Category Archives: Leaders

Kakkan: Great son of Madurai and humble soul

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

Madurai :

The leafy Kakkan Street in Shenoy Nagar here is an exception as most city streets are devoid of greenery. The neem tree-lined street is notable for big bungalows beside it. The street, which is named after dalit and Congress leader P Kakkan (1905-1981), runs parallel to Vaidynatha Iyer Street which is named after the social reformer who led the dalits into Meenakshi temple.

Kakkan, who was Iyer’s disciple, belonged to Thumbaipatti near Melur. He was minister for home affairs, agriculture and public works in K Kamaraj’s government. He was instrumental in constructing dams like Vaigai and establishing agricultural colleges across the state. Kakkan retired from politics after losing the assembly election in 1967. He is remembered for his austerity and integrity. He didn’t accumulate wealth and died a poor man.

Kakkan’s younger brother P Vadivelu (79) recalled an incident from his life. “When Kamaraj was collecting funds for the 1962 Sino-India War, Kakkan took me to the podium and asked me to donate my gold chain,” he said. Jawaharlal Nehru had awarded Vadivelu that gold chain for winning a medal in an athletic meet. “Kakkan never used his political clout for his personal gain nor for the benefit of family members. It is difficult to find such a person these days,” Vadivelu commented. When the then chief minister M G Ramachandran found him in a general ward of the Government Rajaji Hospital, Kakkan refused to be moved to a special ward, though MGR requested for it.

Recalling the relationship between Iyer and Kakkan, Vadivelu said that it is fitting that two parallel roads are named after them. Kakkan was like an adopted son of Iyer. “When Iyer died in 1955, Kakkan tonsured his head as a sign of mourning,” he recalled. Kakkan also served as the warden of dalit student hostel Sevalaya at Shenoy Nagar. It was started due to the efforts of Iyer.

N Pandurangan, a 77-year-old veteran Congress party worker, said that the street was named after Kakkan while he was alive. “Kakkan was a noted leader and worked in Sevalaya. In those days, places used to be named after persons even when they were alive unlike today’s custom of naming posthumously,” Pandurangan, said.

The office of the Press Information Bureau is a landmark on Kakkan Street.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Madurai / by  J. Arockiaraj, TNN / April 20th, 2014

IIT-M alumnus award to fete science writer, edupreneur

Education, Leaders, Records, All, Science & Technologies

Chennai :

The Indian Institute of Technology-Madras will honour a science writer, an edupreneur, academics and industry leaders with the Distinguished Alumnus Award.

Lalgudi V Ramanathan, head, Energy and Nuclear Research Institute in Brazil; Krishnan Raghavachari, professor of theoretical chemistry, Indiana University, US; Tirumalai S Sudarshan, president and CEO, Materials Modification Inc, the US; Venkatraman Sadanand, associate professor of neurosurgery, Lomo Linda University Medical Center, US; Raju Venkatraman, founder, MD & CEO, Medall Healthcare Pvt. Ltd, Chennai; Ananth Agarwal, professor of electrical engineering, MIT, and president, edX, the US, are on the list of awardees.

Science writer and author of ‘The Edge of Physics’ Anil Ananthaswamy; Ramesh Govindan, professor in the department of computer science, University of Southern California; Kannan Lakshminarayan, founder and managing trustee, Fractal Foundation, Chennai; and Sridhar Ramaswamy, senior vice president, Search Advertising, Google Inc, the US, will also be honoured.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / TNN / April 17th, 2014

Ravi Ashwin: World Cricket’s Bowler of the Month, March 2014

Leaders, Records, All, Sports, World Opinion
Scott Barbour/Getty Images
Scott Barbour/Getty Images

There were a number of contenders for bowler of the month for March, but none could top Ravichandran Ashwin.

Imran Tahir finished as the top wicket taker of the World Twenty20, taking a wicket once every 10 balls.

Samuel Badree kicked dust in Sunil Narine’s eyes, Amit Mishra was a leg-spinning bundle of joy and Rangana Herath had one really rather good spell.

Even Dale Steyn could stake a claim after a very good run in the World T20.

In the end, though, it was Ashwin who came up trumps. He took 11 wickets in the World T20 at an average of 11.27.

Although his performance in the final of the World T20 against SriLanka was somewhat underwhelming, he was superb overall. It’s not only his ability to take wickets that made him the top choice, but also his ability to stifle the scoring rate, forcing pressure to build and batsmen to lose their minds.

Not once in the entire tournament did he concede more than 30 runs and his 4-for-11 against Australia was fantastic to watch. There was also the carrom ball to dismiss Hashim Amla in the semi-final, a fantastic delivery that would fox any batsman in the world.

Ashwin is the kind of bowler who likes to experiment and who likes to keep on changing and learning. In the lead up to the World T20 during the Asia Cup, Ashwin had a new approach once again. After two average tours against South Africa and New Zealand, Ashwin had to try something, so he tried to model his action after Sunil Narine.

The results weren’t immediate, and he finished the tournament with nine wickets in four games at an average of 18.55. The change in action caused much criticism from some quarters. Maninder Singh was one of the most notable critics. He was quoted by The Times of India as saying the change in action could destroy Ashwin’s career.

” What is he trying to do? He was a wicket-taking bowler for us, but this is going to kill him. I don’t know how the coaches are allowing him to do this. Don’t forget Narine is a freak and his action has always been like that. If a spinner tries to copy Narine at the age of 25, he will not last in international cricket for too long. “

Ashwin, clearly not one for taking note of the naysayers, obviously wasn’t bothered. On the eve of the game against Australia, Ashwinrevealed why he was flirting with the newly adopted action. He was quoted by the Indian Express as saying:

” I want to do something different. I want to keep trying something—unless you try you don’t go and venture and find out what can work or not. I’d never bowled in full-sleeves before. So I wanted to see how it would feel. And I just wanted to see if you can get more revs on the ball if you can do a little bit with your elbow, as much as that is. That’s what it was all about. You can get a lot of advantage with these things—so why should I lag behind if someone else is getting a competitive edge? “

Brief change, innovation, foolish—call it what you want—Ashwin is clearly the type of player who always wants to push himself no matter what. His performance in the World T20 was down to some old-school spin bowling and his carrom ball. That ball, which made him so effective in the first place, proved to be his most potent weapon.

It’s not the first time Ashwin has tried something new; he has admitted in the past, as per ESPNCricinfo, that he uses tennis ball cricket to help him learn new tricks and improve his game.

Spinners are the most effective bowlers in T20 cricket. They are transformed in the format because batsmen are forced to attack instead of just being able to see out the overs. The bowlers likeAshwin who combine the ability to take wickets with the ability to stifle the runs deserve the most credit, though, and if that requires a little bit of innovation here and there, who are we to judge?

Data and stats via ESPNCricinfo.

source: http://www.bleacherreport.com / Bleacher Report / Home> Cricket> India / by Antoinette Muller, Featured Columnist / April 08th, 2014

Homage to dalit champion Madurai Iyer

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All

Madurai :

Vaidyanatha Iyer Road in Shenoy Nagar is named after a great son of Madurai – A Vaidyanatha Iyer (1890 – 1955). Other city landmarks that are named after Iyer are Mela Vaidyanathapuram near Thathaneri and Keezha Vaidyanathapuram near Mahaboobpalayam. His statue, which is installed near the Meenakshi Temple, recalls his leadership in securing the entry of dalits to the popular temple on July 8, 1939. This act earned the wrath of the orthodox Brahmins who excommunicated him from his community. Known popularly as Madurai Iyer, he worked tirelessly for the upliftment of dalits.

Though belonging to Thanjavur, the Iyer family moved to Madurai during his childhood. Iyer studied at the Sethupathi School in Madurai, and later in Madura College. After graduating in Law he started his own practice and soon rose to become one of the reputed lawyers of his time.

Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, Iyer participated in the Indian Freedom Movement and took up the cause of dalits. Mu Chidambara Bharathy (54), provincial Congress committee member and state convener of the OBC wing of Congress in Madurai, said Iyer and his wife Akilandammal worked in the slums on weekends. Over a period, they turned out to be the foremost champions of dalits in the city. Iyer organized the historical temple entry movement which is commemorated ever year here.

“As he led the dalits into Meenakshi temple, orthodox Brahmins locked the temple for three days. They installed “Balameenakshi’ (Infant Meenkshi) on Tamil Sangam Road and filed a court case against the temple entry. C Rajagopalachari, the premier of Madras Presidency, intervened and passed a special ordinance turning temple entries legal. “Rajaji’s special ordinance could be termed as an achievement of Iyer because the government led by him collapsed shortly and the temple entry bill would have not come up later,” Bharathy mentioned.

“When Iyer passed away in 1955, dalits thronged the funeral in large numbers and mourned his death more than others,” he remembered.

As MLA representing Melur from 1946 to 1951 he was popular, especially among dalits in the constituency. The Harijan Sevalaya in Shenoy Nagar came up during the joint efforts of Iyer, noted Gandhian N M R Subburaman, woman Congress leader Thayammal and the TVS Group. N Pandurangan, a 77-year-old Congress functionary residing in Shenoy Nagar, said the free hostel for dalit students benefitted many. Former Tamil Nadu Minister P Kakkan and former Melur MP Maruthiah were its inmates.

“When Shenoy Nagar was created in 1951, the streets there were named after Iyer and Kakkan. TVS Group used to operate buses on the wide streets there,” Pandurangan recalled. “Iyer was a simple man and stood for the cause of dalits till his last breath,” he noted.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Madurai / J. Arockiaraj -TNN / April 13th, 2014

Air Marshal Kanakaraj presented NIT-T award

Education, Leaders, Science & Technologies
Air Marshal P. Kanakaraj, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Maintenance Command, Indian Air Force, receiving the distinguished alumnus award from S. Sundarrajan, Director, National Institute of Technology-Tiruchi, in Tiruchi on Tuesday. / Photo: M. Moorthy / The Hindu
Air Marshal P. Kanakaraj, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Maintenance Command, Indian Air Force, receiving the distinguished alumnus award from S. Sundarrajan, Director, National Institute of Technology-Tiruchi, in Tiruchi on Tuesday. / Photo: M. Moorthy / The Hindu

Air Marshal P. Kanakaraj, commanding-in-chief, maintenance command, Indian Air Force, was conferred the distinguished alumnus award for “excellence in public administration” at the National Institute of Technology, Tiruchi (NIT-T), here on Tuesday.

The marshal had passed out as a mechanical engineering student from REC (Regional Engineering College) (NIT was then known as REC) in 1977, went on to pursue post graduation in IIT Madras, and then joined the Indian Air Force.

A video tribute to him was played, following which S. Sundarrajan, director; NITT, conferred the award on Air Marshal Kanakaraj.

Replying to the felicitation, the Air Marshal recalled his days at the college and remembered the professors who helped him and observed how the locality and the college had changed over the years. He said he was more proud to be an alumnus rather than to receive the distinguished alumnus award.

Air Marshal Kanakaraj donated a MiG 23 aircraft to NIT-T and said that the aircraft must serve as a symbol to remind the students that professors work endlessly for their benefit. “The aircraft is an air warrior of the skies and is symbolic of your professors’ dedication. It serves to remind you that engineering is something you have to imbibe in your life; you have to be professionals,” he said.

A golden jubilee student plaza, titled MiGold Plaza, is soon to be developed in the area around the aircraft, placed near the department of architecture, NIT-T. The Air Marshal unveiled the foundation stone for the plaza in the presence of Mr. Sundarrajan and college faculty.

Interacting with students and answering questions posed by them, the marshal shared his experience of the Kargil war and the strategies that provide advantage at the time of war and spoke about indigenization of material required for air force machines. He doled out career guidance and expressed his views on the V.P. Singh allegations. He said that the postal ballots helped armed forces personnel cast votes, thanks to the Election Commission.

“Accidents in the Indian Army and Air Force are inevitable but good training and maintenance practices will ensure that they are reduced to a bare minimum,” he said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Tiruchirapalli / by Staff Reporter / Tiruchi – March 19th, 2014

Trichy’s women achievers felicitated

Business & Economy, Leaders, Records, All
Mayor A. Jaya (right) handing over the Vocational Excellence Award to Chithra Visweswaran (second from left), president, Association of Bharthinatyam Artistes of India, at the International Women's Day in Tiruchi on Saturday. K. Meena, former Vice-Chancellor of Bharathidasan University, is at left./ Photo: R.M. Rajarathinam / The Hindu
Mayor A. Jaya (right) handing over the Vocational Excellence Award to Chithra Visweswaran (second from left), president, Association of Bharthinatyam Artistes of India, at the International Women’s Day in Tiruchi on Saturday. K. Meena, former Vice-Chancellor of Bharathidasan University, is at left./ Photo: R.M. Rajarathinam / The Hindu

Rallies, administration of pledges, and distribution of awareness pamphlets formed part of observance of International Women’s Day by various institutions and associations in various parts of the district. The organisers honoured differently-abled women in recognition of their talents in their chosen fields.

At a function organised jointly by the Tiruchi All Women Associations, Srimati Indira Gandhi College, and Inner Wheel Club of Tiruchi, Chitra Visweswaran, dancer, underlined the role of women to emerge successful. She appealed to youth to learn fine arts as part of their endeavour for personality development.

She was honoured with ‘Vocational Service Award’ on the occasion.

K. Meena, former Vice-Chancellor of Bharathidasan University, said higher education empowered women on socio-economic plane. Women should be courageous to face challenges and uphold their self-respect and dignity. A. Jaya, Mayor of Tiruchi, offered felicitations.

Later, Ms. Chitra Visweswaran gave away prizes to women’s organisations in the city in recognition of their continued social service.

Rally

Women members took out a rally from Khadi Kraft to Roshan Mahal, at a function organised by People’s Development Initiatives (PDI).

U. Nirmala Rani, advocate of the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, flagged off the rally. She gave away “Paalinia samthuva thondar” award for social workers who had toiled hard against atrocities on women.

Tamizhachi Thangapandian distributed awards among outstanding self-help groups.

Ms. Nirmala Rani gave away special awards to workers who had worked in the cause of gender equality.

J. Kavitha, treasurer of PDI, presented “Nambikkai Thozhar” award to couples with gender equality.

Public meeting

A public meeting was held under the auspices of the Pengal Viduthalai Munnani at Taranallur in which a discussion on responsibilities of women in the context of globalisation, was discussed at length. Anis Fathima, State coordinator, spoke.

Free food

Women members of Canara Bank Employees Union distributed food at St. Thomas Mercy Home in Crawford, according to J. Anantha Padmanabhan, State committee member of the Canara Bank Employees’ Union.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Tiruchirapalli / by Special Correspondent / Tiruchi – March 09th, 2014

A revolutionary who shook Tamil society (Book Review)

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders

Title: Periyar: A Political Biography of E.V. Ramasamy;

Author: Bala Jeyaraman; Publisher: Rainlight/Rupa; Pages: 124; Price: Rs.295

No one did what E.V. Ramasamy (Naicker), popularly known as “Periyar” (respected one or elder), did to Tamil society. The father of the Dravidian movement was a rationalist, a social reformer, a political activist and, above all, an unabashed atheist, the only one in modern India of his stature to publicly defy Hindu gods. But he did not remain a mass leader forever. When he was, he had the guts to denounce Mahatma Gandhi, and he played a key role in destroying the Congress party in what is now known as Tamil Nadu .

Ironically, for one who was passionately anti-God and anti-Brahmin, he was named after an avatar of Lord Vishnu because his parents visited many temples and prayed to many deities praying for a child. What makes Jeyaraman’s book a good read is it neither sees Periyar as a superman his admirers make him out to be nor as a hateful demagogue his critics say he was.

After a difficult young life during which time he fled his home and once scavenged for leftovers in the garbage, Periyar developed leadership traits as he returned to take care of the family business. In no time he became a member of the Erode Municipal Council, becoming its chairman in 1918. He was “unafraid and scrupulously honest”.

He joined the Congress, partly because of his (earlier) high regards for Gandhi. But the Brahmin dominance of the party stifled him. Once he walked out, he made it clear that his mission was to destroy God, religion, Gandhi, Congress and the Brahmin, whom he loathed.

Thus began the Self-Respect Movement that made him an outspoken critic of Hindu religious rituals and Hindu gods. He campaigned for equal rights for women, widow remarriage and untouchability – no easy task in that era. He organized weddings without Brahmin priests or Sanskrit hymns, at times holding them during the supposedly inauspicious “Rahu Kalam”! He even advocated test tube babies! When his wife died, he had her body put in a coffin, carried in a hearse and cremated – “to combine the funeral customs of Muslims, Christians and Hindus”.

When a Rajaji ministry tried to impose Hindi on the Tamils during the British era, Periyar called for a separate “Dravida Nadu” – a la Jinnah’s Pakistan. He did not accept government office but came to form the Dravida Kazhagam or DK (from which were born the DMK and, later, the AIADMK). It was Periyar’s second marriage, to one far younger to him, that partly led to a split in the DK and the birth of the DMK. The latter’s growth clipped Periyar’s wings over time.

His opposition to Hindi and Hindu gods, however, raged on. But his post-independence call for boycott of Brahmins went nowhere. Periyar also sought a ban in government offices of all religious holidays and display of pictures of Hindu gods.

Periyar was no armchair revolutionary. “Probably there is no other personality in Tamil Nadu whose legacy has been debated and fought over as much as that of Periyar’s.” He remained a fighter till the very end, at times getting wheeled to public meetings with a urine bucket in tow. One of his legacies is the near complete absence of caste-based surnames in Tamil Nadu. But his atheist plank has almost been abandoned by the Dravidian parties of today. It is impossible to understand today’s Tamil Nadu politics without knowing Periyar.

(M.R. Narayan Swamy can be reached on narayan.swamy@ians.in)

source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home>  News-IANS> Arts-Culture-Book / by IANS / February 03rd, 2014

Jayalalithaa declares open Nesamony memorial

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Leaders, Records, All
Chief Minister Jayalalithaa inaugurating a memorial for “Marshal” A. Nesamony through video-conferencing from the Secretariat on Thursday./ The Hindu
Chief Minister Jayalalithaa inaugurating a memorial for “Marshal” A. Nesamony through video-conferencing from the Secretariat on Thursday./ The Hindu

Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Thursday declared open a memorial for “Marshal” A. Nesamony (1895-1968) in Nagercoil through video-conferencing from the Secretariat. The memorial had been constructed at a cost of about Rs.48.7 lakh, according to an official release.

Hailed for his role in integrating the district of Kanyakumari [which was originally with the erstwhile Travancore princely state] with Tamil Nadu, Nesamony was an advocate by profession.

He held various positions including the post of chairperson of the Nagercoil municipality (1943-47); Member of Travancore Legislative Assembly (1943-47) and that of Travancore-Cochin State (1948-52). As leader of Travancore Tamil Nad Congress Party, he won from the Nagercoil parliamentary constituency in 1951 and later, as a nominee of the Indian National Congress, he was re-elected from the constituency in 1962 and 1967.

Nesamony was declared unopposed from the Killiyoor Assembly constituency in 1957.

As a mark of tribute to him, the Chief Minister has given a direction that on November 1 [the day on which Kanyakumari was transferred to Tamil Nadu], floral homage should be paid to the statue of Nesamony in Nagercoil.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Tamil Nadu / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – February 28th, 2014

Jayalalithaa unveils memorial for Nesamani

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

Chennai:

A memorial established for the late freedom fighter Nesamani, fondly called as “Marshal” Nesamani, in Kanyakumari district was inaugurated by Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Thursday.

Through a video-conference facility from here, Jayalalithaa unveiled the memorial set up in Nagercoil at a cost of Rs 48.70 lakh, an official release said.

Nesamani, a prominent local figure, among the locals also served as Municipal Chairman in Nagercoil District and as the Member of Parliament, it said.

Jayalalithaa issued orders to celebrate the day of Kanyakumari District’s merger with Tamil Nadu in memory of Nesamani as a government function, it said.

Labour Minister K T Pachamal, Information and Special Programme Implementation Minister K T Rajendhra Bhalaji and senior government officials participated in the function, the release added.

PTI
source: http://www.zeenews.india.com / Z News / Home> State News> Tamil Nadu / Thursday – February 27th, 2014

A rare leader who travelled many worlds

Leaders

Coimbatore :

Parvathi Krishnan was at ease addressing trade union meetings outside textile mills and tea estates in Coimbatore and Valparai, rubbing shoulders with the partisans during the Spanish Civil War or roaming with the brightest minds in Paris when the Nazis were at the doorsteps during World War II. She was a rebel and a non-conformist of pure grit and sheer determination, who led a dynamic life until she passed away at her residence here in Coimbatore on Thursday morning.

As a student at Oxford and later as a key organiser of student movements in Paris and London, Parvathi Krishnan had travelled extensively in war-time Europe and counted among her close friends former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Jyoti Basu, a fellow communist who later became chief minister of West Bengal for 24 consecutive years. She returned to India in 1942 and married Krishnan whom she met in Britain. She too went underground when the undivided CPI was banned in 1948 along with her brother, late Mohan Kumaramangalam, who too was then in the communist movement. Mohan later joined the Congress and was a member of the Indira Gandhi cabinet in the 1970s.

The Krishnans shifted base to Coimbatore in 1953 and began a long political and social association with the region. She engaged actively with the tea estate workers in Valparai. She won three Lok Sabha elections from Coimbatore constituency and one of her memorable moments in Parliament was when she forced the then Prime Minister Morarji Desai to apologize for his remarks against women in Parliament. She even underwent a prison term in the 1970s — the only woman political prisoner in Tihar Jail in 1974 — when she was arrested for participating in the landmark Railway Strike.

“Parvathi Krishnan and Renu Chakravarthy (CPI MP and wife of iconic journalist Nikhil Chakravarthy) were among the few women leaders in their days who always made it a point to be directly involved in political action. Woman rights should not be discussed in isolation and they were a great source of inspiration to many women following their footsteps,” said Vaigai of the CPI.

Social historian V Geetha said Parvathi Krishnan represented a remarkable aspect of the CPI in the 1940s and ’50s in Tamil Nadu, when a large number of women worked in the working class movement. These women participated in the numerous workers’ movements and struggles, worked among agricultural workers and beedi workers etc, and went to jail as well. Much of the leadership of the party then was drawn from the middle class. The political activism of Parvathi Krishnan and her contemporaries like Pappa Umanath, Shajathi and Janakiamma or a pioneering activist like Manalur Maniamma, a brahmin widow who worked among farm labour and dalits in Thanjavur, ought to be seen in this context. These women came from diverse backgrounds and through their work in the Communist Party linked women’s issues with issues of land, labour, social emancipation.

Geetha recalled that Parvathi Krishnan’s parents, P Subbarayan and mother Radhabai, were active in the politics of pre-independent India. Radhabai was active in the national movement and the family engaged with issues of social justice that helped Parvati develop an understanding of the caste question while being active in the communist movement.

Parvathi Krishnan lived at her residence on West Periasamy Road here in RS Puram with the couple, P S Chandrasekaran and wife, Geetha. Her daughter, Indrani Dasgupta, her husband and daughter Poornima Dasgupta are in the US. There were more than one portrait of her daughter and grand daughter in her bedroom besides a TV and a collection of English DVDs. John Grisham to books of ancient Indian history lined up the shelves in the drawing room. “She used to read a lot but was confined to bed for the last couple of months. She had some respiratory problems for the past few days. She used to love having vanilla ice creams, but we stopped giving it ot her a couple of weeks ago as it was affecting her health. She also loved mashed apple slices mixed with ice cream,” said Chandrasekaran, who has been with Parvati Krishnan since 1997.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Coimbatore / TNN / February 21st, 2014