Monthly Archives: June 2014

Celebrating the act of goodness

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, World Opinion
Dr V Shantha, chairman, Cancer Institute, Adyar, inaugurating the emblem of the global project ‘7 billion acts of goodness’. Mayor Saidai Duraisamy is also seen
Dr V Shantha, chairman, Cancer Institute, Adyar, inaugurating the emblem of the global project ‘7 billion acts of goodness’. Mayor Saidai Duraisamy is also seen

Chennai :

The Prajapita Brahma Kumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya, an organisation that imparts teaching and education on spiritual and moral values, launched ‘The Goodness Festival’ at Besant Nagar in the city on Friday. The festival is a three-day programme that aims at creating awareness about the values of self, god and acts of goodness through several lectures, seminars and workshops.

The launch ceremony had an introduction to the global project undertaken by Brahma Kumaris titled ‘7 billion acts if goodness’, which was intended to encourage everyone to perform at least one act of goodness a day.

Mayor Saidai Duraisamy, who inaugurated the event, said that the primary concern in life was good health, and that one must inculcate good eating habits to enjoy a healthy life. “A healthy person is capable of performing good actions. Only a person who eats healthy can think healthy and consequently perform good actions,” he said.

T S Krishnamurthy, former Chief Election Commissioner of India, complemented the efforts taken by Brahma Kumaris in the field of improving the quality of lives. “I sincerely hope that festivals such as these contribute to the welfare of humanity,” he said.

The investiture was followed by a lecture on the topic, ‘Women – The ICON of power’. Speaking on the topic, Dr V Shantha, Magsaysay awardee and chairman of the Cancer Institute said, “We have been talking about empowerment of women with reference to the lawful dues a woman must acquire. However, empowerment comes from what a woman is capable of. Every right has its responsibility and therefore, education and awareness are extremely important for one to understand what women empowerment is all about.”

“India is ranked 118 among 177 nations, as far as women emancipation is concerned. That’s the reason we are still unable to say confidently that we have empowered the women.” She also added that female infanticide continued to be a problem in North India, and that the lack of independence for women, zero decision making power in the family and the traditional patriarchal mindset posed serious threats to the idea of women empowerment.

Padma Venkataraman, vice president of Women’s Indian Association, said that the concept of empowering women should not be construed as a war between men and women, but a movement that aimed at gender equality.  Nanditha Krishna, director, the CP Ramaswami Aiyar Foundation, said that first step in being good could be by uttering good and kind words.  The second day of the event, which will be held on Saturday, will see competitions among school students on various topics and a session for school teachers and college professors.

The third and final day of the event will provide special attention to senior citizens, who reside at old age homes, accompanied by lectures by renowned personalities.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai  / by Express News Service  / June 28th, 2014

After 10-yr Lull, FRCS Exam Stages a Comeback in India

Education, World Opinion
Dr Robert Murray, FRCS chief examiner, Dr Simon Madge and Dr Chakraborty, FRCS examiners, and T S Surendran, vice-chairman Sankara Nethralaya in Chennai on Thursday | A s Ganesh
Dr Robert Murray, FRCS chief examiner, Dr Simon Madge and Dr Chakraborty, FRCS examiners, and T S Surendran, vice-chairman Sankara Nethralaya in Chennai on Thursday | A s Ganesh

Chennai :

After a decade, Britain’s prestigious FRCS examination made a comeback in India, when candidates from across six Asian countries appeared for the second segment of the three-part Ophthalmology tests conducted at Sankara Nethralaya in Chennai.

Briefing the media here on Thursday, an examiners’ team, led by Dr Robert Murray, from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburg (RCSEd) that conducts the examination, said a total of 39 candidates from India, Pakistan, Singapore, Myanmar, Indonesia and Sri Lanka took the FRCS (Part B) examination in Ophthalmology at the leading eye care hospital in the city. The examination was an exhaustive evaluation of the clinical expertise of the candidates, who had qualified Part A (theoretical). The final part included four years of training, the examiners said.

Stating that the Asian system of education seemed to be on the right path, Dr P Chakraborty, a JIPMER graduate and FRCSEd examiner, said the objective was to promote educational research and training exchanges between the institutions in the UK and India.

“We are here because of the demand,” Dr Murray said, adding that the last two parts of the FRCS examination revolved around good medical practices, including ethics. Candidates must answer questions related to interactions with patients, colleagues and drug companies. “Ethics is covered in both parts, but in greater detail in Part C,” he said.

On the quality of the Part B candidates, another examiner, Dr Simon Madge, said, while some were outstanding, others needed more training.

Dr T S Surendran, vice-chairman, Medical Research Foundation, Sankara Nethralaya, said the FRCS examination was seeing a revival at the hospital after a break of 10 years.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai  / by Express News Service  / June 27th, 2014

Govt’s fruit farm in Salem gets 3-star rating for big yield

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Nature, Science & Technologies, Uncategorized
Salem :
The government’s fruit farm in Karumandurai in Salem district has received three stars in the agriculture ministry’s five-star rating system. Spread over 1,050 acres, the farm produces varieties of mango and other fruits.The National Horticulture Board, part of the agriculture ministry, gave the Karumandurai Tamil Nadu Government Fruit Farm the rating for its nursery maintenance and plant and fruit production.”This rating would be applicable for two years. We are growing more than two lakh saplings of alphonso, neelam, malgova and imam pasanth mangoes every year. We also raise one lakh guava plants, 20,000 sapota and 10,000 pomegranate plants. Apart from these, we grow other fruits such as banana and jackfruit. Every year, we grow more than 6 lakh fruit plants and made a profit of 17 lakh in the last financial year,” said A Mohan, horticulture officer at the farm.He said a farm should have consistently produced good quality fruit plants for at least three years before it is eligible for the rating. The volume of production should increase every year.

The horticulture department has 66 fruit farms across the state, of which Karumandurai farm is the biggest. The farm, started in 1981, is one of the largest in south Asia.

He said TNGFF has insect-proof screen houses, soil sterilisation yards and indexing against viral and virus-like diseases. Nursery plants are reared under the care of pathologists, entomologists and horticulturists.

The horticulture officer said this year they have planned to sell more than 6 lakh fruit plants to growers and nursery owners and that targets for coming years were also being fixed. The nursery plants of sound health ensure better life expectancy and performance in the orchards, he added.

(AM Shudhagar will send fruit farm photos)

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / by B. Senthil Kumaran , TNN / June 25th, 2014 

Gung ho about Tamil Nadu buses, blog offers need-to-know info

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Science & Technologies

Chennai :

‘Atomic Express’ is neither a new train nor the title of a film. The state government bus gets its name because it plies between Kalpakkam, home to Madras Atomic Power Station, and Bangalore. ‘Triseas’ are buses that buses that originate from Kanyakumari, where the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean meet. And ‘Anandha Paravai’ (Happy Bird) flies from Kuttam to Chennai and to Coimbatore.

These quirky names are a rage in the interior districts of Tamil Nadu. They may be largely lost on the urban crowd, but not for much longer.

Five young bloggers provide information on buses operated by Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation. They announce new routes and timings, put up photographs of TNSTC buses and meticulously send mails to subscribers. The blog, tnstc.wordpress.com, is viewed around 2,500 views a day, has 500 subscribers and has had 10 million visitors since it started two years ago.

Preetham Sri Krishna Vignesh, who works in an automobile company in Coimbatore, says he and his friends in Coimbatore, Chennai, Hosur and Tuticorin started the blog in 2012.

“We wanted the world to know that these buses do a great job,” Vignesh said. “Back then the only way to get information about timings was to ask your friends or the depot time keeper. We decided a blog would be a good platform to provide information.”

Another of the bloggers, K Dhandapani, says private buses are getting more fancy all the time – some of them offer WiFi, TV, comfortable seats and even toilets – but government buses do not get any publicity.

“They connect some of the most remote routes in state, like Kodaikanal to Pallangi, but few know this apart from people who commute on the route,” Dhandapani said. “Government buses should be promoted. There are so many positives about them.”

The bloggers source information from newspapers (often translated from Tamil), personal experience and fellow bus enthusiasts. “Twenty people collect details from local bus stands and update the blog,” Dhandapani said. “We’ve even started to use RTI petitions to see how the corporation decides the fares.”

The government got into the act long after portals like Redbus and Ticketgoose. The state started online booking in late 2011 and, a year later, netted more than Rs 1 crore through online booking on a single day.

But users say the government’s website is slow. “It’s not user-friendly like other portals,” said Arun Kumar, who books tickets frequently through tnstc.in.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / by Karthikeyan Hemalatha, TNN / June 23rd, 2014

PSG & Sons launches its 30th institution

Education
Dignitaries at the launch | R SATISH BABU
Dignitaries at the launch | R SATISH BABU

Chennai :

PSG & Sons Charities had its 30th institution inaugurated at The Park, Nungambakkam, recently.

Located in Neelambur in Coimbatore, the newly-launched PSG Institute of Technology and Applied Research, offers five programs – civil, mechanical, EEE, ECE and C Sc and plans to enroll 300 students this year.

The launch was presided over by managing trustee L Gopala Krishnan, principal, PV Mohanram and director Dr Nandagopal.

PV Mohanram, the principal of the newly-launched college said, “I have been associated with PSG & Sons for over 30 years now. Our main aim is to provide quality education to students. I’m very excited to start off with the new academic year soon,” he said.

Currently, the Trust has 29 institutions educating more than 20,000 students from kindergarten to doctoral levels, offering education in a wide spectrum of subjects of academic pursuit in humanities, liberal arts, medical and paramedical sciences, science, technical and healthcare and management education. PSG Tech is affiliated to the Anna University.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Express News Service / June 28th, 2014

Now, Amma pharmacies all set to open across Tamil Nadu

Business & Economy, Science & Technologies
Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa launching the Amma Salt at secretariat in Chennai last month.
Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa launching the Amma Salt at secretariat in Chennai last month.

Chennai :

After Amma canteens, water and salt, plans are afoot to create infrastructure for Amma pharmacies across the state to provide cheap medicine for the poor. The AIADMK government will soon unveil 100 Amma Marunthagam (medical shops) across Tamil Nadu, a proposal that promises to win more goodwill for chief minister J Jayalalithaa. Reiterating her commitment towards creating a welfare state, these Amma pharmacies will sell medicines at a subsidised rate.

A senior official said the co-operative department has been working hard for the launch of the Amma medical shops across the state in 100 places. The shops are ready and staff is being recruited. “Finance minister O Panneerselvam announced the proposal in the state budget in February. We have almost completed the process of setting up the shops,” a senior official in the co-operative department said.

Officials said 10 shops will be opened in Chennai and 90 shops in the rest of the state. “A few co-operative shops in Tamil Nadu have been selling medicines without service tax. The idea of opening medical shops is to ensure sale of medicine at reasonable price to the public,” an official said. The state government had announced that Rs 20 crore will be used from the price distribution fund for opening the Amma pharmacies.

“Though the Amma pharmacies are limited and may not totally fulfill the demand of the people, the low price at which we sell medicines will force private shop owners to at least give some discount. The number of shops will be increased later,” sources said. The co-operative department is likely to recruit pharmacists through Medical Services Recruitment Board (MSRB).

The government recently introduced Amma salt in the market and packaged it as three varieties – low sodium, double fortified and refined free flow iodized salt, all cheaper than similar products available in the open market.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / TNN / June 24th, 2014

Madurai hospital performs rare surgery on woman

Science & Technologies

A 42-year-old woman, with unicornuate uterus, a condition which does not allow a woman to bear a child, has delivered a baby girl in a city hospital, following a novel procedure.

Shanthi (name changed), childless for 11 years, was admitted to Guru Hospital recently with right unicornuate uterus.

Only one in 4,000 women had this problem, the reason for which was not known, said Kalpana, obstetrician and gynaecologist.

Explaining the procedure at a press conference here on Saturday, the doctor said that in such cases there was a deformity in the uterus. In such patients, infertility, abortion and ectopic pregnancy were common.

“Since the patient was 42 years old, she had to undergo in-vitro fertilisation as a result of which she conceived three babies.

As the uterus could not carry three babies, foetal reduction was done. Growth of the baby was monitored and a surgery, ‘metroplasty,’ was performed in which the right side of the uterus was expanded to accommodate the infant.

“The woman delivered a baby weighing 2.8 kg,” the doctor said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Madurai / by Staff Reporter / Madurai – June 22nd, 2014

Filmmaker dies in Singapore

Arts, Culture & Entertainment
Ramanarayanan made a record-breaking 125 movies in nine Indian languages, in a career spanning 36 years / by Special Arrangement / The Hindu
Ramanarayanan made a record-breaking 125 movies in nine Indian languages, in a career spanning 36 years / by Special Arrangement / The Hindu

Popular film director and producer Ramanarayanan, who directed a record-breaking 125 movies in nine Indian languages in a career spanning 36 years, died of cardiac arrest at a hospital in Singapore on Sunday.

His mortal remains are expected to be brought to Chennai for final rites on Tuesday.

The prolific filmmaker made a name for himself making small-budget films, predominantly on devotional themes or stories in which animals played central roles.

Mr. Ramnarayanan was also at the helm of the Producers Council for several years.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai> Society / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – June 23rd, 2014

A day with former President Kalam

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Leaders, Science & Technologies

Books help human beings lead a good life, said former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, in the city on Saturday.

In an interactive session with the students of Presidency College, Mr. Kalam said when he was studying at the Madras Institute of Technology in Chromepet, he used to come to Moore Market complex to buy old books.

When asked about his first failure, Mr. Kalam said, in 1979, he headed a team which was involved in launching a satellite at Indian Space Research Organisation, Sriharikotta.

On the day of the launch, the satellite, instead of moving on its scheduled orbit, fell into the Bay of Bengal. That was his first failure from which he learnt and conducted several successful missions.

Answering another question on the importance of technology and research, Mr. Kalam said intensity was lacking amongst researchers today.

To improve this, there is a need to rewrite the curriculum in a way that it promotes research. Students should also learn to accept defeats and celebrate it, he said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai> Events / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – June 22nd, 2014

Tiruchi students create a buzz at the spell bee contest

Education, Records, All, Uncategorized
Winners of Wiz National Spell Bee competition with Geetha Periyanayagam (Second from Left),Principal, and Rohini (Right), Coordinator at SBIOA Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Tiruchi on Saturday./ Photo:B.Velankanni Raj
Winners of Wiz National Spell Bee competition with Geetha Periyanayagam (Second from Left),Principal, and Rohini (Right), Coordinator at SBIOA Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Tiruchi on Saturday./ Photo:B.Velankanni Raj

Students from various schools showcased their language skills at the Wiz National Spell Bee competition for Tiruchi zone, here on Saturday.

The contest, which tested both the oral and written skills of students from classes 1 to 12 under different categories, was held at SBIOA Matriculation Higher Secondary School. The competition was conceived by a panel of eminent academicians and experienced teachers across the country.

The winners from SBIOA Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Alpha Wisdom Vidyashram, and Samadh Senior Secondary School were felicitated by Geetha Periyanayagam, principal, SBIOA Matriculation Higher Secondary School in the presence of Josh Sebastian, zonal coordinator, Wiz National Spell Bee, and Yasmin Nazeer, regional coordinator.

According to a press release form the organisers, Wiz National Spell Bee, through its competitions at various levels encourages the schoolchildren to improve their vocabulary. .

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Tiruchirapalli / by Staff Reporter / Tiruchi – June 22nd, 2014