Category Archives: Inspiration/ Positive News and Features

e-slippers, gliding platforms and more: meet the student innovators of Maddur

Amazing Feats, Education, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All, Science & Technologies, World Opinion
Students of Buchireddy Palli Government School with their invention — a walking stick with sensors. | Photo Credit: B. Jothi Ramalingam
Students of Buchireddy Palli Government School with their invention — a walking stick with sensors. | Photo Credit: B. Jothi Ramalingam

The students of Buchireddy Palli Government School have been winning accolades for their clever innovations aimed at saving lives

It is morning in Maddur, a little village nestled in the valley of the lush Tiruttani hills in Tamil Nadu. I make my way past the railway crossing that looks straight out of an R.K. Narayan story and climb into a rickshaw. It takes me past houses with decorative pillars and thinnais(porches) of old-fashioned houses. As the auto sputters down, I hear the rattle of power looms — the main occupation in Maddur is weaving.

Maddur, of late, has earned a new distinction. The students of Buchireddy Palli Government School have been winning accolades for their clever innovations aimed at saving lives and improving the lives of people with disability. Maddur has few streetlights, and many pedestrians fall prey to road accidents. So Class X students S. Parthiban and V.M. Akashwaran came up with ‘e-slippers’.

The footwear operates on the principle of piezo-electricity and has LED strips that light up when the user walks. Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, which charge devices like mobile phones, are connected to the slippers.

The duo has also come up with a multi-purpose walking stick with sensors that can detect hazards such as fires or floods.

The Buchireddy Palli Government School is an austere, three-storied building that houses both English and Tamil medium departments from classes VI to XII. When I get there just before lunch break, I spot some bright-eyed children sneaking out of their classrooms. Science teacher R. Dharmalingam, has nothing but appreciation for his students. “They are self-driven, curious and never afraid to ask questions,” he says.

“Most of their projects are self-funded, but the headmaster has also helped. I have sat with them after school hours to encourage them.” The school’s involvement is obvious. Dharmalingam accompanied Akashwaran and Parthiban when they showcased their work at the Southern India Science and Technology Fair in Bengaluru.

Out of the box

At Akashwaran’s house, we are greeted with effusive hospitality. Akashwaran and his friend Gunasekaran, still in their uniforms, are poring over a cardboard model. I ask them what they are working on. “This is a gliding platform meant for people with disability or the elderly so that they can cross railway platforms without having to use the overbridge,” Akashwaran tells me. The two then demonstrate the working model.

Students with a model of a gliding platform for the elderly cross tracks | Photo Credit: B. Jothi Ramalingam
Students with a model of a gliding platform for the elderly cross tracks | Photo Credit: B. Jothi Ramalingam

Akash thought of this when I complained about the climb at the station. Since then he’s been trying to figure out a workable solution,” beams his mother Vatsala.

“It used to be based on hydraulic motion but I changed it to a motor-based system. The platform will move forward when the switch is pressed. IR sensors will detect approaching trains and the platform will then retreat,” Gunasekaran explains. They have even thought about warning systems — a buzzer sound to alert the blind and a flashing red light for the deaf.

M.N. Haripratap is in Class IX in the same school. He has designed a bridge model where the structure opens up during high tide to allow ships to pass and then folds back again. It won him a district-level prize from the Chief Education Officer of Thiruvallur district.

The students’ love for science and innovation is apparent. “Akash took part in a science exhibition at Sri Krishna Polytechnic and was fascinated by what he saw,” says Vatsala. Interested in electronics, programming and robotics, he recently received a special prize for excellence in science from Anna University, Chennai, during its tech fest, ‘Kurukshetra’. He was also awarded a token of appreciation by former ISRO director Mylswamy Annadurai.

“I want to be a scientist,” says Akash. “Abdul Kalam has always been a role model for me.” I ask him what’s next on the agenda. His small, serious face lights up as he talks of solar-powered cycles, ambulance-sensitive speed-breakers, and earthquake-sensing fences.

Whatever the students of this special school do next, I know they will put Maddur on the map with their thoughtful, people-focused innovations.

The writer is a civil engineer and dog lover with a nose for music and art.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sci-Tech> Environment – Young Minds / by Gayatri Ramdas / August 03rd, 2019

Google Doodle celebrates Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddi, India’s first woman legislator

Amazing Feats, Education, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All, Science & Technologies
Google doodle on Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddi
Google doodle on Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddi

She was also one of the first women doctors in India and the first woman house surgeon in the Government Maternity Hospital, Madras

Today’s Google Doodle celebrated Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddi, a surgeon, educator, lawmaker and social reformer, on her 133rd birth anniversary. Dr. Reddi devoted her life to public health and fought the battle against gender inequality. The Government of Tamil Nadu announced on Monday that government hospitals in the State will celebrate her birth anniversary as ‘ Hospital Day ‘ every year .

Born in 1886 in Pudukkottai, Tamil Nadu, Dr. Reddi was the first Indian girl student in the Department of Surgery at Madras Medical College. This was just one of her many firsts. She became one of the first women doctors in India in 1912, and the first woman house surgeon in the Government Maternity Hospital, Madras.

She co-founded the Women’s Indian Association in 1918, and as the first woman member (and vice president) of the Madras Legislative Council — making her the first woman legislator in India — she helped raise the minimum age for marriage for girls and pushed the Council to pass the Immoral Traffic Control Act, and the Devadasi system abolishment Bill.

She resigned from the Council to support the Salt Satyagraha. When three young devadasi girls knocked on her door in 1930, she established the Avvai Home to shelter and educate girls like them.

In 1954, she opened the Cancer Institute in Chennai and in 1956 was awarded the Padma Bhushan. She passed away in 1968 at the age of 81.

Here is Dr. Reddi herself on the role of women in an article published  in the August 15, 1947 Independence Day edition of The Hindu:

“Indian women have a great role to play in the modern world, with its chaos and rumblings of another war. With their background of philosophy and religion, with their apprenticeship under Gandhian leadership, with the sense of motherhood strong in them they can be and should be the ambassadors of love, peace and unity. It is the Gandhian concept of non-violence alone that can save the world from a cataclysm. And it is the women of India alone who can carry the message best so that the world may come together in unity and peace.”

The Doodle showing Dr. Reddi guiding young girls and women was created by Bangalore-based guest artist Archana Sreenivasan. The Doodle page also displays other early concepts drawn by the artist for this occasion.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News / The Hindu Net Desk / July 30th, 2019

Indian team in Hyperloop Pod contest presents prototype

Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Education, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All, Science & Technologies

These students devote three-four hours every day after college and now their work has come to fruition as they have raised `1 crore from sponsors and finally built a pod and a 40-metre test track.

PodBF11jul2019

 

Bengaluru :

At an event hosted by Atria Institute of Technology on Tuesday, aerospace engineering student from IIT Madras, Sai Madhav, presented his team’s prototype pod for the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod competition to his audience.

Avikshar Hyperloop is one of the 22 teams out of the 1,600 teams worldwide and also the only team from Asia that has qualified to the finals. It is a group of about 30 students from inter-disciplinary backgrounds who have been working on creating their own pod since September 2017. These students devote three-four hours every day after college and now their work has come to fruition as they have raised `1 crore from sponsors and finally built a pod and a 40-metre test track.

SAE India, a member-driven organisation which acts as a knowledge partner for students and faculty in automotive and aerospace engineering, hosted its second event in its lecture series that deals with aerospace engineering. It also functions as a think-tank and a policy maker. The second lecture was specifically about the Hyperloop, an almost too-good-to-be-true transportation service proposed by Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla. The Hyperloop, if installed, seeks to reduce travel time drastically. It  is supposed to be a land-based transportation service where pods, that house passengers, can levitate and zoom through tunnels by having the air pumped out of them in order to create a near-perfect vacuum for greater speed. It boasts of a travel time of just 30 minutes from Bengaluru to Chennai.

Being the main speaker at the event, Madhav’s presentation and video of the only Indian team to qualify for this competition impressed a mixture of faculty, students and heads of the SAE group. He also talked about how the plan for building their pod looked solid on paper but when it came to the actuality of making it, they faced a lot of discrepancies. Being in the stability team, he deals with a lot of mechanical aspects of the pod. During the question-and-answer session, the question of the safety of the passengers was raised as the Hyperloop project has bragged about reaching speeds up to 500-600 km/hour. “Yes, passengers will feel major deceleration effects. All this is new and I can only hope that newer research yields positive results,” he said. J Munirathnam, who is on the Board of SAE India for aerospace, also said the project will have to be built after taking into consideration the degree of g-force that the human body can withstand.

“This is completely new. We have the freedom to explore it. If you look at building a car, parameters have already been established for it. That is not the case here,” Madhav said.

The hype about hyperloop
The Hyperloop, if installed, seeks to reduce travel time drastically. It  is supposed to be a land-based transportation service where pods, that house passengers, can levitate and zoom through tunnels by having the air pumped out of them in order to create a near-perfect vacuum for greater speed.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Chinmay Manoj / Express News Service / July 11th, 2019

A house in Chennai is off the grid

Amazing Feats, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Nature, Science & Technologies

This home in Kilpauk has managed to generate its own power, water and gas, shrugging off the dependence on government and private agencies that usually provide these utilities.

While the rest of the city has been sweating it out, running hither and thither in search of water and power, one household in the heart of the city remains blissfully as an island, all resources available in abundance. Whether it is water, power or cooking gas, all these resources, tapped through natural means, are available in plenty in the house of D. Suresh.

Known as ‘Solar’ Suresh, this 72-year old resident of Kilpauk, despite living in the midst of the concrete jungle, has created a sustainable model house independent of basic amenities usually provided by the civic authorities.

The Hindu, which has been tracking Mr. Suresh regularly since the installation of roof top solar power plant in January 2012, revisited him to find that his progress towards sustainable living now includes a bio gas plant, fed by a terrace garden, and even a machine that literally produces drinking water out of thin air.

The mechanical engineer-cum-management graduate has a simple philosophy: “Everything is available in nature and one only has to make an attempt to use simple technology to tap the natural resources.”

His house in Vasu Street is fully powered with the 3 Kw rooftop solar plant that provides round-the-clock electricity. His well has never dried up, even when the city is facing a dire water shortage, and drinking water available just by pressing a button. The vegetables and greens harvested from his terrace garden are organically grown, and besides consuming it, the family also distributes the produce to neighbours.

Mr. Suresh said the budget required for installing all these equipments to make one’s house to be abundant with resources is also very low. With a 3-kilo watt (KW) rooftop power plant yielding, on an average, 12 units per day, he has been able to power 2 inverter air-conditioners, 23 lights, 15 fans, one double-door refrigerator, one hp motor pump and a washing machine.

The cost worked out to only ₹1.80 lakh for installing the rooftop plant. “I don’t really use the electricity connection, but I have retained it just for old times’ sake, and pay the minimum – ₹500 every two months.”

Mr. Suresh carefully considered his next addition to the house and zeroed in on a bio gas plant. The idea behind going for a bio gas plant was to make use of the kitchen and food wastes profitably. The bio gas plant of one cubic meter capacity was installed at a cost of ₹ 35,000 by sourcing plastic water tanks. He said: “All one has to do is feed the plant regularly and it would be supply gas with no need for maintenance of any sort.” The byproduct which is organic manure generated from bio gas forced me to go in for a terrace garden where we farmed vegetables and greens. Mr. Suresh said the only cost invested for terrace garden was minimal, to buy 150 pots.

Finally, Mr. Suresh shows off, with pride, his latest showpiece – the ‘Air to water’ machine which produces drinking water from atmospheric air and possibly the most valuable possession in a water starved city. He said the machine generates 25 litres of drinking water per day and costs only ₹40,000.

While normally the cost of running this air to water machine is ₹ 3 per litre (in terms of electricity charges to run the machine), for him it does not cost anything because the solar plant powers it.

Above all, a working, regularly-maintained rain water harvesting system, and recharge pits installed 25 years ago still keeps the well and bore well in his house flush with water.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by R. Srikanth / Chennai – May 31st, 2019

Mukti Foundation makes and distributes 15 customised limbs

Amazing Feats, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All, Science & Technologies

The visitors at Express Avenue mall curiously peered down to the central atrium from the above floors.

The event was held at Express Avenue Mall  Debadatta Mallick
The event was held at Express Avenue Mall  Debadatta Mallick

Chennai :

The visitors at Express Avenue mall curiously peered down to the central atrium from the above floors. On a blue stage set up between the two lifts, four people sit on the dais. Above them, the words ‘Mukti’ is printed on the stage in bold letters. The Mukti Foundation held an awareness event at the mall to educate the public on the organisation’s work in the field of disability, on Sunday.

Started in 1986, Mukti Foundation provides artificial limbs and ciphers free of cost for amputees. Thus far, the organisation has given away three lakh limbs, all produced at their centre in Meenambakkam. They also conduct camps across the state to provide limbs to the needy.

The chief guests for the event were Letika Saran, former Director General of Police, Varadha Kutti, state president for Tamilnadu Udavakaram Association for the Welfare of the differently abled, and T Ramakrishna, director of DD News. “For those so-called able-bodied people, we also need props, if not physical, to carry on with our lives. Not only mental support, but physical support is very important for everyone, especially people with disability,” said Saran.

The chief guests provided 15 customised limbs made by the Mukti Foundation’s team of highly trained technicians to 15 people. Their centre in Meenambakkam also employs people with disability (PwDs), and offers skill training and vocational programmes for PwDs to assist them in being independent in their lives.
In his speech, Ramakrishna said, “Most buildings are inaccessible. Even the language is prejudiced against PwDs. Children with disability in villages, especially girls, live in a vegetative state, without education or employment. I look forward to the day when people with disability are accepted into society.”
Mukti’s staff members were presented awards by the chief guests for their support and assistance. The evening ended with a karaoke performance.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Express News Service / May 27th, 2019

Rotary confers ‘For the Sake of Honour Award’ on H.V. Hande

Amazing Feats, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All, Science & Technologies, World Opinion
Former Health Minister of Tamil Nadu H.V. Hande being presented the award on Monday
Former Health Minister of Tamil Nadu H.V. Hande being presented the award on Monday

Former Health Minister stresses on importance of voting

The Rotary Club of Anna Nagar Madras conferred the “For the Sake of Honour Award” to former Health Minister of Tamil Nadu, H.V. Hande, on Monday.

The award is given to individuals who have rendered exemplary service to society. Addressing the gathering, Dr. Hande highlighted the role played by the Rotary in the Pulse Polio campaign.

Appeal to members

He appealed to Rotary members to educate the masses on the importance of casting a vote and stressed on the need to abstain from taking money to swear allegiance to a party.

He also recalled his confrontation with the British police while he was involved in India’s freedom movement as a student.

J. Radhakrishnan, Transport Secretary, felicitated Dr. Hande and said he was a guiding light and mentor to him. He also lauded his efforts in creating awareness about leprosy and treating patients, even at a time when there was no social media and technology.

Former district governor of Rotary Krishnan V. Chari and president of the club Vrinda Deepak were among those who took part in the event.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – May 15th, 2019

Coimbatore ‘inventor’ claims his distilled-water-powered engine can run cars

Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All, Science & Technologies, World Opinion

Sounthirarajan said the Indian government granted him a patent in November 2018 for his Super Sonic Hydrogen IC Engine.

Coimbatore-based mechanical engineer Sounthirajan Kumarasamy with his special eco-friendly engine. (Photo | EPS)
Coimbatore-based mechanical engineer Sounthirajan Kumarasamy with his special eco-friendly engine. (Photo | EPS)

Coimbatore :

An engine that runs on distilled water and even rain water? Stuff of dreams, you say.

No, insists a city-based mechanical engineer. Sounthirarajan Kumarasamy claims his engine will break down water and be propelled by hydrogen. And emissions, how about oxygen for a change!

His prototype, he claims, can be used in all vehicles from two-wheelers to trucks.

source: http://www.youtube.com

Sounthirarajan says the Indian government granted him a patent in November 2018 for his Super Sonic Hydrogen IC Engine, which he says he will debut in Japan.

The class XI dropout from Kangayam in Tirupur did the research for his project at the District Central Library in Coimbatore. “During the initial years, I used my old defunct jeep to learn about the hardware,” said Sounthirarajan, who hails from a farming community.

The Indian government granted Sounthirarajan a patent in November 2018 for his Super Sonic Hydrogen IC Engine
The Indian government granted Sounthirarajan a patent in November 2018 for his Super Sonic Hydrogen IC Engine

“Utilising the thermal losses in the engine, hydrogen could be burned that helps vehicle run. I have currently designed the engine with the capacity of 100cc, which could emit oxygen while it’s running. All the tests were successful,” he told Express.

Sounthirarajan established his company in 2010 and says he has opened a branch in Tokyo a few months ago. He also runs an incubator cell at the PSG-Science and Technology Entrepreneurial Park (PSG-STEP), Coimbatore. He has been ‘working on designing this machine’ for the past ten years.

He said, “With my invention, you can run your vehicle for 200 km with just 10 litres of distilled water. We had even tried running the engine with rainwater and it bore fruit.”

Sounthirarajan now plans to organise an international summit in Kyoto soon to showcase his work to potential buyers from across the world.

He says that his machine could be sold for Rs 1.5 lakh for a four-wheeler. If it’s a two-wheeler, then he says the price will be around Rs 65,000.

His colleagues Prakash, Sathish, and Chandrasekar assisted him.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Express News Service / May 11th, 2019

Humans of Chennai: Driven by dignity and divinity

Business & Economy, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features

Life has been a rough ride for Subhashini, but sitting in her three-wheeler, driving and owning the lanes of the city, she has shut all stereotypes.

Subhashini began driving an auto rickshaw in 2016. (EPS | Ashwin Prasath)
Subhashini began driving an auto rickshaw in 2016. (EPS | Ashwin Prasath)

Chennai  :

Four years back, my husband in his drunken state poured kerosene on me and the moment he threw his cigarette at me, my velvet nightie caught fire. I woke up in the hospital. I knew that I had to get better and live for my children. My husband had borrowed money from many people and blew it all up on alcohol. They began pestering us to repay. He couldn’t handle it so he fled three years back and left me and the children to deal with them.

I knew that running away would not help. I had to think of my children’s wellbeing. So I decided to work. I worked at a jewellery store but I realised that the work would not suit me as the timings were not flexible and the pay was meagre.

At this point, I was staying with my family. One day I asked my nephew to teach me how to drive. My uncle overheard this and volunteered to teach me thinking I was learning to pass time. What he didn’t realise was I was going to do it as a job.

The moment I learned how to drive, I told my family that I wanted to do it full-time. There was a lot of resistance. They called it ‘a man’s job’ and one that would ‘bring shame to the family’. But to me, it was like any other job. If I can clean bathrooms and do housekeeping in someone else’s house, why couldn’t I drive? I didn’t see any shame in doing this.

In fact, everything I am today is because of this three-wheeler. It has given me the confidence to live life on my own terms. It has made me believe that I do not need a man to support me. I am capable of providing for my children and myself. I live away from my family now and have no contact with either them or my husband.

My world now revolves around my children. I wake up every day at 4 am to finish all the household chores and send my kids off to school while also ensuring they have something substantial to eat for lunch. I eat breakfast and leave at around 9 am and try to get home by 8 pm-9 pm. I do not eat anything in between. But what is hard is that there is no bathroom for my use. I have to control my water intake to ensure that I do not have the urge to use the bathroom because public toilets are filthy and I cannot afford to fall sick. But I think my habits recently led to me having appendicitis. It was painful, but again, I knew I had to snap out of it soon because I need to pay back the loans and send my children to school.

I don’t get time to do much because of my packed schedule, but whenever I have time, I love to paint my nails. Pink is my favourite colour and it makes me feel fearless and feminine at the same time.

This year, only my daughter will be attending school as she is in class 12. I had to pull my son out of school because I didn’t have enough money to spend on both their education. As a mother, it really hurts me to pick between my children because I want to treat them equally, but circumstances are such that I had no option.

I feel God has blessed me through tough times and will help me through this as well. Listening to hymns while driving my auto and fills me with a sense of calm. Maybe he will send us an angel who will help us through these trying times. Even if it is a little bit of monetary help, it will go a long way because I can take care of my other expenses, but repaying the loans takes up a large chunk of what I earn.

I want to urge women who might be in tough financial situations or unhappy marriages to consider taking this as a profession because it is empowering. I will teach them free of charge because it gives a way to earn with dignity and has the potential to change lives, just like it changed mine.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Dia Rekhi / Express News Service / April 30th, 2019

Arunachalam Muruganantham ranks 45th in list of World’s 50 Greatest Leaders

Amazing Feats, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All, World Opinion
Arunachalam Muruganantham / | Photo Credit: S_SIVA SARAVANAN
Arunachalam Muruganantham / | Photo Credit: S_SIVA SARAVANAN

Social entrepreneur from Coimbatore Arunachalam Muruganantham has joined some of the global leaders in the list of World’s 50 Greatest Leaders 2019 by Fortune Magazine. He is ranked 45th in the list released recently.

Period. End of Sentence, a documentary that reflects his work, had won an Oscar in the Best Short Documentary category this year.

Mr. Muruganantham told The Hindu that the recognition should be an inspiration to youngsters to think of social issues, address those as a business model, and become job providers. “There are a very few people as social entrepreneurs. I have created self-employment opportunities for 1.25 lakh women in the country through my machines. And these are all semi-skilled job,” he said. Only by creating more job providers can India become a developed nation.

He recollects his addresses at several leading institutions even in the United States he urged youngsters not to aspire for listings based on wealth but to create jobs.

“They (Fortune magazine) had followed my work. We installed six machinery in Sri Lanka to be operated by war widows. It had a huge reach globally. The listing is a recognition to Coimbatore and the country. My responsibility has increased, especially when I address youngsters. They should not look for profits in business but have a social connect,” he said.

Mr. Muruganantham is currently working on taking projects to Pakistan and Afghanistan and in India, his focus is on the north eastern States. “Women in these States need to be empowered. We have installed a dozen units in these States. My focus is on Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh,” he said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Coimbatore / by Special Correspondent / Coimbatore – April 21st, 2019

Social educator weathered all seasons and changed lives – one at a time in Chenna

Amazing Feats, Education, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All, Science & Technologies

Known for her responsiveness, late Dr Udaya Mahadevan was a rare package who excelled at everything.

Dr Udaya Mahadevan is a foundng member of Jeevodaya - first hospice for cancer care in South in 1992.
Dr Udaya Mahadevan is a foundng member of Jeevodaya – first hospice for cancer care in South in 1992.

Chennai :

Dr Udaya Mahadevan was like a banyan tree, who provided shade on a sunny day, and home for all kinds of species to nurture and grow.The retired professor Emeritus of the Department of Social Work at Loyola College passed away on March 16 this year. An educator, practitioner, and researcher — she was a rare package who excelled at everything.

“She was a great teacher and has been a friend and mentor to many people who call themselves social workers today,” said TNM Deepak, president of December 3 Movement, a disability rights group. “She was a strong activist and a gender-sensitive social worker. She exemplified what a social worker should be like and her life is one that should be celebrated,” he shared.

She was from the 1973-1975 batch at Stella Maris College and completed her postgraduate degree in Social Work in the academic year 1974-1975. Subsequently, she received her Doctoral degree at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) Bengaluru, which was supported by the Faculty Development Programme, a fellowship offered to teachers by the University Grants Commission.

Udaya joined Loyola College Chennai as a faculty member of the Department of Social Work in 1977. During her tenure, she served as faculty coordinator of the Centre for Women Studies and the Centre for Social Inclusion and Dalit Studies.

To Udaya, social work was more than just ‘work.’ It was what she lived and breathed for. Her passion to enrich people’s lives, the drive to make society better, compassion for anyone in need, and iron will drove her to go to great lengths to be the force that she was. “At her core, it was her responsiveness that defined her,” said Vandana Gopikumar, one of the founders of The Banyan.

“She was non judgmental, an advocate for commemorating all family occasions by donating to NGOs eschewing rituals, an active blood donor from her college days, passionately involved in the rehabilitation of the handicapped, funding of fees/books etc. to the marginalised sections and a mentor for most city-based NGOs. Despite being terminally ill, she never fussed and went about her business calmly. We, of her circle, can only recall the haunting lines of Andy Williams ‘we had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun,’” said VM Prakash, brother of Dr Udaya.

A recipient of several prestigious awards, Udaya gained due recognition even as a young teacher. She won an award from the Indian Society of Psychiatric Social Work for her paper on Community Mental Health presented at the National Conference at Bengaluru. The Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) rightly recognised her as an Eminent Social Scientist as part of their Collegium comprising 250 social scientists in the country for 2016- 2017. “Her contribution is immeasurable. The service sector today is deteriorating. But, she was the gold standard in social work. She would serve those in need without ever looking at their background. I have seen her carrying people, waiting for hours till someone arrived to help a homeless person,” said Aspy Joyson, founder of Aruwe.

As a keen researcher, she contributed to the frontiers of Social Action Research. In this connection, she has been awarded the Dr Yedanapalli Research Award, the Dr TN Ananthakrishnan Commemoration Award and the Loyola College Research fellowship award. As a practitioner, she supported several NGOs, particularly Jeevodaya.

Hospice for cancer patients, she was active in enhancing the teaching and practice of professional social work at several social work teaching institutions. “Her academic achievements are well-known but what many don’t know is that she was a very good singer and was a delightful narrator of stories. She was humourous and witty while also being very knowledgeable. Her funeral was attended by so many people. It just goes to show that she truly touched so many lives,” shares Prakash.

A devoted social work educator, an ardent field practitioner, and a keen social researcher she has quietly and steadily contributed to the progress of social work education and societal development. Much like a banyan tree, which is considered to be a symbol of immortality, Dr Udaya too will live on through the numerous lives she has touched.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Dia Rekhi / Express News Service / March 26th, 2019