Category Archives: Records, All

Best Woman Parliamentarian Award for Kanimozhi

KannimozhiCF10dec2018

Vice-President to bestow honour at event

DMK MP Kanimozhi has been selected for the Best Woman Parliamentarian (Rajya Sabha) set up by Lokmat newspaper for 2018.

“I am happy that the announcement has come at a time my leader and brother M.K. Stalin is in Delhi to meet the national leaders,” Ms Kanimozhi told The Hindu.

A jury of eminent personalities headed by Murali Manohar Joshi selected her for the award and it will be presented to her by Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu on December 13.

She said the award would serve as a constant reminder to improve her performance as a Parliamentarian.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Tamil Nadu / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – Decembr 10th, 2018

Six chopper pilots of Indian Navy honoured in Chennai

The Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command Rolling Trophy for the trainee pilot standing first in order of merit in Flying, was awarded to Lieutenant Devanshu Tyagi.

Image used for representational purpose only (A warship belonging to the Eastern Fleet of the Indian Navy.| File / EPS)
Image used for representational purpose only (A warship belonging to the Eastern Fleet of the Indian Navy.| File / EPS)

Activist Kausalya gets married to a ‘parai’ player

Newly wed Kausalya and Sakthi.   | Photo Credit: S. Siva Saravanan
Newly wed Kausalya and Sakthi. | Photo Credit: S. Siva Saravanan

Kausalya, who took to activism after her husband Shankar’s murder in Udumalpet in March 2016, married a parai player here on Sunday.

Her marriage to Sakthi (27), a Vellalore resident and visual communication graduate, took place at the Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam around 10 a.m., in the presence of TPDK Secretary Ku. Ramakrishnan, Dravidar Viduthalai Kazhagam leader Kolathur Mani and a few other leaders of other like-minded outfits.

Kausalya, who learnt to play the parai drum, had known Sakthi because of various programmes she attended to create awareness on caste-based violence under the Shankar Samooga Needhi Arakkatalai, she established. She took to activism after her parents, along with a few others, murdered her husband Shankar as they were opposed to the inter-caste marriage.

Sakthi runs ‘Nimirvu’ a band that plays parai.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Coimbatore / by Special Correspondent / Coimbatore – December 09th, 2018

All you need to know about Anukreethy Vas, India’s contestant in the Miss World 2018 pageant

As India hopes that Anukreethy Vas brings back the crown for the second time in a row, here is a list of all the interesting facts you should know about this beauty with a heart.

Miss India Anukreethy Vas at Chennai. (EPS | Ashwin Prasath)
Miss India Anukreethy Vas at Chennai. (EPS | Ashwin Prasath)

On 19th June 2018, Anukreethy Vas was just 19 years old, when she became the first olive skinned beauty to win the Miss India title.

As India hopes that Anukreethy Vas brings back the crown for the second time in a row after Manushi Chiillar’s win last year,  here is a list of all the interesting facts you should know about this beauty with a heart

Anukreethy grew up in Trichy, in a very conservative society. But that did not stop this Tomboyish girl from exploring life as she rode bikes and roamed around the town.

As a single parent, Anukreethy’s mother has been her constant source of support and gave her ‘all the freedom’.

In her words,  “My mother is also my father, and my superhero. If I had had a 6 pm curfew all my life then I wouldn’t have come this far especially in the fashion industry,”

Anukreethy is currently pursuing her Bachelors in French literature from Loyola, Chennai to fulfil her mother’s wish of seeing her become a translator.

A Biriyani lover at heart, Anukreethy is also a state level athlete who is good at singing and dancing.

Though she had no professional training in modeling before, Anukreethi went on to win the Miss India title and her future plan is to pursue Fine Arts and become a supermodel.

Anukreethy is also an active member of Beauty with a Purpose campaign through which she promotes right to education. She also runs an orphanage for 30 underprivileged kids and works towards uplifting the lives of transgenders. She is hoping to follow in the footsteps of Manushi Chillar who crowned her with the Miss India crown and her favorite motto is – The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today. So be the best version of yourself every day.

Anukreethy’s answer to the final question which won her the Miss India Pageant reinstates the fact that she is a woman of substance. Asked whether success or failure was a good teacher, she said, “I would say failure is a better teacher because when you get continuous success in life, you will feel content at a point and your growth will stop. But when you get failures continuously, the soul will have the fire and you will keep working hard until you reach the goal.”

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Entertainment> Hindi / by Online Desk / December 08th, 2018

Tamil novel Sancharam bags Sahitya Akademi Award

Writer S. Ramakrishnan at chennai book fair, 2015 சென்னை, தமிழ்நாடு, 13/01/2015 - புத்தகக் கண்காட்சி - எழுத்தாளர் எஸ்.ராமகிருஷ்ணன் | Photo Credit: special arrangement
Writer S. Ramakrishnan at chennai book fair, 2015 சென்னை, தமிழ்நாடு, 13/01/2015 – புத்தகக் கண்காட்சி – எழுத்தாளர் எஸ்.ராமகிருஷ்ணன் | Photo Credit: special arrangement

S. Ramakrishnan’s work captures the struggles of nagaswaram players in the State’s arid belt

Tamil writer, traveller, essayist and scriptwriter S. Ramakrishnan has won the Sahitya Akademi Award for 2018 for his novel Sancharam, which poignantly captures the lives of nagaswaram players in karisal bhoomi – the arid land – of Tamil Nadu.

The novel places their music and struggle for a livelihood in the context of the decline of agriculture.

“While the prize comes as recognition for a person who opted for a career in writing, it also sheds light on the lives of the nagaswaram players,” said Mr. Ramakrishnan, who dropped his doctoral thesis on William Faulkner to become a full-time writer.

“It was a conscious decision. I could have ended up as a college teacher if I had completed my research. Today I am a well-known writer, but my family stood by me during difficulties and I could not have pursued a writing career without their support,” he said.

Sancharam talks about the shattered dreams of nagaswaram player Pakkiri, who wants to scale the heights of music after learning about great musicians and their music from his father.

Karukurichi P. Arunachalam, one of the greatest nagaswaram players, was born in this land and his friend and writer Ku. Alagirisamy had written a memoir—Arunguna Selvan—about him.

Arunachalam started his career in naiyandi melam—a folk form of nagaswaram music—but his talent was spotted by T.N. Rajarathinam Pillai, who agreed to take him on as a disciple.

The association opened new vistas in the world of Carnatic music. He continues to remain a role model for nagaswaram players in south Tamil Nadu. In the novel, Pakkiri and his senior in the troupe, Rathinam, have to be content with concerts at marriages and temple festivals. They play classical concerts as well as naiyandi melam as they no longer harbour any illusions about the lofty ideals they dreamt of while learning the art.

“It is only a source of survival,” Mr. Ramakrishnan had told The Hindu before the release of the novel in 2014.

Connection with films

Mr. Ramakrishnan has worked as scriptwriter in Baba, the Rajinikanth- starrer, in Sandaikozhi with Vishal as hero, Dhaam Dhoom and Unnaley Unnaley. A film buff, his non-fiction work is equally popular and posts on his website www.sramakrishnan.com indicate his versatility. He is also a good orator.

Writer Jayamohan said Mr. Ramakrishnan made his entry as a realistic writer who later embraced magic realism before returning to realism. Thavarangalin Uraiyadal is the short story that identified him as a writer of magic realism.

“Though he dealt with the people and landscape portrayed by pioneers like Ki. Rajanarayanan and Poomani, he brought into his writing myth and archetype and established them as part of a long tradition,” Mr. Jayamohan said.

MDMK general secretary Vaiko, who organised a felicitation for Mr. Ramakrishnan in Chennai, said all his works should be translated into English.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by B. Kolappan / Chennai – December 06th, 2018

K.M. Cherian honoured

CherianCF05dec2018

Award presented to K.M. Cherian

K.M. Cherian, chairman and founder of Frontier Lifeline Hospital, was honoured with the prestigious Dr. B.C. Roy Memorial Oration Award during the scientific session of the 70th Cardiological Society of India’s annual conference held in Mumbai. He received the award for his contributions in the field of paediatric surgery (first coronary artery bypass surgery, heart transplant, heart and lung transplant, introduction of transmyocardiac laser revascularisation, homograft). The award carries a citation, a gold medal and ₹1 lakh. In his acceptance speech, Dr. Cherian said: “The number of patients with heart disease is increasing in our country, but we have very few doctors for treatment. I would request our government to take more initiative to produce more doctors.” He appealed to the government to make medical care affordable. He also said the government should encourage the ‘Make in India’ initiative concept and the development of basic medical science in the country.

CSI president K. Sarat Chanda presented the award to Dr. Cherian.

A peek into the world of speedcubing

CubingBF04dec2018

City-based cubing enthusiasts and record holders talk about what goes into cracking the code

Eighteen-year-old Sripad Sarma Katrapati started cubing as a hobby by following his father’s footsteps. It didn’t take long for him to hit the saturation point and give up on the puzzle. “I found the cube again in my memory box sometime in 2013. That’s when I started cubing seriously,” says Sripad, who’s the current national champion in the one-handed category. With an average of 12.14 seconds, Sripad is second in India and 11th in Asia, which are impressive figures. But he scorns at the statistics because his rival, Bhargav Narasimhan, holds the national record with 11.86 seconds. “I’m trying to beat that. I did beat him in the nationals, which makes me the national champion while he’s the national record holder,” he says. Sripad was one among a group of cubers who gathered at Phoenix Market City on Saturday to participate in the ‘Speed Cubing Competition’, organised by Chennai Cubing Club in association with World Cube Association.

Sripad’s friend, Vijay Kishore (20), is another prominent name in the cubing circle. He broke the national record in the two-handed category, with 5.72 seconds in 2016.

Despite being friends, Vijay and Sripad have often competed against each other. In fact, the latter lost to Vijay in the qualifiers at Red Bull Rubik’s Cube World Championship earlier this year. The duo even got selected for the World Championship in Boston, where they competed against some of the world’s fastest. “It sort of gave us an idea as to where we stood against them,” he says.

Vijay, though, unabashedly admits that cubing isn’t as fascinating as it was when he started out. “It’s not an artform where you have to constantly show improvement. Cubing is very mechanical and the only way you could improve is by learning more algorithms,” he says, quickly clarifying that it was cubing that gave him an identity. Sripad and Vijay were part of a team that set the Guinness World Record for most number of cubes solved in an hour at IIT Madras’ Shaastra in 2016. The previous record of 1860 cubes was by team Italy. “We broke it with 2454 cubes, with 9 people solving and two people scrambling,” says Vijay.

Unscramble

There aren’t any specific algorithms to solve the cube, although both Sripad and Vijay use the same technique called CFOP (Cross, F2L, OLL and PLL). After inspecting the cube, the participant attempts to get a cross sign on the cube, after which he/she solves it, layer-by-layer. With the help of algorithms, he/she performs the last two steps – OLL (Orient the Last Layer) and PLL (Permutate the Last Layer).

During their stay in Boston, the duo met their idol Feliks Zemdegs (Australia), who’s the current world champion with an average of 5.80 seconds in the 3×3 category. “The methodology is the same, but his (Feliks) turns-per-second is faster and he tweaks the algorithm a bit,” explains Sripad, who says he had a major fanboy moment on Feliks.

Blind melody

Vishwanath Jeyaraman (22), is an expert in solving the Rubik’s Cube blindfolded. What’s amusing about Vishwanath is his uncanny approach to solving the puzzle. For instance, when Vishwanath gets the scramble, he takes one good look at the cube and assigns one letter to each corners of a single face. He then memorises each face — all of which is done in a matter of few seconds.

“If I assign letters H, K, I , L,U and V, I remember them as, ‘Hong Kong, Iceland and ultraviolet rays are coming from the Sun’,” he says. By this method, Vishwanath generates a vivid picture in his mind that eventually helps him solve the cube, “There are over 800 algorithms I need to drill into my system. It requires a lot of practise,” he adds.

Though the success rate is relatively lower in the blindfolded category, Vishwanath believes that luck plays a huge factor for with regard to records . “The current national record is 22.26 seconds. My personal best is 21.21 at home.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sport> Other Sports / by Srivatsan S / December 04th, 2018

Veena, her constant muse

KalyaniCF03dec2018

The TTK Award is another feather in the cap of veteran artiste and teacher Kalyani Ganesan

Veena vidushi Kalyani Ganesan is among the senior musicians who play in the traditional gayaki style. She was trained by veterans like M.A. Kalyanakrishna Bhagavatar and Kalpakam Swaminathan in the Central College of Carnatic Music, Madras, the present Government Music College. Later she taught in the same college for 25 years.

The latest of the many accolades she has received is the TTK Award from the Music Academy which will be presented to her at the Sadas on January, 1, 2019.

Kalyani Ganesan was introduced to music by her mother Rajalakshmi Haran, who was trained under ‘Pinpaattu’ Venkatrama Iyer, a disciple of Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavatar. She encouraged young Kalyani to listen to many concerts. A veena recital of Karaikudi Sambasiva Iyer she heard on the radio turned her interest to veena.

Kalyani’s father B.P. Haran, who founded United India Publicity Corporation, the first advertising agency of Madras, was particular that no male teacher trained his daughter. It was by coincidence that her mother met Balambal, who studied music at Annamalai University and played the veena. Incidentally, Balambal was the first women student admitted to the Sangita Bhushanam course in Annamalai University. “She was god sent,” says Kalyani, who learnt from her till she completed her schooling.

Gayaki style

Her education then continued in the Central College of Carnatic Music, where she took up veena as the main subject. Both her teachers in the college, M.A. Kalyanakrishna Bhagavathar and Kalpakam Swaminathan were also good singers and the gayaki style of playing the veena came to her naturally. It was a three-year course — pre-vidwan, first year and final year. Kalyani was admitted straight to the first year. This was followed by one-year of pedagog course that is teacher training. “My major was veena and the sub-mains were theory and musicology. The teachers for the theory courses were the greats like Dr. S. Ramanathan. So the fundamentals became strong and the quest for learning was persistent,” she says.

At 19, after an audition at All India Radio, she became a ‘B’ grade artiste. Today she is ‘A Top’ graded artiste.

Initial training

“My first concert in AIR happened a few months after my marriage,” Kalyani smiles. She was married into a family of musicians. Her husband Karaikudi V.M. Ganesan is the son of acclaimed mridangam vidwan Karaikudi Muthu Iyer. The veena vidwan Karaikudi Sambasiva Iyer, who Kalyani was in awe of as a young student , was Muthu Iyer’s brother-in-law (sister’s husband). Sambasiva Iyer had passed way by then. “But when I expressed my desire to learn the Karaikudi style from his disciples, he advised me to continue to practise my own style, which he found to be natural and distinct,” says Kalyani.

She was keen to do her graduation and post graduation. When a facility for working faculty was announced in Madras University, she enrolled for B.A. Music. Later, she did her M.A. “A permission letter was needed from the college for enrolling in the M.A. course and I will not forget dancer K.J. Sarasa putting in a word to the Principal Thirupampuram Shanmugasundram for the letter. But for her timely help, I would not have done my Masters.The best part is that I did my Masters along with my daughter Shubha Ganesan.”

Kalyani Ganesan is a recipient of Senior Musician award from Narada Gana Sabha, Veena Nada Mani from Charubala Trust, Kalai Nirai Vithagar from Tamil Nadu Government Music College and Sangeetha Seva Niratha from Sri Thyagaraja Vidwat Samajam among other honours.

She teaches many students in India and also students abroad through online classes. She says that she gives priority to the practical aspects of playing the instrument, so that the theoretical part becomes easier to understand. “I had received many tips on how to teach from my father-in-law. Many times, I stop playing and start singing to the student to make them pick up the nuances of the voice and taking them to the instrument.”

Kalyani’s daily routine revolves around music. Her mridangam vidwan-husband and she discuss various aspects of sangitam and the concerts of the past masters. Her daughters, Shubha Ganesan is an ‘A Grade’ artiste in vocal music and Kritika Anand focuses on devotional music and is a ‘B’ High graded artiste of All India Radio. “I continue to learn many compositions either by just listening to veterans or from notations given in authentic books,” she adds.

Kalyani Ganesan will present a lecture-demonstration on Chittaswarams composed by Vainikas at The Music Academy on December 29, at 8.05 a.m.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Entertainment> Music / by R. Revathi / November 30th, 2018

NITI Aayog member calls for excellence in research

SRMcf03dec2018

More than 4,000 students received their degrees at the 14th convocation of the SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur on Saturday. More than 50 students received gold medals for their academic achievements; and 53 students were awarded Ph.D degrees. Addressing the students, member of NITI Aayog, V.K. Saraswat, urged the students to create a new culture and mindset in engineering education.

“Excellence is needed in basic research. Excellence is required in applied research, including pre-competitive applied research,” he said. He conferred the Honorary Degree of Science (D.Sc., Honoris Causa) on Dr. Mohan Rajan, chairman and medical director, Rajan Eye Care Hospital, Chennai.

Founder-chancellor T.R. Paari Vendhar gave the welcome address.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Staff Reporter / Chennai – December 02nd, 2018

British Airways and Chennai: a 30-year-old connection

BritishAirwaysCF01dec2018

Commemorating its operations to the city, the airline announces discounts

As an airline that can trace its origins back to the beginnings of civil aviation — in the pioneering days following World War I — British Airways (BA) can claim its spot to aviation fame.

And with a global route network that now touches over 200 destinations, the British flag carrier is focusing on airports and markets that have contributed to its ‘growth story’.

Chennai is one such station to which BA began flights 30 years ago, in November. Chennai-based aviation enthusiasts still remember the airline’s Lockheed L-1011 TriStar touching down at the Meenambakkam airport, on November 4, 1988, as an event that also marked the city’s first direct air-link with Europe.

‘Good wishes’

A newspaper report published in The Hindu the next day described how Piper and a Town Crier of Lambeth, Alfie Howard, came down the step ladder, announcing “the greetings and good wishes from the people of U.K. and the Queen” and of passengers being greeted by two elephants.

Scheduled twice a week, it was operated with a stopover in Kuwait.

A note in the airline’s news magazine of 1988 says: “Latest addition this winter is Madras (November 3/4), gateway to the four States of southern India… Many South Indians have migrated to North America, so flight schedules connect closely with services to the U.S. and Canada.”

Range of aircraft

Since then, the airline has introduced almost every aircraft type in its widebody fleet on this route.

These are the mainstay Boeing 747-400 that operated nonstop to Chennai and flew onto Kuala Lumpur, in 1991, (this was later shifted to Singapore, in 1996); the Boeing 767 (via Dubai) in 1993; the Boeing 777, in 2013, and now the Boeing 787, since 2014.

There was even a Concorde charter flight (November 2, 1999) and a Boeing 747-8F cargo operation in 2012.

To commemorate its operations here, the airline has announced a “30th year” sale for the Chennai route, that is valid for booking till December 12, with a 10% discount on the base fare (fare excluding taxes, fees and carrier charges).

More information

The travel period for World Traveller and World Traveller Plus passengers is between January 28 to March 31, 2019 and for Club World between January 22 to March 31, 2019. The airline adds that more information is available on its website.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Murali N Krishnaswamy / Chennai – December 01st, 2018