Category Archives: Nature

A house in Chennai is off the grid

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A day in a Chennai cocoa farm

Business & Economy, Nature
Raw Chocolate Plant
Raw Chocolate Plant

Read on to discover where your chocolate comes from,

Nagappa and his team of three usually have their hands full with cocoa pods. It is the fag end of harvest season, after all. But today, their attention is elsewhere.

Heavy showers — that were barely felt in Chennai city — hit hard on the 30-acre farm 60 kilometres away along the Tirupati highway, felling a 20-year-old mango tree near its entrance. “The farm owner, Vijay Kumar sir, is on his way from the city,” he says. His visit is a rare occurrence, so Nagappa, Kamalakanni, Meghala and Panjo are now tackling the fallen tree, hacking its parts and clearing it away. Of the 249 mango trees here, this is one they will miss everyday. Under its shade, on a rare clear patch of land, is where they spend a significant part of their day, shelling (or hacking, more like) cocoa pods.

Once he has a minute to spare, Nagappa demonstrates: He takes a plucked pod and places it on an upturned metal basket. Holding the curved, rolling fruit still with one hand, he picks up a thick, heavy stick with the other, and gives it two sharp whacks. A crack appears along the shell and he prises it open, to reveal an interior vaguely similar to that of a custard apple. It’s larger, of course, and the beans — covered in sticky sweet, white pulp — stick together in a cluster much longer. He plucks out a single little bean to taste: bite into it, and you will see a bitter, deep purple substance. That is the cocoa the world worships.

Cocao02CF15may2019

Harvest time

The farm used to have 3,000 cocoa trees. “Vardah felled many of them: we now have about 2,500 left. But we will also be planting 500 saplings brought in from Andhra,” says Nagappa. Each tree produces about 50 pods a year, a majority of them between April and May. So another part of the team’s work involves visiting each tree as often as they can, to pluck the pods before they get overripe. And how can they tell when they are just right? “You have to know each variety like your child, or they might fool you with their appearance,” smiles Nagappa. Of the four varieties, some turn helpfully yellow when ripe for plucking. Others need their harsh surface scratched by nails before they show their true colours. Yet others don’t change colour at all, “and we pluck them anyway. Especially now, with just a few weeks left in the season, they’ll invariably turn out to be ripe,” says Nagappan confidently.

He should know: he is incharge of not only the farm’s cocoa trees, but also its 250 mango trees, 400 sapota trees, 700 coconut trees and even more gooseberry (amla) trees. Some of them grow in isolated patches while others help each other out. The cocoa, for instance, can only grow in shade, and hence is planted under dense clusters of coconut trees. Large leaves of both stay untouched on the ground when shed, to fertilise the soil together.

Cocao03CF15may2019

“We start working at 8 am and wrap up by 5 pm,” says Kamalakanni, who lives on the farm with her husband while the rest go home. “We water the young trees, check for diseases and bugs, and pluck whatever is ready.” It’s not easy, when you have thousands of trees.

Once the cocoa pads are shelled, they move to fermentation. Among other clients, the farm has tied up with bean-to-bar chocolate maker Cocoatrait, which has been giving them tips on identifying different varieties, how to pluck them so as to speed up the next batch of fruit, and how to ferment. “All these factors play a big role in the final flavour of the end chocolate, so we are happy to tie up and work with farms directly,” says Nitin Chordia, founder of Cocoatrait, who has also done consulting works for farms in Andhra Pradesh and Kerala.

Cocao04CF15may2019

Inside a closed room, pungent with a sweet stench like that of cheap wine, stands a little wooden box lined with banana leaves. It is filled to 75% capacity with cocoa beans, left to heat and ferment by themselves. The box perforated with small holes to stick a thermometer in, and is unpacked regularly to shift the beans around, ensuring equal heat throughout.

But that process takes time. As the harsh afternoon sun teases them from behind wisps of cloud, the workers take a break where the shade of the mango tree once used to be: scraping coconut from its shell and popping it in their mouth. Behind them is strewn a carpet of brick red cocoa shells.

Cocao05CF15may2019

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Life & Style> Food / by Meghna Mazumdar / May 15th, 2019

Smart fence from Erode to avert human-elephant conflict in Nepal

Business & Economy, Education, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Nature, Records, All, Science & Technologies
Team members after installing the smart fence for early elephant warning system in Parsa Wildlife Reserve in Nepal.
Team members after installing the smart fence for early elephant warning system in Parsa Wildlife Reserve in Nepal.

It was developed by a team of researchers from Bannari Amman Institute of Technology

A team of researchers from Bannari Amman Institute of Technology, Sathyamangalam, has installed a smart fence for early elephant warning at Parsa Wildlife Reserve in Nepal.

The team headed by Sanjoy Deb, and comprising R. Ramkumar and L. Rajasekar, designed and developed the system with active support from the college management. The long range LASER-based smart fence has already been installed at two places in Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve.

Since crop raiding by elephants was a major issue in areas located near Parsa Wildlife Reserve in Nepal, the fence was installed there in collaboration with the Nepal Biodiversity Research and Conservation Centre, a NGO based in Nepal. The team visited Nepal recently and installed the fence near the reserve area.

The team members said that the system was specially designed with minimum electronic components. Local team members in Nepal have been provided training in maintaining the system.

They said that the team was now working on improving its features and cost minimisation to make it a true global solution.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Coimbatore / by Staff Reporter / Erode – March 27th, 2019

TA Pugalarasan: Chennai’s turtle man creates a sea change among locals

Amazing Feats, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Nature, Records, All, World Opinion

Pugalarasan hopes to have a small research vessel someday to study endangered marine life.

T.A Pugalarasan
T.A Pugalarasan

On a chilly December morning in 2002, T.A Pugalarasan was walking on the beach in his fishing village Periya Neelankarai when he spotted a stranded sea turtle. He instinctively decided to save the turtle and swam 200 metres beyond the waves to release it back in the ocean. “I had seen several dead sea turtles on the shore. But that was the first time I helped a stranded turtle,” says Pugalarasan.

Like many youngsters in his village, Pugalarasan was initially indifferent to marine life and its conservation. There was even a time when he and his friends used to play with turtle eggs. Life took a different turn for him when he met conservationist Dr. Supraja Dharini, founder of the Tree Foundation.

“My entire perspective about the ocean and its life forms changed after I met Dr. Supraja. When I was younger, I did not know about sea turtles. So I would dig out their eggs and use them as balls to play cricket. They have a very soft shell, unlike other eggs, and so bounce off the ground. I still remember when I met her for the first time, I asked several questions like why we should put turtles back into the sea and why they should be protected,” adds Pugalarasan.

Pugalarasan received the prestigious Ocean award from the Boat International in 2017. ( Photo | Sunish P Surendran)
Pugalarasan received the prestigious Ocean award from the Boat International in 2017.
( Photo | Sunish P Surendran)

After interacting with Dr. Supraja, Pugalarasan realised that protecting sea turtles is like protecting the wealth of the ocean. Today Pugal is part of the Sea Turtle Protection Force (STPF) which comprises over 165 fishermen living along the Coromandel Coast. STPF is an initiative started by the Tree Foundation under the aegis of Dr. Supraja.

Over the years, Pugal and his STPF member have created a sea change in the attitudes of the local community towards the turtles. “We conduct many awareness programmes on endangered marine species in fishing villages, schools and colleges using dance, drama and documentaries,” says Pugal.

“In some fishing communities, the fishermen eat sea turtles. We have built a strong network of informers to save the turtles. We work jointly with the Marine Police, Fisheries Department staff and the Forest Guard,” he says. There was an instance when two turtles were going to be killed for a wedding dinner. On receiving an alert, Pugalarasan along with the Marine Police conducted a rescue operation and saved the turtles. Later they were released into the ocean.

But today things have changed and thanks to the strong network, whenever a turtle, dolphin or whale is stranded, fishermen inform Pugal or the Tree Foundation office. “Whenever I get a call from the fishermen about a stranded turtle or dolphin, I immediately drive to the place in our ambulance with the stranding kit. I give first aid to the injured turtle and bring it to the rescue and rehabilitation centre,” adds Pugal.

Once the turtle is brought to the centre, it is inspected and the treatment is started. Pugalarasan himself has helped in the rehabilitation of more than 40 turtles.

“I have seen Pugal when he was in his early 20s. Since then he has been part of Tree Foundation’s ‘Save the turtles’ mission. He has also helped Tree Foundation expand its conservation to other states. Apart from the turtle conservation initiatives, he along with his STPF members carry out several clean-up programmes along the beaches to make people understand the problems of pollution,” says Dr. Supraja.

Pugalarasan received the prestigious Ocean award from the Boat International in 2017 for pursuing sustainable ways of fishing, protecting sea turtles and educating people about endangered marine species.

He hopes to have a small research vessel someday to study endangered marine life. “I want to share everything I learn about the ocean and marine life. I want people to understand that we must take care of the ocean and its rich marine life. People should also refrain from polluting the ocean with plastic, chemical waste and other trash,” adds Pugalarasan.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Nandalal / Online Desk / March 27th, 2019

Golden Leaf India Awards: Best teas competition begins in Coonoor

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Nature, Records, All

The first-level screening of teas for the 15th edition of ‘TGLIA’ was held at UPASI headquartered in Coonoor.

Tea tasters at First level screening test for TGLIA southern tea competition on at Coonoor.—DC
Tea tasters at First level screening test for TGLIA southern tea competition on at Coonoor. —DC

Coonoor :

For this year’s ‘Golden Leaf India Awards: Southern Tea Competition (TGLIA)’, the first-level screening of teas began here in Coonoor on Saturday, as tea manufacturers showed keen interest in the competition.

The TGLIA conceived by United Planters’  Association of South India (UPASI) in collaboration with Tea Board of India is an annual feature eagerly looked forward to by the tea fraternity in South India.

This competition over the last 14 years helped immensely to showcase the quality teas of various regions of South India all over the world, said Mr. Arun Kumar, convener, Organising Committee of  TGLIA.

He further added that there was considerable enthusiasm amongst the producers to participate in this year’s TGLIA competition, 15th edition this year, which showed the success and  popularity of this competition.

As many as 152 entries were received from 44 tea estates/companies for this year’s competition from different agro-climatic regions of Nilgiris, Wayanad, Anamallais, Travancore, High Ranges, other minor tea growing regions, and from ‘Bought Leaf’ factories. This unique event generated an intense competition among the six growing regions to produce quality teas, he disclosed.

The first-level screening of teas for the 15th edition of ‘TGLIA’  was held  at UPASI headquartered in Coonoor.  A five -member panel representing leading tea brokers and packagers evaluated the teas that have entered the competition.

The process of selecting the best teas’ from various agro-climatic regions is based on a multilayer screening process using a scoring system that capture the various quality attributes of tea such as dry leaf appearance, infused or spent leaf appearance, liquor attributes such as colour, taste/flavour, briskness and strength in an objective manner.

The teas qualifying the first level of screening will also be screened for pesticide residue parameters and heavy metals. The final tasting session is likely to be held  in Ahmedabad, Mr. Kumar added.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / by B. RaviChandran , Deccan Chronicle / March 03rd, 2019

Startup in Coimbatore to receive funding from local investors

Business & Economy, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Nature

More than 800 households in Coimbatore city receive fresh milk at their door step every morning from the villages near Annur. The milk has no chemicals or preservatives added and is tested for quality before it is packed. Sold under VilFresh brand, it is the flagship product of Laymen Agro Ventures, a startup based out of Coimbatore.

Procuring milk from 30 farmers, the company also provides employment to youngsters in the villages. The youth are given two wheelers and they bring the milk to the city and take agro inputs for farmers on their return trip daily.

“We started with an initial investment of ₹30 lakh to enter urban kitchens with fresh agro produce. Apart from milk we also supply grains and pulses,” says Selvakumar Varadarajan, its Chief Executive Layman.

With plans to reach out to nearly 8,000 households in Coimbatore, strengthen its product portfolio, set up a unit to make value added products, and commence operations in cities such as Tirupur, Madurai, Tiruchi, and Salem, Laymen Agro requires funds to scale up. And the funding will come from a group of investors in the State and a couple of investment firms.

Nativelead Coimbatore will bring in ₹65 lakh from angel investors in Tamil Nadu and the rest will come from Upaya Social Ventures and Sangam Ventures, says Sivarajah Ramanathan, Founder and President of Nativelead Foundation.

The organisation chose Laymen Agro as it is buying fresh milk from farmers paying a relatively higher price and the model of business can be replicated in other cities.

“We are doing three investments this month in Coimbatore, Tiruchi, and Tindivanam totalling ₹2.4 crore. Of this, ₹1 crore is for Laymen Agro,” he says.

“We will receive the investment in two tranches with the first one on Wednesday,” Mr. Varadarajan adds.

A function will be held here on Wednesday when a new team of office bearers will take charge at Nativelead Coimbatore and the equity investment will be made by the organisation in the startup. Jayaram Govindarajan, who will be chairman of Nativelead Coimbatore for 2019-20, said the team is looking forward to promoting an alternative investment option for native entrepreneurs.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Coimbatore / by M. Soundariya Preetha / Coimbatore – February 27th, 2019

IIT-M research generates lasers from carrots

Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Education, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Nature, Records, All, Science & Technologies, World Opinion

Carrots cooked in alcohol may soon be a popular source of lasers.

Chennai :

Carrots cooked in alcohol may soon be a popular source of lasers. Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) have demonstrated the possibility of generating laser in an eco-friendly way, by using carrots as a lasing material, according to a statement issued by the institute.
The laser, generated through this technique, has immense potential in the field of bio-imaging.

Currently, the most common lasing materials, such as Indium-Gallium-Arsenic and Gallium-Nitrates, are manufactured using toxic chemical processes which are harmful to the environment. The new technique that the researchers have come up with uses just minimally processed carrots.“We fondly call this kitchen laser,” exclaimed Sivarama Krishnan, one of the guides of the research.

The research was undertaken by a team comprising Prof C Vijayan, Assistant Professor Sivarama Krishnan, and Venkata Siva Gummaluri, a PhD research scholar, from the Physics department of IIT-M.
The discovery itself was a result of the after-work-hours fun experiment, said Sivarama Krishnan. “We were pumping light through various organic materials and found that carrots have lasing properties. For example, we also tried orange juice and tomato juice,” he said. What set the humble carrot apart was the optically active bio-pigment called carotenoids present in the vegetable.

Although the fluorescence quantum yield of carotenoids is much less, compared to standard organic laser dyes, the vibrational spectra can be obtained even with extremely low concentrations of carotenoids, said Sivarama Krishnan. “We could easily increase the concentration of caretenoids on the surface of the carrots, by simply cooking it in alcohol. Then we pump light through a slice of the surface to get laser,” he said.

While the traditional polymers used were toxic and non-biodegradable, there has been search for more eco-friendly fluorescent polymers. In this search, the team looked at biological molecules as probable lasing sources.

Speaking about the importance of this research, Vijayan said, “There is now a move towards development of green, sustainable materials for various applications, including in photonics. The need for green photonic technologies is obvious in the current times where sustainability, bio-compatibility and degradability are of paramount importance.”

Carrots, in addition to having carotenoids, also have cellulose fibres that contribute to multiple scattering of photons and resultant optical amplification for Raman random lasing. The demonstration uses a process, first discovered by CV Raman, who won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1930.

The researchers plan to advance their research to make the material more commercially viable. Currently, this material has potential as it is natural, bio-compatible, safe to handle and highly reliable.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Sushmitha Ramkrishnan / Express News Service / February 05th, 2019

Juicy Chemistry to show its organic skin care range at Vivaness 2019

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Nature, Records, All
Pritesh Asher and Megha Asher | Photo Credit: M.Periasamy
Pritesh Asher and Megha Asher | Photo Credit: M.Periasamy

Juicy Chemistry hopes to spread the good word about their certified organic range of skin care products at the prestigious trade fair, Vivaness 2019

City-based Juicy Chemistry that is an organic skincare brand gets ready to participate in Vivaness 2019. In association with BIOFACH, Vivaness is the world’s largest trade fare exhibition for organic/natural personal care, skin care and organic food products. It is to be held between February 13 and 16 at Nuremberg, Germany. Explaining its significance for Juicy Chemistry, its co-founder and Managing Director, Pritesh Asher says that it is the opportunity of a lifetime to participate in this fair that is in its 30th consecutive year. “As Juicy Chemistry is a 100% Certified Organic Skincare brand, we will co-exhibit with Ecocert (the worlds largest organic certification body). We will present over 100 products that are certified by the Cosmetic Organic Standard (COSMOS).”

Megha Asher, founder and CEO of Juicy Chemistry, reiterates, “This expo onlyshowcases brands that are 100 per cent natural/organic.” She explains the stringent screening process that preceded their participation and adds, “Every product we want to showcase here is screened for various parameters. Exhibitors are required to keep the necessary documentation to validate the products on display comply with these standards.” (see box)

The fair expects over 50,000 visitors and 2,900 exhibitors from 154 countries over four days and “gives us a chance to represent India and present to the world that we are built on a simple philosophy that emphasises on ‘less is more’,” says Megha. It is all a matter of pride for the country, says Pritesh.

“We are a clean, environmentally-friendly, sustainable, cruelty-free, certified organic brand. More importantly, we want to show the international buyers that we can deliver world class products, which comply to the highest international standards. And all of them are made right here, in India.”

Juicy Chemistry is a very young company, just four and a half years old. Says Megha, “We started with ₹5,000 and the rice and green tea scrub (it is still a bestseller). We then built up our brand one product at a time and here we are today with over a 100 items and going to this prestigious international fair. I am excited.”

Stringent screening

The products should contain only natural or organic raw materials

There should be no petrochemical-based raw materials

There should be no synthetic ingredients including synthetic fats, oils, waxes or silicones. The list of no-nos is long

All ingredients used should be declared on the products

The natural raw materials must not be produced from genetically modified organisms

Products should be manufactured without using ionising radiation

Products are, as far as possible, produced and processed to the latest technical standards in an environment-friendly way

The products must be cruelty free

Beauty, naturally

Juicy Chemistry is preparing to launch a complete range of organic care for athletes and an intimate care line for women. They also have a range for junior care. “The aim is to bring simplified chemical-free solutions in anything that we use in our day to day life,” says Megha

Find out more on www.juicychemistry.com

The range is also available on Amazon.com and Amazon.in

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Life & Style / by Pankaja Srinivasan / February 01st, 2019

The girl with green wonders

Amazing Feats, Education, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Nature

Prasiddhi Singh is unlike other five-year-olds.

Prasiddhi Singh is a class 1 student of Mahindra World School
Prasiddhi Singh is a class 1 student of Mahindra
World School

Chennai :

Prasiddhi Singh is unlike other five-year-olds. She has successfully raised Rs 41, 254 on Ketto, a crowdfunding platform for her mission to ‘save flora, fauna and the planet we live in’. The class 1 student from Mahindra World School is an inspiration to people of all ages. Talking to us about how environment-based issues piqued her interest at such a young age, Stuti Singh, Prasiddhi’s mother says, “My husband and I have always been inclined towards fitness, and we introduced Prasiddhi to jogging when she was two years old.

As a family, We participated in a Ridley Run event — for ‘Save the turtles campaign’ in 2015. She was the youngest participant in that event.” Since then, Prasiddhi has been actively taking part in several events, including tree plantation drives, beach cleaning, that promote environmental awareness. “Eventually, she started understanding the impact of pollution and wanted to do her bit to save the planet. We understood her interest in such activities and decided to give her the needed exposure,” shares Stuti.

The cause-driven child has also spent a considerable amount of time being mentored by Hafiz from CommuniTree. “Recently, Mahindra World City, where we live, conducted a ‘one lakh tree plantation drive’ and Prasiddhi used to ask her father almost every day to take her to the field to plant. That’s when we connected with Hafiz. She spent a lot of time with him understanding the way plants grow, how fences save plants from external damages, and why planting is instrumental in keeping the environment thriving,” she says.

After being part of the tree plantation drive, Prasiddhi discussed the possibility of planting another one lakh saplings in the area, with Hafiz, Praveen (her father) and Stuti. “She was determined and had her goal set. But, the scale of the project was quite overwhelming and that’s when Hafiz suggested that we plan it in multiple phases. We started exploring different crowdfunding options and chose Ketto. This is the first phase of a bigger project,” she explains.

Prasiddhi plans to harvest a micro fruit farm to feed the depleting bird population in the city and spread the message on the importance of trees. The idea for such a farm popped when Prasiddhi came across her father’s childhood anecdotes — about climbing trees, eating and enjoying fruits with his friends. “These tales resulted in fruit tree plantations, but her willingness to share it with other kids, especially the underprivileged, made us take this project to government schools to ensure that every child can enjoy the fruit forests,” says Stuti.

Prasiddhi wants to create her own ‘Kids Army’ — where she will plant trees in all the schools and create students club to maintain the trees. “I will monitor those fruit forests regularly,” she says. Prasiddhi’s observation about the depleting bird population comes from quite a startling incident. Narrating the incident, she says, “Sometime back, during a drive with my parents, a few butterflies dotted the windscreen.

I asked my parents, ‘Why do these butterflies come in our way?’ for which they answered, ‘We are coming in the way of birds and butterflies as we have cut a lot of forests and trees. They have lost their habitats.’ I was shocked. Since then, I have been keeping water for birds in my gallery. I want to take baby steps to make a difference.” Prasiddhi’s day starts in the wee hours, with a morning jog along with her father, followed by a gardening session and mantra chanting. She heads to school by 7.30 am, followed by playschool till 7 pm.

“She completes her school work there so that she can spend some quality time with us once she is back. At home, we play indoor/outdoor games and talk about the entire day’s activities. We have dinner together, read some bedtime stories and sleep by 9.30 pm. Our daughter inspires us and we are proud of her,” says Stuti.

Kids army
Prasiddhi Singh plans to harvest a micro fruit farm to feed the depleting bird population in the city and spread the message on the importance of trees. She wants to create her own ‘Kids Army’ — where she will plant trees in all the schools and create students club to maintain the trees. “I will monitor those fruit forests on a regular basis,” says Prasiddhi. She recently initiated the fruit tree planting in a children’s home in Puducherry. “This month, we will also plant in one of the government schools in Kancheepuram,” says Stuti Singh.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Roshne Balasubramanian / Express News Service / January 03rd, 2019

This local ‘wild beauty’ helps cure jaundice

Green Initiatives/ Environment, Nature, Records, All, Science & Technologies

In general, plants of ornamental value are grown in gardens just to increase the aesthetic features of landscapes.

Mussaenda frondosa
Mussaenda frondosa

Chennai  :

In general, plants of ornamental value are grown in gardens just to increase the aesthetic features of landscapes. The ornamental features of the plants may not necessarily be flowers but could also be bright coloured foliage, curiously looking fruits, unusual forms and textures of barks. In all the above cases, the prime intention of the garden planner is to provide eye-pleasing designs to visitors.

In order to enhance the aesthetic values of the gardens/landscapes, our Indian horticulturists import numerous exotic species. However, the flip side to importing exotic species, often, is the sidelining of native, productive landscapes. Apparently, farmers in our country are spending lots money and energy in combating the spread of these invasive ‘imported beauties’. Therefore, it is inevitable for us to learn about the plant species that grow naturally and enhance natural landscapes.

This type of native ornamental plants are known as ‘wild beauties’. This is the right time for nature lovers to turn their attention towards familiarising and propagating our native plants. Interestingly, in addition, our native plants are useful as medicines, food and drinks, and some species are reported to positively alter human attitudes, behaviours and psychological responses.

Mussaenda frondosa L., which belongs to Rubiaceae is one such wild beauty that can be spotted even at a distance because of its shiny, large, leaf-like floral parts. The vernacular names Bellila (Kannada); Vellila (Malayalam); Velli Madandai and popular names in English, Flag Bush, White Lady reveal the beauty of this ornamental shrub. In Sanskrit, this is known as Shruvati.

This wild beauty also has several medicinal uses. Leaves and flowers are crushed and applied externally in case of wounds. The shiny leaf-like bracts is boiled in water, and the liquid is then used to cleanse hair. It is also used to treat jaundice. The juice of the plant is used to treat eye infections. In addition, the common plant’s — found to grow in moist deciduous to evergreen forests of Western Ghats — decoction of leaves are administered orally to get rid of intestinal worms.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Lifestyle> Health / by Ganesh Babu NM / Express News Service / November 21st, 2018