‘Cos now I’m living on green power: An ode to the green guava

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Nature
Deliciously healthy The green guava chutney
Deliciously healthy The green guava chutney

It’s guava season now and here’s something new to try with this amazing fruit

At a recent wedding, there was a surprise element on our vazha yellais. A chutney made with green guava by a local caterer. An appetising green in colour, it was smooth, creamy and delicious. It had the sour flavour that one associates with chaat.

It is now a sought-after item at wedding feasts and the credit goes to Madhampatty Rangaraj for not just developing the recipe but for getting me to think about using the green guava as a veggie option.

The guava may have originated in Central America but after hundreds of years in the Indian subcontinent, it is considered local. When it comes to nutrition, the guava is to Asia what the apple is to the west. Guavas contain possibly the highest amount of Vitamin C present in fruits. They are equally rich in Vitamin A, manganese, which helps the body absorb other essecinal nutrients, and folate, which is necessary for conception and growth of the foetus.

Yet it is not a fruit that is found as often as some others at our homes. This may have something to do with the fact that it isn’t used much in cakes, pies or even salads. While I have heard of guava jellies, squashes and jams, I wonder how much of the actual fruit goes into making these condiments. Also given that these products are pink/peach in colour, they are probably made using the pink strawberry guava rather than the green, which are easier to find here.

The country variety ranges from a small one with dark green flesh to bigger ones that with a paler green exterior. I wasn’t too fond of the guava especially because of the seeds that wouldn’t break, no matter how hard they were bitten.

With guavas in season now and available everywhere here, the first dish I experimented with was, of course, the chutney. I didn’t want to ask the caterer for his secret recipe but going by the taste, I used onion, green chillies, tamarind, turmeric powder, rock salt and a few coriander leaves. In went the chopped guava, seeds and all, because discarding the latter meant losing so much flesh. Once it was all blended together, we had to strain the chutney. The smooth purée was tempered with dried red chillies, curry leaves and mustard seeds. One taste and I was supremely happy.

With the rainy weather we’re having, a warm green guava soup is next on the agenda. And a koyakkai rasam maybe?

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Life & Style> Food / by Shanthini Rajkumari / July 17th, 2018

Sangita Kalanidhi award for Aruna Sairam

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All
Aruna Sairam. File photo | Photo Credit: M_Karunakaran
Aruna Sairam. File photo | Photo Credit: M_Karunakaran

Awards for Thanjavur R. Ramadoss, Kalyani Ganesan, K. Oman Kutty, S.R.G. Rajanna, Premeela Gurumurthy and Shanta Dhananjayan

Carnatic vocalist Aruna Sairam has been selected for this year’s Sangita Kalanidhi award of the Music Academy.

The executive committee of the Academy that met on Sunday, unanimously selected her for the award, said N. Murali, the president of the Academy.

“An illustrious career spanning decades, she can be credited with taking the art to a very wide audience both in India and abroad. She is also known for her collaborative exercise in music with artistes of other countries and genres,” said Mr. Murali.

She will preside over the 92nd annual conference to be held between December 15, 2018 and January 1, 2019. The award will be conferred to her on January 1, the day of Sadas.

“I am in an overwhelming situation and have no words to explain my feelings. Even though I have won other awards, Sangita Kalanidhi convinces me that I have left an imprint in my chosen field,” said Ms. Sairam, who first learnt from her mother Rajalakshmi Sethuraman, a disciple of Alathur Venkatesa Iyer, the father of Sivasubramani Iyer, the elder of the Alathur duo.

Her mother was from Sirukamani, a village near Alathur and her father Sethuraman was from Tiruvarur and she was constantly in touch with her roots through music, though her family lived in Bombay.

With a solid foundation in Alathur school of music, at 10 she became a student of T. Brinda, who used to visit Bombay to teach students.

“She would stay with us in my house and taught students for two and half months. For 15 years I learnt from her. I regularly visited Chennai with my parents during the music season and listening to the maestros was a great experience,” recalled Ms. Sairam, who also learnt from S. Ramachandran, a student of Chittoor Subramaniam Pillai, A.S. Mani, a disciple of Tiger Varadachariar, T.R. Subramanian and nagaswaram player S.R.D. Vaidhyanathan.

“Balamuralikrishna taught me the techniques of improving my voice and I learnt abhang from Mohan Pai,” said Ms. Sairam, whose concert would not be complete without rendering an abhang.

Though she lived in Mumbai, she started visiting Chennai regularly during the music season from 1990. In 2002, she shifted to Chennai permanently.

“My regular visits to Chennai between 1990 and 2000 gave an opportunity to imbibe the music of others and learn the techniques to communicate my music to the audience. Thus I could strike a chord with them,” said Ms. Sairam, who became one of the most popular musicians in a short span of time.

Other awards

Mridhangist Thanjavur R. Ramadoss, a student of Palghat T.S. Mani Iyer and vocalist K. Oman Kutty, will receive the Sangita Kala Acharya award.

T.T.K. Awards will be given to veena player Kalyani Ganesan and nagaswaram player S.R.G. Rajanna.

Dr. Premeela Gurumurthy, the Vice Chancellor, Tamil Nadu University for Fine Arts will get the musicologist award and dancer Shanta Dhananjayan will get the Nritiya Kalanidhi award, which will be conferred on her January 3.

source:http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Entertainment> Music / by B. Kolappan / Chennai – July 15th, 2018

A commercial pilot’s licence after 21 years: Jakkur flying school, Madurai woman clear Centre’s pilot project

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

Thanks to a scholarship programme started by the Centre in 2007, a student of Government Flying Training School (GFTS), Jakkur, has been issued a Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) after 21 years. Capt Kavya Ravi Kumar (23), a native of Madurai in Tamil Nadu, is the first student since 1997 to be awarded a CPL, thanks to the grant of Rs 20 lakh set aside for SC candidates.

The last such licence issued to a student from GFTS was way back in November 1997.

Though Kavya has created history of sorts, her journey towards becoming a commercial pilot has not been an easy one. She had enrolled at the school’s first batch after it reopened in 2013, but could not pursue training activities unlike other students due to high training costs.

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“Becoming a pilot was a childhood dream. After Class 12 from Madurai, I wanted to join GFTS. However, the fee (about Rs 25 lakh) was very high and my family could not afford it. Nevertheless, my parents with great difficulty raised Rs 6 lakh by taking a loan. I commenced my flying training in August 2013. However, the high cost of flying training (Rs 10,000 per hour) meant that I could only do about 46 hours of flying. In July 2015, my flying training had completely stopped due to lack of funds,” said Kavya, whose father is a driver at the Tamil Nadu state transport.

After a brief lull, Kavya applied for a Central government scholarship in 2015 and, being an SC candidate, was offered the chance to further pursue her dreams.

“The scholarship came to my rescue and since then there has been no looking back. Now, I have finally achieved my lifelong dream of becoming a pilot,” said Kavya.

While awaiting her CPL, Kavya has also obtained Flight Radio Telephone Operators Licence (FRTOL) and is at present working at ATC in Jakkur.

What’s next

Kavya is not interested in joining a commercial airline. She wants to become a flying instructor.

Officials at the flying school say that one reason why none of the students got a CPL in the last two decades was because between 1997 and 2013, not much flying has happened at the school. It has been embroiled in various controversies and was even closed for nearly six years.
Wg Cdr Amarjeet Singh Dange, chief flying instructor, GFTS, is proud of Kavya’s achievement and happy that a student has been able to get a CPL since the school reopened. “Kavya was undoubtedly the best student of her batch. She did not give up even when things were not going her way,” Dange said.

About the scholarship

Kavya said that she had received a grant of Rs 20 lakh under the ‘Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Top Class Education for SC Students’.
The grant offered under the scheme was utilised for 200 hours of flying.

The SC students who secure admission in the notified institutions are awarded scholarship for the full tuition fee and the non-refundable charges with a ceiling of Rs 2 lakh per year per student for private sector institutions, and Rs 3.72 lakh per year per student for private sector flying clubs for commercial pilot
training.

Besides, montly living expenses of Rs 2,220 per student, it also covers books and stationery (Rs 3,000 p.a. per student) and latest computer, limited to Rs 45,000 per student as a one-time assistance.

The scheme became effective in June 2007 and was subsequently revised in January, 20

source: http://www.bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home / by Hemanth S / Bangalore Mirror Bureau / July 07th, 2018

Sail on, silver girl: A chat with chess champion K Priyanka

Records, All, Sports, World Opinion
Heading to the big league K Priyanka hopes to be a Grandmaster soon
Heading to the big league K Priyanka hopes to be a Grandmaster soon

K Priyanka makes Coimbatore proud as she wins the silver at the recent Commonwealth Chess Championship

“I am thrilled to have won the silver. It means so much to me but it could have been better,” says K Priyanka, who won the silver in the Under-18 category of the recent Commonwealth Chess Championship. The Std XI student of Chinmaya Vidyalaya, RS Puram, values this medal highly as she has been waging a battle with finances to make a leap to the big stage.

The under-18 silver in the championship in Delhi has brought her smiles back. Priyanka participated in both the Open and the Under-18 category. In fact, she was quite comfortable in the Open class, which had a strong field. The 16-year-old made life difficult for higher-rated stars such as Grand Master S Kidambi and WGM Mary Ann Gomes. At one stage, she seemed to be heading for the gold but slipped towards the end. The difference was just half a point but that was enough to keep her from the top spot. Tejaswini Sagar of Ahmedabad won the Gold.

“I felt really bad because I missed a huge opportunity. I hope to turn it around the next time,” she said. It would usually take her a few days to recover from a loss, but this time Priyanka got back on her feet faster. “It hurts but what’s the point in carrying it in your head? It will only weigh on me further.”

Delhi’s Leela Ambience Convention Hotel has been a lucky venue for Priyanka. It was around the same time last year that she pocketed the under-16 title. And Coimbatore rejoiced in her success. The Coimbatore District Chess Association (CDCA) celebrated her achievement in a grand manner, as they had been waiting for two decades for a champion.

Priyanka now wants to realise her big dream of becoming a Grand Master, for which she will have to win at many international tournaments. Not an easy task for this young girl, considering her financial situation. Before the Commonwealth championship, Priyanka had half a dozen international tournaments on her radar but had to miss a few because of lack of money. She worked hard with her current coach GM Vishnu Prasanna from Chennai on her game. While it has been tough to balance between academics and the game, chess is her life, she declares.

Her father was her greatest support but he passed away and that spelt trouble for the family as well as for Priyanka. She had been forging ahead but struggled to come to terms with losing her father. It took her two years to come back to the game and she says the credit for that goes to her mother K Maruthambal, uncle KV Sridhar and many well-wishers.

Priyanka built up her confidence and is now back at her best. The silver has come as a shot in the arm as her next stop is the GM tournament in Abu Dhabi in early August. She is quite positive about her chances and hopes that she will get some financial support to help her realise that dream.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sport> Other Sports / by Rayan Rozario / July 13th, 2018

Vocalist Jayalakshmi Santhanam passes away

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All

VocalistJayalakshmiCF15jul2018

She was popular in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh

Carnatic vocalist Jayalakshmi Santhanam, who was popular both in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, died here on Saturday. She was 86 and is survived by two sons and a daughter.

Family played a crucial role in shaping Jayalakshmi as a musician and she imbibed music by listening to her mother Muthulakshmi. Her elder brother was V.V. Sadagopan, an actor and professor of music at Delhi University.

Her family lived in Thiruvananthapuram and her initial training was under Rukmini Sunderrrajan, wife of her eldest brother Sunderrajan. She won a gold medal when she was seven. Many well-known musicians used to visit her house.

“They took me to concerts and competitions and introduced me to veterans like Brinda/Mukta and Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer,” Jayalakshmi recalled in an interview to The Hindu in 2007.

She used to accompany her sister-in-law Rukmini, who learnt music from Harikesanallur Muthaiah Bhagavathar and Sattur A.G. Subramania Iyer and learnt advanced lessons in music.

She lived for several years in Andhra Pradesh, as her husband Santhanam worked in Hyderabad. Though she admired M.S. Subbulakshmi and M.L. Vasanthakumari, her all-time favourite was D.K. Pattammal.

“I wish I had been born a kitten in D.K. Pattammal’s house,” she would say.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Tamil Nadu / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – July 15th, 2018

How a Tamil-French music album came about

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

FrenchTamil01CF13jul2018

What happens when French musicians write songs about travelling the world, and Indian composers set those words to music?

How do you compose a song when you can’t understand the words? It isn’t easy, but the students of KM Conservatory of Music found a way. “The lyrics would be in French, and none of us speak French,” grins Aditya Ravindran, singer-composer and a student who was part of a collaboration that led to the creation of Tamil-French music album No Parking.

Ravindran elaborates on the challenges, “When you are composing in a language you know, you know the little things, like which syllable to stress on when saying a word. Here, we didn’t know if we were just making the words sound funny.”FrenchTamil02CF13jul2018

But the students found a way to get around this. They had time: the project had begun in August 2017, when three French musicians — Regis Savigny, Lizzy Ling and Julie Bonnafont, who together comprise the Collectif A Contresens — approached the music school with a project. The idea was to lend Indian tunes to French words, and create soundtracks which would be new for Indian and French ears alike.

And just like that, 15 students dedicated an entire semester to this project: attending workshops, composing, collaborating and eventually recording. Because of the language barrier, much of the communication across continents had to be done through voice files, and a lot of time was spent dissecting things likes pronunciation.

“In our regional languages, the words are closed. But in French, the consonants just dissolve towards the end,” says Karthik Manickavasakam, with a slight frown that hints at the frustration he might have felt through those months of work. But nobody’s complaining now, especially not Ravindran and Manickavasakm, being the only two who were selected go to France for the album release, and tour the country with Collectif A Centresens. They gave performance halls, music shops and schoolrooms across the French countryside a taste of the fusion sounds of No Parking, with a liberal serving of popular Tamil tracks and songs from their band Pithukuli on the side.

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It’s hard to tell what the duo is more chuffed about: their performances around France or the exhilarating months of composition back in Chennai with their KM batchmates. “Everybody was kicked to give their own input,” recalls Manickavasakam, “For example, we found out that one of the sound engineers knew how to play the dholak. So, that was all he did: lend dholak sounds to the tracks that needed it. We took him off sound engineering completely.”

So pahadi folk, Carnatic and even electronic sounds made their way in songs about traffic signals, airport halts and crossing roads. As the project slowly took over their lives for a few months, eventually becoming part of their course work, even more sound engineers and technicians had to pitch in to set a second recording studio, in order to get things done on time.

“In December, 14 songs had to be recorded in 10 days,” says Manickavasakam, adding that usually, recording a single song takes multiple days.

As much as the students enjoyed the process on campus, their visit to France was a whole new experience. “If I had gone to France as a tourist, I wouldn’t have visited the places we visited then,” points out Ravindran, launching into a slew of memories, from teaching schoolchildren Indian classical rhythms to jamming to ‘Urvasi’ in a music store with its owner and some friends, long after closing hours.

The camaraderie that springs from a love for music — any music — is what really stood out for the duo. “We did eight concerts in three weeks, and performed in all kinds of venues. In every performance hall, after the performance, everyone would get together and sit down for a meal. The composer, the janitor, the light and sound technicians, the performers, their friends… everyone would discuss what they liked and didn’t like about the show,” recalls Manickavasakam.

The French tour — a result of the collaborative project between Tamil Nadu Government and the Central State of France — having concluded recently, energies have been shifted towards an Indian leg of the tour. But things may not materialise till early next year. For now, the songs of No Parking are available on iTunes and Saavn.

 source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Entertainment / by Meghna Majumdar /  July 11th, 2018

What is special about Kanchipuram, heritage or music?

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

Gayathri12Jul2018

Gayathri Girish delved deep into Kanchipuram’s history to offer glimpses of its heritage, literature and music associated with the temple town

Gayathri Girish presented a concert recently, under the aegis of Music Forum, interspersed with information on the temple town of Kanchipuram. Through a multimedia presentation, she delved into its history and spoke about references in ancient literature at the Arkay Convention Centre. The programme was part of Music Forum’s Sangeetha Lakshana Lakshya series.

Kanchi that abounds with temples of Siva, Vishnu, Shakti and Skanda, is referred to as prithvi sthal. It is also known as Kamakottam, Devarajapuram and Shivajit Kshetram and has been widely mentioned in the agama sastras and Sangam literature. The town nurtured many scholars and saints such as Adi Sankara, Ramanuja, Thevara Nalvar, Upanishad Brahmam and Azhwars.

After this introduction, Gayathri moved to Kumara Kottam, the deity being Somaskandamurthy. The temple is located between the shrines of Ekambareswarar and Kamakshi. Gayathri presented Muthuswami Dikshitar’s ‘Chintaya makanda moolakandam’ in Bhairavi. “Tamizh Kanda Puranam was staged first at Kanda Kottam, where Lord Muruga imparted it to his devotee Kachyapasivachariar,” said Gayathri.

In Kama Kottam, Shakti exists in three forms — as a statue, Srichakram and Tapas Kamakshi. Gayathri brought out its significance through Dikshitar’s ‘Ekambranatham’ in Gamakakriya, a thevaram, a Mooka Kavi poem, Tyagaraja’s ‘Vinayakuni’ in Madhyamavati and Syama Sastri’s ‘Kanaka saila viharini’ in Punnagavarali. Her rendition of Oothukkadu Venkatakavi’s Kamakshi Navavarnam (‘Sadanandamayi’ in Hindolam) enhanced her presentation. A rare kriti ‘Sri Saraswati Hite’ in Manji was a pleasing addition.

Kriti on Varadaraja

Varadaraja Perumal, known by several names, was represented with the Tyagaraja kriti ‘Varadaraja ninne’. Gayathri said that the kriti was tuned in raga Swarabooshani but generally sung in Devamanohari. This was suffixed with verses from Vedanta Desikar’s ‘Adaikkalappaththu’ in ragamalika. ‘Varadarajam upasmahe’ in Saranga by Dikshitar was another choice.

Kailasanathar temple, known for its huge linga and beautiful sculptures, was the focus next. The kriti was Dikshitar’s ‘Kailasanathena’ in Khambodi. . Then came Thirumangai Azhwar’s pasuram on the gigantic Ulagalantha Perumal in raga Mohanam. Gayathri concluded her presentation with a Pattinathar song.

She was accompanied by Vishruthi and Mythreyi (vocal support), K. Ananthakrishnan (violin) and Kumbakonam Swaminathan (mridangam).

Chief guest Chithra Madhavan lauded Gayathri for packing the show with good music and interesting information.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Entertainment> Music / by G. Swaminathan /  July 12th, 2018

Chennai’s very own glass studio

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives/ Environment

Radhika01CF11jul2018

For the founder of Goli Soda Glass Studio, it is a captivating, understated medium of art

K Radhika remembers staring at the flames of the kiln long before her first glass art class at Ohio State University. “I would go to the classroom and just watch the glass melt in the fire for hours, but never do anything. I used to feel so intimidated,” she recalls. That was back in 2008. Today, the 39-year-old runs her own glass making studio, Goli Soda Glass Studio at Palavakkam.

Having returned to Chennai in 2016, after 20 years of life in the US, Radhika opened the studio last year and has been holding workshops on lamp working. “I think Goli Soda bottles have been our first memory of glass that is quirky and fun,” she says.

When I meet her, she is demonstrating how to join two thin tubes of glass. “You have to make sure that both pieces of glass have the same co-efficiency,” she explains. She later creates even thinner stringers out of the tubes, heating one end and plucking the molten glass out like cheese from a pizza: the stringers harden instantly.

She bends down on her seat, curling the end of a glass stringer in each hand simultaneously, till the fire fuses them to one sphere at the centre. A blue glass pendant with a white petal design inside it lies next to her on a graphite holder, fresh off the flame. The petals look like they are blooming upwards inside the glass. “We call it the implosion technique — creating a lens effect, it’s been very popular for the past 20-30 years,” says Radhika.

She shows us how it’s done, gathering a sphere of glass on one end and flattening it to give it a semi-hemispherical shape. She exposes the base to a light flame simultaneously etching patterns on it with a coloured glass pen. The surface of the sphere is then heated further so that it gathers below the design, lifting it up inside and giving the impression that the design has been frozen in glass mid-implosion.

“The glassmakers of Murano used this technique a lot. It used to be their trade secret once,” says Radhika.

In her other workshops, she teaches her students how to cut and reuse old glass bottles. “You have to give the bottle a thermal shock. It’s basically creating a fault line, heating it along that line and then dunking it in ice cold water to break it,” she explains.

Reduce, reuse, recycle

Radhika sources all her glass by going to the various pubs and bars along ECR, sack in tow. She recycles most of the glass in her studio, throwing away only the unusable pieces.

When she came to Chennai, she was surprised at the lack of a ‘glass community’ in the city. A ‘full-time mom’, as she calls herself, she then decided to run her own studio. “Glass, as a medium, is very exciting and challenging. You only have so much time to finish one piece. It’s not like painting, where you can take a break, come back and paint again. It’s a one-shot thing and if you go wrong, you just have to start all over again,” she says.

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And then of course, there is the captivating beauty of glass, its translucence. Radhika wants people to not think of glass as intimidating. She recently participated in the Glass Conference 2018 at Murano, where designers showcased outfits made majorly out of glass. She fashioned a black V-neck top with icicle-like frills of glass hanging from it. The outfit was completed with a glass necklace and a gajra made of glass flowers that had been sewn together. Says Radhika, “I want to experiment further with glass in traditional Indian clothing. People see glass as this fragile thing. But I want to make it fun!”

K Radhika can be contacted at 9566105313.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Entertainment> Art / by Sweta Akundi / July 11th, 2018

A strong maiden impression by Ahura

Amazing Feats, Records, All, Sports
Here we go: The Ahura Racing team members strike a happy pose.
Here we go: The Ahura Racing team members strike a happy pose.

Ahura Racing women handled their machines with aplomb

The Ahura Racing women took everybody by storm with their steely show in the LGB Formula 4 class of the JK Tyre championship here on Sunday.

In their maiden outing, the ‘Women in Red’ handled their machines with aplomb to earn a big applause from the crowd.

They showed good speed and a strong race sense but the big boys of racing had them trailing right through. It was still a great show considering the fact that they had minimal track experience.

The girls were thrilled as well. “I was really nervous at the start but that was only for a while,” said Coimbatore’s K.S. Megaa, who clocked the fastest timing among the girls on all three days. “We drove on the wet as well for the first time and now have started to believe that we can do even better,” she added.

Lea Daran said that she had lots of fun. “The feeling was great. I was a bit more cautious on the first day but mixed it up with some aggression today. The passing was a lot easy as well.”

“We are getting better with each passing day and don’t be surprised if we beat the boys. We will beat them for sure with some proper planning and training,” said actor Manisha Kelkar.

“Motorsport in a real big community and I was happy to be a part of it. I liked the way they helped each one of us. It was like being in one big family,” said Hansuja, the youngest in the team.

“We could feel the adrenalin rush in us. It was a unique experience that we will remember for our life time,” said Dr. Ritika Oberoi.

“I had done two wheeler events before but this one was awesome. I wanted to do for some time but I never knew it will come this soon,” Priyamvada Saradhi said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sport> Other Sports / by Rayan Rozario / Coimbatore – July 08th, 2018

I’ve never thought of my synthetic limbs as an obstacle, says motor racer Chetan Korada

Amazing Feats, Records, All, Sports, World Opinion

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Chennai boy Chetan Korada, perhaps the world’s only motor car racer with synthetic limbs, is ready to step abroad

This is going to be Chetan Korada’s biggest year yet; a year that will see him go international.

“It will be exciting,” he says, rubbing his hands in glee, “I’ll be racing on international tracks at Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Bahrain, which are very different from the ones here in India.”

Korada is not your usual motor racer; the 31-year-old is probably the world’s only motor car racer with synthetic limbs who holds the distinction of winning several series and championships. “I’ve never thought of it as an obstacle. It was never on my mind,” he says, walking up the stairs of his Kilpauk residence and posing for a photograph.

Growing up in the city, sport was always on Korada’s mind. He did dabble in other sports, but realised that racing was his calling a decade ago when he took out an LGB 1300 for a spin.

“Before I sat in the car, my heart was thumping with excitement,” he recalls about that day, “I had prosthetic legs and didn’t know if they would fit. But when I stepped into the vehicle, I could settle in smoothly.” That day remains memorable for Korada, even as his racing career — that includes outings in the JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship, MMS Mini Enduro and the Spring Karting series — enters its 10th year.

Today, Korada looks back at his early childhood as years of determination: ones in which he proved that he was no different from the rest of his friends.

At a very early age, he had to undergo bi-lateral amputation because of his congenital limb deformity, but his inclination towards cars — fuelled by encouragement from his mother and teachers — nudged him to lead a life on the fast lane.

In his initial years in sport, he took great inspiration from Italian Formula One Driver, and paracyclist, Alex Zanardi. “I kept telling myself: if he can do it, I could too. He was a role model.”

Closer home, Korada was following the racing exploits of actor Ajith, who also has a keen interest in the sport.

“I used to like his movies, but when I saw him on the race track in 2007, it was so inspiring…,” he trails off, excited to talk about his favourite star.

He also focussed a lot on his fitness, with Ramji Srinivasan of the city-based QLP Sports helping him out a lot in recent times.

“The folks there know my body better than me,” he says, “Racing demands a lot of physical and mental toughness.”

Korada did look at other careers when he was younger — dabbling in a bit of DJing thanks to his liking for music — but once a racing career looked feasible, he didn’t take a step back.

With such an expensive career, funds might be an issue, but thankfully, he has QNet supporting him on that front. Currently, his sights are set on international racing glory, for which he attended a course with the Formula Masters Testing Programme in Malaysia recently.

“I can’t wait to race on those tracks,” he grins.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Society / by Srinivasa Ramanujam / July 09th, 2018