Yamaha Corporation of Japan opened its factory in Kanchipuram for musical instruments under the Make in India initiative.
The factory has been launched in Kanchipuram
Chennai :
Yamaha Corporation of Japan opened its factory in Kanchipuram for musical instruments under the Make in India initiative. Takashi Haga, MD, Yamaha Music India, said that Yamaha Music India plant is fully geared up to produce the full line of Yamaha Musical Instruments.
Stating that Yamaha has designed and created the most versatile and customised portable keyboard for Indian customers, he said the new keyboard will address the requirement of all customers. Under the Chennai factory project, the musical instruments will be manufactured in India and sold in India.
By 2022, Yamaha has committed an investment of Rs 500 crore which will generate jobs to 800 people. Under phase-I, the company will manufacture acoustic guitars and portable keyboards which will be later diversified to portable audio speaker from 2020.
Yamaha is planning to tap education institutes in India which stress on the importance of learning music. The products are expected to be unique, efficient and customised to suit the needs of music teachers, students, and professionals.
World over the music industry is on a growth trajectory. Thus, Yamaha Music India will not only produce its equipment for the Indian market but make India its major export hub. The company plans to upgrade its factory as and when required depending on the growing demand.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Express News Service / May 28th, 2019
Great journey: From training in the driveway of his house to the nets at The Oval, Vijay Shankar has come a long way. | Photo Credit: AP
‘The great guy’ who put behind him adversities with aplomb
Away from the chaos that’s part of every Indian metropolis resides Vijay Shankar, in a two-storey house in the suburbs of Chennai.
Krishnan, the owner of a juice shop across the road from Vijay’s house, describes him as “a great guy”. So do family, friends, coaches and school principal.
The principal at his first school, Modern Senior Secondary, K. Mohana, remembers Monday morning prayer assemblies (she was vice-principal then) when Vijay would invariably be present with awards and trophies after exploits over the weekend.
For the sake of cricket
It was around Class X that Vijay’s father, Shankar, asked him if he wanted to take up cricket seriously. He then switched from the Central Board of Secondary Education to a State board school, King’s Matriculation.
But regular cricket engagements meant maintaining required attendance became a problem. Vijay dropped out and gave his Class XII examinations via correspondence.
Shankar, meanwhile, provided his sons, Vijay and elder brother Ajay, with everything needed to pursue a cricketing career — move to a bigger house, space to put up nets and work out.
“Through school to college, we used to practise on his terrace,” said N.S. Chaturved, who plays Twenty20 cricket for Tamil Nadu.
Today Vijay is living his father’s dream.
Now a medium-pacer, Vijay switched from off-spin after the age of 22. S. Balaji, his personal coach, felt he could use his height and strength to add pace bowling to his arsenal.
There was a point in time during his Ranji days when Vijay feared he would lose his spot. He had made 190 runs in six innings during the 2014-15 season before the quarterfinal against Andhra.
Coach W.V. Raman pulled him aside for a quick chat in the lead-up to the game. Vijay values Raman’s backing in getting over his insecurities.
“He backed me at the right time and I delivered,” he says. Vijay scored 111 and 82 in the win over Andhra. He followed that up with a 91 in the semifinals and 103 in a losing cause in the final against Karnataka to finish as Tamil Nadu’s third highest run-scorer that season.
The 28-year-old has had many ups and downs in his career. His momentum in domestic cricket and India-A series were halted by what Vijay considers “freakish injuries.”
But none were as painful as the time when he had to undergo a knee surgery in 2016, which ruled him out of the India-A tour of Australia.
Vijay’s introduction to international cricket was a trial by fire.
Followers of the game will remember how he struggled to put bat to ball in the Nidahas Trophy final against Bangladesh. Luckily for Team India, Dinesh Karthik’s late cameo saved the day.
But Vijay wasn’t too lucky. He was the subject of vitriol and jokes on social media. And it wasn’t just limited to the virtual world.
Hitting back
Vijay immediately put the disappointment behind. He scored 212 runs for Delhi Daredevils in the IPL that season before impressing on the ‘A’ tour of New Zealand in which he finished top-scorer.
His impressive run led to the call-up to the India side for the shorter formats on the tours of Australia and New Zealand.
For Vijay, who enjoys long drives, the journey has only begun.
Padma Bhushan awardee T V Sankara Narayanan (second from right)
Padma Bhushan awardee and Sangita Kalanidhi TV Sankara Narayanan was conferred with the Nadhasudhamani award by Azhagiya Manavala Sampath Kumara Ramanuja Jeeyar Swamigal as a part of Korattur Cultural Academy’s eighth-anniversary celebrations on Tuesday at Dr Nalli Kuppuswamy Vivekananda Vidyalaya Junior College.
SV Raman, president, Korattur Cultural Academy welcomed the gathering. In his address, he said, “During the initial stages, we used to call up artistes and request them to perform at our academy. However, the standard has improved to a level where applications from the artistes are pouring in now.”
The title was conferred upon Sankara Narayanan as an appreciation for being a performer, creator, and mentor in the music community. This was followed by a speech from Jeeyar Swamigal.
T Chakravarthy, vice president, Vivekananda Educational Society presided as the guest of honour. Chakravarthy’s inaugural address was followed by Sankara Narayanan’s acceptance speech. “I am honoured to receive the award from Jeeyar Swamigal. Music has kept me close to god and I am glad to be able to sing about Govinda. Today being my mother’s birth anniversary, I dedicate this award to my parents,” said Naraynan. “Korattur Cultural Academy has made it possible to provide a platform for performing arts and cultural activities in an industrial area for the past eight years,” he added.
The award ceremony was followed by a dance drama — Choodi Kodutha Nachiyar by students of Bharatha Natyalaya, Anna Nagar.
Embar T Kannan, secretary, Korattur Cultural Academy was also present during the event.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Deepthi Parthasarathy / May 16th, 2019
Former Health Minister of Tamil Nadu H.V. Hande being presented the award on Monday
Former Health Minister stresses on importance of voting
The Rotary Club of Anna Nagar Madras conferred the “For the Sake of Honour Award” to former Health Minister of Tamil Nadu, H.V. Hande, on Monday.
The award is given to individuals who have rendered exemplary service to society. Addressing the gathering, Dr. Hande highlighted the role played by the Rotary in the Pulse Polio campaign.
Appeal to members
He appealed to Rotary members to educate the masses on the importance of casting a vote and stressed on the need to abstain from taking money to swear allegiance to a party.
He also recalled his confrontation with the British police while he was involved in India’s freedom movement as a student.
J. Radhakrishnan, Transport Secretary, felicitated Dr. Hande and said he was a guiding light and mentor to him. He also lauded his efforts in creating awareness about leprosy and treating patients, even at a time when there was no social media and technology.
Former district governor of Rotary Krishnan V. Chari and president of the club Vrinda Deepak were among those who took part in the event.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – May 15th, 2019
Sounthirarajan said the Indian government granted him a patent in November 2018 for his Super Sonic Hydrogen IC Engine.
Coimbatore-based mechanical engineer Sounthirajan Kumarasamy with his special eco-friendly engine. (Photo | EPS)
Coimbatore :
An engine that runs on distilled water and even rain water? Stuff of dreams, you say.
No, insists a city-based mechanical engineer. Sounthirarajan Kumarasamy claims his engine will break down water and be propelled by hydrogen. And emissions, how about oxygen for a change!
His prototype, he claims, can be used in all vehicles from two-wheelers to trucks.
source: http://www.youtube.com
Sounthirarajan says the Indian government granted him a patent in November 2018 for his Super Sonic Hydrogen IC Engine, which he says he will debut in Japan.
The class XI dropout from Kangayam in Tirupur did the research for his project at the District Central Library in Coimbatore. “During the initial years, I used my old defunct jeep to learn about the hardware,” said Sounthirarajan, who hails from a farming community.
The Indian government granted Sounthirarajan a patent in November 2018 for his Super Sonic Hydrogen IC Engine
“Utilising the thermal losses in the engine, hydrogen could be burned that helps vehicle run. I have currently designed the engine with the capacity of 100cc, which could emit oxygen while it’s running. All the tests were successful,” he told Express.
Sounthirarajan established his company in 2010 and says he has opened a branch in Tokyo a few months ago. He also runs an incubator cell at the PSG-Science and Technology Entrepreneurial Park (PSG-STEP), Coimbatore. He has been ‘working on designing this machine’ for the past ten years.
He said, “With my invention, you can run your vehicle for 200 km with just 10 litres of distilled water. We had even tried running the engine with rainwater and it bore fruit.”
Sounthirarajan now plans to organise an international summit in Kyoto soon to showcase his work to potential buyers from across the world.
He says that his machine could be sold for Rs 1.5 lakh for a four-wheeler. If it’s a two-wheeler, then he says the price will be around Rs 65,000.
His colleagues Prakash, Sathish, and Chandrasekar assisted him.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Express News Service / May 11th, 2019
Mobile eye: The electrically-powered robot runs on four wheels connected using a conveyor belt and is tethered at one end.
Endobot is a low-cost solution to identify faults and stealthy connections
At a time when water scarcity pervades many urban centres, it is important to ensure that water being transported through pipes is not lost through leakages. In an attempt to address this issue, researchers from IIT Madras have developed a robot to check pipelines for leaks and other faults. Named Endobot, this robot is to be marketed by an IIT Madras incubated startup, Solinas Integrity, founded by the researchers.
Quite often, pipes that transport water suffer from low maintenance and neglect which causes them to develop leakages. These often go unnoticed except when the water seeps to the surface. Periodically, water pipelines are dug up, and this may bring leaks to notice, but this is left to chance and is a costly process at best. Water is also lost through connections that have not been sanctioned officially. Endobot is presented as a solution that can identify these faults and stealthy connections, at a low cost.
The electrically-powered robot looks like a small tank, runs within the pipe on four wheels connected using a conveyor belt. It is tethered to the entry point outside the pipe. This construction allows it to run over tough terrain within the pipe without stalling. “Endobot is about 6 inches high and can study any pipe having a diameter more than 8 inches. Since water pipes typically have an inner diameter of at least 15 inches, it suits the purpose well,” says Prabhu Rajagopal from the Centre for Nondestructive Evaluation in IIT Madras, where the robot was developed. He is also a non-executive director of the company.
“As the robot, which is electrically powered, runs through the pipes at about 15 cm per second, it captures videos and transmits a live feed to the base at the entry point. It also uses laser-based techniques to examine the pipes as it moves,” explains Vishwa Sai Prathyusha, who is the Chief Technology Officer of the company and alumna of IIT Madras. These feeds are conveyed to the user’s computer and may be analysed later using software developed by the team.
“Of course, the robot has noteworthy features, but also the software and tools for analysis developed by our team give us a major advantage over competition,” adds Ms Prathyusha.
Additional sensors
Any technology goes through phases of development and Endobot is no exception. “As a next step, we plan to add more sensors – ultrasonic and electromagnetic – which can help us find out whether the pipes develop corrosion or cracks on the outer side,” says Krishnan Balasubramanian, a director of the company. He is a chair professor in the Mechanical Engineering department of IIT Madras and head of the Centre for Nondestructive Evaluation.
“As of now, not many people are working on such small robots,” says Prof. Rajagopal. He acknowledges, however, that there is competition at an international level. “Having small robots is a novelty even there, and open source electronics is driving this here,” he adds. So while such robots may not be out of reach of international companies, they still have not focused on such solutions. “Recently, the Indian government and corporations and municipalities are increasingly looking at outsourcing operation and management of water resources to private players, and we are in a sort of Goldilocks zone,” says Prof. Rajagopal.
The team has already completed one set of trials within IIT Madras campus, where many pipes and installations are nearly 40 years old. They are now in talks with various urban corporations to allow them to try out the robot. Some municipalities have expressed interest in pilot studies using the robot.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sci-Tech> Science / by Shuhashree Desikan / May 04th, 2019
The inventor is a retired Madras University professor Venkatesan Kaviyarasan and his PhD student J Manjunathan.
Lentinus tuberregium, which has anti-cancer properties | Express
Chennai :
Globally, millions of dollars are being spent on cancer research and for decades, scientists have been gathering information on bio-active compounds exhibiting anti-cancer properties from different sources. In India, for the first time, a patent has been issued for extracting anti-cancer compounds from a wild mushroom variety found in Western Ghats of Tamil Nadu.
The inventor is a retired Madras University professor Venkatesan Kaviyarasan and his PhD student J Manjunathan. The university had applied for the patent in 2012 and after rigorous scrutiny, got it on March 11 this year. The mushroom variety from which the research team has isolated the anti-cancer compounds is lentinus tuberregium, which is an edible variety valued for its high nutritional composition. However, the major limitation to its availability and utilisation is that it is seasonal in nature.
Professor Venkatesan Kaviyarasan of Madras University during his research trip to Kolli Hills;
Speaking to Express, Kaviyarasan said his team has carried out extensive studies on mushroom biodiversity since 1960s. They had successfully catalogued over 700 mushroom varieties, bio-documenting the edible ones with highly nutritive attributes, and studying medicinal mushrooms from the 1990s.
“In the 1970s, a Japanese mushroom, lentinus edodes, well known as Shitake mushroom, proved to exhibit anticancer activity and the same was later approved by the FDA of USA. In the year 2000, some of my associates were able to collect various lentinus samples from the Kolli Hills of the Eastern ghats and Kanyakumari forests of the Western Ghats.
Both nutritional and medicinal properties were documented. Of these, more than 8 bio-active compounds were identified and the anti-cancer properties of some of them were confirmed by studies against suitable anticancer cell lines. Of these, two compounds, namely LT1 and LT 2 extractable from an edible mushroom, lentinus tuberregium have been duly patented for the extraction protocols for the anti-cancer cell line of breast cancer,” Kaviyarasan said in an interview, while urging the university and his students to take the research forward.
Kaviyarasan, who recently suffered stroke and is recovering, is still enthusiastic about his work, and rued the fact that in India, research on medicinal properties of mushrooms is at an infant stage, while countries like China, Japan and other eastern countries are progressing at faster rate. He alleged that British rulers have suppressed the traditional knowledge that the native Indians possessed and eventually promoted only the allopathy medicine. Further, our pioneers failed to record most of the information available to them.
However, for centuries, Indians are believed to have consumed many different mushroom varieties as food. These include the straw mushroom (volvariella valvaceae), oyster mushroom (pleurotus) and marakkalan (lentinus). In the year 1912, Dr T Petch, the then Director of the Botanical Gardens at Kandy in Sri Lanka, visited Tamil Nadu and found some local inhabitants in the Tanjore belt collecting some material from mushroom bases under termite mounds known as Putru Manga in the local dialect and traditionally used by pregnant women just before child birth in order to prevent pneumonia.
The information was published in the Annual Review of the Botanical Garden. Even today, the ‘Arisi Kalan’ (termitomyces microcarpus) and ‘Putru Kalan’ (termitomyces heimi) varieties are sold in the local vegetable markets of Tirunelveli and Thiruvananthapuram.
Gordon Wasson, a mushroom researcher, visited India and gathered information from many Vedic pandits in Kasi and Pune. Based on the knowledge acquired from Rig Vedic literature on Soma Banam, which is nothing but an extract from mushroom amanita muscaria, a book entitled Soma: Divine Mushroom Immortality was published. In this book, the author explained the effects of hallucination and immortality that this extract offers on its consumption. After this book was published in 1968, several international research articles have been published on this subject.
Co-inventor J Manjunathan said a project proposal has been forwarded to Department of Science and Technology (DST) to carry forward the research. He said lentinus tuberregium mushroom can be commercially cultivated and he was ready to help the farmers.
The Kaani tribe in Kanyakumari forests are known to use mushrooms in their daily diet. Field trips and personal interviews with tribal people reveal extensive usage of mushrooms. “Tribal people collect mushrooms early in the morning in bamboo or reed baskets. The collected mushrooms are cleaned in fresh water twice or thrice and slightly pounded in wooden mortar with an equal amount of rice. Then, both are boiled with a little water, spices, salt and wild green chillies are added for flavour and aroma. Then, it is served with cooked rice or cooked tapioca. Grated coconut is added to this preparation by some tribal people,” said Kaviyarasan, who had lived with Kaani tribes for days as part of his research.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by S.V. Krishna Chaitanya / Express News Service / May 05th, 2019
Dharun bags best athlete award
Dharun Ayyasamy who won two silver medals in 400m hurdles and 4x400m hurdles in the 18th Asian Games in 2018 was adjudged as the best male athlete at the 19th St Joseph’s Sports Academy annual day function held at St Joseph’s College of Engineering, Chennai.
In the women’s segment, PM Thabitha who won two gold medals in 100m hurdles and long jump in 3rd Youth Asian Athletics Championships held at Hong Kong, received the best female athlete award.
Thabitha won a gold and silver medal in 100m hurdles and 4x100mts relay and also created a new meet record in 100m hurdles at the 63rd SGFI Nationals held in Bhopal in 2018.
C Maruthaiyan was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding contribution to the sport of Volleyball.
Gomathi received `1 lakh from St Joseph’s Group of Institutions
B Babu Manoharan, chairman St Joseph’s Group of Institutions, awarded a cash prize of `1 lakh to international athlete M Gomathi.
Achievers of the academy who excelled at national and international level this year were given `5 lakh. An amount of `3 lakh will be distributed to 20 outstanding athletes of the academy under scholarship scheme.
All the coaches who contributed for the development of the academy were honoured at the function with a cash award of `10,000 each.
Lifetime award
C Maruthaiyan was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding contribution to the sport of Volleyball
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Express News Service / May 04th, 2019
Connemara Library opens its older section, which stores rare books, to book lovers in the city once a year during World Book Day week.
Visitors glance through rare books put on display at Connemara Public Library
Chennai :
It’s that time of the year when the older section of Connemara Public Library opens its door for the public — starting from World Book Day on April 23 until today. The searing heat does not stop people from dropping in and catching a glimpse of the preserved legacy, their rare book collection and the stunning architecture. Currently, the old section is used for storing rare books. It’s restricted to public but books can be accessed by scholars, researchers or students on request and can be read from the reception room.
There’s a red carpet path connecting the newer section to the older one. Ornate teak furniture, stained glass windows, vibrant patterns on the ceiling, arches engraved with sculptures and stacks of age-old books add to its beauty. The library was formally opened in 1896 to the south of Madras Museum, culminating in the museum theatre at the head of the campus. It is said to be named after Lord Baron Connemara, then Governor of Madras Presidency.
Past glory
The Madras Museum comprises numerous old buildings within its compound, and this library is one among them. The entire complex gains entry from Pantheon Road, which takes its name from the historic pantheon or public assembly rooms. References to the assembly room occur in 1789, a time when the city wanted a theatrical entertainment. Actively used in the latter part of 18th century, the government acquired the property in 1830 and established the Collector’s Cutcherry before the central museum in 1854.
Earlier, it had a single-floor high structure with two halls and a room for orchestra. The pantheon still exists. Two large wings with an upper floor are believed to be added when it was converted into a museum with further additions between 1886 and 1890. The space is said to have contained grooves in the roof over the stage to roll cannon balls to stimulate the sound of thunder. This structure is now a part of the two-floor old museum block, rear of the Connemara library.
Ageless charm
“What we see now is with later additions which are intricate and have a lot of details in terms of the stained glass or the teak finishes or the wooden brackets in the chambers. It has gone through four different purposes and the elements were added during consecutive additions. It’s an important part of Madras and a landmark that Chennai should be proud of,” said Thirupurasundari Sevvel, who conducted the trail as part of Nam Veedu Nam Oor Nam Kadhai. No two patterns in the stained glass windows are the same. It is said that the colours from the window reflect on marble floors at dusk.
The library benefitted from the Madras Literary Society on College Road — Fort St George campus — from where the Geology books were brought here. “We’ve displayed 300 books — from paintings to literature. Last year the library witnessed 2,000 people during public access. This year it’s open for five days. The count has crossed 1,000 in just two days.
The awareness has increased,” said a library staff. Considering its national depository, the library is entitled to get a copy of any book published by any publication in the world. The library is accessible for people with special needs. A walk around the space will not only expose you to the grandeur of the interior decor but also its treasured collection. The older section of Connemara Public Library is open until today from 10 am to 5 pm.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Vaishali Vijayakumar / Express News Service / April 27th, 2019
The product is now being used in all its intensive care units, fever wards and isolation wards
An indigenously prepared hand sanitiser has turned profitable for the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH). The largest public sector hospital in the city is all set to save nearly ₹31 lakh every year, after its own alcohol-based hand sanitiser was introduced in many units a few months ago.
Prepared in its own backyard by the College of Pharmacy (Madras Medical College), the hand sanitiser is now being used in all intensive care units, fever wards and isolation wards, such as for H1N1 influenza cases.
“Hand sanitisers are an important aspect of a health facility, particularly to a tertiary centre like us. On one hand, we have 12,000 outpatients visiting the hospital every day and another as 3,500 inpatients. On the other hand, we have a large population of medical professionals, including undergraduates, interns, surgeons and professors. It is vital to prevent hospital-acquired cross infections, and hence, we came up with the idea of developing our own hand sanitiser,” said R. Jayanthi, dean of RGGGH and MMC.
Reduced costs
Till February, when the in-house sanitiser was rolled out, RGGGH purchased commercially available hand sanitisers. The hospital’s monthly requirement was 1,000 units of 500 ml bottles; the annual requirement being 12,000 bottles. The cost of the marketed products ranged from ₹290 to ₹433 per 500 ml.
“The cost of procuring 12,000 bottles of a marketed product, considering an average cost of ₹341 is ₹40,92,000. Our hand sanitiser costs ₹82, inclusive of packing. So, the total cost for 12,000 bottles is ₹9,84,000. We will save ₹31,08,000 per year,” she said.
While this helped in cutting down cost, the hand sanitisers also reduced the need for using water for washing hands at a time of scarcity and it could easily be taken to different wards, Dr. Jayanthi said.
Jerard Suresh, principal, College of Pharmacy, MMC, said they prepared nearly 200 litres per batch of the lemon grass-scented hand sanitiser. It was tested for dermatological safety by the institute’s Department of Dermatology and efficacy against microbes by the Department of Microbiology.
Dr. Jayanthi said once they improve the capacity to make more, the hand sanitiser would be made available in the general wards of RGGGH. “Once we are self-sustained, we have plans to provide it for other government institutions. For this, we need licence and we are at it,” she said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Serena Josephine M / Chennai – April 27th, 2019
