Category Archives: Leaders

Agnihotris across the country gather in Chennai

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Leaders, Records, All

The Sammelanam was part of the Chatur Masya Sankalpa activities of Kanchi Kamakoti Pitam

Occupying the top place among the plethora of rituals practised by a grihasta is Agnihotram — worshipping fire through the performance of a yagam. Fire is the source of energy and the fountain head of life. “The Vedas give it a noble place enjoining upon a grihasta to do it daily,” says Balakrishna Rangarajan, who has been coordinating the Agnihotris Sammelanam of Kanchi Kamakoti Pitam for 14 years.

“It was in 2005 that Sri Jayendra Saraswati told me: ‘We should organise a meeting of all the agnihotris in the country.’ Taken aback, I said that I didn’t know where they all were. ‘I do,’ he responded and gave me a list. The first All India Agnihotris Sammelanam happened that way and we have not looked back,” recalls Balakrishnan.

In a country of 130 crore population, there are only 130 Agnihotris and only 40 of them are Nitya-agnihotris — performing the yagnam on a daily basis. The latter perform the task of keeping the fire alive 24/7. How is that done? “They take care of the fire like they would a baby,” says Balakrishnan.

An Agnihotri has to master the Vedas and engage them through thought, word and deed — recalling the mantras, chanting them and perform the Agnihotram. The Rig, Yajur and Sama Vedas blend to please the devathas — Rig through the visualisation of the mantras, Yajur by giving it a form and Sama through its mesmerisingly musical chanting.

The yaga is not done for the performer’s welfare. That comes last. The Agnihotri prays to the fire to fill the earth with ample water, which in turn will provide grass, which in turn will feed the cows’ whose milk and ghee nourish the world and are essential for the sacred fire. It is ultimately for human welfare, they pray.

The wife is given an exalted position in this ritual. “Without her there is no yagnam,” states Balakrishnan. She has to chant mantras too and the two observe the discipline prescribed. Incidentally, Agnihotris at the Sammelanam this year discussed the subject: ‘What happens when the lady is unable to participate?’ The proceedings take place in Sanskrit.

Ultimate sacrifice

“The fire preserved by the Agnihotri is so sacred that it goes with him in his last journey. Sastras prescribe that the day after his funeral, his bones should be collected, powdered and a yagna done with ghee. He is thus given back to Agni, completely. Can there be a better sacrifice than this,” asks Balakrishnan. “There were 98 Agnihotris when the Sammelanam was started. Now there are 130. But for the perseverance and patience of the successive pontiffs of the Kanchi Math, this would not be possible,” he stresses. “These are giants, but are eager to congregate and share their knowledge under the benign leadership of the Kanchi Sankaracharya,” he adds.

If they are all pundits, where is the need for debate? And it is a Science, where every step has been clearly defined. “True. But there are differences, depending on the region to which they belong, the sect and the rishi parampara,” says Balakrishnan. The core is the same but there will be variations in the execution. The Sammelanam gives them an opportunity to raise doubts and clarifications. Each will adhere to his own tradition but gain knowledge about other systems,” he explains.

Scattered in different parts of the country, the Agnihotris had come for the Sammelanam from Jodhpur, Mumbai, Satara, regions of the Godavari and Krishna, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. “That was how Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati Swamigal preferred it to be. He wanted the smoke from the Agnihotri’s havan to purify the air in all parts of the sky,” observes Balakrishnan. The Agnihotris, who participated in the Sammelanam on September 7-9 were honoured by the Sankaracharya with a purse and gifts of gold and silver.

Compiled by Geetha Venkataramanan

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Society> History & Culture / by Geetha Venkataraman / September 12th, 2019

How the Tamils celebrated the Mahatma

Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All

GandhiCF30sept2019

An endless list of artistes — music, stage and cinema — adored him

It was January 31, 1948. “Mahatma Gandhi Amar Rahe” — the chorus of multitudes was heard all over India. Suddenly there was stillness in the air and pin drop silence. “Hari tum haro jan ki peer…” wafted in the melodious voice of M.S. Subbulakshmi. Millions heard the song with tears in their eyes. Gandhiji wanted this song to be sung by MS for his birthday in 1947 at his prayer meeting. MS was indisposed. Rajaji arranged for a recording and sent it to the Mahatma.

Mahatma Gandhi’s Tamil Nadu connection is well known. The young lady from South Africa, Valliammal, had joined his satyagraha movement and continued to follow him for decades. Gandhiji had leant Tamil and signed in Tamil. It was his visit to Madurai that led to a transformation of his dress code and it was Rajaji, who was the conscience-keeper of Mahatma Gandhi.

The freedom movement caught the attention of the Tamil theatre and music world. One of the early pioneers of the Tamil stage, Viswanatha Dass, had met Mahatma Gandhi in 1911 and got converted to Gandhian values, which he wove into his stage plays. The famous song, ‘Khadhar kodi kappal thondruthe…’ reverberated all over Tamil Nadu. He took to khadi and Lord Muruga was dressed in khadi on the stage. Police were ready to arrest him. He was arrested 29 times and bailed out by VOC and Muthuramalinga Thevar.

Gandhiji was in Coimbatore. The Madurai Devi Bala Vinoda Sangeetha Sabha of Nawab Rajamanickam was staging ‘Nandanar’. Gandhiji was invited for the show. He watched the entire show and complimented the Nawab for the bold social theme. He lauded the role of each member of the troupe. A charkha was presented to them. The Nawab considered it a blessing.

S.G. Kittappa and K.B. Sundarambal were big crowd pullers. S.Satyamurthy was instrumental in introducing the couple to the freedom movement. It was at Gandhiji’s persuasion that KBS chose to come back to the stage after the demise of Kittappa. She was always dressed in white khadi. She had recorded songs on Motilal Nehru, Kasturba, Bhagat Singh and Gandhi’s visit to the Round Table Conference. ‘Engal Gandhi London sendrar, aazhntha yochanaigal seithaar’ was a famous song.

When Gandhi was travelling from Karur to Erode, the car broke down at Kodumudi. Sathyamurthy took the Mahatma to Sundarambal’s house. Her joy knew no bounds. She arranged a feast and served the Mahatma on a golden plate. Gandhiji took the plate as a donation to the freedom movement and auctioned the same.

Semmangudi joined the freedom fighters in the salt march to Vedaranyam singing Bharati’s fiery poem, ‘Endru thaniyum intha sudhanthira dhaagam…’ Ariyakudi rendered ‘Raattiname Gandhi kai banam…’ embellishing each phrase with swara swirls in hurricane speed.

D.K.Pattammal was an ardent Gandhian. Her ‘Shanthi nilava vendum…’ carried the message of peace and brotherhood.

An Avatar

Gandhiji’s assassination shook the Tamil art and music world. Madurai Mani Iyer, the khadi-clad super star, took the help of Chitti Sundar Rajan to sing an elegy depicting Gandhiji as an avatar of Krishna, who had come down to destroy evil and resurrect dharma. The Pallavi with elaborate swara prasthara was set to Shanmukhapriya ragam and the various ideals were integrated in the charanam. M.K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar sang ‘Gandhiyai pol oru santha swaroopanai kanbadhum elidhama…’ in his golden voice. MKT compared Gandhiji to the Buddha and Jesus.

The most soulful music of the era came from Kalki and M.S.Subbulakshmi. ‘Maanilathai vaazhavaikka vantha Mahatma’ was movingly rendered by M.S.

‘Manithar kulam uyindhidavae vantha Mahatma,

Deenargalin thanthaiyana Gandhi Mahatma,

Theeyavarkkum nanmai ennum deiva Mahatma…’

The song goes on to question whether the Devas and the Devis received the Mahatma with flowers as he ascended Heaven. Was he welcomed by Prahlada with tears shed on the Mahatma’s feet?

Did Gnanamuni Dadhichi bless the Mahatma? Was there a smile on the face of the Buddha as Gandhiji entered Heaven? Did Kasturba receive him with folded hands?

The next song of Kalki was even more poignant:

‘Ithanai naal aana pinnum ezhai nenjae yen thuyaram? Ethanai naal azhuthalum, Uthamar than varuvaaro?’ Will all your grieving bring back the Mahatma? You can find him in true love and grace, in the sorrows of the afflicted, in the innocent smiles of the children, in the chantings of the pious, in the bunch of flowers, in the hearts of those who give comfort to the down trodden and the slogging of the workers and peasants.

Kavimani Desika Vinayakam Pillai, Namakkal Kavignar and Suddhananda Bharathi added spark to the freedom movement with their electrifying poems — ‘Kathi indri, Ratham indri varugudhu por.’

The Tamil film world took to Gandhi with gay abandon. Nam Iruvar showed Kamala dancing to the tune

Mahaan… Gandhi Mahaan…

kai rattaiyae aayutham,

khadar adaiyae sobitham…

Gandhi Mangalam

Subramanya Bharati wrote that visionary stanza in 1920 — ‘Vazhga Nee Emman…’ — rendered with feeling by Madurai Mani Iyer. Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar concluded his concerts with a Mangalam saluting the Father of the Nation:

‘Mohandasanukku Jaya Mangalam

Mahatma Gandhikku Subha Mangalam’

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Society> History & Culture> Gandhi Jayanti / by T.C. A. Ramanujam / September 26th, 2019

Meet the man who built a dosa batter empire in the US

Business & Economy, Leaders, Nri's / Pio's, World Opinion
On the grind According to Mani, four containers of the batter are sold every minute across the US
On the grind According to Mani, four containers of the batter are sold every minute across the US

Every day, fresh batter for spongy idlis and crisp dosas makes its way across the West Coast of the US to homesick Indians, and Americans enamoured by this gluten-free, vegan treat. A man from Thirunelveli is behind it all

In a quiet neighbourhood in San Jose, California, a young Mexican boy opens rice and dal bags. He apportions them onto 150 containers using an automatic weighing and dispensing machine; then soaks them in water. Another operator, cleans the rice and lentils, and loads them onto the 34 custom made stone wet grinders. The machines start whirring and another Mexican employee, wearing a head net and apron, hovers over them with a super-size spatula, constantly checking on batter thickness.

“There are 25 employees who work here, and they can pronounce the names of Indian food and ingredients more articulately than I can,” smiles Mani Krishnan, founder and president of Shastha Foods, which makes 12,500 kilos of fresh idli and dosa batter every week. With this batter, approximately 100 million dosas have been served across the US, over the last 16 years. “Let’s simplify that further,” he adds. “Every minute, four containers of Shastha idli or dosa batter are being sold across the US”.

Hailing from Kadayam village, Thirunelveli, Mani recounts that when he decided to start this business in 2003, it was neither new nor unheard of in America. “There were already players in the market. I think the system that I created, helped me maintain quality, ensure consistency in delivery and also scale up. I am proud to say that it is Indian technology at work in the US.”

Prior to becoming a foodpreneur, Mani managed a profitable business selling Intel processors, mother boards and hard disk drives to Indian organizations for 18 years. “I had 25 offices in India. However, that business went South and I came to a point where I had to re-build my life from scratch. I was in my 40s by then.”

The genesis

Using his experience in Indian import, Mani decided to bring filter coffee powder to America. “We stumbled upon the idea to sell idli batter in 2003; we did not do a formal market study but we made an observation; it was the phase when there was a steady rise in Indian nuclear families in the US and people had no time to buy the rice, soak it, grind it and allow it to ferment”. In the beginning, Mani would grind the batter using Ultra1.5 litre grinder and deliver the containers to Indian stores in San Jose. Today, his batter is in 300 stores across the West Coast of the US.

“I envision batter to be distributed the same way we get our milk everyday,” he says. The first batch was delivered in his car. As the company grew, they acquired a refrigerated cargo van. “Soon, we out-grew that and we invested in small refrigerated trucks. We now use three small 14ft refrigerated trucks and a cargo van because we need to drive through city roads and smaller neighbourhoods; we need to be able to park!” he quips, adding that delivery happens seven days a week.

Mani Krishnan at the facility | Photo Credit: special arrangement
Mani Krishnan at the facility | Photo Credit: special arrangement

The first five years, Mani faced challenges which were beyond his kitchen. “There were restrictions on the import of two main ingredients required to make the batter: rice and dal. At one point, I was buying rice from Africa, Dubai and USA. Once you are in production, you need to supply; stopping is not an option,” says the 66-year-old, who holds a Masters in Accounting from the University of Bombay.

The heart of Shastha’s operations is a 7,000 square foot spotless kitchen with several stone grinders in stainless steel drums, which have been customized to work in rhythm. Mani and his friends brainstormed to create a process flow for the plant to minimize overall movement. “I learned that one cannot come up with 100 percent accurate design in the initial stage itself. As the business grew, we had to make minor modifications to meet the new challenges. The 100 percent organic products launch in 2017, is a good example. This was not envisaged in the early stages but when this new line of products was approved, I had to make some minor modifications without disrupting the production of the other 13 varieties of batter, and still launch the organic line.”

A fresh plate of khitchari made of millet batter | Photo Credit: My Friday Food Swings
A fresh plate of khitchari made of millet batter | Photo Credit: My Friday Food Swings

Rise of the millets

Though it sounds uncomplicated, most people still find it a challenge to make idli batter, which will result in softest idlis, every single time. “Processes can be automated; the quality and consistency can be maintained only by human intervention. We process small batches. Our batter is a combination of rice, urad dal and salt. We don’t add any other ingredients.”

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Rice cakes from afar
  • “There are no artificial ingredients in Shastha batter variants to make it last forever,” explains Soma Sengupta, a California-based food blogger (My Friday Food Swings). A working mother and food blogger, she created two recipes using the Shastha batter which was showcased at the Incredible India booth at the Travel Adventure Show in Santa Clara in 2019. “I created a multi millets adai with their readymade batter and the ayurvedic millets khitchari. My inspiration was of course the super grain millets.” At her home kitchen Soma tweaks traditional recipes with a little fusion for her daughter. “With the Shastha dosabatter I often make a dosa quesadilla with cheese, peppers and some pasta sauce. I also make pizza uttapams and idli pops served with guacamole.”
  • Since dosas are vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free, a large non-Indian population is also trying the ‘steamed rice cakes’. One such customer is Brad Osterhout, from Roseville, California who has been using the batter for almost one year. “I was trying different foods with friends at work and loved the taste and protein available in the batter,” he says, adding “Quinoa was the first batter I tried and I really enjoyed the taste. I paired it with vegetables and a mango chutney. I learned to make dosas from YouTube videos.”

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Along with his wife Anandhi, Mani experiments with most of the batter at home, sharing it with colleagues and friends for feedback, before going large scale.

“Hands down, our idli and dosa batter are still the most popular and fast selling product line. However, batters like the brown rice dosa, oats dosa, quinoa idli, millet dosa, adai, pesarattu are also doing well,” reveals Mani. He has been given the nod of approval for his vegetable idli batter from his close circle of friends, and it will soon be available in the market. “My future plan is to grow the non-idli dosa batter business; which is primarily millets.”

A believer in old school word-of-mouth advertising, Mani actively supports Indian events at the Bay area. His idlis are served at gatherings conducted by the Tamil Mandram, at the Spring Festival, Concord Murugan Temple and Livermore Temple. “The goodwill has carried us through. The community and Indian grocery stores have supported our journey, so we believe in giving back in our own way.”

With a gleeful smile, Mani says he is keen on introducing a robot, which will pack 25 containers of batter within a minute. “Robotics will increase productivity and efficiency. I don’t have to constantly ask my team to spend less time on their phones!” jokes Mani. Just then a notification from Doordash and Grubhub appear on his phone, to collect a container of pesarattu batter and idli batter. In the other room, his administrative staff are managing the online orders. Meanwhile a team is creating an icebox to package batter for deliveries in other parts of the US. Looks like there is much more grinding to do.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Life & Style> Food / by Jayanthi Somasundaram / August 27th, 2019

A regal affair by the Duchess in Chennai

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Leaders

The Duchess Utsav is a platform for budding entrepreneurs, especially women to showcase an eclectic mix of fashion accessories, organic weaves, fabrics etc.

The event will be conducted in association with Calonge
The event will be conducted in association with Calonge

Chennai :

From bespoke clothing, an eclectic mix of fashion accessories, organic weaves, fabrics and blends to home and lifestyle products, eco-friendly gifting options, gourmet food and other healthy munchies — get ready to be spoilt for choice at the Duchess Utsav.

The Duchess Club was founded by the joint managing director of Savera Hotel, Nina Reddy, Sujata Mundhra, Anu Sachdev, Anu Agarwal and Rathi Neelakandan. The annual fiesta is a platform for budding entrepreneurs, especially women. As it gears up for its 18th edition, co-founder of Duchess Club, Sujata tells us what’s in store.

“When we started the Utsav 17 years ago, it was simple. We promoted few homepreneurs of which several have their own stores, boutiques and even conduct solo exhibitions. The aim is to provide a platform for budding female entrepreneurs. This has been our USP” she shares.

A freewheeling session on skincare by Dr Shraddha of Helios Skin & Hair clinic will be conducted on the first day. “On the second day, we will curate a fashion show where the brands will walk the ramp and display their products,” she says, adding that brands from other cities will also be exhibiting their products.

The two-day event will also feature one-of-a-kind silver and Swarovski jewellery brand Kreshya; an array of classic and contemporary silhouette for women from Sharath Sundar’s ‘Linen Collection’; handloom fabrics fused with modern techniques from Looms & More; traditional and contemporary saris and dupattas for the festive season by Safetypinz; georgettes, organzas, linens, raw silks, and tussar saris from the house of Vallika; lifestyle elements from BOLD; table and kitchen linen by Bottega Perreira; Indian crafts from Santushtee, and kids clothing by Whims n Fancies.

With people turning to a more sustainable and conscious lifestyle, the Utsav is also playing host to several eco-friendly brands like Nammaboomi for all your sustainable disposable needs, Sorrel Gardens for garden accessories and artefacts, Fat Cow Dairy for organic milk and ghee, and Zwende for personalised eco-friendly gifting solutions.

No carnival is complete without the yummies. The souk will feature a plethora of food stalls — healthy munchies by Hungrezi, cheese from JK Cheese, homemade jams from 101 Strawberries, sweet treats from Pinch of Love and marinades from Cook Town.

Award-winning jewellery brand AVR Swarnamahal will also be launched in Chennai as part of the Utsav. “The brand has created designs exclusively for the Utsav and we will be launching them too,” says Sujata. The 18th edition of Duchess Utsav will be inaugurated on August 29, 10 am at Hotel Savera. The exhibition will conclude on August 30 at 8 pm

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

Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar: A shining star of astrophysics

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

This great astrophysicist strongly influenced our understanding of stellar objects, black holes, white dwarfs and conducted remarkable work on Newton’s seminal work titled Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica.

As a young boy, astrophysicist and mathematician Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar had a deep desire to be like Isaac Newton. Often, he used to go to the beach alone, and pray: ‘Oh God, may I be like Newton!’(Illustration: Rushikesh Tulshiram Gophane)
As a young boy, astrophysicist and mathematician Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar had a deep desire to be like Isaac Newton. Often, he used to go to the beach alone, and pray: ‘Oh God, may I be like Newton!’(Illustration: Rushikesh Tulshiram Gophane)

Chandra, as he was widely known, was born on October 19, 1910, in Lahore, to Tamil parents Sitalakshmi Balakrishnan and Chandrasekhara Subrahmanya Ayyar. His father was the deputy auditor general of the Northwestern Railway. The family moved to Allahabad in 1916 and settled in Madras in 1918.

Early life and education

Chandrasekhar was homeschooled till the age of 12. He then attended the Hindu High School at Triplicane, Madras and studied at Presidency College, Madras from 1925 to 1930. During this stint, he met Lalitha Doraiswamy and they got married in 1936.

A highlight of his college years was the publication of his paper, The Compton Scattering and the New Statistics. Successes such as this strengthened his determination to pursue a career in scientific research despite his father’s wish for him to join Indian Civil Service.

In 1930, Chandrasekhar was awarded a government scholarship to pursue graduation at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom and he joined Trinity College. During this time, Chandra became enamoured with the subject of white dwarf stars. He explained how when stars run out of hydrogen, they become unstable and collapse in on themselves. But the most massive stars explode into a supernova and then collapse down into neutron stars, or black holes. He earned a PhD in 1933 and was elected to Prize Fellowship.

Career

In 1937, Chandrasekhar was appointed assistant professor in the University of Chicago – a position he continued in for his entire career spanning six decades. In 1947, he was appointed the distinguished service professor of theoretical astrophysics and, in 1985, became the professor emeritus.

As the editor of The Astrophysical Journal (1952-1971), he transformed the private publication into the National Journal of the American Astronomical Society. Apart from his work at the University, he also conducted research at NASA’s Laboratory for Astrophysics and Space Research.

In 1990, he began working on the detailed geometric arguments in Sir Isaac Newton’s famous work Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica, which is considered a significant work in the history of science. He died on August 21, 1995 of a heart attack.

Chandrasekhar Limit

He is best known for the discovery of the Chandrasekhar Limit, which he came up with as a student. Using this, he proved that there is a maximum mass which can be supported against gravity by the pressure made up of electrons and nuclei.

Awards, achievements

Chandra was honoured with the Padma Vibushan in 1968. In 1983, he was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics along with William A Fowler for work on the structure and evolution of stars. He was, however, upset that the citation mentioned only his earliest work and not his later ones. Chandrasekhar was awarded the Gold Medal of Royal Astronomical Society (1953), the Royal Medal (1962), and the Copley Medal (1984).

He has authored several books including – An Introduction to the Study of Stellar Structure (1939), Principles of Stellar Dynamics (1942), and Newton’s Principia for the Common Reader (1995).

Interesting Facts

1. He was the nephew of Sir CV Raman, who was a Nobel Prize recipient. Chandrasekhar became a US citizen in 1953, retired from the University of Chicago in 1980, and continued to be a researcher.

2. In 1979, NASA named the third of its four Great Observatories after Chandrasekhar. The Chandra X-ray Observatory was launched and deployed by Space Shuttle Columbia on July 23, 1999.

3. The Chandrasekhar number, a vital dimensionless number of magneto hydrodynamics, was named after him as were the asteroid 1958 Chandra and the Himalayan Chandra Telescope.

4. The Chandra Astrophysics Institute runs an initiative for high school students interested in astrophysics. They are mentored by scientists from MIT and sponsored by the Chandra Observatory.

5. His brother, S Balakrishnan, revealed that as a boy, Chandra had a deep desire to be like Isaac Newton. He used to go to the beach alone, and pray: ‘Oh God, may I be like Newton!’

Source: famouspeople.com; notablebiographies.com;Wikipedia

source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> India> Inspiring Lives / by HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times, New Delhi / August 21st, 2019

President’s medal for CRPF IGP T. Sekar

Amazing Feats, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All

His distinguished service recognised

T. Sekar, Inspector-General of Police of CRPF’s Cobra School of Jungle Warfare Training in Khanapur in Belagavi, has been awarded the President’s police medal for distinguished service on the occasion of Independence Day.

Hailing from Thirumazhisai in Tamil Nadu, he joined CRPF in 1986 as Deputy Superintendent of Police.

He has served in crisis situations in Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Tripura, Manipur and Maharashtra. He has commanded Operational Range Gadchiroli (MH) and led and planned many Anti-Naxal operations. He has led various anti-terrorist operations in disturbed areas to curb terrorism and militancy. He has also served as an SPG officer from 1989 to 1998 on the security wing of VVIPs, including Prime Ministers and former Prime Ministers.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Belagavi – August 15th, 2019

Dr. M.S. Swaminathan Award for Environment Protection presented

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Leaders, Nature, Records, All, Science & Technologies, World Opinion
Former Justice Prabha Sridevan, right, presenting the award to Kenneth M. Quinn. Rotary Club of Madras East vice-president T.R. Gopalakrishnan is also seen.
Former Justice Prabha Sridevan, right, presenting the award to Kenneth M. Quinn. Rotary Club of Madras East vice-president T.R. Gopalakrishnan is also seen.

Former diplomat Kenneth M. Quinn honoured at event

Former U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia and President, World Food Prize Foundation, Kenneth M. Quinn on Thursday underlined the need for encouraging small holder farmers, who are mostly women, to run their farms.

Speaking to reporters after receiving the Dr. M.S. Swaminathan Award for Environment Protection presented by the Rotary Club of Madras East and Cavinkare Private Ltd., he said post-harvest food waste must be brought down, which is why connectivity to small villages was important.

“Small farmers need to take their produce to markets and they need to be provided the latest scientific inputs so that they be able to have sustainable farming practices to produce quality food,” he said, adding more should be spent on agricultural research.

Speaking at the award ceremony, he suggested that agriculture scientist M.S. Swaminathan be awarded the Rotary International’s award for world understanding and peace. Former Judge of the Madras High Court Prabha Sridevan thanked Mr. Quinn for working to rid the world of hunger and ensure access to quality food. UN-WHO Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan, and daughter of Prof. Swaminathan, said Mr. Quinn had brought about many improvements to the World Food Prize, including increasing the cash award.

Appreciating the Rotary International’s efforts for eradicating polio, she said the campaign was in its final stages. Club vice-president T.R. Gopalakrishnan and Cavinkare CMD C.K. Ranganathan were present.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Tamil Nadu / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – August 09th, 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

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

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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

S Muthiah and the writing of Madras Miscellany

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For the last two decades, in the 973 columns he wrote for Madras Miscellany, S Muthiah charted the course of people’s lives, the unexpected twists and turns, their triumphs and tribulations. A tribute to the man who loved to put the story back into history

Those of us who had the privilege of working closely with S Muthiah, the chronicler of Madras (he did not like the term historian), knew that Thursdays were sacred. He could not be disturbed that day as that was when he wrote his Madras Miscellany column to be published 12 days hence in the Monday edition of MetroPlus. The Chief, as I always referred to him, would make an elaborate production of it. He would first go to his library on the second floor and collect whatever reference material he wanted.

Having come down to the dining table, he would switch on the ultra-powerful table lamp and write whatever he wanted to in longhand. V Srinivasan and D Pushpa, his two faithful assistants, would then type this in, after which it underwent a few iterations. Towards the afternoon, G Shankar of Pace Systems (now Mot Juste Communications) would come in, collect the pictures to be scanned and go back to office to the needful. By evening everything would be in place, including the commentary on letters and additional points received from the vast and ever-growing readership; these falling under a section titled When The Postman Knocked. The correspondence was vast and varied. Branches of families reunited, people discovered ancestors. Several British families wrote in asking for help in tracing graves, houses and other markers.

Come Monday, when the column was published, the article would be carefully cut out, pasted on a sheet of paper, neatly dated and filed. Not for him the saving of soft copies. Yes, the Chief experienced great joy in putting Madras Miscellany together, as he did with all his work. By the time the column completed a decade in 2009, he noted with pride that 514 instalments had been published. He also added that the number would have been 520 but The Hindu did not bring out its paper on six Mondays owing to some holiday or the other. By the time he passed away, Madras Miscellany had appeared a record 973 times. It was his dearest wish that he touch 1,000 but fate willed otherwise.

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To have kept the column going without a break spoke volumes about Muthiah’s work ethic and discipline. When he travelled abroad, he calculated the number of Mondays he would be away and wrote all the instalments before he left. Not for him the present practice of researching on the Internet and sending articles on the fly. Even the death of his wife did not occasion a break. The column that appeared immediately after her passing had an opening sentence addressed to her, stating that she would have wanted him to continue. And that was the truth.

If there was someone even more passionate about Madras Miscellany than he was, it was Valliammal Muthiah. And he paid her a handsome tribute in an interview — ‘Fortunately, I have a young and energetic wife… who manages the home as well as the finances. She makes sure I don’t have to worry about anything other than my work.’ Sadly, she passed away in 2013 and life became tougher for him.

There was however no stopping Miscellany. Who would have thought that the column, first suggested by Nirmala Lakshman to Muthiah when MetroPlus was born in 1999, would grow to have a life and identity of its own? He had wanted it to be called Madrasiana but Nirmala convinced him that Madras Miscellanysounded better. It was a unique tribute to a great city. It will be missed.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Sriram V / April 22nd, 2019