Category Archives: Records, All

Rare coin from 13th century found in Palani

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

Palani :

Coins pertaining to the Pandya dynasty dating back to the 13th century AD have been found in the collection of a numismatist in Palani recently.

V Narayanamoorthy, an archaeologist from Palani in Dindigul district was told about the collection of one numismatist Sugumar Bose. When he had gone to review the collection he found a coin dating back to the 13th century AD and was of one of the Pandya kings Sundarapandian.

“Bose told me that he had had it in his collection for about six years now and it was discovered by a sand miner on the Shanmuganathi riverbed who had given it to him. He, howeve,r did not know the importance of this rare coin,” Narayanamoorthy said.

Narayanamoorthy also said that the coin had the royal emblem of the Pandya dynasty with two fish in a standing position and the weapon known as the ‘chendu’ in the middle. The bronze coin weighing 800 mg and measuring 15 mm in diameter had the name ‘Sundaran’ inscribed on it and the word had been split in two lines.

This was a region that was ruled by the Cholas as well as the Pandyas and also thrived as an important trade centre in the past, he said. What makes this coin unique is that it contained the name of the king in full form as ‘Sundaran’ whereas similar coins discovered in this region had the name mentioned only as ‘Su’ depicting the first letter of the name or ‘Sundar’ which was also an incomplete form, he said.

About six to seven Pandya kings with the name Sundarapandian are said to have ruled the dynasty during a period of about 75 years during the 13{+t}{+h} century and the one following it, so it is not known which king is mentioned here. “But, this rare coin would definitely throw more light into that history,” Narayanamoorthy said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Madurai / TNN / February 11th, 2014

School where Ramanujan studied celebrates 150 years

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

Kumba :

Town Higher Secondary School in Kumbakonam, which started as a primary school in 1864, reached a milestone at the start of this year when it completed 150 years.

The school, which moulded stalwarts like mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan, former Union finance minister  T T Krishnamachari, HCL chief Shiv Nadar, mridangist Umayalpuram Sivaraman and many famous personalities from different walks of life, celebrated its 150th anniversary at a three-day function, which began on January 26.

The school was started by retired English head constable Martin who was also its headmaster. Later, it was managed by Indians and local philanthropists donated a piece of land where a big building was constructed. The new school building was inaugurated in 1892.

Ramanujan was a student of the school in 1898 and it was here that he came across a book titled ‘Synopsis of Elementary Results in Pure Mathematics’ written by G S Carr. Influenced by the book, he began working on mathematics on his own, summing geometric and arithmetic series, says a write up on Ramanujan by Tata Institute of Fundamental Research.

Governor K Rosaiah who took part in the celebrations on Wednesday said that the educational institution produced several eminent and great citizens of India.

“Starting with a humbling beginning, when we turn back and see the years passed by, this great institution has been doing remarkably well right from its inception,” Rosaiah said. “I am delighted to see that his renowned temple of learning is seated in the heart of this temple town” he added.

The governor also appealed to the teachers to build students into men and women of sound mind with a good heart coupled with a fine blend of character. The 21st century belongs to the knowledge society and it has opened tremendous opportunities. The schools and educational institutions should take it as their onerous responsibility to build the youth into leaders of tomorrow. “The national’s future progress depends on our ability to innovate,” he said.

Earlier, accompanied by Union shipping minister G K Vasan, the governor paid floral tributes to the statue of Ramanujan.

Speaking to TOI, Umayalpuram Sivaraman said, “Discipline was the hallmark of the Town High School. Headmasters were very particular about students coming to school on time and used to stand at the gate. The very look of the headmaster used to make us run and never turn late in the following days.” He studied in the school from 1944-45 till 50-51.

The teachers of the school were affectionate and took personal care of the students. “The standard of teaching was very high and there was no escape from showing the report card or assessment sheets to parents. The teachers used to counsel students who were poor in some subjects and also inform the parents,” said Sivaraman.

Many of the old students have paid back in kind to the school by donating money towards renovation of buildings, providing computers and other modern equipment for the school. Shiv Nadar has provided computers, an LCD projector and other accessories worth Rs 60 lakh to the school.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Trichy> Primary School / TNN / January 30th, 2014

Stopping by history

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

Old buildings and by-lanes unveil their past to PARSHATHY J. NATH as she goes on a heritage walk

Clock Tower
Clock Tower

“I have never looked so carefully at these buildings before,” says Ramya Raghuram, a corporate employee as we wend our way around honking vehicles and bullock carts around Town Hall. She is not alone in this observation. All of us in the heritage tour, organised by the Indian National Trust for Art, Culture and Heritage and The Vanavarayar Foundation, are struck by the old buildings that crowd the lanes of Town Hall.

PHOTO: M. PERIASAMY
PHOTO: M. PERIASAMY

The walk, which begins at the Manikoondu bus stop, has its first halt at Victoria Town Hall, built in 1892. Epigraphist R. Jegadeesan, our guide, tells us a little about the history of the place. “It was built to commemorate Queen Victoria’s 50th year of reign. Similar buildings were commissioned in Tiruchi and Tirupur.”

In 1993, Jegadeesan said, there were talks of demolishing Town Hall because the building was damaged, but Commissioner Niranjan Martin sanctioned a sum of Rs. nine lakh to renovate the building while retaining its original structure.”

We stop before an old house. “This is the house where Kovai Tamil Sangam, a group of Tamil scholars, functioned from. Poets such as Subramaniya Mudaliyar wrote from here and newsletters on Kongunadu’s history were brought out,” says Jegadeesan.

Karuppu Gounder Street was named after a Telugu businessman. It is one of the many veedhis with Telugu and Kannada names. We learn that Coimbatore was home to Telugus and Kannadiga migrants in the 12th Century. Here, we halt in front of a cream-coloured Vishnu temple. “This temple stands on a site where there was a small temple built in the 17th Century temple during the reign of Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar. Here, the members of the Jetty community practised Silambattam,” says Jagadeesan.

Raja Veedhi is also known as the Thermutti Veedhi as the temple chariot halts here during festivals. “The street got its name from the chieftain, Maadhaian Raja. It was called Maadhaian Raja Veedhi; today, it has been shortened to Raja Veedhi,” says Jegadeesan.

A red brick building, built in 1862 used to be the collector’s bungalow. As we walk, a discussion springs up between Senthur Pandian, a history teacher from the Government Arts College, and some history students. “Kovai has been ruled by different South Indian dynasties such as the Cheras, Cholas and Pandiyas in the 11th Century. However, the history of Kongunadu before the 11th Century is largely undocumented,” says Senthur.

We come a full circle and end the walk at Manikoondu, now bathed in the glow of neon lights. Students huddle around Jegadeesan wanting to know more. “How did Oppanakkara street get its name?” “Oppanakkara Veedhi is so named because it was once a centre of Telugu tax collectors calledOppanaharu,” Jegadeesan answers.

The students are pleased. “We have read about these places in our text books but seeing them for real was fascinating,” says Silambarasan K, a Ph. D scholar in history. “I will not look at Town Hall the same way again.”

These heritage tours are important for students, says Senthur. “Since they have seen these places themselves, they will understand their city’s history better.”

STOP AND GO

Karuppu Gounder Street Named after a Telugu businessman

Oppanakkara Veedhi Was once a centre of Telugu tax collectors called Oppanaharu Febr

Victoria Town Hall Built in 1892 to commemorate Queen Victoria’s 50th year of reign

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus> Events / by Parshaty J Nath / Coimbatore – February 05th, 2014

Clock tower at Mint ticks again

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All, Science & Technologies
Last year, a team of Corporation officials involved in the construction of Mint flyover decided to give a fresh look to the clock tower./ Photo: K. Pichumani / The Hindu
Last year, a team of Corporation officials involved in the construction of Mint flyover decided to give a fresh look to the clock tower./ Photo: K. Pichumani / The Hindu

60-ft-tall structure became defunct decades ago

A century ago, British officers at Fort St. George used to fire cannonballs at 8 p.m. every day, it is said.

The practice stopped after the first standalone clock tower was built at Doveton junction in the early 1900s.

One such clock tower, at Mint Junction, that had been defunct for decades, got a lifeline on Friday when it was run on a trial basis following repairs.

The 60-feet-tall clock tower was revived by the Chennai Corporation and P. Orr & Sons. Each aluminium dial on the clock is four feet in diameter.

“Most of the mechanical iron equipment was rusted and jammed as lubricants had dried over the years. We repaired the clock completely free of cost,” said S. Vel Mani, senior manager, P. Orr & Sons.

At present, the city has only four standalone clock towers — at Mint, Royapettah, Doveton and Pulianthope.

It was last year, when a team of Corporation officials was involved in the construction of Mint flyover, they decided to give a fresh look to the clock tower and roped in experts from P. Orr & Sons.

Run on weight-driven mechanism, the clock has a pendulum, a swinging weight, as its time-keeping element.

Six iron plates have been tied to a metal rope and connected to a chain of wheels.

When the wheels rotate, the iron plates go down and the brass pointer on the dial of the clock moves.

Once the plates hit the floor, the clock stops working. Once a week, maintenance staff in charge of the clock will key it by lifting the plates to run the clock.

A classic example of art-deco architecture, the features of the clock tower include high use of cement concrete, linear model, thin lines, rich usage of colours and fewer floral engravings.

“The architectural style of the clock towers and cinema theatres built in the city in the 1900s were influenced by the industrial and French revolutions,” said historian Sriram V.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by D. Madhavan / Chennai – January 19th, 2014

Kumbakonam Sri Mangalambika Vilas 100 and counting (Foodie Trail)

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

The small Sri Mangalambiga Vilas eatery could be easily missed as a non-descript joint in this temple-cum-business town but for a board reading “Since 1914” kept outside amidst the bustle on the lane leading to the Adi Kumbeswarar Temple.

It is not easy to remain in the restaurant business for over 100 years serving traditional South Indian dishes like idly, dosa and others. All the more in Kumbakonam, where almost every eatery serves tasty food and the famed degree coffee.

The success of Sri Mangalambiga Vilas becomes evident when one starts eating the sponge-like soft steaming idly or the crispy dosa (rice or rava) with sambar and coconut chutney.

A little girl who was troubling her mother by refusing to eat the idly on her banana leaf started gulping it down fast after the first bite.

The South Indian coffee – a mix of milk, coffee decoction and sugar – tasted great.

There was a Non-Resident Indian (NRI) family from the US enjoying their meal at the cramped eatery without making any fuss. The staff treated them like any other guests, a pointer that NRI guests are regulars there.

The lunch (rice, sambar, rasam, curd/buttermilk, vegetables) is also good – light on the purse and the stomach. It is a pleasant surprise to hear the staff enquiring from the guests if they wabt second or third helpings of vegetable curries, whereas in such places, you will only get a single small cup.

“The hotel must have been functioning even prior to 1914. But I do not have any record. Based on my father’s age at the time of his death and his age when he came to Kumbakonam I arrived at the year 1914. That is why I have used the words “Since 1914” and not “Established 1914,” proprietor H. Rajagopal told IANS.

He said his father V.G. Harihara Iyer came to Kumbakonam when he was 14 to work in the eatery, then owned by a named Thayu Patti.

“My father died in 1955 when he was 52 years old. By that time, he had bought the hotel from Thayu Patti, who decided to quit the business due to her old age,” Rajagopal said.

In those days the eatery was also called Sannadhi Kadai or Koil Kadai.

While there are outlets in Chennai proclaiming to sell Kumbakonam Degree Coffee, strangely no such boards were visible in Kumbakonam itself.

According to Rajagopal, coffee which is prepared with the first decoction and freshly boiled, pure cow’s milk, is called degree coffee.

“Coffee decoction is made pouring boiling water on coffee powder kept in a filter. The filtered decoction will be strong. It is called first decoction and coffee made with this is called degree coffee,” he said.

Rajagopal said another round of decoction can be obtained from the same coffee powder but it will be lighter.

“Degree coffee made with cow’s milk would taste better than the one made with buffalo milk. We used to roast coffee beans ourselves. The more the beans are roasted the decoction yield will be lower but the coffee would taste better,” he pointed out.

“Today, rich people come here. But the hotel is not for the rich class. People from all walks of lives frequent the hotel,” Rajagopal, also known as Ramani, remarked.

According to K. Hariharan, who manages the eatery, Tamil and Telugu movie actors have visited the place.

Rajagopal’s cousin Ambi Iyer has acted in Tamil movie “Nanban” made by director S. Shankar.

“Shankar, in his younger days, had bought tiffin from our hotel. At that time he had seen Ambi Iyer. And in “Nanban”, he had a role suitable for Ambi Iyer,” Hariharan told IANS.

However, business establishments too have to change with times and Sri Mangalambiga Vilas is no exception. In 2010 the 30-cover eatery was renovated and another round of renovation and expansion is in the offing.

“We are planning to expand by soon opening an air-conditioned dining hall which would increase the number of covers,” Hariharan said.

According to Rajagopal, there are several traditional South Indian dishes like sevvai and others that can be added to the menu so that the offering is not limited to items like idly, dosa, upma and pongal, among others.

Rajagopal does not have any plans of branching out on his own or on franchising the model.

“My elder daughter in the US wants to open an outlet there,” Rajagopal said.

On his plans for celebrating the centenary or say naming a dish with 100 as the suffix, Rajagopal said he had not thought about that.

(Venkatachari Jagannathan can be contacted at v.jagannathan@ians.in

source: http://ww.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> News-IANS> Features / IANS / Kumbakonam (TamilNadu) / January 21st, 2014

9,000% dividend! Record payout from TMB

Business & Economy, Records, All

Coimbatore :

Hold your breath shareholders! Tamilnad Mercantile Bank (TMB) has declared an interim dividend of 9,000 per cent. Yes, you read it right.

That’s actually Rs 900 per share of Rs 10 each, for the fiscal ending March 2014.

The board of this Tuticorin-headquartered bank took a decision to this effect at a meeting held on January 18.

Bank sources said this would translate into an outgo of Rs 25.6 crore (unchanged from last year).

Highest in the sector

The 9,000 per cent interim dividend is said to be the highest in the banking industry and this is the second year in a row that the bank has declared such a high dividend. It may be recalled that the bank’s board had approved a dividend of Rs 750 per share for 2008-09 and Rs 1,000 per share the following year, but could not make the payment as the annual general meetings for 2009-10 and 2010-11 were not held due to legal issues.

Legal tangles

The AGMs for the subsequent years have also not been held till date.

As a result of the legal tangles, the bank has been compelled to hold back some major decisions, including the plan to go for an initial public offering.

Bank sources said TMB’s shares continue to trade at between Rs 60,000 and Rs 65,000 a share in the informal market.

source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home / by L. N. Revathy  revathy.lakshminarasimhan@thehindu.co.in / Coimbatore – January 21st, 2014

MADRAS MISCELLANY : The long and the Shortt of it

About Chennai(Madras) / TamilNadu, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Nature, Records, All, Science & Technologies, World Opinion

When I revise my book on the Anglo-Indians, one of the many achievers I will have to add to my already long list will be Dr. John Shortt of the Madras Medical Services in the 19th Century. He could well have been one of the Madras Medical School’s first students when it was founded in 1835 with ten East Indians, as Anglo-Indians were then known, to be trained as apothecaries and 11 Indians to be trained as dressers, both, however, being additionally trained in diagnostic and aftercare skills. Among the four-member staff to train them, headed by Surgeon Mortimer, was Apothecary D’Beaux, an East Indian, and P. Muthuswami Mudaliar, but where they were trained I have not been able to trace. It was possibly this team that trained John Shortt.

To cut a long story to Shortt, he joined the East India Company’s services as an Assistant Apothecary. He must have been something exceptional even then, for he was selected to go to Edinburgh to study further. There he got an MD degree before returning to India to join the Madras Medical Services in 1854. In the Service, he served with the rank Surgeon-Major. When he retired 25 years later, he was serving in the rank of Colonel and, more importantly, as the Deputy Surgeon-General of the Madras Presidency, quite an achievement in those days for an East Indian.

Like many Government officials in those days, Shortt too spent much time on a variety of interests which got them wider recognition. His interests were botany, biology and anthropology. His published works included a paper on the Indigo plant in 1860, an anthropological study of the Todas, and a paper on the coffee plant. His paper on Indigo, written when he was Zillah (District) Surgeon, Chingleput, was published by ‘Pharoah and Co’. It was a publication noteworthy for its two-column page format featuring the English text in the left column and the “Hindustani translation” in Urdu script on the right. Shortt also practised as a veterinary surgeon after his retirement in Yercaud till his death. Out of his experiences of those years came a book titled A Manual Of Indian Cattle And Sheep: Their Breeds, Management And Diseases published by Higginbotham’s.

A page from Dr. Shortt’s book on Indigo / The Hindu
A page from Dr. Shortt’s book on Indigo / The Hindu

His work in biology was responsible for Shortt being invited to be a Fellow of the Linnean Society, London. He was later to propose Dr. Senjee Pulney Andy (Miscellany, August 26, 2013) for a Fellowship of the Society. Both of them independently wrote articles on the branching palms in South India that were published in 1869 in two different journals of the Linnean Society. Both also wrote on the Palmyrah and other flora in the journals of the Madras Agri-Horticultural Society. Shortt, who in the early 1870s, was listed as the Superintendent-General of Vaccination, was probably Pulney Andy’s boss, the latter serving as the Superintendent of Vaccination, Malabar, at the time. Shortt was also during this period the Secretary of the Obstetrical Society of Madras. He passed away in Yercaud on April 24, 1889. I wonder whether a reader in Yercaud can come up with a picture of Shortt’s tombstone and a note on his practice there.

******

The Turings of Madras

Alan Turing / The Hindu
Alan Turing / The Hindu

It was Vishwas Ghaskadbi who set me on this trail by sending me an extraordinary story of coincidence related by Anvar Alikhan shortly after the story appeared of the famed World War II code breaker, Alan Mathison Turing, also known as the ‘Father of the Computer’, being pardoned posthumously by Queen Elizabeth II 60 years after he had been convicted for homosexuality. Shortly after the conviction, Turing had committed suicide.

Alikhan, doing a bit of research on Turing, discovered that Turing had connections with Madras on both sides of his family. The trail led to a house in Coonoor to which had retired E.W. Stoney, a railwayman, who was the father of Ethel Sara Stoney, the mother of Alan Turing. Then came the amazing coincidence — The Gables, which still survives in Coonoor, was bought by Nandan Nilekani, one of India’s leading authorities on the IT industry. He had no idea that his holiday home had a Turing connection — till Alikhan showed him indisputable evidence dating to 1916 that E.W. Stoney had indeed been the owner of The Gables.

Nandan Nilekani / The Hindu
Nandan Nilekani / The Hindu

The statement by Alikhan that Turing had connections with Madras on both sides of the family got me searching for the trail of the Turings of Madras. The Turing story in Madras begins in 1729 with Robert Turing, the fourth son of Sir John Turing, the 3rd Baronet, being appointed Surgeon’s mate in Fort St. David, on the recommendation of Dr. John Turing (a kinsman?), who was the Surgeon of the East Indiaman Greenwich which called at Madras that year. By 1741, Dr. Robert Turing was Surgeon at Vizagapatam and then served in Madras from 1753 to 1762 as a Presidency Surgeon. He lived in a house near Harris Bridge, which is near the Casino Theatre.

Dr. Robert Turing helped Robert Clive to recover from a prolonged illness in 1752 and had him fit to sail for England early in 1753. He was also a persistent advocate for a much larger hospital in the Fort. He wanted space for 250 men, an area to treat 200-300 seamen when the Fleet was in the Roads, and an operating theatre. It was from Sir John Turing’s brother Walter’s line that Alan Turing descended; his father was Julius Mathison Turing, an ICS officer who served in Bihar and the Ganjam District of Madras Presidency.

Whether they were connected with Robert Turing or not, there were in Madras in the second half of the 18th Century John and William Turing, both in the Madras Civil Service, and James and Robert Turing in the Madras Army. John Turing Senior was Sheriff in 1767 (an office William Turing who entered the Civil Service in 1769 was to hold in 1778) and Mayor in 1776. He lived in a garden house in Vepery. Another John Turing, Junior, arrived in 1795 and died in Vizagapatam in 1808. Significantly, that great chronicler of Madras History, H.D. Love, writes c.1912 that “the name of Turing is still represented in the Indian Civil Service in the Southern Presidency.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus> Madras Miscellany / by S. Muthiah / Chennai – January 12th, 2014

Adopting technology and innovation in farming sets them apart

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Records, All, Science & Technologies
Progressive practices:Velanmai Chemmal awardees with their certificates and mementos, at the State-level Farmers’ Day at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University in Coimbatore recently. / by Special Arrangement / The Hindu
Progressive practices:Velanmai Chemmal awardees with their certificates and mementos, at the State-level Farmers’ Day at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University in Coimbatore recently. / by Special Arrangement / The Hindu

As it does every year, this time too the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University gave away awards to five select farmers from different parts of the State in recognition of their innovation and progressive methods followed in agriculture.

Instituted by the university, the Velanmai Chemmal Awards are sponsored by C.R.I. Pumps.

This year’s achievers included G. Mayilsamy from Sulur Kaliapuram, Coimbatore, for his contribution to seed and bio-fertilizer production by adopting new technologies, and also for making many other farmers follow them to turn them into progressive farmers.

G. Karikalan from Keelapatti, Karur district, for adoption of latest technologies in ensuring sustainable agriculture received an award too. He has also established a co-operative production company, which is operating successfully.

T. Rajkumar from Devankudi, Tiruvarur district, was recognised for his contribution to sustainable agriculture and service to farming community. He is involved in extensive use of mechanisation, from sowing to harvest of rice. He has also associated himself and other farmers with animal husbandry, to generate additional income.

A.P. Karuppiah, a banana farmer from Sinnamanur, Theni district, received award for his contribution and service to farming community. He has been instrumental in motivating farmers to form associations and take up processing technologies in making banana products

R. Suganthi from Neyveli in Cuddalore district, was recognised for her contribution to rural women’s development and service to farming community. She has been associated with making and marketing processed food products. She is also involved in spreading the food processing technologies of the university among women Self Help Groups.

According to Vice-Chancellor K. Ramasamy, the selection procedure is very stringent. “Applications for the award are distributed by the Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs). The KVKs shortlist and submit a list of five names. These names are assessed by a five-member committee based on 10 criteria. The criterion is not only to do with their achievements, but also how much they can disseminate the knowledge that made them achieve great heights,” he said.

The final five were selected from the shortlisted 12. The winners of the award will visit all the colleges and campuses of the university to share their experiences with students.

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

Engineer gets dream job past 50

Business & Economy, Records, All
L.Rajagopal / The Hindu
L.Rajagopal / The Hindu

Government job comes 22 years after he registered with employment exchange

Twenty-two years after he registered with the employment exchange in Tamil Nadu, L.Rajagopal’s dream came true: he landed a government job, six years before he is scheduled to retire.

He was given his appointment order for the post of assistant engineer in the Chennai Corporation about 10 days ago. On the first day of the training session for newly recruited assistant engineers at Ripon Buildings on Monday, Mr.Rajagopal along with other engineers half his age, declared his determination to contribute to welfare measures and civic improvement during his tenure.

After two frustrating attempts in his pursuit of his personal ‘Holy Grail’ – a government job – Mr. Rajagopal heaved a huge sigh of relief on the the first day of the training session.

He is the oldest among the 81 assistant engineers selected by the Corporation recently. The youngest engineer is 21 years.

The decision to opt for “private practice” after graduating from Tirunelveli Government Engineering College in the 1980s cost him a secure future, he rues. “I registered late with the employment office, in 1992. I was a (private) licensed surveyor in Srivilliputtur. As competition increased, I was unable to sustain the initial drive. By the time I understood the importance of a secure government job, it was too late,” says Mr.Rajagopal whose eldest daughter is all set to join college next year.

“In 2007, I appeared for a test, and on clearing it, I joined the TWAD Board, but thought the position offered at the TNPCB was better, so I moved. Unfortunately, that batch could not continue in service because of a court case. I was again left without a government job,” he says.

“Now, this new job seems challenging. I will certainly strive to bring about a change in civic conditions of my ward by giving additional focus on maintaining records,” promises Mr.Rajagopal.

“The coming six years will provide me a wonderful opportunity to explore the meaning of public service in life.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Tamil Nadu / by Aloysius Xavier Lopez / Chennai – January 21st, 2014

Record banana harvest in Theni: horticulture department

Green Initiatives/ Environment, Nature, Records, All

Madurai :

Banana farmers in Theni district have produced a record 120 tonnes of bananas per hectare breaking national record, claimed a horticulture department official.

Several farms in Kamayakoundanpatti in Theni district yielded 120 tonnes of banana per hectare, said S Murugan, deputy director of horticulture department at Theni. However, the department couldn’t document the feat on time for a mention in record books. The harvest should have been calculated by the horticulture and statistics departments, he said.

Theni production is a record by all means as Maharashtra with its alternating cold and hot climates could not have exceeded 75 tonnes per hectare, Murugan said.

The official cited the case of one farmer Gurunathan and his son Loganathan who took up banana cultivation using tissue culture saplings. They relied on drip irrigation and reaped over 120 tonnes per hectare. “These farmers also provided nutrients and fertilizers in measured amounts,” Murugan revealed, adding Gurunathan has completed about 70% of the harvest. “The yield may go up to 150 tonnes per hectare at the end,” he said.

Theni district, which has a conducive climate for banana cultivation, has 8,000 hectares under the crop. A green banana variety known as Grand Naine is cultivated by many farmers here. About 90 tonnes is the average production at many farms.

It is Maharashtra that holds the record for the highest production per hectare of 68 tonnes. The horticulture department is planning to organise a competition for the banana farmers after January, he added.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Madurai> Tonnes / by Padmini Sivarajah, TNN / January 05th, 2014