include a combined water supply project for the Melpuram union and an integrated water treatment plant in Kanyakumari district and the expansion of water supply project for the Villupuram municipality were significant, in terms of cost. The cost of the Melpuram union water supply project and the treatment plant involves Rs 16.7-crore and that of the Villupuram project at Rs 9.55-crore.
The Melpuram union project would cover 79 habitations, benefiting about 186,000 persons, ensuring 40 litres of water per capita per day (lpcd). The treatment plant was for the Kaliakkavilai, Kollangode and Melpuram combined water supply projects. The Villupuram municipality project is aimed at providing 90 lpcd and would benefit 95,439 persons.
According to a state government release, the expansion of water supply projects for Appakudal town panchayat in Erode district and Uppilyapuram town panchayat in Tiruchi would ensure 90 lpcd and 70 lpcd respectively, covering about 17,800 persons. Their total cost was Rs 94.9 lakh.
Guaranteeing the supply of 40 lpcd each, the other projects pertained to a Rs 1.85-crore combined water supply project for Chithamur and 27 habitations of Anakavur union in Tiruvananmalai district benefiting 13,756 persons; a Rs 97.5 lakh project for Melamayur and 12 habitations in Kattankalathur union of Kancheepuram district covering 7,357 persons; and a Rs 99.72 lakh project for Sumaithangi and 13 habitations of Walajah union of the Vellore district covering 11,231 persons, stated the release.
source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> Economy & Policy> News / by BS Reporter / Chennai – December 24th, 2013
A child at the V-Excel Educational Trust during one of the sessions at the centre
For G Balaji, who originally hails from Sivaganga District, shifting to Chennai would have been the last option, if not for his child with autism. Despite having a flourishing retail and wholesale family business, the available intervention programmes in the city made the shift inevitable. He says, “We found out he had ASD when he was two-and-a-half-years old. Initially, we enrolled him at a centre in Tiruchy, but later he needed more specialised help.” Eventually, Balaji and his family moved to Chennai, after much deliberation and now his son, who is 15, is undergoing intervention programme at The Lotus Foundation in Kottivakkam.
Today, his son is well settled in the environment offered by the centre, while Balaji has set up a new business in transportation in Chennai. However, after eight years in the metro, he says he still wishes to get back to his hometown due to the difference in the lifestyle. “My whole family of siblings and other relatives are there back in Sivagangai and ours is a family business. Sometimes, I wish I could just wrap up my business here and head home. But, the fact is that Chennai has been ideal for my son,” he says.
Like Balaji, Esakkiappan a native of Udangudi near Thoothukudi, too, was left with little option to seek treatment for his elder son after the latter was diagnosed with ASD at the age of two. Moving to Tirunelveli that was closer to his hometown, he sought early intervention treatment, but with little avail. After spending almost two years in Palayamkottai, it was time for more comprehensive treatment for his child. Later a shift to Mettur in Salem, too, yielded little benefit and it was in 2009 that Esakkiappan and his family saw a ray of hope when they sought occupational therapy at Vidyasagar in Chennai.
Now, his son, who is 12, is at Sankalp, a learning centre. Shifting his entire family including his parents to Chennai, Esakkiappan says that the shift hasn’t been an easier one for his family and him.
He says, “Chennai was not the first option that we had when we were first looking for an intervention programme. But, it is only here that we have been able to find a complete set of therapies for him.” Nandini Santhanam, founder of The Lotus Foundation, says that in the last five years, she has seen several such migrations, especially by those who hail from the interior villages in the South.
“When you go to the districts the understanding of the skills is not very high though they are very close to the nature. But they feel that city holds a certain promise. I find that more of the migration happens from the interior villages than the middle towns, especially with people from the villages, where absolutely no services are available. In such people, there is a strong will to give their child a better future. They are more adventurous about moving to cities.”
Dr Vasudha Prakash, founder-director of V-Excel Educational Trust that has three centres in the city for children with special needs, says that going by the record of children enrolled at the centre, almost 50 families from various parts of Tamil Nadu and states like Maharashtra and West Bengal have moved to Chennai, in the last decade.
“I have had parents who originally are based in places like Tirunelveli, Madurai, Salem, Tirupur and Palani, even from Solapur in Maharashtra and parts of West Bengal. They would come here for remedial and one on one and they stay back here because things are not better back there,” she says.
To meet the growing requirements in districts today V-Excel has centres in Nasik, Solapur, Erode, Tirunelveli, while another centre is coming up in Tiruchy.
There is another aspect of the migration — one parent shifting to the city, while another stays back in the place of business interest. “We have had children whose parents have chosen to live in different cities,” says Nandini.
She points to examples of single parents who opt for a divorce as they find their spouse’s attitude and approach to ASD to be a hindrance in their child’s progress.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Janani Sampath / December 21st, 2013
Differently abled children at a day care centre in Perambalur district./ by Special Arrangement / The Hindu
Autorickshaws employed for bringing kids to day care centres
The district has registered a rare achievement in the care of differently abled, with “zero home-based differently abled child” in the district. All the 467 differently abled children in the age group of 0 to 18 suffering from multiple disabilities have been attached to the 10 day care centres run under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA).
It was the initiative taken by the district administration with the active participation of the SSA, Pudu Vaazhvu Thittam and the department of differently abled welfare that saw the new horizon in the form of creation of adequate day care centres.
Till a couple of years ago, the district accounted for only four day care centres – one in each block. District Collector Darez Ahamed, a qualified doctor, realising the importance of adequate facilities for the rehabilitation of youth with disabilities, got six more day care centres under the SSA. He allocated Rs. 3.35 lakh for each centre from the Collector’s discretionary funds for improving the infrastructure, besides procuring physiotherapy-related equipment and teaching learning material.
The differently abled children identified at the special screening camps were enrolled and attached to these day care centres and this enabled them get the benefits extended by the government.
In the absence of adequate day care centres, many children with disabilities remained indoors for years and the rehabilitation initiative of the government did not reach them because of the distance involved, absence of adequate trained hands, and so on.
The Collector’s initiative has brought relief to the parents of these hapless children, who undergo special education programme in the centres. Special teachers and physiotherapists had been attached to them. Till recently, one physiotherapist was in charge of two centres, but now each centre accounted for a physiotherapist. The parents could not bring their children to the centres for want of transport facilities. Now, autorickshaws have been hired for bringing these children to the day care centres every day and Rs.12,000 is earmarked for each centre for a month – Rs. 4,300 under SSA and Rs. 7,700 under Pudu Vaazhvu Thittam. The children’s performance is monitored by special teachers and their physical and behavioural patterns are monitored regularly.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Tiruchirapalli / by Syed Muthahar Saqaf / Perambalur – December 19th, 2013
