Category Archives: Records, All

Anna University’s FM Show Wins First Prize

Education, Records, All, Science & Technologies

Coimbatore :

A programme created by the Anna University’s campus community radio, Anna FM, has won the first prize in a national competition conducted by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Anna FM’s ‘Magalir Neram’ won the first prize in the Community Engagement category. The second prize in this category was for ‘Vuluthundu Vaalvom’ by Vayalaga Vanili of Kottampatti, Madurai.

The prizes were announced by Minister for Information and Broadcasting Arun Jaitley at the Fifth National Community Radio Sammelan in Delhi on Monday.

The award includes Rs 50,000 cash, a medallion and a certificate.

Anna FM, the first campus-based community radio in the country, started its operations in February 2004. It transmits radio programmes in a 15-km radius from the Anna University campus.

Anna FM is getting this award for the second straight year. “Last year we won the award for a programme on transgenders. This year we won it for a programme explaining the problems of on sex workers and expectations from the government,” said S Gowri, Director, Educational Multimedia Centre, Anna University.

A short film by the Educational Multimedia Research Centre has been shortlisted for screening at the Kolkatta film festival to be held from March 23, she added.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Express News Service  / March 20th, 2015

World Sparrow Day: Will sparrows ever return to this temple named after them?

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All

sparrowsCF21mar2015

Madurai :

In the 1960s, late freedom fighter Govindasamy Naidu had a dream where a sparrow appeared and told him to build a temple for Goddess Kali near the North Masi Street in Madurai (Tamil Nadu).

In fact, an idol of the goddess and three tridents (her weapons) had been there for more than a century. However, there was no temple for the deity.

The area, which is a concrete jungle now, was home to house sparrows then. Naidu believed that the goddess had sent one of the sparrows to tell him to build a temple for her.

And it had not taken much time before the Sittukuruvi Kaliamman Temple was built in the area (‘Sittukuruvi’ in Tamil means sparrow)

And sparrows continued to live in the vicinity of the temple.

Renowned author of folklore A Sivasubramanian has said many local deities found an association with the fauna of the region.

“Sparrows found a mention in the Sangam literature, dating back to 300 BC, where they are mentioned as ‘Manai Urai Kuruvi’ (bird that lives in the house),” he said.

“Sittukuruvi Kali is one such example where even smaller birds living in the vicinity found an association with the deity. The surrounding areas were known for trading grain, and sparrows found it an ideal place to live,” he added.

People believe that Sittukuruvi Kali is a powerful goddess. “She is a very powerful goddess and is known to cure lumps or pimples. If people pray to her for cure, she will cure them. And they will offer her salt in accordance with the custom,” said 80-year-old T Kothaiamma.

For Kothaiamma, Sittukuruvi Kali has been her solace and strength after she lost her husband when she he was 25.

The temple remains intact, so also is people’s faith in the temple. But the sparrows are missing.

“Sparrows used to fly around the goddess. They flocked the area during festivals. But I can’t see them now. They all have gone,” bewailed Kothaiamma.

The Sittukuruvi Kaliamman Temple in Madurai (TOI photo by Iniyan Lenin)

Pujas are performed at the temple daily, and people say the goddess hear their prayers always.

But will the sparrows ever return to the temple named after them?

March 20 is observed as the Word Sparrow Day.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Environment> Flora & Fauna / by J. Arockiaraj, TNN / March 19th, 2015

Nobel laureate Sir Venkatraman Ramakrishnan to head Royal Society in UK

Amazing Feats, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All, Science & Technologies, World Opinion

Nobel laureate Sir Venkatraman Ramakrishnan has been confirmed as president elect of Britain’s prestigious Royal Society. Ramakrishnan, who will be the first Indian-origin scientist to hold the post, was born in Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, and studied biology in the US.

The result of a ballot held by the fellowship was confirmed at a meeting of the Society’s Council this week and Ramakrishnan, or Venki as he is popularly known, will take up the post on December 1, 2015, PTI reported.

“I feel very touched that the Royal Society has chosen me for this job, especially because I only came to Britain 16 years ago from the US,” said the 63-year-old structural biologist who shared the 2009 chemistry Nobel Prize for discovering the precise structure of ribosomes ? the molecular machines that manufacture proteins inside all living cells.

“I think in some ways the Royal Society, ever since its inception, has reflected the best traditions of openness in Britain. I think of Britain as a particularly open and tolerant society,” he told BBC.

He is currently deputy director of the British Medical Research Council’s Laboratory of Molecular Biology at Cambridge University.

He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2003 and was knighted by Britain’s Queen in 2012.

The Royal Society dates back to 1660 and its president is a key advocate for science in the UK and the world.

Previous presidents of the Royal Society have included Isaac Newton, Christopher Wren, Samuel Pepys, Joseph Banks, Humphry Davy, and Ernest Rutherford.

Ramakrishnan?will succeed geneticist Sir Paul Nurse, also a Nobel laureate.

“Appointing the first Indian-born president of the Royal Society sends a strong message about the importance of the contribution of immigrants to British science,” said Blakemore, a Royal Society Fellow from the School of Advanced Study, University of London.

The research for which Ramakrishnan shared the Nobel was commenced in the US, where he has spent much of his working life before moving to Cambridge in 1999. He shared the prize with Thomas Steitz, of Yale University, and Ada Yonath, of the Weizmann Institute of Science, Jerusalem.

The award recognised the team working out, between 2000 and 2002, the exact structure of a key part of the ribosome, the tiny molecular machine ? found in the cells of our body ? that turns the genetic code of living beings into the proteins from which they are made.

“I knew the ribosome was going to be the focus of Nobel prizes. It stands at the crossroads of biology, between the gene and what comes out of the gene. But I had convinced myself I was not going to be a winner,” he said of his award.

In winning the prize, Venki became the 13th member of staff of Cambridge’s Laboratory of Molecular Biology to win a Nobel; previous winners include Crick and Watson, discoverers of the structure of DNA.

source: http://www.indiatoday.intoday.in / Indiatoday.in / Home> World / New Delhi – March 20th, 2015

An intimate portrait of the city’s many facets

About Chennai(Madras) / TamilNadu, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders, Records, All

 

(From left) author Tulsi Badrinath, N. Ram and S. Muthiah at the book release function. Photo: R. Ravindran
(From left) author Tulsi Badrinath, N. Ram and S. Muthiah at the book release function. Photo: R. Ravindran

‘Madras, Chennai and the Self: Conversations with the City’, a book that explores the metropolis through the personal stories of an eclectic cluster of 12 individuals, was launched on Wednesday.

The author Tulsi Badrinath paints a portrait of a city that is both rooted in tradition and dynamically modern. Launching the book, N. Ram, chairman, Kasturi and Sons Ltd., said, “There is a certain familiarity when one reads the book, but there are also many surprises that the author brings out through her writing.”

Historian S. Muthiah, who received the first copy of the book, said, “This book is by far the best among all the writing on Madras. It is a literary work on how the author sees the city of Chennai through the conversations she has with many people who call this place home.”

Some of the personalities featured are Dalit writer and activist P. Sivakami, the Prince of Arcot Nawab Mohammed Abdul Ali, actor Vikram and priest and karate enthusiast K. Seshadri to name a few. By bringing together disparate narratives of people and the spaces they inhabit, Ms. Badrinath attempts to capture the flavour of a city that is both intimate and contemporary.

The book launch concluded with a panel discussion with chronicler Sriram V. and scholar A.R. Venkatachalapathy interacting with the author.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Staff Reporter / Chennai – March 19th, 2015

Museum to Come up on MMC Campus

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

Chennai :

After a brief lull, efforts to convert the Institute of Anatomy building at Madras Medical College into a full-pledged museum have gained pace. A seven-member “core committee” headed by college Dr R Vimala, has been formed recently to work out the design and suggest the kind of exhibits.

The decision to have a fullfledged museum was taken after the anatomy department was shifted to the new campus on the erstwhile Central prison premises in 2013.

Dr R Vimala  said the museum would have exhibits of evolution of medicine at MMC, rare photographs, British-era certificates and documents, history of doyens of the alumni and historical events of the college. Also old equipment, medical devices would occupy a place. “We are looking forward to contribution of rare pictures of relevance to this Institution. Soon we will create a new email id, enabling people to share,” she added.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Dr Sudha Seshayyan, Director, MMC Institute of Anatomy, said the heritage structure, popularly known as ‘Red Fort’, would not be disturbed.  Only renovation to rectify the damages would be done. “We also seek help from government curator for maintaining the museum. Now, there are more than 1,000 specimens of which a few are century-old precious possessions. So funds for renovation works are invited. Once ready, it will be open for doctors, medical students and the public,” she added.

Meanwhile, MMC alumni, starting from 1961 batch, have donated Rs 2 lakh till Saturday, giving hope that funds will pour in.

Dr Sudha further said names of people donating above Rs 5 lakh would be inscribed on a plaque. It is estimated that the work for the conversion into museum would take another two years.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Express News Service / March 17th, 2015

2,200-yr-old Stone Mace Head Found

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

Cuddalore :

In a rare discovery, researchers from the Annamalai University history department have found a 2,200-year-old stone mace head at Marungur village near Neyveli.

It is believed that ancient people used the mace as a tool for both hunting and agricultural purposes. The wooden staff attached to the mace head allowed the tool to be used as a weapon.

Sivaramakrishnan, an assistant professor hoped that further research would lead to more findings.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Express News Service / March 18th, 2015

Buckles All Around, Thanks to British Collector

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders, Records, All, World Opinion

Madurai : 

What can be in a name, particulary when it sounds unfamiliar, lacking in local cultural resonance? Well, some local history behind it. Buckle was one such name that is completely alien to Tamil Nadu but has come to stay for various reasons said historian Venkatraman, a native of Thoothukudi district, at an INTACH (Indian Natural Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage) meeting here recently.

Quite common in the southern district, particularly in the coastal areas, Buckle cuts through caste divides though not many know how the name came into currency. “Before I joined the teaching profession I was managing a salt pan along in Thoothukudi town when I came across this name,” he recalled. “Some Dalits working in our salt pan answered the name Buckle – either Buckle or Buckle Durai. Out of curiosity, I asked them the meaning behind the name and they drew a blank. Then my father explained the history behind it,” said Venkatraman, who retired as history professor from Madurai Kamaraj University.

He had also come across the name among students when he taught at Aditanar College of Arts and Science in Tiruchendur.

Folklorist V  Sivasubramanian came across Buckles when he worked as a tutor in the Tamil department of VOC Arts and Science College. “While correcting an examination paper, I saw the name Buckle Durai. But the student belonged to the Nadar community,” he said.

“Many Nadar families in Srivaikundam, Tiruchendur and Sathankulam named their children  Buckle along with the caste title Nadar. It is very common among the agricultural families among our community,” said Murali, a businessman from Thoothukudi town.

Well, Buckle has its origin from R K Puckle, a popular, visionary and benevolent British Collector of the old Tirunelveli district. He served the region 160 years ago, when he built the Srivaikundam dam. Since all communities benefited from the Srivaikundam dam, Puckle caught the fancy of all communities.

Dalit writer, P Sridhar Ganesan, has named the protagonist of his Tamil novel, ‘Vangal’, as Puckle. He said that when he went to his wife’s village Muthuammallpuram Cheri, a coastal hamlet, he met two elders with the name Buckle. ‘During my interaction with the villagers, I learnt that the people were proud to name their children after Puckle, who enaged Dalits to work in his horse wagon,’ Ganesan said.

Collector Puckle was the collector and settlement officer. For building the Srivaikundam dam, he collected Rs 20,000 from the farmers. He also liberated Dalits from forced labour in the region, Sivasumramaniam said. He also constructed a canal to drain rainwater and saved the placed from flooding, said Venkatraman.

All these legendary work done by the collector had endeared him to the local people, whose descendents still pay their tributes by naming children Buckle. It does not matter that many of the Buckles do not know the origin of their name

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Gokul Vannan / March 18th, 2015

Arun Pudur: From Bengaluru to billions

Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Leaders, Nri's / Pio's, Records, All, Science & Technologies, World Opinion

ArunPudurBF17mar2015

Recently, Wealth-X listed Indian businessman Arun Pudur as the world’s 10th richest individual under 40; top on the list was Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook.
Arun Pudur, whose net worth is estimated at over four billion dollars, is the CEO of Celframe, which makes world’s second most popular word processor after Microsoft, among other things. Based in Kuala Lumpur, Arun Pudur has diversified into several sectors including mining and real estate.

In an exclusive interaction with Tarannum Khan of Deccan Herald, the reclusive billionaire, who says he does not give interviews as they intrude into his personal space, opens up.

He talks about his humble beginnings in Bengaluru, the milestones in his sensational success, the city which made him, his parents and the qualities that propelled him to the top.

A shorter version the interview appeared in the Panorama section of the Deccan Herald.

You were born in Chennai, when did you shift to Bengaluru?

When I was in my sixth standard, my family decided to move to Bengaluru as my father spent nearly seven to eight months in a year there. When we came to Bangalore, we stayed in Rajajinagar and then moved to Basaveshwarnagar before buying a place in HBR Layout. I stayed there till 2003, when I shifted overseas.

When I lived there, there was nothing in HBR Layout. Now I am told it’s a central part of the city.

When you were born, your family felt, you had a great destiny to fulfil…

My father always used to talk about us being Tirupathi Iyengars, one of the three families, who were the high priests at Tirumala. Though we never managed the temple, we always knew greatness was within us.

My mother always used to say that I was the lucky one in the family. After I was born, my father’s career skyrocketed. He passed away just three months ago. My mother always instilled in me that I was born for greatness.

Your parents wielded a considerable influence on your growth…

My father Sri Ranga, was a cinematographer, who was known for his work in the 16 mm movies, which typically tend to be artsy and low-budget movies. He had built quite a reputation in Kannada and Tulu industries and thanks to him I knew everyone in the industry – be it Vishnu uncle, Ambareesh uncle, even Dr Rajkumar and his sons.
I remember when Shivrajkumar stopped his car on a road and touched the feet of my father. I was shocked that my father, who was just a normal guy at home, commanded that kind of respect in the industry.

He did produce a few movies and television serials. But I asked him to retire early as the movie industry is a really tough business and every Friday fortunes are made and lost. I didn’t want him to be stressed out.

My mom was a housewife, who was my teacher as well. She was a disciplinarian, who made sure that we did our chores ourselves, including washing clothes and utensils.
But she was there 24×7 for me and now, I understand, the value she brought to my life. She taught me the way I should grow.
Now I have chefs, cleaners and a dozen people helping me run the house. But my mom used to do everything on her own.

I have a brother as well, who runs his own consulting business.

While stuyding in Bengaluru, you seemed to have stayed away from well-known schools…

When we moved to Bengalurufor my sixth standard, it was already August. So my father had to scramble to find a school.

Though I was supposed to go to National School in Rajajinagar, the cut off date to transfer had passed. So I joined St Anns Matriculation School. I had never been in a co-ed before, so it was a shock when I saw girls sitting in the classroom.

I had to learn Kannada as well. I think in my entire life it was the only time I failed in a subject.  I am very proud to say that in a matter of six to seven months, before the end of annual exams, I had mastered Kannada, and scored my usual, between 80 to 95 per cent.

The choice of college was also unconventional…
In SSLC, my results were fantastic, so I could have picked any course or college. Typically for Bangalore, everybody was pushing me to take science. But the entrepreneur bug had already bitten me and I wanted to do commerce instead of science.

While I was looking at St Joseph’s and other colleges, my mother wanted me to come home for lunch everyday as we were not allowed to eat outside.

So, I joined the Nijalingappa College in Rajajinagar, which was nearby. Though everyone said it was notorious, the year I joined, a new principal took over and he turned my college years into the strictest time of my life.

Literally, we were not allowed to do anything at all; only in the last year, that is when I was in the third year of B com, we could have a college day.

I was pretty studious and attendance was very important for me. I would sit right on the front bench everyday. College days are the best memories one has in a life and my longest-lasting friends are from this college.
You have been away from Bengaluru for a long time; what are your memories of the city…

It brings joy whenever I think of my days in Bangalore. The City was extremely cold until early 2000. Coming from Madras in the ’80s, where it was scorching hot, I took to wearing sweaters in Bangalore.

Whenever I travel overseas, and whenever I wear a sweater, the first thing that comes into my mind is Bangalore. If anyone asks me where I am from, my immediate answer is not Malaysia, not Chennai, but it’s Bangalore, India.

I remember the time with my friends when we used to ride in our kinetic Honda and drive down to Bannerghatta or the Tumkur road.

And of course, the one-by-two coffee or tea… Though I was not allowed to have tea or coffee at home, when I was out with my friends, we used to have by-two tea, and I think that’s a very Bengaluruthing to have.

There were some bad experiences as well; when we were staying at Rajajinagar, the Cauvery riots happened. We saw how the National School was looted.

I have not visited Bengalurufor a very long time. My parents went back to Chennai as that was where they were born and brought up. But I am in touch with few of my closest friends through Whats App and Viber.

What turned you into an entrepreneur?

I think curiosity, the zeal to solve problems and take on challenges. If you ask any of my school or college mates, they will tell you that I used to look forward to examinations, which may sound very funny, but that’s true.

I never wanted to work for anybody. In my entire life I have spent just one year working for a company in Jayanager. It was a training company. When I had joined the company they had a turnover of five to six lakhs a year. When I left after nine months, I had brought up the turnover to one crore a year.

I was working to open franchises for this training centre. That guy had promised to pay me for every few centres set up, but he did not keep his word.

I have seen top CEOs of multinational companies, who retired with very little to their name. They were running 120 and 130 billion dollar companies and now may have a personal fortune of 30 to 40 million dollars. And that was what I didn’t want to be.

You began your career at the age of 13 in a garage, fixing kinetic Hondas…

We opened the garage for a guy who was working for a shop near our house; he became a friend of us. He was from Tamil Nadu and could not speak Kannada. As we could speak Tamil, though we are Telugus, he became close to us.

He told me there was good money in garage. So we coaxed our mother and borrowed a few thousands to fund the garage at Rajajinagar, just a stone’s throw away from National school. But he disappeared after five or six months and we were stuck with the garage.

When I began my career in the garage, we had no training.  There was no Google at that time or any no manual. I had just had observed how this guy used to fix bikes and picked up from there.

But whenever a bike or a scooter used to come with a problem, I was on my own.

We used to solve problems on the fly and became good at that. I really loved it. I could open and fix back the engine, almost the entire vehicle, in about one hour and fifteen minutes, without any specialised tools.
Sai scooter garage became famous and even scientists from ISRO started coming to us. That is where I think I got the taste of business. That is where I learnt sales, marketing, customer handling, problem solving, managing human resources and financial management.

Running the garage was not a financial necessity to our upper middle class family. But I still ran it till my first year or second year PUC.

I would come back from school, finish homework and then open the garage. On Saturday and Sunday we were open full. It helped me not to get into wrong company, wasting my time, or you can say, chasing girls.

My priority was to show much business I could generate, how much money I could give my mother. My mother, who managed the finances of the house, would keep all the money. We would consider ourselves lucky to even get 10 rupees from her. But I loved the business. That’s why I went into it.
But we decided to close the garage because of my studies; my father wanted me to perform very well in college.

But you started breeding dogs after that…

From my aunt in Chennai, I found out about breeding dogs, and she gave me a Boxer to kick start my business. I started breeding boxers and Rottweilers. I have delivered hundreds of puppies, cut their umbilical cord and taken care of them. Though there was no formal training, I learnt how to manage them. Any dog lover would tell you that a dog will not allow anyone near the puppies unless she trusts you with her life.

Then I used my marketing skills to sell the puppies for up to Rs   20,000, which was good money in the mid ’90s. I was in this business till the end of my final degree.

You started Celframe after graduating; how difficult were the early days…

We opened the first office of Celframe at Lalbagh road. Prior to it, I had done one venture with my brother, which had failed.

Funding is a problem when you are not a big brand or don’t have a big family name behind you. Because of my age, I worked with wrong people, who took advantage of my naivety. I lost quite a bit of money – my own money and also the money of some of my initial backers. But I bounced back and it made me understand people better.

What were the major turning points in your career?

Everything was a turning point – opening the garage, breeding dogs, starting a technology company. But the biggest jump or spike in my revenue happened – if you consider money to be metric of success – when we released our first product called Celframe office.

It is now considered to be the Number 2 office suite in the world by way of sales. Not many people know that Microsoft office makes more than 60 billion dollars annually. When I launched my office suite, companies like Sun had failed in this product category. Even IBM’s Lotus notes had not made a big impact. Coral is still there but its sales are very small.

It is said you were one of the few people the Redmond giant could not smother…

It was more of a David and Goliath kind of situation. Being a monopoly Microsoft used every tool in its arsenal to bring us down. They made sure that no Original Equipment Manufacturer like Dell, HP or IBM would ever buy our products and pre-load them on their PCs.

I will not use the word bully but that is the word everybody uses when it comes to dealing with American tech firms. They use patent, money and media to bring down any small company that may look like a threat.

How did you survive that?

In this industry, partners and distributors get one or two per cent on every deal they make. I decided to give away 40 percent of my revenue and make them partners in success. We treat customers with respect and customise the way they want.

I focused my business more on the public sector as private companies cannot bully the government.  We managed to implement our product in several governments in Asian and African regions.

We made it a policy to promise a 50 per cent reduction in the tech cost of customers using our products. That is, if they are paying 100 million dollars to a competitor, we would deploy our software for just 50 million. We would increase the price over three to four years and by this time they would have realised that we were a fantastic company to work with. We also supported them very well.

That was the biggest hurdle I crossed in business. But now with the mobile ending the old monopolies, things are moving forward amazingly.

You have also made you mark as an investor…
I have diversified into gold mining, coal business, oil and gas, real estate, venturing with top companies. I am looking to build a casino and start an airlines in South Africa.

It’s said that my fortune is four billion dollars but with my diversification it has grown nearly five to six times in the last two to three years.

I am a very cautious investor. You want me in, you need to show me why should I invest money. I would like to know the entire story and the people before I do business. I turn away from a deal if the pressure is too much for me to invest money into it.

I invest only if I can get a majority control on that company. I don’t like to be a minority partner as I am very passionate about what I do. I get involved in minute details from the start to the end. The running of the company is done by CEOs whom I trust. But I get involved in major decisions. If a problem needs solving, I am there in the front. I don’t like to sit back and let my people take the hit.

You say your upbringing taught you the value of money

There was a time when I used to buy jets like buying candies. I had eight private jets of my own. I once tried to sell one of my jets and found that I had lost about 40 percent of what I had actually paid. Then I realised that these toys, homes or yachts, do not add much value to you.

I took the hit, got rid of jets and houses, and reinvested them back into my businesses. I also turned whatever jets and yachts I was left with, into a rental business.

This lesson, appreciating the value of money, was taught by my parents. The strongest reason for my success was the foundation I had when I was young.

What are your future plans?

I am excited about several ventures we are pursuing. We started a technology company called Browsify corporation a few months ago. We are setting up one of the largest mines in South Africa.
I am looking for partners to bring Celframe products to India. It’s ironical that most of the governments use my product, but the Indian government does not. India is still reliant on the investments coming from the US. China did a phenomenal job supporting local companies such as Alibaba.
Though I am known globally for my technology company, very few people know that I have a group company called Pudur group. We are going to make the information public sometime later this year.

You left Bengalurufor Kuala Lumpur, when the whole tech world was coming here…   
I was brought here in 2002 or 2003 by someone I knew in Bangalore. Though the business with him didn’t work out, and I lost quite a bit of money, I loved the way the government was moving over here.

The quality of people, though more expensive than India at the time, was very good. The access to banking was much better; if I needed money, I could always rely on my bank without having my father to co-sign as age was not a barrier.

As I grew, I was given tax exemptions. I have not paid tax in the past eight to nine years. I do pay income tax, though a small amount.
Government is straightforward; if you need an approval, it gets done on time. Malaysia compared to Singapore is a bit slow, corruption does exist here as well.

The support from the government is phenomenal. As it is a small country, they act pretty fast. They can change rules very fast in the interest of the nation.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Panorama / by Tarannum Khan, Bengaluru / DHNS / March 07th, 2015

Women’s lives get recreated on fabric

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Records, All

Madurai :

On International Women’s Day, fashion designing students here made an attempt to recreate a woman’s life on fabric by designing a 500-foot gown illustrating the different stages in the life of a woman. The group is also hoping to enter the Limca Book of Records with the attempt.

More than 10 students from the department of fashion designing at DreamZone, an institute in the city, worked on the gown, creating elaborate embroidery on the long train of the dress. One of the pictures show women involved in household work, while another piece of cloth portrays a mother’s love for her child. In another part, a woman is shown as a doctor. The gown is made of tissue fabric and velvet. M Umeetha, 19, a student, said, “We are here to spread awareness on the many atrocities committed against women, through our simple embroidery work. ”

Three months ago, a 110-metre long gown worn at a wedding in Tripura became the longest gown in the country. These students are aiming for a fresh record. The 500-metre long gown was kept on display at a city mall on Sunday. Thereafter, a rally was conducted to spread awareness on violence against women. Men were asked to sign on the train of the gown vowing to keep the women in the city safe.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Madurai / TNN / March 09th, 2015

Veteran Scientist Vijayalakshmi Bags Lifetime Achievement Award at VIT

Leaders, Records, All, Science & Technologies, World Opinion
Professor Vijayalakshmi (centre) receiving the lifetime achievement award from Dr Kamala Selvaraj | Express
Professor Vijayalakshmi (centre) receiving the lifetime achievement award from Dr Kamala Selvaraj | Express

Vellore :

VIT University conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award on Professor M A Vijayalakshmi, Director of the Centre for Bio-separation Technologies (CBST) at the university for her contribution to research and academics in a function to mark the International Women’s Day on Monday. She received the award from the chief guest, Dr Kamala Selvaraj, a noted gynecologist, at a function held at the university campus.

72-year old veteran scientist Vijayalakshmi while dedicating the award to her colleagues and students, thanked the university for recognizing the ‘real woman’ in her that made her achieve several milestones in her long career. Her areas of expertise include ‘separation science’ and technology, molecular recognition, recombinant protein expression, immune-technology and bio-active molecules. A native of Batlagundu in Tamilnadu, she obtained her M Sc Chemistry from All India Institute of Chemistry in Calcutta, her Ph.D from the University of Burgundy in France and her D.Sc from Sweden. She was selected as one of the best young Indian scientists to meet Prime minister Indira Gandhi when the latter visited France in 1981.

Vijayalakshmi, who had evinced keen interest in separation technology, established the first molecular interaction lab at the University of Compiegne in France.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by V NarayanaMurthi / March 11th, 2015