Category Archives: Leaders

Sitting High Court judge gets doctorate in law

April 19, 2016Education, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Leadersadmin

Sitting judge of the Madras High Court S. Vimala was awarded doctorate in law by Governor K. Rosaiah here on Monday.

Justice Vimala was one of the 5,397 candidates awarded their degrees at the 8th convocation of The Tamil Nadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University. Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul was the chief guest and Mr. Rosaiah presided in his capacity as the Chancellor.

Senior Civil Judge R. Sathya and N. Ramapiran Ranjith Singh, member of the Syndicate – the highest decision-making body of the TNDALU – were among the 103 who received their degrees from the Governor.

Dr. Singh is an Assistant Professor at the Government Law College, Tirunelveli. For her Doctor of Philosophy degree, Justice Vimala worked on juvenile justice and how it conflicts with laws in Tamil Nadu.

“One positive feature that has emerged not only in legal education, but also in other forms of education, is the steady increase in the number of female students. We now see a significant percentage of female students in legal education and this, in turn, reflects in a larger number of women entering the subordinate judiciary, teaching and in legal profession,” said the Chief Justice.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – April 19th, 2016

First Project Director of Madras Atomic Power Station Passes Away

April 9, 2016Leaders, Records, All, Science & Technologiesadmin

Chennai :

The first project director of the erstwhile Madras Atomic Power Project (now Madras Atomic Power Station) Myneni Hari Prasad Rao passed away at a private hospital on Tuesday.

He was 88.

A recipient of the Padma Shri award in 1984 for his outstanding contributions to the field of Science and Technology, Rao is survived by three daughters and a son.

Rao served three decades in the Department of Atomic Energy.

He was specially appointed by the then Nuclear Power Board for the Construction and Commissioning of Madras Atomic Power Station and he was the pioneer in Construction and Commissioning of both the units of Madras Atomic Power Project.

Later he served as Executive Director of Nuclear Power Board for three years.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Express News Service / April 06th, 2016

P. Susheela enters Guinness World Records

March 30, 2016Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All, World Opinionadmin

Veteran playback singer P. Susheela. File photo: Thulasi Kakkat / The Hindu

‘The queen of melodies’ has been officially credited by Guinness Book of Records for singing 17, 695 songs in 12 Indian languages.

Renowned playback singer P. Susheela Mohan, who has won many awards and earned accolades in a career spanning five decades, has added two more to her awards cabinet.

She has now been recognised by both the Guinness Book of World Records and Asia Book of Records for singing most number of songs in Indian languages. The usually reticent singer met journalists in Chennai on Tuesday to celebrate her new award.

While Guinness Book of Records has officially credited her for singing 17, 695 songs (solo, duet and chorus backed songs) in twelve Indian languages, Asia Book of Records has recognised her for singing close to 17, 330 songs.

Speaking about the awards, P. Susheela reminded everyone present that the adjudicators had only considered songs she had song from 1960s. “Please remember that I started singing from 1951,” she said.

None of this would have been possible without the work of her fans, who, by setting up psusheela.org, painstakingly catalogued the songs that she has sung over the last few decades and sent it to the adjudicators of the award.

Reflecting on the recognition, the singer said that she views it as an acknowledgement of her hard work. “There is a lot of hard work that has gone behind this achievement. Today, with so many television channels and newspapers, a talented singer can shine through quickly. But when I was singing, it was very slow and I had work my way up , step by step,” she said.

Crediting her husband for her success, she said that her husband, a doctor, was a corner stone in her life. “He fell in love with my voice and sacrificed his life so that I have a great career in playback singing,” she said.

She was candid in her response when asked why she had never considered a career in acting. “I was offered a chance to act by several directors, but I refused saying that I wouldn’t want to act even if I was paid a crore,” she said, adding, “My heart was in music.”

When asked why she is not singing anymore, the singer said that she would love to sing in movies if someone offered a good song. When she was nudged by journalists to sing her favourite song, she ended the press conference by singing Ennai pada sonnal, enna paada thondrum from Pudhiya Paravai, a hit song of 1964.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Entertainment / by Udhav Naig / Chennai – March 29th, 2016

Awards given to women achievers

March 28, 2016Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All, Science & Technologies, World Opinionadmin

Chennai:

Celebrating women icons, Raindropss conducted its 4th annual women achiever awards on Saturday at a ceremony presided over by its brand ambassador and music composer AR Raihanah.

Raindropss is a youth-based social organization.

It gave away awards to project director of Agni and ‘Missile Woman of India’ Dr Tessy Thomas, first Indian woman fire officer Meenakshi Vijayakumar, musician Sudha Ranganathan, acid attack fighter and model Laxmi Agarwal and film director Sudha Kongara. tnn

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Chennai / TNN / March 28th, 2016

Velu Nachiyar, Jhansi Rani of Tamil Nadu

March 18, 2016Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Leaders, Records, Alladmin

Asked to name warrior queens from the country, few would go beyond the Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi, and probably none would be able to name women from south India. Though history may make it seem that the first revolution of Independence in 1857 was an orchestration of north Indian rulers, Lucknow-based researcher Kirti Narain is bringing to the fore contribution of the forgotten heroes.

Narain says the popularly held belief that the revolution of 1857 was concentrated to north and central India was not true. “Southern India also responded to the first movement for Independence.Some of these southern rulers were women,” says Narain who was in the city recently with her assistant Amina Hasan to delve into the Tamil Nadu government archives. Narain is engaged in a study , on participation of women in the 1857 uprising under the aegis of the Indian Council of Social Science Research and the Giri Institute of Development Studies, Aliganj in Lucknow.

Instead of going by British records, Narain’s study has unearthed forgotten Indian writings. Backing her findings, Narain cites examples of powerful women like the 18th century Sivaganga queen Rani Velu Nachiyar, besides Belawadi Mallamma and Kittur Rani Chennamma of Karnataka.

“Rani Velu Nachiyar was the first queen of Tamil origin to fight against the British in India. She formed an army and fought and won against the British in 1780, with military assistance from Hyder Ali,” says Narain, head of Giri Institute of Development Studies. Nachiyar, the princess of Ramanathapuram, was married to the king of Sivaganga, Muthuvaduganatha Periyaudaiyathevar. She was drawn into battle after her husband was killed by the British. Living under the protection of Hyder Ali of Mysore near Dindigul, Nachiyar was said to have come up with idea of a human bomb. She also formed a women’s army and was one of the few rulers who regained her kingdom and ruled for 10 more years.

Inspiring women in the south was another queen from Karnataka Kittur Rani Chennamma. Born in 1791, she was best known for leading an armed rebellion against the East India Company in 1824. The resistance ended with her arrest and she was imprisoned for life.Adept at horse riding, sword fighting and archery from her youth, Channamma called for a war when the British refused to accept her adopted son as ruler. “Kittur Rani Chennamma was the first woman activist who fought a lonely , but courageous battle against the British. She did not succeed in driving them away , but she inspired many women,” says Narain.

Prior to these women, Belawadi Mallamma was a popular warrior queen from Bailhongal, in Belgaum district of Karnataka. She was the first woman to form a women’s army to fight against the British and the Marathas in the 17th century. “Belawadi Mallamma fought with the Maratha king, Shivaji, while defending her husband’s kingdom. She was defeated and taken to Shivaji, who was quite impressed by her valour and decided to return the kingdom.”

During the turbulence of revolt, there were many women who participated in their own way. While many gave away their jewellery to finance the revolution, some requested their masters to train them in warfare. “Our study also looks at unknown women and tribal women who have no identity. These women played a significant role in the revolt,” says Narain.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Chennai / TNN / by CDS Mani / TNN / March 17th, 2016

MRF CMD Mammen elected ATMA Chairman

February 18, 2016Business & Economy, Leadersadmin

MRF Chairman and Managing Director K.M. Mammen has been elected as the Chairman of Automotive Tyre Manufacturers’ Association (ATMA), a lobby group representing the automotive tyre sector in India.

Mr.Satish Sharma, President (Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa) Apollo Tyres Ltd., has been elected as Vice Chairman of ATMA, according to a statement.

Mr.Mammen is the eldest son of the MRF Founder, the late K. M. Mammen Mappillai.

The Chennai-based tyre major reported net profit of Rs.388.15 crore on revenue of Rs.3,260.90 crore in the quarter ended December.

Mr.Mammen has held various executive positions in business associations in the country, including President of the Indo-Australian Chamber of Commerce.

He is currently an executive board member of FICCI and a member of the Board of the Madras Christian College.

Set up in 1975, ATMA represents the Rs.50,000 crore automotive tyre industry in the country.

Eleven large tyre companies comprising Indian and international manufacturers, who account for more than 90 per cent of tyre production in India, are members of the association.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Business / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – February 18th, 2016

Belgium honours A.C. Muthiah

February 18, 2016Business & Economy, Leaders, Records, All, World Opinionadmin

SPIC Chairman A.C. Muthiah presented with ‘Order of Leopold II’ of the Kingdom of Belgium at a function in Chennai on Wednesday. Pieter De Crem, Secretary of State for Foreign Trade of Belgium, H.E. Jan Luykx, Ambassador of Belgium to India, Bart de Groof, Consul-General of Belgium for India, are in the picture. Photo: Shaju John

The Kingdom of Belgium on Wednesday conferred the ‘Order of Leopold II’ to SPIC chairman, A.C.Muthiah, for his services as honorary consul of Belgium.

Mr. Muthiah served as honorary consul for 25 years from 1988-2013.

Pieter De Crem, Secretary of State for Foreign Trade of Belgium, recalled Mr. Muthiah’s services to Belgian citizens in South India.

“I specifically mention your hospitality during the visits of both our King Albert and crown Prince, now King Philip,” he said.

The minister said Mr. Muthiah resigned from his post in 2013 after Belgium decided to open a Career Consulate General office in Chennai.

“This is a proud moment for me to receive the honour from the Kingdom of Belgium,” Mr. Muthiah said. He recalled Prince Philip’s love for Sanskrit. When he visited Chennai, Mr. Muthiah had arranged a Sanskrit teacher to teach him the language. N. Ram, Chairman, Kasturi & Sons, participated.

This article has been corrected for a factual error

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – February 18th, 2016

TN IPS officer first woman to head paramilitary force

February 2, 2016Amazing Feats, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, Alladmin

Chennai :

Archana Ramasundaram, a 1980-batch IPS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre, has been appointed director general of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), a paramilitary organisation guarding the country’s eastern frontiers with Nepal and Bhutan. She is the first woman IPS officer to head SSB since its inception in 1963 and will continue in that post till her retirement on September 30, happy to head next year. “I am happy to head SSB and want to use my years of experience to improve the force,”Ramasundaram told TOI over phone.

In 2014, she was caught in a tug-of-war between the Centre and Tamil Nadu government when the UPA government was in power. She was selected as additional director of CBI in Delhi after clearance from the state government. But the state did not relieve her from TN police after she was selected for the CBI post. Ramasundaram, who has replaced B D Sharma, another official from her batch, who retired from service on January 31, was director of National Crime Records Bureau in New Delhi since June last year. The Union government had upgraded the post of director NCRB to that of director general of police to accommodate her in that post.

In 2014, based on instruction from Centre to join duty at CBI headquarters, she sent a letter to the chief secretary of Tamil Nadu and shifted to Delhi in 2014. This resulted in her suspension by the state government on charges that she deserted office. The Centre, last year, quashed her suspension. Though the state moved the Delhi high court on appeal, the petition was dismissed.

Ramasundaram, known among her colleagues as an upright official, is the senior most IPS officer in Tamil Nadu cadre at present. The pre sent DGP of Tamil Nadu Ashok Kumar, is two years junior to her. She hails from Ballia in Uttar Pradesh and is married to S Ramasunda ram, a 1979 batch IAS officer from Tamil Nadu, who took voluntary retirement from service in 2011.

There are five paramilitary forces SSB, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Border Security Force (BSF) Central Industrial Security Force and Indo Tibetan Border Police and none has ever had a woman chief.

Besides Ramasundaram, IPS officers, K Durga Prasad and K K Sharma, have been appointed directors general of CRPF and BSF, respectively.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Chennai / TNN / February 02nd, 2016

‘I dedicate the award to my family, doctors and staff’

January 30, 2016Amazing Feats, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All, Science & Technologiesadmin

Recently, there was jubilation at a multi-specialty hospital in West Tambaram over a rare honour bestowed upon its founder. He had been chosen for the coveted Padma Shri Award and the joy of those who worked with him knew no bounds.

The man, as we all know, is D.K. Srinivasan, who started the Hindu Mission Hospital in West Tambaram along with his friend Dr. C.S. Gangadhar Sharma, a leprologist, on December 5, 1982. What was just started as an outpatient ward in a small shed, over three decades ago, is now a majestic landmark on GST Road with 220 beds. The hospital serves 500 outpatients and 100 inpatients every day.

D.K. Srinivasan, founder-secretary of the hospital, gave up his businesses to serve the poor by offering them medical care at subsidised rates. Apart from providing healthcare, he is instrumental in offering quality education to the underprivileged and first-generation students through Valluvar Gurukulam Higher Secondary School, Grand Southern Trunk Road, West Tambaram. “Initially, it was quite difficult; balancing the funds from donors and meeting out the demands of the public were major challenges,” says Srinivasan.

Today, the multi-specialty hospital has grown by leaps and bounds and has a raft of facilities including 9 operation theatres and offers various specialties, including cardiology, spine surgery, neurology, orthopaedics and also an intensive care unit for children.

It charges Rs.200 per sitting for dialysis, conducts 200 free Intraocular Cataract Lenses (IOL) eye surgeries, distributes free artificial limbs and callipers, free speech and hearing therapy for special students. The hospital also conducts free medical camps regularly in various areas in the region, including Mudichur, Kancheepuram and Tambaram. During the recent deluge, the hospital provided free medical treatment to over 6,000 flood-affected victims and free dialysis for 40 patients. On how he feels about the award, he says, “I dedicate the award to my family, doctors and staff of the Hospital.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> DownTown / by T.S. Atul Swaminathan / Chennai – January 30th, 2016

Last ruler of Kandy has his resting place in Vellore

January 30, 2016Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Leaders, World Opinionadmin

Muthu Mandapam, a memorial for Sri Vikrama Rajasingha

A rusty signboard marks the lane leading to Muthu Mandapam near the banks of the Palar river, off the busy Katpadi Road. It is the resting place of the last ruler of the Sri Lankan kingdom of Kandy, Sri Vikrama Rajasingha, since 1832.

Saturday (January 30) will mark the death anniversary of this “Tamil-speaking” ruler of Kandy. Though Muthu Mandapam, the memorial built around his tombstone, as a locality is popularly known among Velloreans, the place is not frequented by many.

As a layer of dust on the floor is swept away by Muniyamma, an elderly woman, the tomb of this king stands tall inside this pearl-shaped structure that was raised in 1990. It also houses tombs of seven of his family members.

Known as Prince Kannasamy, Sri Vikrama Rajasingha, a king of the Nayaka dynasty, was sworn in during 1798. He ruled Kandy till 1815, after which he was exiled by the British. He, along with a few of his family members, were taken as royal prisoners and imprisoned in Vellore Fort in 1816.

Plaques in Muthu Mandapam hail him Sri Lanka’s last Tamil King, and note that he was housed in a room inside the fort for 16 years. This room later went on to be used as the Registrar’s office of the Vellore district.

He died on January 30, 1832. Among his family members, who were laid to rest here, are his queen Savithri Devi and other spouses.

The Tamil Nadu government had constructed pearl-shaped structure over the tombs, which were earlier in the open amid huts in the area, at a cost of Rs. 7 lakh. Former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi inaugurated Muthu Mandapam on July 1, 1990. The pearl-shaped structure was known to be designed by him.

“The chess board and boomerang used by the king are on display at the museum. While the chess board is made of wood, the chess coins and boomerang are made of ivory,” said K. Saravanan, curator, Government Museum, Vellore.

The Muthu Mandapam is under the maintenance of the Public Relations Office. Staff said that every year, the descendants of the king living in Madurai and Chennai visited the memorial on his death anniversary.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Tamil Nadu / by Serena Josephince M / Vellore – January 30th, 2016

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