Monthly Archives: November 2012

WRI eyes advanced research through MoU with Japanese institute

Business & Economy, Sports

 R. Easwaran, General Manager, WRI & Labs, and Prof. Manabu Tanaka of JWRI, Osaka University, Japan, displaying MoU in the city. A.V. Krishnan, ED, BHEL Tiruchi, is in the picture. / Photo by Special Arrangement /

JWRI professors conduct seminar for BHEL engineers

In its pursuit to become a world class institution in the field of welding and joining of metals, the Welding Research Institute (WRI), BHEL Tiruchi, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Joining and Welding Research Institute (JWRI), Osaka University, Japan.

R. Easwaran, General Manager, WRI & Labs, and Prof. Manabu Tanaka of JWRI exchanged the MoU documents on Thursday in the presence of A.V. Krishnan, Executive Director, BHEL-Tiruchi, and other senior executives.

Consultancy

As various core industries, including space, power, automobile, ship building, railways and strategic sectors invariably depend on the welding science for improving productivity, quality and services, the WRI offers consultancy enabling the manufacturing industries to bring in low cost automation and process control, Mr. Krishnan said.

Mutual benefit

The JWRI’s fundamental research and WRI’s expertise in applied research will be of mutual benefit leading to advanced research in the science of welding, Prof. Manabu Tanaka added.

Subsequently, professors of JWRI conducted an international seminar that had the participation of engineers of BHEL and students of BHEL – PSG programme.

Research

Presentations on ‘Plasma Diagnostics and Simulation of Welding Arcs’ by Prof. Manabu Tanaka, on ‘Time Resolved X Ray Diffraction analysis of phase transformation of steel weld’ by Prof. Hidenori Terasaki, and on ‘Macro and Micro plasticity analysis for fatigue life assessment of steel’ by Prof. Seiichiro Tsutsumi of JWRI exposed participants to the depth of research works at JWRI.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> News> Cities> Tiruchirapalli / by Special Correspondent / Tiruchi, November 09th, 2012

Honoured for her social service

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders

T. Nagar Exnora Innovators’ Club presented the “Outstanding Social Worker Award” to Dr. N.B. Sakkubai for her community service and efforts towards environmental protection.

She is the president of New Boag Road Civic Exnora.

Dr. Sakkubai has been working for the upliftment of the women and has involved them in development activities that benefit the society. She has lent support to old-age homes, orphanages and mentally disabled homes. She has also conducted many health awareness, blood donation, diabetes camps and awareness programmes on saving the earth, road safety, global warming, source segregation and rain water harvesting.

She has conducted several activities in and around T. Nagar and CIT Nagar and help solve many civic problems.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / November 10th, 2012

Tiruchi hospital ropes in specialist to remove tumour in woman

Science & Technologies

A view of the Srirangam Government Hospital in Tiruchi. / Photo: M. Srinath / The Hindu

Doctor cites provisions under Chief Minister’s Health Insurance Scheme

Notwithstanding the lack of an in-house facility for cancer surgery, the taluk-level government hospital at Srirangam has hired the services of a specialist to successfully remove a malignant ovarian tumour weighing two kilos in a woman diagnosed with borderline cancer.

Surgical treatment of cancer being unavailable even in the government medical college hospital here, the taluk-level hospital was able to perform the surgery by hiring the services of private oncologist, thanks to the provisions under the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme, T.Selvaraj, told The Hindu.

Chitra, a 55 year old housewife, was admitted to Srirangam Government Hospital last month with complaint of pain in the abdomen and abdominal mass (swelling) for six months, said Samsadh Begum, head, obstetrics and gynaecology department, Srirangam government hospital.

Diagnostic tests confirmed early stage ovarian cancer.

Surgical oncologist Ravi Iyengar, who operated on the patient with the assistance of general surgeon Srikanth, said the patient had a malignant ovarian tumour of a borderline nature. After the tumour weighing two kilos was taken out, biopsies of the lymph nodes, ovaries, appendix and uterus were also carried out for signs of cancer. “This was important to decide course of further treatment. The woman was diagnosed to be in the initial stage of cancer. If there was advanced malignancy, she may have had to undergo chemotherapy.”

The patient is recovering and the chances of cancer spreading have been ruled out, according to the doctors.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> News> Cities> Tiruchirapalli / by Olympia Shilpa Gerald / Tiruchi, November 09th, 2012

Between the lines: This collector has more than 250 bookmarks

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Chennai:

S Suresh was happy on Wednesday when Barack Obama was re-elected as US President, not because of any political affiliation but because it meant his bookmark listing all the US Presidents could stay in his collection. “I was wondering if I’d have to get a new one if Obama lost,” says Suresh, 45, who has a collection of more than 250 bookmarks.

An archaeologist and state convener of the conservation group INTACH, Suresh began his bookmark collection as an offshoot of his penchant for collecting books. “I have more than 20,000 books, a collection begun by my grandparents,” says Suresh.

Some years ago, while reading , Suresh realised that some of his books contained unusual bookmarks. “I took them out and found that there was an interesting collection,” he says. He began “systematically” collecting bookmarks in 1997.

His collection includes bookmarks of metal, paper, stained glass, cherry wood and even one of dried flowers, which he never uses for fear it will disintegrate. A friend has knitted him a wormshaped bookmark in wool. The oldest is a 75-year-old leather bookmark that belonged to his grandparents . He even has one made of magnetic sheets that not only marks your spot in the book, but also never falls out. “I got it at the Guggenheim Museum in the US,” says Suresh. “They made it because garden readers complained that bookmarks fly off during strong winds.”

Suresh bought more than 150 of his bookmarks while travelling abroad. “Many museums abroad sell bookmarks with photographs of the building or the masterpieces . They also print entry tickets in the form of bookmarks,” he says. He sometimes buys two entry tickets just so he can add one to his collection. In India , the only museum to give entry tickets in the form of bookmarks is the National Museum in Delhi.

“Very few cultural institutions in India bring out bookmarks,” says Suresh. So, a few years ago when he heard that Kalakshetra Foundation was bringing out bookmarks featuring founder Rukmini Devi Arundale, he rushed over and bought a couple. Suresh says it’s easy to preserve his collection — he just stores them in his books. “It keeps them pressed and fresh,” he says. “And honestly, there’s really no better home for a bookmark.”

kamini.mathai@timesgroup.com

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City / by Kamini Mathai, TNN / November 09th, 2012

‘Entrepreneurs need to be versatile, proactive’

Business & Economy, Education

 Common goal: Suresh Bose, Head – HR, Sterlite Copper Private Ltd, Tuticorin, addressing a meeting of Business Line Club of the Department of Management Studies of Dr Sivanthi Adithanar College, Tiruchendur, on Sunday.

Madurai, NOV. 7:

A successful entrepreneur does not reach the top of the pyramid by chance. He/she should have in him/her three significant skills to succeed, namely, being sweet, smart and humble. These need to be combined with hard work, forethought and long-term vision and mission to take them to the peak, according to Suresh Bose, Head – HR, Sterlite Copper Private Ltd, Tuticorin.

Addressing a meeting of Business Line Club of the Department of Management studies of Dr Sivanthi Adithanar College, Tiruchendur, on Sunday, he said that entrepreneurs of the present generation who have succeeded have demonstrated these skills very well. Citing the real experiences of Anil Agarwal, founder of Vedanta Group, of which Sterlite is a part, he said that the group had made many strides in its industrial production, exhibiting the significance of these skills.

Basic understanding of the business module is a prerequisite for success, he added. Diversification of the business to other core competency areas add more value and weight in keeping the financial results growing on the right track, he said.

He stressed on the need to stay well connected with a business daily, and appealed to students to nurture the practice of staying tuned to the habit of reading a business newspaper to build their confidence level and overall awareness of the market scenario. Stating that a challenging market awaited their entry, he stressed on the need to be versatile and proactive, engaging themselves in group discussions and role plays as part of improving their communication skills.

He also appealed to them to make periodical industrial visits during their academic career and get to know the realities in the corporate world as part of their curriculum so that they become market ready while they moved out of the gates of the institution.

Highlighting the various eco-friendly activities of Sterlite Copper, he said that budding management students should always look for synchronising the business models with the economy and allocate a permissible budget to give back to the society the due share as part of social cause.

G. Sathish Kumar, Sales Executive, The Hindu, Tirunelveli, earlier gave a brief introduction on the BL Club activities. Dr Tamilarasan, Head of the Department was also present.

source: http://www.TheHinduBusinessLine.com / Home> News> Education / by Hindu’s Correspondent / Madurai, November 07th, 2012

Grape farmers take the road to profit

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Nature

Farm fresh grapes at farm gates – farmers become entrepreneurs by taking to direct marketing

Even as farmers all over the country are struggling to market agri-produces and cursing middlemen and commission agents for paying poor price, that are not meeting even their production costs and appealing to the governments to fix better price for their produces, grape growers in Dindigul district have brought a revolutionary change in the way they are marketing their fruits, creating a model, that is best, for their counterparts in other areas to emulate.

‘Farm fresh grapes at farm gate’ is their marketing concept. They neither spend single paisa for marketing and nor run from pillar to post in search of customers. Above all, their customers are anywhere in India.

A vast stretch of four-lane National Highway-7 between Kodai Road and A Vellode is their prime market base and their main customers are not the local people. They come from all corners of India to their farm gate to buy farm fresh grapes.

Multi-colour flex boards describing high quality farm fresh grapes greet these travellers on both sides of the NH-7. Men and women, holding out bunches of fresh grapes in their hands, too signal these customers to stop their speeding vehicles. Dawn-to-dusk is the sale time.

To satisfy such valuable customers, innovative farmers lure them with unimaginably cheaper prices. Customers can get one kg of grapes for Rs.30 a kg, enjoying 33 per cent rebate on prevailing market price. (Grape price at fruits shops in towns is Rs.45 and Rs.50.)

Another major benefit is that customers buy fresh fruits plucked from the farm before their eyes. Shelf life is also high for these fruits. At the same time, farmers register a three-fold profit.

“When we sell it to commission agents, they fix different prices for every plucking. They reduce the price for fruits during second and third plucking. It is hard to get Rs.10 a kg for the best quality. If the production is high, prices will crash to Rs.7 and some times to Rs.6 a kg. With no storage facility, we cannot stock plucked fruits and are forced to sell to agents at a very low price,” says Muthu Pandi of Uthupatti in Nilakottai block. “Now, we pluck fruits on the basis of demand. Post harvest loss is very less. Freight charge is nil,” he adds.

“We sell at least 300 kg a day on weekdays and 400 to 500 kg on weekends,” say many farmers.

This silent revolution is making ripples in that area. Today, many growers have come to the street to boost their income and profit margin. Some progressive farmers even depute farm workers in direct marketing.

At last, grape farmers have become entrepreneurs taking care of marketing on their own. Grape is being cultivated on around 150 to 200 hectares in Dindigul, Nilakottai and Athoor blocks in the district.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> News> States> Tamil Nadu / by K. Raju / Dindigul, November 06th, 2012

Green-eyed ‘rev’elation

Sports

It was in Bengaluru exactly 12 years ago, when this light-eyed boy who was then only 11, drove his first lap in a go-kart at the Speed Zone. It was his passion for speed and to race that led Armaan Ebrahim to live life in the fast lane. We caught up with India’s young racer who was in the city on Monday at the Puma store in Indiranagar who then partied the night away at Opus.

Young and pursuing a sport that gets a lot of eyeballs, does Armaan get any female adulation, we wonder and he is quick to reply, “I’m quite a shy guy. Yes, I do get a lot of compliments on my green eyes, but that’s about it. I have a few close friends in Chennai who I party with, but the night life there wasn’t very good so far. There aren’t too many happening places. It has become better now, but I’m not there most of the time, as I spend about 10 months in a year in England honing my racing skills. I usually unwind with a close set of friends at home and sometimes we get together for screenings, but when it’s a serious race, I prefer to lock myself and watch it all alone. It helps me study some strategies.”

source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home> Tabloid> Bengaluru / by Namita Gupta, DC, Bengaluru / November 07th, 2012

TTDC eyes Marina for maritime heritage museum

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Science & Technologies

The Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC) is seriously contemplating setting up a maritime heritage museum either in Mamallapuram or on the Marina by making use of decommissioned submarine, INS Vagli, which is now in Visakhapatnam.

According to official sources, the government order for erecting submarine INS Vagli on a special platform at Mamallapuram was issued on June 11. A sum of Rs.10 crore was sanctioned for shifting the vessel. The submarine, decommissioned after 36 years of service on December 9, 2010, is currently docked at the Naval base in Visakhapatnam.

Talking to The Hindu, sources said “We have received a no-objection certificate from the Defence Ministry to get the decommissioned vessel to be towed from the Visakhapatnam dockyard. As it is our maiden attempt, we will be seeking the help of experts to bring the vessel, haul it ashore and erect it on a special platform. Some modifications will have to be carried out on the vessel to enable the visitors to enter and have a look at the engineering marvel. Tenders will be floated soon for this purpose.”

“If everything goes as per plan, the proposed museum should be ready within 18 months. The proposed museum will be executed in a phased manner under the Build, Own, Operate and Transfer mode. It will have facilities such as marine technology, food courts, audio-visual studio, souvenir shops and aquarium,” the sources said.

While it might not be difficult to set up the maritime heritage museum in Mamallapuram as it owns 30 acres of land abutting the beach near the Shore Temple, the TTDC has to get the State government’s help to acquire some piece of land on the Marina, the sources indicated. It may be pointed out that Visakhapatnam has the distinction of converting a decommissioned submarine (INS Kursura) into a museum a decade ago. Taking a cue from it, representatives of chambers of commerce and industry in Chennai have been urging the State government to grant them a piece of land to set the museum-ship on the Marina.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> News> TamilNadu / by N. Anand / Chennai, November 05th, 2012

I saw a roof garden amid the concrete jungle!

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Nature

Lakshmi banks on her balcony for most of her kitchen needs. Photo: Special Arrangement
A few days ago, I was on my way to a fruit stall (Pazhamudir) outlet on Venkatakrishna Road, Mandaveli in Chennai. After a minor test in parallel parking on Thiruvengadam street, I got out of the car and looked up at the veritable roof garden across the road…..glossy, green, yet unripe tomatoes and brinjal, graceful snake gourd and was that cauliflower in a garden? I was aghast! Blaming the illusion on Chennai heat, I walked towards my destination. Then, on second thoughts, I traced my path with long strides determined to find out if it was indeed cauliflower in a pot, on a balcony of a small bungalow on the busy streets of Chennai!

I walked up two short flights and rang the bell. The young man who answered the bell, obviously hiding his amusement at my enquiry, called out to his mother. A simple looking middle-aged lady appeared, with a humble smile and introduced herself as Lakshmi. She informed me promptly that they were cabbages. All the same, I conveyed my incredulity at what she had achieved in a little balcony. As she showed me around, I found to my utter surprise, radish, lemon grass, papaya, slender brinjal, bajji milagai (a chilli variety) and many more plants, but all in pots. From the pergola above was suspended a frail looking pandal laden with gundu malli (jasmine), ridge gourd, and betel leaves. Economical and ecofriendly, I was told. Hidden in a corner, I found two large pans with different keerai (greens) varieties. “Supplies my family with enough greens twice a week,” she said casually.

In the course of a conversation interspersed with my oohs and aahs of admiration, Lakshmi informed me that the kitchen garden was the result of a never-give-up attitude developed over 20 years of hard work, frustration, failure and discouragement. She had experimented with different types of soil, containers and watering patterns to arrive at what was the most suitable for her balcony garden. She also procured spill-proof and rodent-proof grow bags from a rural supplier to keep her balcony spic and span. Lakshmi proudly said all the vegetables were organically grown. Vegetable wastes from hotels and fast food joints across the city were composted at a friend’s house outside the city, and this was the main medium. Organic sludge from industries and coconut fibre were recent additions to her inventory. A paste of turmeric and neem leaves keeps pests away. She refrained from adding inorganic fertilizers and growth enhancers to the soil.

A PASSION

Lakshmi gets nearly 75 per cent of her weekly requirement from her balcony and distributes the surplus to her neighbours and friends. She has found her vocation and passion. She now employs a dozen hand-picked and trained gardeners and maintains numerous family and corporately-owned gardens around the city. Now if she is not self-made, who is?

For those who want to give gardening a go, Lakshmi is more than willing to help. Get in touch with her at lakshmisriram@hotmail.com

(The writer’s email ID is suresharuna@rediffmail.com)

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> Opinion> Open Page / by Aruna Suresh / November 04th, 2012

Chennai’s Velammal to the fore

Uncategorized

Chennai’s Velammal Matriculation Higher Secondary School bagged the lion’s share of medals in the 1st National School Chess Championship held at the Ludlow Castle Sports Complex in the capital.

Velammal made a clean sweep in the Under-17 and Under-15 team championships and topped the Under-13 and Under-9 categories.
In the individual championship also most of the medals were bagged by the Velammal students.

In all, over 600 school children participated in the 14 various individual categories ranging from U-5 to U-17.
Host city Delhi had something to cheer about in the Under-5 category where Garv Rai of Modern School, Vasant Vihar, won the gold medal.
Amongst other aspirants from the city, Nishant Malhotra of Bal Bharti School, Dwarka, took silver in the Under-17 open category, as did Manan Rai of Amity International School secured the same medal in the Under-13 section, Sarthak Mahajan (Under-15) and Aansh Gupta (Under-11).

Manpreet Singh, Harshal Shahi, Aarchi Agarwal and Abir Sinha won bronze medals in their respective categories.

source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home> Channels> Nation> North / by DC Correspondent / November 01st, 2012