Category Archives: Leaders

Each match I play is the most important one yet: Viswanathan Anand

October 31, 2013Leaders, Sports, World Opinionadmin

The next few weeks are testing times for chess wizard Viswanathan Anand. For, he is busy getting himself ready – both mentally and physically – for his World Championship match against World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen next month in Chennai.

In between all the hype around the match, Vishy, as he is called, made it a point to spend time with his family for Navaratri, a festival he loves. He gets talking to us on his upcoming match, inspirations and more.

How are you preparing yourself for the big clash against Carlsen?

It’s been months of preparation – both in terms of chess, and physical work. Now, it’s the last mile. So, I’m just taking it easy and getting ready for the match.

You were in Chennai recently for Golu celebrations. How did you spend your time?

I enjoyed seeing Akhil (son) in his Indian attire at the golus. Navarathri is a beautiful time to be in Chennai. The daily visits, guests, healthy sundals and music… it’s all so beautiful. Importantly, Navaratri is a family effort – arranging the dolls and planning the scenic backdrops that go into it. This year has been hectic due to visits to other golus, but it was mainly about Akhil.

You must miss Aruna and Akhil a lot when you’re away touring. How does Akhil react when you talk to him over the phone and when you’re back home, how do you bond with him?

We like playing together; there are lots pillow fights at home! He has this book – Happy Hippo Angry Duck – that we love reading together. The trick is to pretend that we are reading it for the first time every time. His favourite pastime now is counting; so, we count anything these days. And, of course, there’s Tom and Jerry; while he cheers for Jerry, I support Tom. I love it when he wakes me up in the morning with my brush and says, “Brush teeth.”

In your career, how have you handled pressure, during and before a match? What are some things you do to ensure that it doesn’t get to you?

It’s very difficult to keep a checklist because always, the one thing you don’t want to think about will pop right into the head. I try to keep a cool face and for the rest, just rely on my game.

How friendly are you with Carlsen?

We are cordial with each other.

In a previous interview, you mentioned that you rarely get time to watch movies, and that you last watched Rajinikanth’s Sivaji…

Well, I watched Kahaani and liked it a lot. I hope to watch The Lunchbox soon. But I have been watching classic Rajini films like Billa, etc…

Finally, would you consider this as the most important match of your career, and why?

Each match I play is the most important one yet.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Sports> More Sports / by Srinivasa Ramanujam , TNN / October 19th, 2013

The enduring promise of India’s daughters

October 31, 2013Business & Economy, Leaders, Nri's / Pio's, Records, All, World Opinionadmin

The IIFA Awards are a wonderful opportunity to celebrate Bollywood , including the actors and actresses who have seemingly attained a ‘god-like’ status among millions of fans. Some of the most popular actresses are: The peerless Aishwarya Rai , the much-decorated Sonakshi Sinha and rising star Sonam Kapoor. It might also be a good time, however, to celebrate a couple of other Indian women who are arguably doing even more for the greater good of the society.

Born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu in 1955, Indra Krishnamurthy Nooyi is today the CEO of PepsiCo, and was rated by Fortune Magazine, each year between 2006 and 2010, as the most powerful business woman in the World. Serving as Pepsi’s CFO since 2001, Nooyi has garnered extensive accolades for her part in Pepsi’s dramatic rise in revenue and profit during the same period. She has been praised for her dynamic leadership, decisiveness and ability to rally her organization to a cause.

That a little girl born and raised in Chennai has grown up to become the most powerful business woman in the world is a stirring testament to the power of her dreams, the foundation provided by her family, and the nation that shaped her. I like the story of Indra Nooyi, for it is a reminder – powerful, tangible and inspiring – of the enduring promise of the daughters of India.

Just as little girls in India today may be inspired to play tennis because of Sania Mirza, or to become an astronaut because of Kalpana Chawla, they may also dream of reaching the top of the business world, because of Indra Nooyi.

Growing up in Chennai, Nooyi developed in an environment that would lay the groundwork for her future success, though she probably busted through a few more glass ceilings than anyone thought she would. A Hindu, she attended a Catholic school. She played cricket, and even started her own rock band in high school. She was allowed to express herself, with numerous interests outside the classroom.

The story of Indra Nooyi seems all the more poignant to me after reading recent articles detailing with the growing number of female fetuses being aborted in India. Easy access to ultrasound has become a tool for evil, and combined with the pressure to have a son, has resulted in a form of “gendercide”. The long term consequences to the country could be dire, as such a dramatic shortage of girls will inevitably lead to increasing social problems among a restless young male population. The tragedy is not that most little girls in India may not reach the same heights as Indra Nooyi, but rather, that so many will never even have the chance, their lives cruelly snuffed out simply because of their gender.

The need for collective honesty and effort when it comes to women’s issues is one reason why I support an initiative that might be distasteful to many traditional Indians.

Recently, a young Delhi based woman named Umang Sabarwal launched on Facebook a plan for ‘SlutWalk New Delhi’. The idea originated in my home city, Toronto. A local police officer said that women should avoid dressing like ‘sluts’ to prevent being raped, and in so doing paid homage to the great lie – perverse, self serving and chauvinistic – that how a woman dresses somehow excuses verbal and physical sexual harassment. The successful ‘SlutWalk’ in Toronto ended up spawning similar events in a number of other North American cities.

Sabarwal, 19, says she is concerned about women’s safety in her home city, and about the shameless ‘eve teasing’ carried out with seeming impunity by men in public. Predictably, much of the feedback directed at Sabarwal and her initiative has been decidedly negative. But Sabarwal says she will press ahead. ‘SlutWalk New Delhi’ is scheduled for some time near the end of July. The great problems of a society – and all societies have them – are not solved, or lessened, or made less bearable, by a quiet resignation, or by the pretense that they don’t exist. Societies and countries become better, more just and more fulfilled when the problems are first acknowledged, and then tackled with diligence and forethought. Umang Sabarwal understands this, and has demonstrated a courage that belies her years.

To reach the pinnacle of the business world. To insist on the right to walk the streets of Delhi dressed as one desires, without enduring verbal or physical harassment. Indra Nooyi and Umang Sabarwal, despite their significant differences, are both contributing to a brighter future for India’s daughters. Both, through example and action, are championing the complete emancipation of Indian women.

Check out ‘SlutWalk New Delhi’ on Facebook, and offer your support. And the next time you have a glass of wine with friends or family, raise a toast to these remarkable Indian women, whose extraordinary examples make their country proud, and indeed, make our world a better place.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Contributors> Indra Nooyi / by Jair Irwin / June 28th, 2013

Hosur had touch of Raj remnant in cricket ground

October 29, 2013Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Leaders, Records, All, Science & Technologies, Sports, World Opinionadmin

District livestock farm in Hosur where the cricket ground was developed by Lt Col T. Murari.—DC — District livestock farm in Hosur where the cricket ground was developed by Lt Col T. Murari. —DC

Krishnagiri:

Hosur is known for its salubrious climate and rapid industrial growth; but how many of us know that cricket in the southern part of India started from the cattle farm here, asked B. Venkatasami, 80, elaborating on the history of cricket in Hosur, 55 km from Krishnagiri on the Chennai-Bengaluru national highway.

Venkatasami, former MLA of the Swatantra Party of Rajagopalachari – the first Indian to become governor general of India – added that “Cricket was first introduced here by Lt Col T. Murari following his appointment as superintendent of the livestock research centre formed in Hosur as army remount centre.”

The octogenarian continued, “Murari, prior to his appointment at the Hosur cattle farm, served in the Second World War under king’s commission and later rose to the rank of a major.”
He has several firsts to his credit like the first Indian to become officer for the veterinary department and the first Indian to become member of the Marylebone Cricket Club and Madras cricket club during British rule.

Venkatasami recalled the history as narrated to him by his father late M. Beere Gowda. “The lieutenant colonel, while studying veterinary science in Oxford University, was approached by Hilson, director of agriculture department, asking him to join the department as officer.”

Following his consent, the British appointed Murari as superintendent of the livestock research station in Hosur, the first Indian to become officer of the veterinary department following the formation of Madras Veterinary College.

Murari, while in Hosur, formed a cricket team by training people who did menial jobs in the cattle farm. The team regularly played matches against teams in Bengaluru and Mysore.

He was also the first Indian to become member of the prestigious United Services Club in Bengaluru and was a founder-member of the Karnataka state cricket association, formerly known as Mysore cricket association.

Venkatasami was concerned about the status of the historical cricket ground formed by Murari. “A ground with a small visitors gallery to watch the game was there for some time after Independence, but the historical monument was removed for development works,” he rued.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> News> Current Affairs / DC / by Sanjeevi Anandan / October 21st, 2013

MOP honours 45 top alumni

October 19, 2013Education, Leadersadmin

S. Parthasarthy (right), governing board member of MOP Vaishnav College, receives memento from Prof. K. Aludiapillai, ex-vice-chancellor of Madurai Kamaraj University, in Chennai on Monday. UGC vice-chairman H. Devraj (extreme right) is also seen. — DC

Chennai:

In 20 years, MOP Vaishnav College for Women has come a long way in producing women with entrepreneur skills and social commitment.

With an emphasis on academics and sports, the college has been among the top colleges of the city. On the bi-decennial celebration on Monday, the college awarded 45 of its alumni who have made a mark in various fields. They were lauded for their efforts by UGC vice-chairman H. Devraj.

The college established in 1992 with three courses now has 13 undergraduate courses and six PG courses. And in sports it has excelled with 74 international and 374 national sportswomen.

Speaking at the function, Bharathi Bhasker, a parent said, “The three years spent by my daughter in the college were the best of her life. The college taught her to work as a team has become imperative in professional life today.”

The college’s community radio programme found a special mention. K. Saraswathi, secretary general of Madras Chambers of Commerce and Industry, said, “The college has produced students who had excelled in corporates. We have heard of industry-academic-gap but MOP students’ knowledge received kudos from industrialists.”

Devraj added, “Of the 450 colleges with autonomy, TN has 150 of them. Autonomy in MOP has yielded good results. Institutions need to build brand equity and make students strong in their academic fundamentals.”

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> News> Current Affairs / DC / September 15th, 2013

In remembrance of ‘an ugly old man’

October 17, 2013About Chennai(Madras) / TamilNadu, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Leaders, Records, Alladmin

We were a gang of five in Presidency College, Madras, in 1944 when we recalled the heady days of the Quit India Movement and spun and wore only khadi. We’d never met Gandhiji and were excited at the thought of being able to see and hear him at a prayer meeting. We were lucky that our classmate had a house by the side of the maidan from where we could have a ringside view of the dais and the people who had gathered.

We left college after lunch and took a bus to the Hindi Prachar Sabha grounds. Already we could see busload of people being ferried to and fro. Although it was just noon, the roads were choc-a-bloc with people walking to the venue. The prayer meeting would start only at 6pm. Such was the veneration Gandhiji was held in.

Standing on the terrace of my friend’s house we watched the crowds below. They were well behaved, patient and did not need the police to control them. Volunteers went round serving water to the thirsty as the afternoon sun was hot and relentless. Slowly evening set in. The heat became less, the clock ticked on, and just a minute before six, Gandhiji came onto the dais and bowed to the people. There were no loud, noisy claps to greet his appearance. It was as if one was in the presence of someone divine. The silence was electrifying.

Then my friend’s daughter, about 12, dressed in a pavadai and blouse, sang the prayer effortlessly and with full-throated ease. Gandhiji then started to speak. Did the crowd understand what he was saying? It did not matter. They had come all the way, borne the scorching sun just to have a darshan of him. Gandhiji spoke on, frail as he was. The setting sun cast an orange glow as he ended his speech.

What was it about Gandhiji, “an ugly old man” as Sarojini Naidu affectionately called him, that so endeared him to people? Why was he worshipped by the common man? Was it because he sacrificed his career, went to jail many times, and wasn’t afraid to give up his life for his principles, taught ahimsa? It may have been all of these. But what endeared him most to the common man was that he was like one of them, to whom they could relate. He wore the scantiest of clothes, wooden chappals and cheap rimless spectacles. He ate sparsely. If ever there had been a politician who was dear to the hearts of the common man, it was this man. No wonder they called him the Mahatma.

One could say that “the elements so mixed in him/ That nature could stand up to all the world and say This was a man”.

I am filled with nostalgia when October 2 nears. To have been ruled by the British, to have witnessed the fight for freedom, to have seen how people sacrificed their careers and even their lives, all led by one man and then to have been freed was an exhilarating experience.

“Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive,

But to be young was very Heaven.”

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Opinion / by Radha Padmanabhan / October 05th, 2013

HIDDEN HISTORIES : Gill of Kill Nagar

October 15, 2013Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Leaders, Records, Alladmin

Lt. Col. G.S. Gill was among the first of the prominent Punjabis who settled in the city and made important contributions

Fellow heritage enthusiast Sreemathy Mohan posted this photograph on Facebook leading to much merriment. Ironically, the ‘Gill’ who is commemorated was a doctor and therefore, technically, a giver of life.

Born on September 16, 1893, Gurdial Singh Gill was from Faridkot, Punjab. Sent to England to study law in 1912, he opted for medicine and moved to Edinburgh University from where he graduated in 1919, throwing in for good measure, a few months service in the Indian Field Ambulance Training Corps during the World War I.

Dr. Gill and his English wife Rena Lister Gill set up his practice and home at Bolton near Manchester for a while and raised a family of four sons. In 1923, they came to India where he joined the Indian Medical Service (IMS) and became Lt. Col. G.S. Gill, IMS. With the IMS being abolished in 1930, he moved to prison service and became inspector general of prisons, Madras, which meant all gaols in the presidency were under him. Most Madras-based Congress leaders arrested during the Quit India movement became his wards and there developed a close affinity between them and the warm-hearted Sikh.

Post independence, Gill opted to stay on in Madras. He and other prominent Punjabis settled here at that time were to make important contributions to the city. The Punjab Association was founded in 1937. The body was to be tested to the hilt in 1947 when scores of Partition refugees began arriving, most having no idea about the city to which they were making their way.

Lt Col. Gill would invariably meet them at the station. A ‘sharanagat rahat punarvas’ (refugee rehabilitation) committee was set up and with money obtained from donations, a colony was formed. The enterprising newcomers soon struck roots, becoming successful entrepreneurs and professionals. The colony became Gill Nagar.

Lt. Col. Gill was a close confidante of Maharani Vidyawati Devi Sahib of Vizianagaram, a princess from Keonthal near Shimla, who had married into a princely Andhra family and had, like him, been transplanted to the South. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan had been an early protégé of hers. In her, Gill found a powerful patron and supporter. In 1951, when the Punjabis in Madras felt the need for a gurudwara, it was the Maharani who helped. Work began in 1952, with Gill personally supervising the work. When the Maharani died she left her personal properties in a Trust to be administered by Gill, the income to be used for education.

Being the founder president of the Guru Nanak Society, in 1971, he got the Trust to part-fund the Guru Nanak College. Gill Adarsh Matriculation Higher Secondary School, set up in the 1980s and managed as one of the Adarsh Vidyalaya Schools run by the Punjab Association, also commemorates him. Lt. Col. Gill died in May 1982. His son was the celebrated Lt. Gen. I.S. Gill, PVSM, MC, whose life was documented in ‘Born to Dare’ by S. Muthiah.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Sriram V / June 04th, 2013

Indian Bank celebrates founder’s birth anniversary

October 12, 2013Business & Economy, Leadersadmin

The 150th birth anniversary of V Krishnaswamy Iyer, who founded Indian Bank, was celebrated recently in a grand function at the Music Academy. The chief guest of the function was K Rosaiah, Governor, Tamil Nadu.

The Indian Bank, founded in 1906 by Krishnaswamy Iyer, was just one of the great institutions that Iyer had founded. A doyen, who propagated ayurveda, sanskrit and several other facets of Indian culture, was also the founder of Sri Venkataramana Ayurveda Dispensary, Madras Sanskrit College and Kuppuswamy Sastri Research Institute.

Rosaiah spoke about the philanthropic capacity of V Krishnaswamy Iyer and said, “For well over a century, trained, talented ayurvedic physicians have come out of institutions that he founded. And they have succeeded in propagating the rich science.” Talking about his contribution to the freedom struggle, the Governor said, “He took active part in the freedom struggle and lead the congress session held in Bombay. In 1890, he attended the Calcutta Congress as a delegate. He actively participated in the Madras session as well. He also developed close friendships with stalwarts such as Sri Gopale Krishna Gokhale, Lok Manya Tilak, Ashutosh Mukherjee, Madan Mohan Malaviya and Feroze Shah Mehta.”

Rosaiah further added that glorious tributes were paid to Krishnaswamy Iyer by the Governor of Madras Presidency and all leading public figures in India then.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Express News Service – Chennai / September 30th, 2013

WINNER : On call for four decades

October 9, 2013Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All, Science & Technologiesadmin

R. Kousalya Devi, Managing Trustee of Gandhigram Trust in Gandhigram, Madurai. / Photo: S. James / The Hindu

The oldest active gynaecologist at the Kasturba Hospital in Chinnalapatti near Dindigul, Dr. R. Kousalya Devi still goes on night calls and carries out her myriad duties from dawn till well past midnight.

What gives her so much energy at 83? “I am happily unmarried and still able to work by God’s grace,” she says with a warm smile. Having delivered three generations of babies and with people for miles around referring to her kai puniyam or blessed hands, she has quite a cult status in the region, but she doesn’t seem to notice it.

A 2009 file ohoto of Kousalya Devi with a child in Gandhigram. / Photo: S. James / The Hindu

Adviser to Kasturba Hospital and Managing Trustee of Gandhigram Trust, the apex body, Kousalya Devi initially came to this rural hospital in Tamil Nadu on a two-year deputation, quitting a secure government job, on the request of its founder, Dr. T. Soundaram, a disciple of Mahatma Gandhi and the daughter of eminent industrialist T.V.S. Sundaram Iyengar.

When she joined the unpretentious hospital nestled between the Sirumalai and Kodai hills 44 years ago, it had just 22 beds and she was the only doctor with clinical expertise. Today, Kasturba Hospital is a 350-bed top referral centre for high-risk obstetric cases, premature babies, and ailing newborns. It does nearly 400 deliveries a month and 4,000 tubectomies a year.

Under Kausalya Devi’s stewardship, the hospital has won the State Award 14 times and the National Award twice for its contribution to family welfare services. “Working here is a great experience because you see the direct impact you make on peoples’ lives. Acceptance of family planning has gone up, birth rate has decreased, and birth intervals increased,” she says.

Deeply influenced by the founder’s ideals — it is said that despite being an affluent businessman’s daughter Soundaram owned just three saris, one to wear, one to wash, and one to spare — Kousalya Devi says, “I advocate and practise simplicity and whoever works here with me does so by choice and not for want of money and fame.”

Kousalya Devi has refused several awards including the Padma Shri. “It is team work,” she says, “we are serving the rural poor, not doing anything unique.” Kasturba Hospital has a record of treating every patient irrespective of the individual’s capacity to pay or not. For 25 years, the hospital has also run an orphanage and is one of the recognised institutions in Tamil Nadu for in-country adoption.

Over the years, she has busted several myths by introducing the path-breaking re-canalisation procedure, promoting artificial insemination, and raising awareness on hygiene. “Today,” she says, “when a girl from Chinnalapatti gets married, she first checks whether her marital home has a toilet. This is real achievement.”

A two-decade-old battle against breast cancer is another hardship she wears lightly. “God has been kind to me. He has not burdened me with worries,” says the self-effacing doctor.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> The Yin Thing / by Soma Basu / September 30th, 2013

Indians are master navigators: Historians

September 23, 2013Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Leadersadmin

Chennai:

As many as 120 trading ships crossed Red Sea every year from Alexandria to ‘Muziri,’ now called Pattanam in Kerala, during the 1st century AD. Historians in the city said the concept of globalisation was not something newly invented.

Historians and chroniclers from Chennai said seafarers from Greek and India in earlier centuries were master navigators.

“The ancient methods of sea navigation were remarkable and several observations made by Greek sailors during the 60 AD give us a different perspective of Indian rulers. Till the first century, traders and seafarers considered the entire Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea as the Erythrean sea,” said eminent historian K.R.A. Narasiah, who delivered a lecture on the topic ‘Periplus of the Erythrean sea’ (Guide to the Red Sea) on Thursday at the state archaeology department.

Highlighting how Sangam literature had captured the trade between the west and east, he said, “During the first century AD, the kingdoms were highly prosperous and several foreigners had made the sub continent their home since at least 2,000 years ago.”

Interestingly, seafarers used the Ganga for navigation, according to historians. “The ships were smaller in size and were not heavy. Through Gangesh these ships carried goods till Pataliputra, now Patna,” he added.

Historians also said several mysteries are yet to be uncovered. “‘Periplus of Erythrean Sea’ was gleaned from assorted records from diaries of early ancient Greek sailors.

It was first translated by famed historian Wilfred H. Schoff in 1912, and his work is widely accepted as the most precise translation of what transpired in trade between these great nations during 60 AD,” said Prof. C. Somasundara Rao, retired professor of history, Andhra University.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> News> Current Affairs / by Prashanth Vijayakumar / September 20th, 2013

Sastri was first Tamilian Supreme Court Chief Justice

September 23, 2013Leaders, Records, Alladmin

M Patanjali Sastri, the first member of the Madras Bar who became the Chief Justice of India in 1952, was indeed a Tamilian and hence holds the distinction of being the first CJI from Tamil Nadu, it now emerges.

Since the popular perception among members of the Chennai judiciary is that Sastri hailed from Nellore in Andhra Pradesh, which was mentioned in Express on June 30 in the report on the elevation of Justice P Sathasivam as the next CJI, Saran Patanjali, the grandson of Sastri, has sought to set the record straight. He clarified that his grandfather was born in Mandakolathur (see passport copy on top right), which is in present day Tiruvannamalai district. The old passport of Sastri, preserved by the grandson along with black and white historic photographs, proves that his place of birth was indeed Mandakolathur.

Saran Patanjali said the ‘error/anomaly pertaining to the nativity’ had hurt the family members, and added: “Sri M Patanjali Sastri was the son of Sri Krishna Sastri, a Tamilian who was a Sanskrit scholar and Headmaster of Muthialpet School in Chennai.” Since Sastri is a Tamilian, he was the first CJI from Tamil Nadu, said Patanjali, who is the son of P Nagarajan, the eldest of Sastri’s sons.

Of Sastri’s eight children — three sons, five daughters — a daughter, Tirupurasundari, resides in Bengaluru and even she was upset over the report mentioning her father as a ‘Telugu’, said Patanjali, who studied law but pursued a career in management and is now Vice president of El Forge Ltd in Chennai.

Among Sastri’s descendents, only one grandson, V Balachandran, had had a career in law. He had practised at the Madras High Court till his death about three years ago.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Express News Service – Chennai / July 03rd, 2013

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