Category Archives: Records, All

Sakthi sets yet another Guinness record

Amazing Feats, Records, All, Sports, World Opinion

When B Sakthi, a civil engineering student of SNS College of Technology skipped backwards with his arms clasped at a popular mall in the city in October 2015, little did the audience expect that he would surpass two world records on that day. Sakthi made Coimbatore proud by entering the Guinness Book of World Records for doing the maximum number of backward skips- 46 skips in a minute. (a record hitherto held by Brittany Boffo, an Australian (40 skips in one minute). The result came in last December.

ShaktiCF22jan2016

And now, the 20-year-old has managed to achieve yet another feat. This time around, he has made it to the Guinness Book of World Records for doing the maximum backward skips- 25 skips in 30 seconds. This record was also held by Brittany Boffo (20 skips in 30 seconds).

“I was pretty confident about this feat as I had already achieved the more challenging record for 1 minute. One needs immense amount of stamina to continuously, skip backwards that too with your hands clasped. Moreover, I didn’t make a single mistake when I attempted both feats last year,” he says.

Right from his childhood, Sakthi had always wanted to do something different. “I used to watch record-making and breaking videos right from my school days and was quite inspired by them. I decided to do backward skips and soon started practising for it after I joined college. I started with endurance exercises including running in the morning for three hours and skipping for three hours in the evening. This apart, I underwent a strict flexibility exercise regimen and a strict diet.”

Now that he has set two records, Sakthi hopes to complete his studies and provide employment to many others. “My dream of achieving both feats has come true and my parents are elated. I now plan to concentrate on my studies and reach a position where I can dole out jobs to many other youngsters.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Coimbatore / by P. Sangeetha / TNN / January 17th, 2016

Crochet for a cause and a record

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, World Opinion
Weaving colours At the Bengaluru chapter Photo: K. Bhagya Prakash / The Hindu
Weaving colours At the Bengaluru chapter Photo: K. Bhagya Prakash / The Hindu

The day to reveal the largest crochet blanket in the world stitched by Indian women is fast approaching. Karnataka too has contributed to this cause.

There’s a movement happening as you read this. The protagonists are women and children from age eight to 85.

Since August 2015, the group Mother India’s Crochet Queens, spearheaded by Subashri Natarajan in Chennai, comprising nearly 1,000 Indian women from India and other countries, including the USA, the Gulf, Europe, and Australia, have been busy with their hooks and yarn to beat the current record of the biggest crochet blanket in the world, that stands at 3,377 square meters set by South Africa in April 2015. But the intention is not just to create a world record, but to donate the blankets to the needy.

Subashri, who has been crocheting since she was 10 years old, says the idea for making the world’s largest crochet blanket was to make it a nationwide movement.

“I first approached my friends and relatives who know crocheting, but then the movement grew with people joining the Facebook group, and through word of mouth. Every thing these days is made out of machines. But crocheting is all hand work.”

She adds that crocheting isn’t a dying art, considering the number of women who are passionate about it. “Even children are participating. Our youngest participant is an eight-year-old girl. There are even young boys. There are schools in Kerala who have participated. It’s not true that children are only interested in technology and video games.”

Women from Karnataka have contributed to the event too. In Bengaluru, at Cubbon Park earlier this month, on a pleasant Saturday afternoon, colourful blankets were laid out, with women engaged in crocheting blankets. Padma Srinivasan, 75, and her friend Thiru Rajan sat together chatting and laughing as they nimbly crafted blankets. “Crochet has been a hobby since ten years for me,” says Padma. “I came to know about this event from a friend of mine in Chennai in December. I completed eight blankets in one month.” Thiru adds: “I have completed two blankets.”

Padma and Thiru are glad that they are contributing to a noble cause. “Through the thread—this mission binds women to bring love, peace and harmony. It is similar to the Swadeshi Movement, when it was the charkha and the thread that brought people together,” says a passionate Padma. Thiru adds: “Doing this for others is a great honour for me.”

A vibrant Varalakshmi S. had a number of blankets laid out in front of her. “I have stitched 67 blankets since August 2015. I learnt crocheting from my neighbour, from 1997 to 2002. I got to know of this event from Facebook.” What appeals to her is the passion behind the cause and that the blankets will go to charity. “Over the weekends I would decide colour combinations, and would crochet one blanket per day during weekdays.” For Mughda Manasa too, it is the cause that matters. “What interested me is that this is going to charity, and that this event has brought Indian women together from across the world.”

Poornima Kannan also says that she joined because it brought people from diverse backgrounds together. Dina Sengupta says blankets have been crocheted in Mangaluru, Hubli and Mysuru. “We had about five meets in the city. And subdivided groups according to area.”

Through Facebook and Whatsapp, crochet meets were organised. Technology, Subashri says, has been a boon. “We realised that Facebook alone wasn’t enough to get everyone together. So we created Whatsapp groups. We have co-ordinators and associate co-ordinator to help organise meet ups.”

Though the event was mostly self-funded, Subashri adds they received support from Knit Pro and Ganga wool manufacturing company in Noida. “Harish Mehta, secretary of MNM Jain Engineering College in Chennai, has also been very supportive,” says Subashri.

The initial target was to join 5,000 blankets together, but Subashri says they have even exceeded that. The final event will be held on January 31 at MNM Jain Engineering College, Chennai.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by  Sravasti Datta / Bengaluru – January 20th, 2016

CA Final Topper Clears Exam in One Sitting, Makes Chennai Proud

Education, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All

Chennai /  Vijayawada :

A 23-year-old BCom graduate from Chennai, James John Britto, has emerged the national topper in his maiden attempt in the final Chartered Accountant exam, the results of which were announced on Sunday. Trailing him was Mohan Kumar Nagolu from Thottamledu, a non-descript hamlet under Chodavaram village panchayat near Srikalahasti in Chittoor district in Andhra, who emerged second.

CAtopperCHENNAI20jan2016

A resident of Mogappair, Britto completed his graduation in Loyola College. The final exam of one of the most toughest and rigorous professional courses in the world was conducted in November. Britto’s overall score was 595 out of 800 (74.38 per cent) which secured him the first rank in the country. The CA exams are divided into three levels — Common Proficiency Test (CPT), Integrated Professional Competence Course (IPCC) and the Final Examination.

“After clearing the foundation exams (CPT), I started preparing for the intermediate exams (IPCC). Since I did not wish to discontinue, I was preparing for the IPCC alongside my UG course,” said Britto.

On strategies he adopted to clear the exam, which people with even five to 10 years of professional CA experience find tough, he said, “I stuck to my basic plan of studying hard for 10-12 hours on an average everyday and this eventually peaked during the last few weeks of preparation.”

When asked about his future plans, one thing Britto was clear about was that he wanted to work in the city.

“As of now, I am looking at employment and have kept options open regarding the nature of the company. But one thing is for sure, I wouldn’t prefer working abroad as I love working here in the city,” said Britto, son of A Raja, a leading chartered accountant.

His father being in the field for nearly 30 years was one of the factors that Britto said contributed to his great success. “My father, who is in the same industry for close to 30 years, helped me a lot during the preparations and I would say his role was crucial throughout the CA exam journey.” Of the 42, 469 candidates who took up the exam last November, only 2,440 (5.75%) managed to clear the exam.

Nagolu Mohan Kumar from Tirupati and Avinash Sancheti from Kolkata secured the second and third rank in the final exam with scores 572 (71. 5 per cent) and 566 (70.75 per cent) respectively. When Mohan received a call from Manoj Fadnis, the president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), informing him about his results, Mohan Kumar was literally on cloud nine.

“My happiness knew no bounds when Manoj Sir called me up and told me that I had secured the all-India second rank. The call was immediately followed by another one, this time from M Devaraj Reddy, vice-president of ICAI. I was thrilled and shared the news with my family,” Mohan Kumar told Express over the phone. Mohan, who pursued the CA course right from Intermediate, took coaching from Superwhiz in Vijayawada and did his articleship with Datla and Associates in Hyderabad. He attributed his success in the CA final to hard work. “Since November, four months prior to the commencement of exams, I had been studying 12 to 13 hours a day, including Sundays,” he said, opining that systematic preparation is the key for success in CA exams.

Mohan Kumar’s father N Nagaraju Reddy is a farmer, while his brother Bhanuprakash has completed his BTech. Kumar’s entire family celebrated his success with the villagers also joining them.

Going forward, Mohan Kumar said, he wanted to work with a good MNC for three-four years before going for own practice.

Meanwhile, Superwhizz principal S Venkateswara Rao said along with Mohan Kumar, the institute had bagged three more ranks within the first 50 ranks. J Harsha Sai bagged the 7th rank, M Swathi the 32nd and P Pradeep Rai secured the 50th rank at the national level. The ICAI also released results for the CPT exams conducted during the December 2015 on Sunday. The overall pass percentage for this exam was around 34.45 percent as only 34,129 out of the 99,077 candidates who appeared for it cleared the test.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Express News Service / January 18th, 2016

Chennai floods: 14 heroes honoured

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All

Chennai :

They have no cutouts in cinema theatres. They have no big fan following. They led a simple life just like anybody else until the rain gods lashed their fury on Chennai in December.

They rose to the occasion. They saved lives and brought smiles to many others. “We had to make a choice. Whether to sit at home or get out there and save people,” they said. They then became real heroes.

On Monday, 14 people, who volunteered in flood relief work and did a heroic job, were honoured with awards at the Adding Smiles Ambassador Awards 2016 organised by Adding Smiles Foundation.

“We were doing our duty to help someone who is in need,” said Blue Cross general manager Dawn Williams, one of the awardees, in a video on the awardees.

All the 14 volunteers, including Peter Van Geit, Chennai Trekking Club founder and senior citizens of Anandam Homes, were presented with ‘Real Hero Awards’.

Awards were also given to celebrities, who were active during flood relief. The team ‘Mana Madras Kosam’ with Telugu film actors including Navdeep, Kajal Agarwal and Samantha , Sathyam Cinemas and Tamil actor Parthepan were presented awards.

 “I am doing whatever little I can do. I have changed myself. As you grow older, you get fearless and want to do things before you go away,” the award winning composer said.

Activist and founder of NGO Prajwala Sunitha Krishnan, team from National Award winning Tamil film Kaaka Muttai, former RBI governor C Rangarajan, national paralympic swimming champion Madhavi Latha, founder and dean of Great Lakes Institute of Management Prof Bala V Balachandran, acid attack survivor Soniya Choudhary were some of the awardees in the ‘ambassador awards’ category.

The highlight of the evening was music composer AR Rahman, who was one of the awardees in ‘Adding Smiles Ambassador Awards’ category. The category included people, who have come the hard way to live a dream and spread smiles in the life of others by way of help.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Chennai / by V. Tejonmayan, TNN / January 19th, 2016

Educationist’s role in integrating culture and education hailed

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Leaders, Records, All
Mrs. Y.G .Parthasarathy (centre) receives the award from Padma Subrahmanyam. Also seen are K. Shivakumar (left) and Mohan Rajan (right) of PSBB Alumni Association and Ravi Venkatraman (second from right), President, Rotary Club of Madras T. Nagar —Photo: S. R. Raghunathan
Mrs. Y.G .Parthasarathy (centre) receives the award from Padma Subrahmanyam. Also seen are K. Shivakumar (left) and Mohan Rajan (right) of PSBB Alumni Association and Ravi Venkatraman (second from right), President, Rotary Club of Madras T. Nagar —Photo: S. R. Raghunathan

Mrs. Y.G. Parthasarathy was conferred the ‘Living Legend’ award on Sunday

Mrs. Y.G. Parthasarathy, dean and director of PSBB Group of Schools, was conferred the ‘Living Legend’ award here on Sunday by PSBB Alumni Association and Rotary Club of Madras T. Nagar.

Speaking on the occasion, she said many students of the school have attained great heights now. But what was more important was that art and culture have become part of teaching and children have taken to music and dance very well, she said.

“My mother always told me ‘be true to what you do and children will always be grateful to you’,” she said.

Dancer Padma Subrahmanyam, who felicitated Mrs. Y.G. Parthasarathy, recollected her decades-long association with the family.

She noted that Mrs. Y.G. Parthasarathy was the first person to combine education with culture and that is one of her greatest contributions to society.

“I still remember how she completed her doctorate in Vaishnavism at the age of 75. Her husband was in the hospital and she was sitting beside him and writing her thesis to be submitted. She is a very strong woman,” she said.

K. Shivakumar and Mohan Rajan of PSBB Alumni Association were among those who spoke at the function.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Staff Reporter  / Chennai – January 18th, 2016

When Madras had Muhammad Ali in its corner

Records, All, Sports, World Opinion
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran, who was the chief guest, with Muhammad Ali and Jimmy Ellis during a boxing match in Madras on January 31, 1980. —Photo: DIPR
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran, who was the chief guest, with Muhammad Ali and Jimmy Ellis during a boxing match in Madras on January 31, 1980. —Photo: DIPR

As boxer Muhammad Ali turns 73 on January 17, not many know that it was only 35 years ago, in January 1980, that crowds thronged Chennai’s Nehru stadium to witness the legend in action.

Organised by Tamil Nadu State Amateur Boxing Association and Apeejay, the exhibition bout that saw Ali taking on former heavy weight champion Jimmy Ellis left boxing fans dizzy with excitement.

The run-up to the match itself saw The Hindu ’s pages splashed with advertisements enticing spectators to the match.  The tickets were priced at Rs. 100, 70, 50, 20, and 10. Connemara Hotel, which hosted the boxer in one of its luxury suites, also issued an advertisement with an accompanying sketch of the sportsman in deep sleep.

On arriving at Meenambakkam airport from Bombay, the boxer, accompanied by his wife, said: “When I saw thousands turning up to the airport to meet me and greet me, it sent my spirits soaring and I am overwhelmed at the attention bestowed on me. In this short visit a bond has sprung up between us, and I shall treasure this all my life.”

In a dramatic twist to an otherwise smooth press meet, the pugilist faced off with a reporter who questioned his weakness on the left hook. Challenging the reporter to join him on the podium he said “Son, in my 49 fights I have knocked out 32 of my opponents and I haven’t suffered much punishment.  You see my face? Do you see any scars or disfigurements? It looks nice and clean isn’t it? That’s it, that is why I am the greatest.”

The match itself left fans longing for more. According to The Hindu ’s report dated Februrary 1, 1980, “The swift movements, cat-like reflexes, the shuffles and the lethal left jab  were all there but were all too brief  to savour in fullness.”

The proceeds of the programme, which included a session with local boxers and a bout between Ali and an aspiring young boxer, went to a boxing institute in the city.

In 1980, Chennai city’s boxing fans were entertained by an exhibition bout

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Nitya Menon / Chennai – January 18th, 2015

Kumbakonam college physicist bags CSIR project

Education, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All, Science & Technologies, World Opinion

R. Radha is one of the eight physicists to get it

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has awarded a research project to physicist R. Radha, Director, Centre for Nonlinear Science, Government Arts College, Kumbakonam.

The CSIR will fund the project to the tune of Rs. 25 lakh and Dr. Radha is one of the eight physicists to be awarded the prestigious research project in Physical Sciences in 2015.

The Centre had come out with 30 international publications in the last five years while Dr. Radha received international recognition for pioneering research work from fora such as INSA Royal Society of London Visiting Fellow, INSA Polish Academy of Science Visiting Fellow, Third World Academy of Sciences UNESCO Association Award and is a Visiting Scientist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Tamil Nadu / by Special Correspondent / Kumbakonam – January 18th, 2015

City candidate emerges all-India topper in CA finals

Education, Records, All
James John Britto scored 74.38 per cent with 595 marks on 800. — Photo: Shaju John
James John Britto scored 74.38 per cent with 595 marks on 800. — Photo: Shaju John

The Chartered Accountancy examination is considered to be among the toughest academic tests in the country.

It was late evening and 23-year-old James John Britto of Chennai was still getting used to the news that he was the All India topper in the Chartered Accountancy exam held in November last. He scored 74.38 per cent with 595 marks on 800. He still has four months of articleship left at Sharp and Tannan before he can take up a job.

The Chartered Accountancy examination is considered to be among the toughest academic tests in the country and the overall pass percentage is consistently low.

It required planning, strategy and some hard work to achieve this remarkable feat, says Mr. Britto. An alumnus of the Don Bosco, Egmore, he stood third in class X and would have been ranked sixth in the State but for his choice of second language in class XII.

He was a gold medallist in Loyola College and ranked fourth in ACS (company secretaryship), but says, “I wanted to be a CA and will be applying for membership in four months,” he says.

So what was his winning strategy? He began planning in college by choosing to work on his strengths and weaknesses. “Science required me to draw diagrams, so I took the commerce stream. Then I decided to do CA. That settled I had to find my strengths and weaknesses and then choose faculty who could help me improve. Chennai has the best faculty and I had the guidance of seniors who told me about the faculty,” Mr. Britto reveals.

According to him all students felt that the direct taxes paper was tough. “It was a yorker, but they usually want to shake you up,” he says.

His father is also a chartered accountant and has his own practice. But Mr. Britto plans to work six to 10 years in firms elsewhere as he feels he needs mentoring.

Nagulu Mohan Kumar of Tirupati with a score of 572 marks and Avinash Sancheti of Kolkata with 566 marks have been ranked second and third in the country. Of the 42,469 candidates , 2,440 have passed.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by R. Sujatha / Chennai – January 18th, 2016

Anuradha Kapur awarded first JV Lifetime Achievement award

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All
Anuradha Kapur, former director of National School of Drama, delivering a talk on 'The place of theatre in the changing Indian context' after receiving an award in Madurai on Sunday. / Photo R Ashok
Anuradha Kapur, former director of National School of Drama, delivering a talk on ‘The place of theatre in the changing Indian context’ after receiving an award in Madurai on Sunday. / Photo R Ashok

The first J. Vasanthan Lifetime Achievement Award, instituted by Nigazh Theatre Centre for excellence in the field of theatre, was awarded to Anuradha Kapur, noted theatre personality and former Director of National School of Drama (NSD), at a function organised by J. Vasanthan Art Foundation at Madurai Media and Film Studies Academy (MMFSA) here on Sunday.

Delivering a speech after receiving the award on ‘The place of theatre in the changing Indian context,’ Ms. Kapur stressed the importance of preserving theatre at a time when space for liberal ideas and possibilities of dialogues appeared to be on the wane. She said that theatre was like a magic mirror that used body as its material and enabled a rare dialogue between artistes and the audience. “That is why we should be very mindful about ensuring that theatre and its dialogues continue,” she said.

Stating that theatre was a social medium, Ms. Kapur urged the artistes to be ethical, socially concerned, thoughtful and respectful.

Pointing out the diverse nature of Indian theatre, she said that there was not a single form of theatre in the world that was not already happening in some parts of India. “Be it classical, folk, traditional or popular, every form is here. Therefore, it is a lost cause to define Indian theatre as it exists in hundreds of forms,” she said.

Ms. Kapur was awarded the prize, which included a purse of Rs. 50,000, by G. Srinivasan, a schoolmate of the late J. Vasanthan and president of GOVEL Trust that manages Aravind Eye Hospital. In a noble gesture, Ms. Kapur donated back the cash award as a contribution for encouraging theatre art in Madurai region.

Earlier, T. Chinnaraj Joseph Jaikumar, Managing Trustee of JV Art Foundation, recollected the multi-faceted talents of J. Vasanthan, who started a theatre group at The American College when he was a professor there. The paintings of JV, as he was fondly called by his friends, were exhibited at the venue.

P. Gunasekaran, a painter, was awarded Vasanthan Artists in Residence Fellowship for the year 2016-2017 by Solomon Papaiya, Trustee of JV Art Foundation. Chandni Appadurai, daughter of JV and Founder Trustee of the foundation, welcomed the guests.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Madurai / by Staff Reporter / Madurai – January 18th, 2016

Tamil Nadu lawyer is chairman of Bar Council of India

Leaders, Records, All

Chennai :

Tamil Nadu lawyer S Prabakaran was on Sunday elected chairman of Bar Council of India (BCI). He suc ceeds Manan Kumar Mishra of Bihar in the highest office for practising advocates.

 BCI is the apex statutory body with power to regulate le gal education and control practice of law. Elected as member of Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry in 2011 with second highest number of votes among its members, Prabakaran was then chosen by the state council as its representative to BCI, Delhi.

In 2012, BCI nominated him as chairman of its disciplinary committee and a year later as co-chairman of BCI.

Prabakaran is a three-time president of Madras High Court Advocates Association and also president of Tamil Nadu Advocates Association.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Chennai / TNN / January 11th, 2016