Category Archives: Inspiration/ Positive News and Features

India’s first woman sound engineer, unsung yet

Meena Narayanan.
Meena Narayanan.

Meena learnt every aspect of sound engineering from noted sound engineer Poddar

madisar (9-yard saree wrapped in a certain manner) clad woman moving in and out of the Island Ground, the venue, and documenting the event, was an unusual sight in the Eucharist Congress held in Chennai in 1937. The lady was Meena Narayanan, India’s first woman sound engineer, who produced a documentary of the Congress, attended by Most Rev Leo Peter Kierkels, the Apostolic Delegate, who had been appointed as special Papal Legate.

“It was unthinkable that at a time when cinema was considered a taboo, she made an entry into the film world and became a successful sound engineer. Both she and her husband Narayanan deserve a separate book,” said film historian S. Theodore Baskaran, who has written about the couple in his book The Message Bearers.

They were from Sivaganga district and Meena’s father Seetha Rama Iyer was the registrar of the Madras High Court. It was Narayanan, who started his career as film distributor, first set up a Sound Studio in Chetpet-Kilapuk area on the Poonamallee High Road in 1934. Sree Srinivasa Cinetone or Sound City was the first talkie recording studio.

“When he commissioned the noted sound engineer Poddar to work for his studio, Narayanan assigned his wife Meena as his assistant. She worked with Poddar for the film Srinivas Kalayanam produced at a cost of ₹60,000. It was released in Crown and Broadway,” said journalist and historian Nivedita Louis.

By the time Poddar quit the studio, Meena, who had just completed high school, had learnt every aspect of sound engineering. Narayanan used her as the sound engineer for the next film Viswamitra.

“There are a lot of problems when sound recording is done by those who have no idea of the language and trend in music. This can be attributed to the poor quality of Tamil films. Since I wanted to rectify it, I paid attention to sound engineering and gained experience in two years,” Meena had said in an interview to the Tamil magazine Ananada Vikatan in 1936.

“Meena, who trained in music and could sing well, continued to function as sound engineer for the films Krishna Thulabaram, Vikrama Shree SahasamTulsi BrindaPorveeran ManiaviMada SampiraniSree Ramanujan and Vipra Narayana. But the death of her husband Narayanan in 1936, turned her life upside down,” said Ms. Louis. She lived in a house near T. Nagar Park after the death of her husband. Her daughter Kalavathi, an oncologist by training returned to India, after spending many years in the UK and the U.S.

“Meena’s son Srinivasan had a passion for rail engines and railway tracks. He created a miniature track and would run trains in houses,” recalled Jayanthi Ramesh, one of the family members of Meena. Her last days were spent in the house of Nobel Laureate C.V. Raman and husband of her aunt Logasundarai. She died of heart attack while on an excursion to Kodaikanal in 1954.

“We are keen to publish a book about her and other family members,” said Ms. Jayanthi Ramesh.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> chennai / by B. Kolappan / Chennai – September 19th, 2019

Guinness Record: Nine visually challenged people stitch ‘world’s largest jute bag’ in Coimbatore

Members of the transgender community and students of a technical institute in Coimbatore assisted the visually challenged people during the process of stitching the bag to make a record.

Nine visually challenged people stitched the 'world's largest jute bag' measuring 66ft-tall and 33ft-wide in just five hours.
Nine visually challenged people stitched the ‘world’s largest jute bag’ measuring 66ft-tall and 33ft-wide in just five hours.

Coimbatore :

With an aim to make an entry in Guinness World Record and spread awareness about no-use of plastic, nine visually challenged people have stitched the “world’s largest jute bag” measuring 66ft-tall and 33ft-wide in just five hours.

Members of the transgender community and students of a technical institute in Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore district on Friday have assisted the visually challenged people during the process of stitching the bag to make a record.

Shashi Kala, the Chairman of Yuva Foundation, who orgainsed this attempt, said, “Nine visually challenged people from Yuva Foundation set out to make a Guinness World Record by sewing a 66-feet high and 33-feet wide jute bag without a handle. The jute bag was stitched to sensitise the people to stop using harmful plastic bags and switch to eco-friendly alternatives.”

Alluding to the famed speech by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the Independence Day where he urged the people and shopkeepers to eliminate the use of plastic bags completely, Shashi Kala said, “We have to launch a war against the plastic. This is the reason why our people have stitched a jute bag.”

She added, “Through the attempt, we also want to prove it to the society that differently-abled people have their own ability and it is our responsibility to give them confidence and encouragement.”

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by ANI / September 01st, 2019

Milk ATM takes village in Tamil Nadu’s Dharmapuri by storm

40-year-old Murugan from Kelagampatti village came up with the idea after he saw that people even in villages were unable to source fresh milk through the day.

The milk ATM installed by Murugan in Kelagampatti village | Express
The milk ATM installed by Murugan in Kelagampatti village | Express

Dharmapuri :

Necessity is the mother of invention. When 40-year-old Murugan realised that people even in villages were unable to source fresh milk through the day, as and when they wanted, he decided to do something about it and voila! An entrepreneur was born.

Murugan’s milk ATM has taken the Kelagampatti village in Harur by storm. The machine provides undiluted and unprocessed milk 24/7, and the demand has been strong. “The machine accepts Rs 10, Rs 20, Rs 50 and Rs 100 notes, and people can choose the amount of milk they want to buy,” explains Murugan. “People can also get a special debit card to buy milk from the machine,” he added.

These ‘debit cards’ are like prepaid coupons. For Rs 10, the machine will dispense 225 ml milk. “I am giving these RFID cards free of cost, based on consumers’ demand. There is no limit on recharge amount, but most people charge for Rs 500,” says Murugan. So far, 30 people have subscribed to the card.

A history graduate and a farmer, Murugan bought the milk dispenser from a private market in Haryana for Rs 4 lakh. “Other vending machines sell milk in packets. I wanted to reduce plastic usage, so people bring utensils to take milk from this machine,” he said. It has been six months, Murugan now sells 150 litres of milk daily.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Jevin Selwyn Henry / by Express News Service / August 29th, 2019

The long road to St Petersburgh

MeenakshiCF24aug2019

Meenakshi Sai Arvind and her team plan to cover 20, 000 km in two vehicles while spreading awareness about cervical cancer

In 2017, Meenakshi Sai undertook a road trip from Coimbatore to London. “That trip changed my life. I learnt so much from the different people I met on my way. My confidence increased manifold. I decided I wanted to do another road trip; so I researched for a year, set up route maps, marked the stop points, and so on. My brother Sanjay Subbian was the first to join me and four close friends, Sharath Madhav, Pradeep Yuvaraj, Sheila Verghis and Jomet Mani joined later. The only two people that I did not know from earlier are Madhuri Sapru and Anjana Kaul. They came forward seeing a post I had put up on Facebook inviting people to join.”

The eight of them are driving 20,000 km across four countries in two Tata Hexas upto St Petersburgh. It is not just a long drive, it has a purpose. XPD Trans-Siberian 2019: Beyond Asia, as the expedition is called, will spread awareness about cervical cancer.

“Cervical cancer is common among Indian women. It is also the only cancer that has preventive vaccines. We hope that the visibility that we receive will turn people’s attention towards this issue and bring in more sponsors to buy these vaccines for women from underprivileged background,” explains Meenakshi, who is also the managing trustee of RR Trust that organised the expedition.

The team was flagged off recently by social entrepreneur Arunachalam Muruganantham, athlete Gomathi Marimuthu, and and Indian Navy veteran Rajiv Choudhry. The journey will take them through Nepal, China and Russia. “We will drive through the day and rest at night. We plan to cover an average of 600 km a day. The highway between Vladivostok and Saint Petersburg, known as the Trans-Siberian highway, is the longest in the world. It is also dangerous as the place is sparingly populated and secluded. It stretches for a distance of 11,000 km.” The expedition is also taking along spare parts for the vehicle and fireproof jerry cans filled with fuel. They will come in handy especially in the long desolate stretches, especially in Siberia, that may not have fuel stations.

The only thing Meenakshi is worried about is Acute Mountain Sickness when they reach the Everest Base Camp. “The air will be thin there. We are carrying apparatus to keep a check on our oxygen levels, besides oxygen cylinders.

The team will also carry dehydrated vegetable biryani and tamarind rice. “We will eat it when we crave local food. I do not eat meat and finding vegetarian food in Russia can also be challenging. We are just being cautious.”

They plan to reach Saint Petersburg on September 27. “We will be flying back on October 1 and the cars will be shipped home.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Susan Joe Philip / August 23rd, 2019

Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar: A shining star of astrophysics

This great astrophysicist strongly influenced our understanding of stellar objects, black holes, white dwarfs and conducted remarkable work on Newton’s seminal work titled Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica.

As a young boy, astrophysicist and mathematician Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar had a deep desire to be like Isaac Newton. Often, he used to go to the beach alone, and pray: ‘Oh God, may I be like Newton!’(Illustration: Rushikesh Tulshiram Gophane)
As a young boy, astrophysicist and mathematician Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar had a deep desire to be like Isaac Newton. Often, he used to go to the beach alone, and pray: ‘Oh God, may I be like Newton!’(Illustration: Rushikesh Tulshiram Gophane)

Chandra, as he was widely known, was born on October 19, 1910, in Lahore, to Tamil parents Sitalakshmi Balakrishnan and Chandrasekhara Subrahmanya Ayyar. His father was the deputy auditor general of the Northwestern Railway. The family moved to Allahabad in 1916 and settled in Madras in 1918.

Early life and education

Chandrasekhar was homeschooled till the age of 12. He then attended the Hindu High School at Triplicane, Madras and studied at Presidency College, Madras from 1925 to 1930. During this stint, he met Lalitha Doraiswamy and they got married in 1936.

A highlight of his college years was the publication of his paper, The Compton Scattering and the New Statistics. Successes such as this strengthened his determination to pursue a career in scientific research despite his father’s wish for him to join Indian Civil Service.

In 1930, Chandrasekhar was awarded a government scholarship to pursue graduation at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom and he joined Trinity College. During this time, Chandra became enamoured with the subject of white dwarf stars. He explained how when stars run out of hydrogen, they become unstable and collapse in on themselves. But the most massive stars explode into a supernova and then collapse down into neutron stars, or black holes. He earned a PhD in 1933 and was elected to Prize Fellowship.

Career

In 1937, Chandrasekhar was appointed assistant professor in the University of Chicago – a position he continued in for his entire career spanning six decades. In 1947, he was appointed the distinguished service professor of theoretical astrophysics and, in 1985, became the professor emeritus.

As the editor of The Astrophysical Journal (1952-1971), he transformed the private publication into the National Journal of the American Astronomical Society. Apart from his work at the University, he also conducted research at NASA’s Laboratory for Astrophysics and Space Research.

In 1990, he began working on the detailed geometric arguments in Sir Isaac Newton’s famous work Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica, which is considered a significant work in the history of science. He died on August 21, 1995 of a heart attack.

Chandrasekhar Limit

He is best known for the discovery of the Chandrasekhar Limit, which he came up with as a student. Using this, he proved that there is a maximum mass which can be supported against gravity by the pressure made up of electrons and nuclei.

Awards, achievements

Chandra was honoured with the Padma Vibushan in 1968. In 1983, he was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics along with William A Fowler for work on the structure and evolution of stars. He was, however, upset that the citation mentioned only his earliest work and not his later ones. Chandrasekhar was awarded the Gold Medal of Royal Astronomical Society (1953), the Royal Medal (1962), and the Copley Medal (1984).

He has authored several books including – An Introduction to the Study of Stellar Structure (1939), Principles of Stellar Dynamics (1942), and Newton’s Principia for the Common Reader (1995).

Interesting Facts

1. He was the nephew of Sir CV Raman, who was a Nobel Prize recipient. Chandrasekhar became a US citizen in 1953, retired from the University of Chicago in 1980, and continued to be a researcher.

2. In 1979, NASA named the third of its four Great Observatories after Chandrasekhar. The Chandra X-ray Observatory was launched and deployed by Space Shuttle Columbia on July 23, 1999.

3. The Chandrasekhar number, a vital dimensionless number of magneto hydrodynamics, was named after him as were the asteroid 1958 Chandra and the Himalayan Chandra Telescope.

4. The Chandra Astrophysics Institute runs an initiative for high school students interested in astrophysics. They are mentored by scientists from MIT and sponsored by the Chandra Observatory.

5. His brother, S Balakrishnan, revealed that as a boy, Chandra had a deep desire to be like Isaac Newton. He used to go to the beach alone, and pray: ‘Oh God, may I be like Newton!’

Source: famouspeople.com; notablebiographies.com;Wikipedia

source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> India> Inspiring Lives / by HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times, New Delhi / August 21st, 2019

Innovative app fetches Chennai girls top spot in U.S. contest

Girl power: Social Relay, the team which won the Technovation challenge.
Girl power: Social Relay, the team which won the Technovation challenge.

‘Baton’ designed to maximise the impact of initiatives started by interns in the field of social work.

‘Social Relay’, a team of three school girls from Chennai, bagged the first place at Technovation Girls organised in the United States of America by Technovation, a global not-for-profit organisation that focuses on technology education. The team won a prize money of $12,000.

The team members — Akshara Vasanth, a Class VI student of PSBB School K.K. Nagar, Ishwarya Kanagaraj, a Class VII student from the Panchayat Union Middle School Poothapedu and Stella Arokiasamy, a Class IX student of Our Angel Matriculation School — were mentored by Tanya Elizabeth Ken, a Class XI student of Kola Perumal Chetty Vaishnav School. Both Stella and Aishwarya stay at Paadhai, a home in the city for destitute children.

At the World Pitch 2019, the finals, Social Relay pitched their app ‘Baton’, which was designed to maximise the social impact of initiatives started by social work interns or students’ internships. “The app works around the idea of a relay race, where the baton is handed over and aims to hand over incomplete social work initiatives from one intern to another so that they are not affected by internships which last only for a limited time. It will bring together social workers, students, corporates, NGOs and volunteers,” the team said.

Dreaming big

Speaking from California, Akshara Vasanth said she was thrilled with her team’s win. “This is not just a great opportunity for me, but for girls from across the world. We are looking forward to develop our app further and take it across the country as well as the world,” she said.

The team from Chennai was among six from across the world in the junior division at the World Pitch, which was the final event of Technovation Girls, where they exhibited the functioning of their apps. Over 2,000 teams from 57 countries participated in the competition and six teams each were selected as finalists in the junior and senior division.

“Lack of a social worker empowerment tool is a problem across the world and the team believes that Baton is the solution, as it brings together key stakeholders for achieving social impact, while optimizing social work,” said Tanya, speaking from California.

“I hope more girls are inspired and encouraged to delve into technology and innovation,” she added.

The program encourages girls between the ages of 10 and 18 years from across the world to use technology and apply the skills needed to solve real life problems.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Staff Reporter / Chennai – August 19th, 2019

Health matters: This Chennai sexagenarian is invincible

Sprinting towards her dreams and knocking down stereotypes, T Rukmini Devi is yet to befriend retirement — her game is still on.

T Rukmini Devi. (Photo | R Satish Babu, EPS)
T Rukmini Devi. (Photo | R Satish Babu, EPS)

Chennai :

Training sessions at Jawaharlal Nehru outdoor stadium. Core strengthening at the gym. Badminton and table tennis for leisure. A toned physique, brisk gait and a sporty demeanour, T Rukmini Devi looks anything but 64. The sexagenarian’s daily schedule is packed with workout sessions, alongside other club roles. She is not hassled by her hectic routine. CE caught up with Rukmini after her morning practice to know what keeps her going.

“I took up sports out of my interest. My father served the military services back then. Our lifestyle was active, organised and disciplined. He brought me up as a bold girl. Right from inter-school competitions, parades, to international level competitions, I’ve taken part in all kinds of activities. After marriage, I had to take a break to focus on my children. Now I’m back after 15 years. That void is filled and I’m living my dream again,” said Rukmini who was born in Mumbai.
Rukmini moved to Chennai from Hyderabad in 1980 and started working with the Indian Overseas Bank (IOB). She retired as the assistant manager in the Public Relations Department four years back.

Rukmini02CF18aug2019

Aging while playing

She finished her schooling in Bengaluru and moved to Hyderabad for higher studies. “Nowadays, I take part in flag hoisting, we distribute sweets to underprivileged kids and spend our time at old age homes or Corporation schools,” said Rukmini, who lives with her husband Chandrakanthan and two daughters in T Nagar.

After completing her MSc in Physics from Osmania University, she joined the Indian Railways through sports quota and worked there for two years. She was part of the Indian Railways Basketball Team. Between 1974 and 1980, she represented and captained the Andhra Pradesh Basketball Team and the Andhra Pradesh Handball Team in the years 1978 and 1979. In 1982, she joined the Indian Overseas Bank. She headed the basketball and tennikoit team.

After a gap of 15 years, she represented India at the Veterans Athletics (now known as Masters Athletic Meet) in Thailand in 2008, Malaysia in 2009, Taipei in 2012 and Singapore in 2016. In the 2016 Masters Athletic Meet, she won a gold medal in the pole vault, a silver medal in the high jump and a bronze medal in the hammer throw. At the National Masters Athletic Championship held at Bengaluru in 2017 in the above 60 age category, Rukmini won a gold medal for the high jump, pole vault and 4×400 relay with a silver medal in the hammer throw and 4×100 relay.
The laurels continued at the nationals championship held at Guntur from February 6 to 10 where she won three gold medals in the above 60 age category for the high jump, hammer throw and pole vault. She has created a national record for pole vault covering a distance of 1.65 m with the previous record being only 1 m.

Second innings

Rukmini seems invincible at this point as she also won gold medals for the hammer throw and triple jump and a silver medal for triple jump at the first-ever Women’s Athletic Nationals held at Goa on June 29 and 30. Rukmini has received many awards at the club, district and international level. Recently, she was also honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award in sports by the All Indian Lioness Multiple and Lions Clubs.

“One needs the right exposure. I prefer working out on the field or dancing in my class any day over watching television. We get to meet people from different countries on international tours. Our fitness is nothing compared to their dedication. So I want to make the best of what’s available here, train people, learn, and achieve. I’m glad to see many women taking part in these competitions and bringing pride to our nation,” she said.

Passionate about dance from a young age, she recently joined the Athmalaya School of Dance for Elders. She is also being trained for badminton and table tennis for the veterans group. Rukmini is known to be passionate towards service to mankind. She enjoys singing and dancing in her spare time. She has also learned Kuchipudi from guru Rajasulochana and comperes for Doordarshan along with tournaments and meetings.

“My family motivates me. People can always find their second calling at any point in life. One needs to speak their mind to the children and set their priorities right. Never use taking care of grandchildren or retirement as an excuse. It will make you sluggish and invite unwanted thoughts. As parents, we need our independence too,” said Rukmini who is preparing for an Asian meet in December in Malaysia.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Vaishali Vijaykumar / Express News Service / August 17th, 2019

President’s medal for CRPF IGP T. Sekar

His distinguished service recognised

T. Sekar, Inspector-General of Police of CRPF’s Cobra School of Jungle Warfare Training in Khanapur in Belagavi, has been awarded the President’s police medal for distinguished service on the occasion of Independence Day.

Hailing from Thirumazhisai in Tamil Nadu, he joined CRPF in 1986 as Deputy Superintendent of Police.

He has served in crisis situations in Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Tripura, Manipur and Maharashtra. He has commanded Operational Range Gadchiroli (MH) and led and planned many Anti-Naxal operations. He has led various anti-terrorist operations in disturbed areas to curb terrorism and militancy. He has also served as an SPG officer from 1989 to 1998 on the security wing of VVIPs, including Prime Ministers and former Prime Ministers.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Belagavi – August 15th, 2019

He has made feeding the poor his mission

Noble service: Ram Prasad, a follower of Ramalinga Vallalar, distributing food among the poor in Kanniyakumari district.
Noble service: Ram Prasad, a follower of Ramalinga Vallalar, distributing food among the poor in Kanniyakumari district.

Ram Prasad, inspired by Vallalar, distributes 15 kg of rice to the hungry in Kanniyakumari every day

Ramalinga Vallalar launched poor feeding in Vadalur in 1867 heartbroken at the sight of “those who could not satiate their hunger even after begging from one house after another”.

Vallalar has since made a tremendous impact on 40-year-old Ram Prasad, a native of Asaripallam in Kanniyakumari district, who has dedicated his life to feeding the poor.

Every day, he cooks 15 kg of rice, prepares sambar and one vegetable curry and distributes it among the poor and destitute. “I have been doing it for the last 10 years. My father and mother help in cooking the food. I carry them in an autorickshaw and go up to Kanniyakumari to feed the poor. It will be enough to feed between 125 and 150 people. My father will always accompany me,” said Ram Prasad, who bought an autorickshaw for the purpose and is paying ₹6,000 as monthly instalment.

Resembling a sanyasi, Mr. Ram Prasad, a follower of Vallalar, wears only whites and sports a flowing beard. Asked how he managed to find money for his service, Mr. Ram Prasad said a few people contribute rice regularly and he visited the APTA market in Nagercoil to collect vegetables.

“Many traders know me and my work and donate vegetables. I need ₹200 a day to buy diesel for the auto,” said Mr. Ram Prasad, who had worked for three years in Dubai before returning to the country to start his work among the poor. His parents were weavers and the family’s financial position did not allow him to pursue any course after passing out of school and he was forced to eke out a living as a plumber and electrician.

“I joined a private ITI with the money I earned as a plumber and the qualification obtained me a job in Dubai,” recalled Mr. Ram Prasad.

But he worked there only for three years as he was already drawn towards the ideas of Ramalinga Vallalar. “I decided to feed the poor and have been doing it for the last 10 years,” he said.

His responsibilities as the elder son was over after getting his three sisters and a brother married. “I have no plans to marry. My objective is to sustain my work. It is my way of following in the footsteps of Vallalar,” he said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Tamil Nadu / by B. Kolappan / Chennai – August 16th, 2019

Dr. M.S. Swaminathan Award for Environment Protection presented

Former Justice Prabha Sridevan, right, presenting the award to Kenneth M. Quinn. Rotary Club of Madras East vice-president T.R. Gopalakrishnan is also seen.
Former Justice Prabha Sridevan, right, presenting the award to Kenneth M. Quinn. Rotary Club of Madras East vice-president T.R. Gopalakrishnan is also seen.

Former diplomat Kenneth M. Quinn honoured at event

Former U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia and President, World Food Prize Foundation, Kenneth M. Quinn on Thursday underlined the need for encouraging small holder farmers, who are mostly women, to run their farms.

Speaking to reporters after receiving the Dr. M.S. Swaminathan Award for Environment Protection presented by the Rotary Club of Madras East and Cavinkare Private Ltd., he said post-harvest food waste must be brought down, which is why connectivity to small villages was important.

“Small farmers need to take their produce to markets and they need to be provided the latest scientific inputs so that they be able to have sustainable farming practices to produce quality food,” he said, adding more should be spent on agricultural research.

Speaking at the award ceremony, he suggested that agriculture scientist M.S. Swaminathan be awarded the Rotary International’s award for world understanding and peace. Former Judge of the Madras High Court Prabha Sridevan thanked Mr. Quinn for working to rid the world of hunger and ensure access to quality food. UN-WHO Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan, and daughter of Prof. Swaminathan, said Mr. Quinn had brought about many improvements to the World Food Prize, including increasing the cash award.

Appreciating the Rotary International’s efforts for eradicating polio, she said the campaign was in its final stages. Club vice-president T.R. Gopalakrishnan and Cavinkare CMD C.K. Ranganathan were present.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Tamil Nadu / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – August 09th, 2019