Category Archives: Records, All

On the origins and rich history of Anglo-Indians

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All
Beatrix D'Souza, former MP (second from right) releases ‘The Anglo-Indians: A 500-Year History’, written by S. Muthiah and Harry MacLure. Others in the picture, (from left) Jennifer McIntyre, US Consul General; David Holly, Consul General, Australia; Geoffrey K. Francis, former MLA and writer S. Muthiah — Photo: S.R. Raghunathan / The Hindu
Beatrix D’Souza, former MP (second from right) releases ‘The Anglo-Indians: A 500-Year History’, written by S. Muthiah and Harry MacLure. Others in the picture, (from left) Jennifer McIntyre, US Consul General; David Holly, Consul General, Australia; Geoffrey K. Francis, former MLA and writer S. Muthiah — Photo: S.R. Raghunathan / The Hindu

It is easy to write off a community by stereotyping its members. But to learn about them – and their contributions to the country they have made their home, is a difficult but rewarding job.

S. Muthiah decided to do the latter and thus brought forth a book tracing the origin and developments of the Anglo-Indian community, which has a 500-year-old history in India.

Mr. Muthiah and Harry MacLure, have jointly co-authored the book ‘The Anglo-Indians: A 500-Year History’, which was released on Tuesday.

Richard O’Connor, a customs officer has also contributed to the book. At a function organised by publisher Niyogi Books and The Madras Book Club, the book was launched by Beatrix D’Souza, former member of Parliament. It was received by Geoffrey K. Francis, former MLA.

Mr. Muthaiah, who introduced the book, said his association with the community began 80 years ago, when he was three years old. Since then, he had made friends, had had colleagues at work and that had prompted him to consider writing a book on Anglo-Indians.

By definition a person born of male European descent who has made India his or her home is an Anglo-Indian. The Indian Constitution has also accepted this definition. At the time of Independence, there were 5 lakh Anglo-Indians, but two thirds migrated to Australia, UK, Canada and US. Today, the community is 1.5 lakh strong in India.

Dr. D’Souza and Dr. Francis urged the community to take pride in its achievements and contributions to India. Consul Generals of the UK, the United States and Australia who commended the book said the community had assimilated the culture of the host land they inhabited and had richly contributed to it.

source:  http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – August 08th, 2013

Desiltation of Oma Kulam reveals 12th Century wells

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All
Two terracotta ring wells found at Oma Kulam in Chidambaram.
Two terracotta ring wells found at Oma Kulam in Chidambaram.

“These stand testimony to the fact that Chola culture was quite predominant in Chidambaram”

Voluntary efforts being made by the people of Chidambaram town to desilt and revive the Oma Kulam have brought out the historic significance of the ancient waterbody.

After the five-foot high siltation was removed, the place has now revealed the existence of two terracotta ring wells dating back to the 12th Century AD. This was vouchsafed by J.R. Sivaramakrishnan and P. Kalaiselvan, assistant professors of History Department at Annamalai University.

Mr. Sivaramakrishnan told The Hindu that terracotta ring wells were very common structures prevalent during the Chola period. These two wells found on the now defunct waterbody stood testimony to the fact that the Chola culture was quite predominant in the temple town of Chidambaram.

“Each terracotta ring measures 4 cm in thickness, 12 cm in height and 65 cm in diameter. These rings are usually placed in a well sunk in a sandy soil. Besides these two terracotta structures, four wells constructed with brick walls too have been detected in the Oma Kulam,” he said.

The waterbodies were known by two different names in Tamil: ‘Keni’ and ‘Kinaru.’ The ‘keni’ was the one dug in sandy soil and happened to be the perennial source of water supply whereas, ‘kinaru,’ surrounded by brick structure, used to yield water seasonally.

The term ‘keni’ also found place in a couplet in the Tirukkural where it is stated that the deeper the ‘keni’ is dug, more abundant would be water availability. Similarly, one’s horizon of knowledge would be broadened with constant study, the couplet describes.

Mr. Sivaramakrishnan also noted that traces of Chola period could be found at Kondareddipalayam and Kanisapakkam near Panruti, at Vada Hari Rajapuram near Bhuvanagiri, Maruvai near Vadalur and Vada Rangam near the Kollidam.

These were thickly-populated places during the Chola rule. He also said that other brick wells too must be at least 250-year-old. “Therefore, it could be safely assumed that Oma Kulam played a vital role in the spiritual and social life of the people of Chidambaram.”

The legend has it that Thiru Naalai Povar Nayanar alias Nandanar used to make his ablutions in the wells and offered prayers to Lord Nataraja from there. As he constantly put off his visit to the hallowed precincts of the temple ‘the next day’ (which earned him the nick name Thiru Naalai Povar — one who would go tomorrow), he replied stoically that he would do so in different form.

It was stated that Nandanar entered into the flames of yagna, performed at the Oma Kulam, and came out unscathed. Thus, the waterbody had come to be known as Oma Kulam.

People from all walks of life have been taking active role in the desilting operation that began on August 1 under the aegis of the Hindu Temple Protection Committee.

Social activists, nature lovers and believers want encroachments on the southern side of Oma Kulam to be cleared and sewage lines diverted to preserve the sanctity of the place and restore its past glory.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Tamil Nadu / by A. V. Raghunathan / Chidambaram – September 26th, 2013

Rare distinction for Vadakara girl

Education, Records, All, Science & Technologies

NikitaCF27sept2013

The story of Nikita Hari from Pazhankavu in Vadakara is an inspiration to many. Nikita, born to a small-scale industrialist, aspired big and reached there with hard work and determination. On Thursday, she will fly to London to take up her chosen calling.

Ms. Nikita is the only Indian candidate who has qualified for research in Cambridge University, U.K. this year. An electronics and instrumentation engineer from CUSAT who completed her postgraduation from the SRM University in Chennai, Nikita was working as a lecturer at the National Institute of Technology, Kozhikode, when she applied for research abroad. Her brilliant academic background got her admission into Harvard and Oxford Universities and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology besides Cambridge. But she chose the latter for the better functioning department of Electronics there along with the chance to work under the Head of the Department. To top it all, the university granted her a scholarship of Rs.50 lakh, which would cover half her fee.

The research topic Nikita had selected was to develop instruments that would reduce transmission loss while connecting non-conventional energy sources to electric grids. She aspires to become a scientist and in future help, inspire, and promote girls who are bright, but economically backward, to take up scientific research.

A big fan of Albert Einstein and Steve Jobs, Nikita is the daughter of Haridas, who own Intec Industries in Vadakara and Geetha. Nikita was accorded a warm send-off and felicitation by the local people of Pazhankavu as well as many organisations recently.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Kerala / by Aabha Anoop / September 19th, 2013

Chennai Fresh Face ’13 auditions

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All

From jhatkas and matkas to mimicry to some soulful singing, the Clean and Clear Chennai Times Fresh Face 2013’s auditions at the MOP Vaishnav College for Women witnessed it all.

Impressing the judges, racer Alisha Abdullah and Radio Mirchi RJ Vaidhi, with their restless energy and amazing confidence, the girls showcased a variety of talent .

Anuja’s dance moves to Kalasala Kalasala left the audience awestruck and helped her bag the winner’s crown in the last round of the prelims of Clean & Clean Chennai Times Fresh Face 2013. Anaina Kaudvikar’s hilarious mimicry of yesteryear and contemporary actresses had the onlookers in splits and she walked away with the runners-up title.

Kaudvikar shared the place with dancers Chandini Suresh and Ashna Duggal. Classical singer Anahita Ravichandran was adjudged the second runner-up along with Vishna and S Manieesha who grooved to the tunes of Pritam Pyare and Radha On the dance floor, respectively.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Life & Style> Parties> Chennai / TNN / September 24th, 2013

Get proof from royal family on Katchatheevu: Karuna to TN govt

Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All

Chennai:

DMK President M Karunanidhi on Wednesday asked Tamil Nadu government to obtain documents offered to be provided by members of a royal family in connection with the Katchatheevu issue and submit them along with others in the Supreme Court in support of its plea for retrieval of the islet ceded to Sri Lanka.

The kin of Ramanatha Sethupathy, a former king of Ramanathapuram, had reportedly said there were documents to show that the islet came under their father’s erstwhile administration and that they were ready to give the documents in this regard to the Chief Minister, Karunanidhi said.

“They have also assured all support to state government for the retrieval of Katchatheevu… Therefore, I insist that state government gather the (documentary) proof mentioned by the Ramanathapuram royal family and those in its possession and come forward to present them in Supreme Court,” he said responding to a set of questions in party mouth-piece ‘Murasoli.’

Tamil Nadu Government has filed a petition in the apex court seeking retrieval of Katchatheevu, an islet in the Palk Strait, which was ceded to Sri Lanka by India in 1974 by way of an agreement.

Karunanidhi has also moved the Supreme Court on the matter.

The Centre had recently submitted in the court that no Indian territory, including Katchatheevu, was ceded to Sri Lanka, and the question of retrieval did not arise.

Karunanidhi also lauded BJP MP Tarun Vijay who had recently demanded in Rajya Sabha that Tamil be made the second official language of the country, and recalled that DMK had made a similar pitch in its 2011 election manifesto.

PTI

source: http://www.zeenews.india.com / Home / Wednesday – September 11th, 2013

Memories of a bygone era

Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All

GravesCF23sept2013

Would any of us know that the city of Madurai not only encompasses the monumental remains but also the graves of the important persons belonging to the history? Therefore it comes as no surprise that the city has been nicknamed the ‘Athens of the East’.

The St. George’s cemetery located in Kakathoppu (crow’s grove) houses some of the graves of the British that date back to the time of East India Company’s regime in Tamil Nadu. The oldest graves in the cemetery dates back to 1773 and it is said to have belonged to Captain Christopher Theophilus and Samuel Evas. Sulaimaan, Retired Assistant Director of the Art and Culture Department of Madurai, sheds light on the historical evidences that have been revealed through studies conducted at the cemetery. “When the East India Company was entirely established, they decided to allot an exclusive graveyard as the population grew manifold. They selected this area in Kakathoppu and buried the war heroes of those times including their friends and relatives. The cemetery is more than two hundred years old and houses the bones — including that of the famous General Alan who was the first British person to raise the tax claim to the then ruler Veerapandiya Kattabomman.

The graves in the cemetery are built in a European style. An old hearse that was used to carry the bodies still exists on the premises. Pooja Venkatram, a college student, who came to know about the cemetery, recently says, “After my friends told about this old cemetery and history associated with it, my curiosity was piqued. I visited it with few of my friends for a college project and delved deep to study the history of the place. It was shocking to know that most of the graves belonged to the babies of those times. We were told that it was due to the unbearable heat that led to the death of these little ones. It is such an overwhelming feeling to cross the place every time and it gives me a feeling that the glories of the centuries that was once roaring with praises have been now locked and laying silent inside.”

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Lifestyle> Travel / DC / byu Teena Limitton / March 20th, 2013

Sastri was first Tamilian Supreme Court Chief Justice

Leaders, Records, All

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

IIT-M scholar invents sensor to check milk

Education, Records, All, Science & Technologies
Picture for representational purposes only.
Picture for representational purposes only.
Chennai:
 With the Supreme Court raising its concern about adulteration of milk, a research scholar from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M) has developed a colour-based sensor (membrane), which changes colour whe­n the milk gets spoilt.
Concerned over how people get fooled by milk traders who sell spoilt mi­lk to people, Anshika Aga­r­wal, a research scholar in the department of biotechnology at IIT-M decided to come up with a solution to help people buy good quality milk.
She started to work a year ago to solve the problem as part of her Ph.D research. “Milk often gets spoilt before the expiry date printed on the sachet. Keeping this in mind, I developed a sensor which is sensitive enough to dete­ct milk spoilage at anea­rly stag­e,” said Ag­arwal, do­i­n­g research in elec­trospinning (electrical ch­a­­r­g­e draws very fine fib­res from a liquid.).
The m­e­­mb­­rane (sensor) would be pri­n­ted on the external wall conne­cted by a small pie­ce of sensor, which wo­u­l­d se­n­­se the quality of milk and change the membrane’s colour in the sachet. “My sensor is cost-effective and easy to incorporate in packaging system. Prof T.S. Ch­andra of the Biotec­h­­nolo­gy department and Prof T.S. Natarajan from the Phy­sics department have helped me a lot in developing this membran­e­,” she said.
K. Sekar, a milk vendor said,“People ke­e­p complaining about th­e poor quality of milk be­i­ng supplied to them but now if this membrane is fixed, I am sure we will get to know the quality of mil­k when its supplied to us.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> News> Current Affairs / DC / by N. Arun Kumar / July 07th, 2013

Seven prominent persons honoured with Doyens of Madras award

Leaders, Records, All

Chennai :

Seven prominent persons, including chairwoman of the Adyar Cancer Institute V Shanta and former vice-chancellor of Anna University E Balaguruswamy, were honoured with the ‘Doyens of Madras’ award by the Ambassador group of hotels  on Thursday.

Chairman emeritus of Sankara Nethralaya S S Badrinath, former chief election commissioner T S Krishnamurthy, cricketer Kris Srikanth, IOB chairman M Narendra and Sundaram Fastners Ltd. CMD Suresh Krishna are the others who received the award instituted as part of the Madras Day celebrations.

“I am what I am due to the Cancer Institute. Every award I receive is for the institute as well,” said Shanta, after receiving the award. “There is a misconception that the quality of the service by a non-profit organisation is poor, but the Cancer Institute has always been there to bring smile to those who are suffering.”

Geoff Magee, vice-president operations of the Ambassador Group, said, “The event is not just part of our group’s corporate social responsibility, but because we wanted to celebrate Madras Day celebrations along with the city.”

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai> Persons / by Saradha Mohan Kumar, TNN  / August 29th, 2013

I’m too competitive to date a racer, says Alisha Abdullah

Records, All, Sports

Alisha Abdullah is still smarting from the disappointment she suffered in the National Rotax Max Karting Championship held in Hyderabad last year. She finished number seven in a track filled with male racers.

“All the guys on the track overtook me last time. I am very egoistic and determined to win it this time around and get my own back. I have a professional racing team backing me as well,” affirms the 23-year-old speed junkie who is touted to be India’s first ever woman superbike racer with records in car, kart and bike racing. She will be competing for the title in the city this weekend.

Alisha is presently honing her skills on the Rotax Max go karts, considered to be one of the fastest go-karts in the world. These 30 bph-powered, 125 cc two stroke engines hit speeds in excess of 100 km per hour.

“In every lap, the drivers need to hit 120 km/ph consistently. If you drop the speed even a little, you’ll see 8-10 competitors zoom past you in a matter of seconds,” says Alisha adding, “To be zipping past at such high speeds a couple of feet above the ground is a pretty exhilarating experience.

If you hit the curve, you break your ribs for sure!” This diminutive racer began go-karting from the time she was eight years old and was winning races from when she was 11.

She won the national go-karting championship at 13 and claimed the best Novice Award in the open class of Formula car racing as well. Her tryst with bikes began when she was 15. Her dad RA Abdullah, a former national bike champion, has been instrumental in initiating her into the fast lane.

“My dad gifted me a 600 cc superbike on my 18th birthday and told me you are going to race. As excited as I was, it was huge 240 kg machine and I was like, ‘Are you are kidding me?’ He wasn’t.

My dad took me to Singapore and got me my first racing suit and taught me all the skills. I struggled initially, but soon I got better and began winning,” recalls the Chennai girl, who switched to racing cars three years ago.

However, Alisha still trains with her bike “even if it is just to show off” her custom made racing suit. Alisha will get on to her superbike to take part in an unprecedented all-woman superbike race to be held in Spain in October this year. “It’s a huge event. Woman bikers from all over the world will be taking part in this first-of-its-kind race.

All the racers will be training for a few weeks before the race kicks off,” shares Alisha, who’s also got a couple of other big races to look forward to this year.

Next week Alisha will be racing in the National Racing Championship (Saloon Class) to be held in Coimbatore. “I will also be racing in the Formula BMW series as well later this year,” adds Alisha, who will be the lone Indian in the circuit there as well.

She is often the lone girl on the track too. This pint sized racer admits to “hate losing to men,” who admittedly never lose an opportunity to remind her of being the only girl on the race track.

“I love to tickle the male ego and know exactly how to deal with them. I might look small but can give any man a run for his money in the fitness stakes,” she declares.

At a recent national fitness camp held for racers in Coimbatore she outdid all the boys clocking 69 push ups a minute!

“When zooming past the track at speeds in excess of 200 kilometers an hour, you experience G-force and unless you are extremely fit, it’s hard to maintain focus.

I am a fitness fanatic and train religiously for five hours every single day,” shares Alisha, who is proud of her four pack abs and her toned, athletic body.

So, has she found love on the track too? Alisha retorts, “I would never date a fellow racer. I am too competitive for that and would hate to date a racer. I can’t think of doing anything other than beating them on the race track!”

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Sports> Racing> Racer / by Karthik Pasupulate, TNN / July 14th, 2013