Category Archives: Leaders

Seminar recalls S Ramanujan

Business & Economy, Education, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All, Science & Technologies

On Monday the Society for Promotion of Science & Technology in India organized a seminar on India’s Contribution to Mathematics and Legacy of Srinivasa Ramanujan at DAV College in Chandigarh’s Sector 10.

Professor M. S. Sriram of the University of Madras and Professor A. K. Agarwal of Panjab University spoke. Explaining the significance of mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan who died in 1920 at the age of 32, they said that during his lifetime, he was as a creative genius who generated a plethora of formulae. His discoveries appeared simple and yet there was more to them than initially met the eye and because of these theorems, new directions of research were opened up, Over the past 60 years, as nearly all of Ramanujan’s theorems have been proven right and appreciation of his work and brilliance have grown.

His work now pervades many areas of modern mathematics and physics. As a tribute to Ramanujan, the Government of India declared December 22 – Ramanujan’s birthday to be ‘National Mathematics Day and  2012 has been designed National Mathematical Year.

Speakers expressed their concern that Indian is not producing enough mathematicians. They said there is a general perception in our society that the pursuit of mathematics does not lead to attractive career possibilities.

source: http://www.DayandNightNews.com  Home> The Capitol / Tuesday, November 27th, 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

The Bulkley tomb resurfaces

About Chennai(Madras) / TamilNadu, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Leaders, Records, All

“Have you been able to locate Dr. Edward Bulkley’s tomb?” was a frequent query raised by the Chief. “In its time it was a landmark of Madras, and a point of reference for surveyors.” He had written about it in October 2004 in The Hindu, and wondered about its whereabouts. A correspondent had replied that it had vanished after Independence when the Army began construction on the western glacis of the Fort. There matters lay.

Early in August, Karthik Bhatt and I embarked on the search. Vestiges of Old Madras by Love located it opposite the Madras Medical College, in the Ordnance Lines. But we drew a blank despite repeated searches. I wrote about the same in my Hidden Histories column for The Hindu on September 25th.

Capt. Harold Barnes, Security Officer of the Department of Archaeology, then called. He took us to the tomb, which is located inside the premises of the Shaurya Army School, at the intersection of Poonamallee High and Evening Bazaar Roads. The tomb lies exactly where Love found it.

Bulkley, one of the early medical reformers of Madras, presided from the 1690s till 1708 over what was to later become General Hospital. He was buried in his own garden in 1714.

The tomb, given its size, has survived the travails of nearly 300 years. Not so its railings, which have partially vanished. Certainly, the place could do with some maintenance. But it is good to see that the good Doctor still rests in peace.

Bulkley was the doctor who issued India’s first medical certificate which cited illness as a cause for inability to work and the first injury certificate. On August 28, 1693 he performed the first medico-legal autopsy in India. He is certainly someone to be remembered as part of the medical history of not only Madras but also the country as a whole. Will the General Hospital authorities and the Army team together to maintain the site?

source: http://www.madrasmusings.com / Home / by Sriram. V / Vol.xx11, No.12, October 1-15th, 2012

AR Rahman: Two decades and counting

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders, Records, All

ARR was felicitated for completing 20 years in the industry.

The Mumbai rains refused to dampen the spirits of spirited attendees at the 6th Annual Global Indian Music Awards (GiMA) held at Yash Raj Studios on Monday night.

The ceremony, hosted by Saif Ali Khan and Parineeti Chopra, featured stellar performances by celebrated musicians and Bollywood stars.

There was a special act dedicated to the musical maestro A.R. Rahman for completing 20 years in the industry.

The Mozart of Madras was was felicitated by none other than veteran Yash Chopra. Renowned singers like Alka Yagnik, Hariharan, Udit Narayan, Naresh Iyer, Mohit Chauhan, Chitra, Sonu Niigaam came together to honour the music legend with a heartwarming performance to some of his popular chartbuster hits like Dil Hai Chota Sa, Tu Hi Re, Chanda Re Chande Re, Mitwa, Mehndi Hai Rachne Wali, Ru Ba Ru, Saathiya, Sadda Haq and Jai Ho.

On the special tribute given to him, A.R. Rahman says, “I had a hint about the tribute but I did not realize that it will create such huge nostalgia. I have learnt a lot from all these singers who have touched my heart today. I still remember the day of my first concert in 1996 when most of the singers who sang today came to watch me. I really thank GiMA for this. I am truly touched.”

The fragrance of success

Music maestro A.R. Rahman’s other half loves perfumes, we hear. And sources close to her reveal that her collection can rival some of the most ardent perfume collectors in the world.

It seems she’s so well acquainted with scents and fragrances that she can easily tell a person what he or she is wearing.

But the lady who is spiritual and has a strict no-alcohol policy, shops only for oil based perfumes which contain no alcohol.

The friend who was fortunate enough to receive the fragrances revealed that Saira is generous and loves having people experience the power of perfumes.

“She believes in the healing qualities of a good perfumed oil. The ones she buys are very soothing and long lasting too.”

source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home> Channels> Showbiz> Others / by Nandita Ravi, DC, Chennai / October 02nd, 2012

Rochelle Maria Rao spreads smiles !

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Leaders

PFMI International 2012 Rochelle Maria Rao visited an NGO to talk about the evils of child labour

Beauty queen titles and social work go hand in hand, and PFMI International 2012 Rochelle Maria Rao is one of those who takes her societal commitments very seriously. As the goodwill ambassador of Smile Foundation’s vow against child labour, Rao visited one of the NGO’s project centres in Mumbai recently. There, she met the teachers and social workers and spoke to them about why no child should be left out of school.

To welcome her, children from the centre performed a special dance and she joined them in the performance. Later, she said, “I am motivated by their dedication towards empowering children with the help of education. The work they do to bring hope and happiness in the lives of these underprivileged children is commendable. This has inspired me immensely to do good work and spread more smiles.”

Commenting on the association, Santanu Mishra, Co-Founder and Executive Trustee of Smile Foundation, said, “Rochelle Rao is a worthy winner of this title and we are extremely glad that she is supporting one of our core areas — of sending every child to school.”

source: http://www.feminamissindia.indiatimes.com / Home> Miss India> News / TNN, September 29th, 2012

Sport was more than a pastime for GK

Leaders, Sports

 PASSION FOR EXCELLENCE: G. Kasturi (centre), the dynamic Editor of The Hindu who was an all-round sportsman, seen with the legendary Dhyan Chand and S.K. Gurunathan (right), the Sports Editor of newspaper, when the hockey wizard visited the newspaper’s office in 1955. / The Hindu Photo Archives

It is difficult to relate in words the interest and enthusiasm that G. Kasturi showed for sports as Editor of The Hindu.

To say it bordered on passion, which remained undiminished till life ebbed out of him on Friday, is no exaggeration.

We, in the Sports Department, were always in awe of his range of interests and knowledge. He also had an abiding concern for accuracy and advocated simple prose as the means to convey an idea or the mood of a sporting moment to the readers.

He was a multifaceted genius. An all-round sportsman — who shone in tennis, cricket and in cue sports in his youth — GK, as we respectfully referred to him, was versatile to the point of being flawless in judgment.

If the sports pages of The Hindu today has a measure of variety and vivacity, it is largely because of the foundations he laid in1947.

His love for sport prompted the birth of the Sport & Pastime in 1947. For the sports fraternity of the country, thirsting for recognition in the post-independent era, S & P was a God-sent vehicle. It also grew into a ‘Bible for sport’.

He literally planned and polished every page, both in the choice of articles and pictures, to embellish the life and times of sportsmen and women. He was instrumental in starting the annual S & P Trophy limited-over tournament, and even captained the S & P team in the inaugural year.

VISIONARY

Always ahead in thinking and planning, GK kept himself informed of the happenings in every discipline. Even as recently as two months ago, he discussed in detail with this writer the raging controversy in Indian hockey. He recalled with a touch of nostalgia of how The Hindu came forward to donate the Rangaswamy Cup, for the National hockey championship, in 1951.

GK’s in-depth knowledge of cricket was phenomenal. He dissected, with impeccable logic, the technique of every batsman and bowler. In a recent discussion he debated why Indian spin dominates on local pitches. His two cricketing heroes were Wally Hammond and Lala Amarnath.

During a meeting connected with the layout for The Sportstar in the late 1970s, GK pulled out a picture showing Hammond in full flow while playing an off-drive and asked, “Will any of your batsmen play this shot with such elegance and class?” For a moment, he fixed his eyes on the picture, immersed in the beauty of it. Such was his boyish enthusiasm.

GK’s recurring theme during interactions with reporters and sub editors was on inculcating the spirit of innovation. He believed in the adage that change is the essential part of existence.

“Put on your thinking cap and imagine what the readers would think of the sports page tomorrow morning,” he said times without number. He advised the desk to unfailingly come up with something new to capture the attention of the reader.

Abreast with the latest development in the world of sports, GK followed interesting matches on radio and TV. He watched with the members of the sports staff the famous last ball six by Javed Miandad against India at Sharjah in 1986.

FOR THE YOUTH

GK consistently advocated that the sports pages were meant for the youth, more so for the growing-up children, to see their achievements recorded and photographed. In a recent discussion, he lamented over the fact that newspapers of today were devoting less and less space for activities in colleges and schools.

For a brief period in 1963-64, GK headed the State tennis association. He strongly pleaded for spreading the sport to district centres and make the game less expensive for the underprivileged children.

GK, Sir, you are incomparable. Simply because the mould in which the Almighty created you does not exist. He has destroyed it.

With tears in our eyes, emotions welling up in our hearts, and prayers on our lips, we bow in reverence to your departed soul. Your memory, we will ever cherish.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> Sports> Other Sports / by S. Thyagarajan / Chennai, September 21st, 2012

Making the cut and how!

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders

Editor Anthony

face-to-face From the runaway hit Kakka Kakka to the upcoming Kochadaiyaan, Editor Anthony’s filmography reads like a wish list. nikhil raghavan snips his long story short…

If his father had his way and he had succumbed to family pressure, Lewellyn Anthony Gonsalvez would have become a priest. But fate had other things in store for ‘Editor Anthony’. Growing up in Perambur, one of the three heartlands of the Anglo-Indian community in Chennai (the others being Royapuram and Pallavaram), Lewellyn was brought up on a traditional diet of Western music and English films. But, secretly he loved Tamil films and songs. “When dad was not around, I would sneak into my neighbour’s house and watch Oliyum Oliyum on DD. While studying in college, my friends and I would go to watch many Tamil films. I suppose this laid the foundation for what I would be doing later in life,” says Lewellyn.

INITIATION

A deep interest in drawing and sketching, coupled with an affinity for computers, prompted Lewellyn to do a three-month course in animation. “Sometime during this phase, I met Anna Lockwood who was freelancing with Avid at Real Image. She saw my interest in film-related technology and animation and suggested I take up editing as a career. I joined TeleTape and then moved to EditPoint, all the while getting accustomed to working on Avid. At EditPoint, I learnt everything by trial and error. I think that has given me the confidence to tackle anything without reservation.”

By now, Lewellyn had developed a large clientele of ad filmmakers who were thrilled by his editing skills and his willingness to innovate. “This is where I ran into people such as Gautham Menon and Rajeev Menon. At that time, Rajeev was making Minsara Kanavu and he suggested to AVM’s Guhan that they upgrade their editing facility by installing Avid and hire my services. That’s when I moved to AVM.” Lewellyn went on to do the trailers of Rajeev’s Minsara Kanavu and Kandukondein Kandukondein, as well as edit many of his ad films.

While at AVM, Lewellyn encountered a problem. “Many in the film industry were finding it difficult to pronounce my name. So, I adopted my middle name, Anthony, and got dubbed as ‘Editor Anthony’. Close friends shortened it further to Anto!”

HIS TECHNIQUE

Is there a particular technique he adopts? “I listen to a brief narrative of the storyline. More importantly, I watch the rushes to get an idea of how the story evolves. I then use my judgment and piece the scenes together. In many instances, you will find different versions or angles of the same scene. Directors do this to ensure that at the editing stage we are not short of options. But, once a director understands my style of editing and when he makes his next film, he will cut out unnecessary footage. There are instances when he does a rough edit of his film and I watch the whole thing as an audience would. Then, I exercise my editing skills to refine the product.”

Anthony has an impressive line-up of films to his credit, the most important ones, according to him, being Kakka Kakka, Manmadhan, New, Ghajini, Sivaji, Enthiran, Nanban, Paiyya and Madrasapatinam. “Right now, I am working onThandavam, Maatran, Neethane En Ponvasantham, I, Kochadaiyan and Suseendran’s next film.”

Having worked with a cross-section of directors, who does he think has influenced him the most? “The director who does not try to influence me at all is the best; which means, he knows I understand his style of filmmaking. For instance, when I edited the jeep song in Kakka Kakka for the audio release function, Gautham Menon said that he never expected the sequence would turn out the way it did, when he shot the scenes. This made him entrust the entire film to me for editing. I took it up as a challenge although I had not done a full-length feature film till then.”

Lewellyn literally lives in the editing suites of FrameWorks, his office at Raja Annamalaipuram, and goes home (Perambur) only during weekends. “To commute the distance daily would be stressful; besides, the time could be well-spent doing creative work in my office. Moreover, for filmmakers, deadlines are important. Staying put in my office gives me the freedom to work on several projects simultaneously with the help of my 12 assistants, most of whom are trainees; they keep changing — experienced ones go on to start their own ventures or work with others, and new ones fresh out of college come here for internship,” says Lewellyn, who at 38, is a mentor to many and a friend to every director in today’s world of feature films.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> Arts> Cinema / by Nikhil Raghavan / September 15th, 2012

Grand celebration planned for A.R.Rahman

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders, Records, All

Isai Puyal A.R.Rahman recently completed 20 years in his film music career and to commemorate this occasion, a grand celebration has been planned in Kamarajar Memorial Hall, Chennai on the 21st of October.

Leading music composers, directors, actors, playback singers and lyricists will be participating in this event which has been titled “ISAI PUYAL – The Man – The Music – The Magic”. RAINDROPSS a youth based team from Chennai is organizing for the grand celebration and Rahman’s sister A.R.Raihanah (Brand Ambassador of Raindropss) will be leading these celebrations held in appreciation of the Oscar winner.

Udhaya Raagam UK.Murali will be supporting the grand celebrations with his orchestra and the part of the proceeds from this celebrations will be donated for a noble cause. For more details about the celebrations, call 9841020120 or mail at project.raindropss@gmail.com

source: http://www.behindwoods.com / Home> More News / September 07th, 2012

Ceramic mural of Field Marshal Manekshaw unveiled

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders

Udhagamandalam (TN) Aug 15 (PTI)

A huge ceramic mural of Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw was unveiled at the premises of nearby Wellington Cantonment on the occasion of the 66th Independence Day celebrations.

Unveiling the mural, Brigadier S S Jadhav, Station Commander, Wellington, paid rich tributes to Manekshaw and described him as one of the country’s greatest generals and military leaders and a true soldier of the Armed forces.

Jadhav also presented financial assistance to war widows.

source: http://www.ptinews.com / Home> National / by Staff Writer / August 15th, 2012

The life of Pi

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Leaders, Records, All, Science & Technologies

It’s one of the most mysterious numbers in mathematics, and clearly one of the most loved. Well, how else did the little pi manage to wrangle two celebratory days a year – Global Pi Day, March 14, to represent pi’s decimal value of 3.14 and coincidentally Albert Einstein’s birthday; and Pi Approximation Day, July 22, to represent its fractional avatar 22/7.

Even as you read this, T-shirts, mugs and other memorabilia are being sold in various parts of the world to celebrate the world of pi ( ). In mathematics, pi denotes the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter and was first given its 22/7 formulation by Archimedes.

In India, there may not be memorabilia but the day is being marked with lectures and seminars on the mystery of pi as well as its Indian connection. “As this is also the Year of Mathematics in India, being Srinivasa Ramanujam’s 125th birth anniversary, mathematicians have been giving a series of lectures over the weekends in different parts of Chennai,” says R Sivaraman, of the Pie Mathematics Association, who will be speaking on Ramanujam’s life and contributions next week.

“Ramanujam provided great insight into the computation of pi through his power series formulae,” says Sivaraman. “Thanks to his formulae, for the first time, the pi value could be accurately calculated up to 17.5 million digits. No one had managed that before,” says Sivaraman. Now, of course, thanks to Ramanujam’s formulae, computers can calculate the pi decimal value up to 1.24 trillion digits. “Pi is central to every mathematician’s research. You just cannot steer clear of it,” says  Professor Rajeeva L Karandikar,  director, Chennai Mathematical Institute.

“You need pi for everything, right from digging a well to sending satellites into space,” says Sivaraman, who adds he believes that the more you know of pi, the more secrets of nature you can unlock. Incidentally, ancient Indian mathematicians Aryabhatta and Bhramagupta also cut into pi. Astronomer-mathematician Aryabhatta of the sixth century AD calculated its value up to four places, while Bhramagupta in the eighth century AD, used 3 as a “practical” value of pi, and the square root of 10 as an “accurate” value of pi.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Chennai / by Kamini Mathai, TNN / July 22nd, 2012