Students with the medals at the valediction of the ‘Jamfest 2013’ in Tiruchi on Monday./ Photo: A. Muralitharan / The Hindu
Joyous students brought the house down with their enthusiastic cheering and applause during the valediction of Jamfest’13, the annual inter-school talent competition organized at St. James Matriculation Higher Secondary School in the city on Monday.
Members of the school alumni association, were co-ordinating the event.
The two-day event included competitions on drawing, painting, oration, poetry, creative writing, quiz, stage play, dance, singing and other co-curricular activities. The annual event aims to nurture the extra-curricular skills of students. Different schools in the city participated in the event and prizes were awarded in junior and senior categories.
J. Mohaned Aslan of SBIOA school was crowned Mr. Jamfest, while S. Afreen Akhthar of St.James Matriculation school was Ms. Jamfest. The overall trophy for first prize was awarded to students of St. James Matriculation School due to their outstanding performance in all the events. The second overall prize was given to Alpha Matriculation School.
J. Veerapandian, president, Tiruchi Advocates Bar Council said “The best days of a person’s life are definitely the school days, and told students to reach great heights by studying with dedication.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Tiruchirapalli / by Staff Reporter / Tiruchi – November 12th, 2013
A 16-member team from Singapore is in the city to participate in a two-week programme to hone their Tamil teaching skills. Apart from attending several sessions in the American College here, 14 high school teachers and two officials will visit seven educational institutions to learn about Tamil teaching methods and also share teaching methods in their country.
“English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil are official languages of Singapore. Our government promotes learning of mother tongue as it ensures that students are aware of their culture and tradition. Equal opportunities are given to all languages in the country,” said N Subramaniam, chief instructor of Tamil teachers under the Singapore education ministry. He was addressing the inaugural session of the event on Monday.
The objective of our visit is to brush up grammar and literature of Tamil. We will be imparting what we learn here to fellow teachers once we are back in Singapore, Subramaniam said.V Iraianbu, commissioner in the economics and statistics department of Tamil Nadu government, pointed out that mother tongue comes from heart, while languages that we learn are used at the mind level. Iraianbu apprised the visiting delegation about the importance of Tamil.
“It is important to learn the nuances of Tamil which has a rich literary history and culture. Ancient Tamil literature reflects society’s affinity to nature as early Tamils lived in harmony with nature,” he noted, while advising the Singaporean teachers to read more of Tamil literature as proficiency comes with practice. Tamil teachers from Singapore will visit Lakshmi School, Veerapanchan; OCPM Girls HSS, Capron Hall School, Madura College HSS; and TVS Lakshmi school in the city. The delegation will also visit St Peter’s School in Kodaikanal. Thiagarajar School of Preceptors, a BEd college in Madurai, is also on their itinerary.
Interacting with media persons at the sidelines of the meeting, Subramaniam said they will concentrate on learning as well as co-teaching in the schools so that they learn the teaching methods of Tamil. “It will be mutual where we learn and share our teaching pedagogy with the local teachers here,” he said.
The overseas delegation will focus on contemporary Tamil teaching. “Now, teaching is more student- and technology-oriented. Short films made in Tamil is one such example, he pointed out.
Eminent personalities from the field of Tamil art and literature will take technical sessions for the visiting teachers.
M Davamani Christober, principal of American College, presided over the inaugural session.
source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Madurai> Teachers / TNN / November 12th, 2013
RAAC Secretary R. Raveendran (centre) and N. Nithyanandam (left), President of Thiyana Social Welfare Trust, discuss the Pasumai Panchayat project with a resident of Mylampatti Panchayatin Coimbatore district on Sunday./ Photo: S. Siva Saravanan / The Hindu
2,700 saplings planted across ten acres of barren land in Mayilampatti
Around 15 kilometres from the city is Mayilampatti, a dry village with huge tracts of barren land, which is now laying the foundation for a movement to increase the green cover in all the 235 village panchayats of Coimbatore district.
Mayilampatti has become the first village to be chosen for executing the ‘Pasumai Panchayat’ project, a mass sapling-planting initiative launched by Former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam in May.
This project has brought together many stakeholders right from NGOs such as Siruthuli, Residents Awareness Association of Coimbatore (RAAC), Thiyana Social Welfare Trust, to corporate firms such as Coimbatore Textile Club, besides Government agencies such as panchayats and District Rural Development Agency.
As many as 2,700 saplings have been planted across ten acres of barren poromboke land at Mayilampatti.
The main objectives of the project are to increase the green cover, provide roosting place for birds, and create a research field to help students pursue studies in agriculture, horticulture, photography and bird-watching, says RAAC secretary R. Raveendran.
Further, two ponds will also be dug at Mayilampatti, which has a significant peacock population.
Technological tools such as global positioning system(GPS) have been adopted for systematic planting.
The area, soil nature and ground water level were scientifically tested to find out the kind of plant species most likely to thrive on the land. Further, drip irrigation has been adopted, he says.
The growth data will be recorded with suitable picture support from an aerial view and posted on the web.
N. Nithyanandan, president of Thiyana Social Welfare Trust, says a lot of time was spent on convincing all the local stakeholders as the residents have to take ownership for the project to succeed.
While the Mayilampatti Panchayat accorded the necessary approval expeditiously, volunteers from Siruthuli, RAAC and Thiyana Social Welfare Trust, besides students from National Model School’s Nature Club, National Institute of Fashion Technology, Tirupur, and Kathir Engineering College, planted the saplings.
The Coimbatore Textile Club came forward to fund the drip irrigation while the Forest Department gave the saplings. The DRDA has suggested that MNREGS workers also be utilised for the project, he says.
With the project proving successful, he says many other Panchayats have approached them to initiate similar projects in their villages.
Already six acres have been identified in Neelambur Panchayat besides another 14 acres at Vagarayampalayam.
A view of the Pasumai Panchayat underway at the Mylampatti Panchayat in Coimbatore district on Sunday./ Photo: S. Siva Saravanan / The Hindu
Mayilampatti Panchayat president Radhamani Selvaraj says around 30 people including several children work in the project every day from 6 a.m., an indication of the positive reception for the project from the residents.
A.V. Govindaraj, president, Arasur Panchayat, says that through this project they can leave behind a better place for the next generation.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Coimbatore / by R. Sairam / Coimbatore – November 11th, 2013
Academics often complain that there are hardly any authoritative texts on our native wealth especially with regard to our plant species. In a bid to overcome this limitation a few researchers have jointly come up with a book which documents the flowering plants in the Sholas and grasslands. The book ‘Flowering Plants of Sholas and Grasslands of the Nilgiris’ was released recently by three researchers from the city based Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding (IFGTB) along with another botany researcher from Kerala.
“We have documented characteristics of 641 plants with their photos. This could be used for reference by foresters, researchers and students,” said N Krishna Kumar, Director IFGTB who led the project. S P Subramani and R Aanandalakshmi 2 other researchers from the institute and P S Udayan, a botany lecturer from Sree Krishna College, Guruvayur, Kerala have contributed to this text. He said that the Shola forest, spread across Nilgiris, Kodaikanal and parts of Kerala, is around 2,000 metres from sea level. Shola forests are unique to the region with soft soil which retains water and a cool climate, housing its own set of plant species. The researchers note that due to climate change and human factors, plants which were not seen here are suddenly thriving in the region while some that are specific to the area are spreading to outside areas.
They went through documents and collections of all plants recorded by various researchers and put them together. The book contains plant features including its characteristics and its various uses. The name of each plant is given in Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada and English. “Even foresters are unable to recognise several plants and those who know them, recognise them only in the native language,” said P S Udayan.
Around 256 species have medicinal uses including modern medicine, Ayurveda , folk, homeopathy , siddha, Tibetan and Unani. The book includes several interesting facts like that of the Rhododendron Arboreum, a red flower which is an ever green shrub seen in many hilly areas. A sub-species of this existed in the Sholas which served as a kind of protection against fires. Once these plants began disappearing from the region, forest fires became more frequent, said Krishna Kumar.
Krishna Kumar, an officer with the Indian Forest Service (IFS) had started collecting data from 1992. He said that the Shola forests are facing problems especially human interventions. However, more research needs to be done before coming into any conclusions.
source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Coimbatore> Kerala / TNN / November 11th, 2013
In the din of flamboyant film posters, a flex board installed along the busy Kamarajar Salai in Madurai fails to catch the attention of speeding motorists. But for a few, who stop over to have a glance, the board, brings an instant smile. Written in bold are the words “Hedde Jomai” (idiot son-in-law), the title of a made-in-Madurai Saurashtrian movie.
Far away from the glamour and grandeur of Kollywood – the multi-crore Tamil filmdom – a niche film industry is in its nascent stage at Madurai. Saurashtrians in the temple city who had migrated to Madurai from Gujarat three centuries back have begun making films in their mother tongue to keep their language alive and entertain the 3 lakh strong Saurashtrian people here.
So far, half-a-dozen films – family dramas, comedy, devotional and even a romance flick – have been made on a shoestring budget. The filmmakers point out that Saurashtrian language films are not even made in their native Gujarat. “We want to keep alive our identity. Though our people watch Tamil films, we always have a longing to watch a film in our mother tongue,” says V K Neelarao, director of ‘Hedde Jomai’.
The filmmakers utilise available equipment like cameras and flashguns used by professional videographers. Shooting is widely done in Madurai, while some chose to travel to places like Yercaud for outdoor shootings. The budgets are limited to less than Rs 10 lakh.
“For Hedde Jomai, besides story, screenplay, dialogues and direction, I have also penned the lyrics. The film revolves around women empowerment,” says Neelarao, a former journalist with a vernacular magazine. The film was entirely financed by his businessman son V K N Kasiviswanathan. Reluctant to reveal the budget, Neelarao, however, says that he is not after profits.
S R Ramlal, who has made two films ‘Simmasanam’ and ‘Hamsadhvani’, says that his films are mostly funded by the crowds. “None of our technicians or actors demand payment. In fact, they would also pool in money for the production,” he claims. Most of the crew and artistes are Saurashtrians, but for few exceptions,” Ramlal says. In Hedde Jomai, but for the female lead from Kerala, all are Saurashtrians from Madurai.
The films are exhibited in community halls during the association meetings and family get-togethers for an entry fee. CDs of the films sell like hotcakes in Madurai. The films are also screened in local cable channels.
K B Sivakumar, a cameraman who also dons the hat of an editor says that the content of Saurashtrian films are completely different from mainstream Tamil films. “We are not influenced by Tamil films. There will not be any resemblance,” he says.
A yarn trader, J P Appan Raj says that he went popular overnight among the Saurashrta community after he played the lead role in a film. “Everyone on the street kept gazing at me,” says Raj, who got inspired by thespian Sivaji Ganesan.
source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Madurai / by V. Mayilvaganan, TNN / November 11th, 2013
Three engineering colleges in western Tamil Nadu (Coimbatore, Erode and Salem districts) have been conferred awards for being the best in country in the streams of Computer Science and Information Technology, Electronics and Communication Engineering and Electrical Engineering.
The award was conferred on them by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in association with ministry of human resource development.
“Southern colleges dominated the awards yet again in the engineering category,” said C R Swaminathan, co-chair chairman of CII National Higher Education Committee. Kapil Sibal, Union minister for communications and information technology participated in the function held in New Delhi recently. During his speech, Kapil Sibal called for reforms in the education system to make it child-centric and he said that several initiatives need to be taken to take the system forward.
Ahead of the two day CII Global University-Industry Congress and 5th Higher Education Summit, CII and AICTE conducted a survey throughout the nation. “The objective of the survey was to showcase best practices of industry partnerships across AICTE approved technical institutes in the covered streams. A total of 1,050 AICTE approved institutes from established engineering, management, pharmacy and architecture institutes, and from emerging engineering and management institutes, participated in the voluntary survey,” Swaminathan said.
He also said that top business houses including Tata Chemicals , Forbes Marshall, Elico, Sun Pharma and Pennar Industries joined hands to give awards to the winning institutes in recognition of their strong linkages with industry. “The exercise involved a survey of industry-linkages with colleges where objective scores generated by the AICTE web portal based on data gathered from the online survey, were evaluated by a high-level jury. On-ground visits to shortlisted colleges were made by a team comprising AICTE and CII representatives to ensure that the data submitted was valid. Their feedback was then analyzed to arrive at the final winners,” he said.
The winner in the best industry-linked institute in electronics and communication category was PSG College of Technology in Coimbatore. The award for best industry-linked institute in mechanical engineering went to College of Engineering Pune; for electrical engineering to Kongu Engineering College in Erode; for civil engineering to Walchand Institute of Technology, Sangli; for computer & IT engineering to Sona College of Technology, Salem and for chemical engineering to Institute of Chemical Technology. XLRI Jamshedpur was declared the best industry-linked institute in management. Bombay College of Pharmacy was adjudged winner in the pharmacy stream. “Of them, Sona College of Technology in Salem, PSG College of Technology in Coimbatore and Kongu Engineering College in Perundurai in Erode district are situated in western Tamil Nadu,” Swaminathan said.
source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Education> Information Technology / TNN / November 11th, 2013
The winning team from Bala Vidya Mandir that battled with five other finalists to bag the Oxford Dictionary Quiz trophy | Express
Teams from over 75 schools in the city battled it out at the Oxford Dictionary Quiz conducted by the Oxford University Press recently. Words like euphoria, serendipity and quixotic were being thrown around the hall during the prelims. Following this six finalists got into the heated battle for the title.
With over 300 students, teachers and parents cheering on, the six teams that were named after famous contributors to the Oxford English Dictionary, went through a gruelling six-round finale. Finally, the team from Bala Vidya Mandir in Adyar emerged the winners of the competition, albeit with a very tight lead over the runners up. The team comprised Sadhana Smriti of Adyar and Karthi Srinivasan of Besant Nagar. They were presented with a trophy that resembled a dictionary, made out of silver.
The winners were presented with certificates and prizes by the quizmaster Adittya Nath Mubayi and IIT Madras Professor Shreesh Chandra Chaudary.
Sadhana Smriti, whose team emerged as the winner, when asked about their preparation, said, “Our effort was really extempore and we had no preparation before the finals.” Karthi Srinivasan said, “Our school has a strong focus on extracurricular activities and we have clubs for debates and quiz.”
The competition, which was going pretty even between the top three teams till the penultimate round, shifted in favour of Sadhana and Karthi’s team, in spite of them not attempting a single question in the round. The other teams, which attempted the questions in the last buzzer round lost out on the negative marking. When quizzed whether there was any strategy involved regarding their decision to not attempt any questions in the final round, Sadhana said, “No strategy, we just figured that we were in a decent position and we didn’t want to spoil it by answering questions we weren’t sure of and get negative marking.”
The teams participating in the finals were all given prizes and the teams that emerged in the top three were from Bala Vidya Mandir, Adyar, Maharishi Vidya Mandir, Chetpet and DAV Boys School, Mogappair. The trophy was presented to the winning team in a ceremony held after the quiz.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Express News Service – Chennai / November 11th, 2013
It’s only four in the evening, but Basheer has already decided to go home — he has no work that day. “The festive season just got over, hasn’t it? People will come to polish bangles and chains only after a few days,” he says, softly. Seated in front of a steel basin, with four boondhi kottais (soap berries) and four small brushes floating in the water, Basheer talks of the gold polishing business that he has been a part of for the last 30 years.
A Class 8 dropout, Basheer was initially a two-wheeler mechanic, before he trained for five years and became a skilled silver and gold polisher. After working out of several locations in Mylapore, Basheer now runs the ‘K. Noor Mohamed Gilt Shop’. “Earlier, I had my own shop. This one,” he says, pointing to the small, rectangular shop, with its blue shutters and green walls, “belongs to my cousin. He asked me to run it.” I strain to hear his voice, which gets drowned in the street noises of Mathala Narayanan Street; it’s only an old, narrow thoroughfare, but vehicle sounds and arguing neighbours make us raise our voices.
Our loud voices attract attention. One gentleman enquires why I’m asking Basheer “all these questions”; another offers to answer on his behalf and says, “He lives in Kunrathur.” Basheer explains that he moved to the ECR approximately 30 years ago. “Land was cheaper there, but now, it sells for crores!” Every morning, for the last three decades, Basheer has been taking two buses to reach Mylapore. “It’s faster to get here now, even though there’s heavy traffic after Tiruvanmiyur. In those days, there were hardly any buses, you see!” he smiles. The return journey is equally long, and he typically gets home for a late dinner around 10 p.m.
The day is spent in polishing silver and gold. Job orders range from small items — bangles and chains — to the temple kavacham or crown polishing. “Approximately 15 years ago, I polished silver items for the Kapaleeswara temple. Many of my customers are from Chennai, but some come from faraway places too.” Basheer, very modestly, says he’s an expert at polishing temple (dance) jewellery. “Dance jewellery is made in Nagercoil, and it’s difficult to clean and polish, as it has a lot of stones,” he says, showing me a pair of red-stone bangles that he has freshly gilded for a customer. It’s hard to tell it’s only ‘covering’.
To gold polish jewellery, Basheer first cleans it well. “I use soap berries bought from the naatu marundhu kadai; they foam naturally,” he says, pointing to the soapy water in the basin. Next, Basheer readies the ‘gold bath’, by dissolving a tiny amount of gold in acid, and boiling the resulting fine dust in water. This is then used to coat the article, by electrolysis. “After plating, the chain or bangle is dried on a bed of sawdust. It will then shine like gold.” (Silver plating is somewhat similar, except, it is buffed in the end).
Gold polishing costs around Rs. 250, a price that does not make it really profitable. “Gold prices have increased, but customers are not willing to pay more,” Basheer says. But he also rationalises their reluctance — gilt jewellery itself sometimes only costs Rs. 250, and the gold finish lasts for just a few months. And yet, Basheer seems happy with his lot; he talks of his three children — all graduates — and his visits to Nagore, with his family, once every two years. And when an old woman comes to his shop seeking alms, he springs up from his low stool, and fetches her a few coins…
(A weekly column on men and women who make Chennai what it is)
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus > Society / November 11th, 2013
Tasting success in the solar technology, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras, will soon come out with a cost-effective battery technology, which could be used to store large quantity of electricity.
Speaking to DC on Saturday, IIT-M director Prof. Bhaskar Ramamurthi said that several faculty at the institute had started their research on optimisation of electricity and appropriate battery technology.
“We are working on lower life cycle cost. We are looking at bulkier, non portable, batteries, which would be used for fixed use. Centre for decentralised photovoltaic systems in our institute is working on how to handle problem of load shedding and harness solar power locally,” he said.
Prof. Ramamurthi says that India enjoys solar power for over 300 days in a year from 9 am to 4 pm with variations. Pointing out that the present solar tech had mismatch of production and storage (battery) of electricity, he said that a person had to spend Rs 14 to store one unit of power in the battery.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> News> Politics / DC / by N. Arun Kumar / November 17th, 2013
Vaidyanathan was recipient of many awards including Kalaimamani
S.R.D. Vaidyanathan, a famed exponent of Semponnarkoil school of nagaswaram, died here on Monday. He was 85 and is survived by wife, six daughters and a son.
Vadiyanathan was the grandson of Semponnarkoil Ramasamy Pillai, the first nagaswaram player to cut a disc as early as in the 1920s and the son of Semponnarkoil R. Dakhsinamurthy Pillai, the younger of the Semponnarkoil brothers.
If Semponnarkoil, a small town near Mayiladuthurai and sung by Saivite minstrels, could secure a prominent place in the Carnatic music world, credit should go to the brothers, who excelled in rendering rakthi melam encompassing beautiful and intricate laya.
Vaidyanathan teamed up with his brother S.R.D. Muthukumarasamy and they became the second generation of the Semponnarkoil style. He was trained by Mayavaram Ramaswami Pillai and he learnt vocal music from Thiruvazhundur A.K. Ganesan Pillai, and Madurai Mani Iyer, who was staying in Mayiladuthurai then.
“He helped me shed my inhibition and approach concerts with a free mind. As a nagaswaram player, he performed outdoor and the open space had a tremendous impact on his music. Perhaps, I imbibed the trait from him,” said vocalist Sanjay Subrahmanyan, one of the students of Vaidyanathan.
Mr. Subrahmanyan, whose association with Vaidyanathan began a decade ago, said his teacher was an intelligent musician with a catholic taste. He followed a difficult kala pramanam and excelled in rendering keerthanas and tough pallavis.
“He could play every word of the viribhoni varnam in four different kalams (speed). Flute Mali had rendered it in three different kalams,” said Mr. Sanjay Subrahmanyan and recalled how he was mesmerised by his playing of entukku beddala in sankarabharanam at Tiruvaiyaru Thyagaraja festival.
Thavil player Tanjavur T.R. Govindarajan, who accompanied Vaidyanathan for many years, said only an experienced thavil player could understand his music and manage a concert.
Carnatic tradition
“While his knowledge of layam could be matched only by very few thavil players, his playing of nagaswaram strictly adhered to the Carnatic tradition,” he said.
Musicologist B.M. Sundaram said Vaidyanathan also mastered avadana pallavi: singing a pallavi and keeping at the same time different tala structures.
S.R.G. Rajanna, his cousin and another surviving senior Semponnarkoil brother, said no one could beat Vaidyanathan when it came to playing pallavis.
Music Academy’s TTK award
Vaidyanathan was recipient of many awards, including Tamil Nadu government’s Kalaimamani and the Music Academy’s TTK award.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Tamil Nadu / by B. Kolappan / Chennai – November 19th, 2013
