JMC’s students cooperative store adjudged best

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Records, All
Jamal Mohamed College Students Cooperative Stores, Tiruchi, being awarded as the Best Student Cooperative Stores / .Photo: Special Arrngement / The Hindu
Jamal Mohamed College Students Cooperative Stores, Tiruchi, being awarded as the Best Student Cooperative Stores / .Photo: Special Arrngement / The Hindu

The store managed to achieve a sales turnover of Rs.13 lakh last year and a maximum dividend of 14 per cent has been paid to its members for the last 20 Years.

Jamal Mohamed College Students Cooperative Store has been adjudged the best store among the 276 student cooperative stores functioning in Tiruchi district for the year 2012-13. It won the award for the second consecutive year.

The store has been functioning as an outstanding student store ever since it came into being in 1953. All the students of Jamal Mohamed College are enrolled as members of this store. The teaching and non-teaching members have also been admitted as members and they have to pay a share capital of Rs.100. The student store at present accounted for 109 teachers and non-teaching staff as members and over 2,500 students as associates. The store managed to achieve a sales turnover of Rs.13 lakh last year and a maximum dividend of 14 per cent has been paid to its members for the last 20 Years.K. K. Selvaraj, Managing Director, Tiruchi District Cooperative Union, handed over the shield to Khaja Nazeemudeen, Secretary and Correspondent of the College, and Khaleel Ahamed, treasurer, in the presence of Mohamed Salique, Principal, and Syed Ghayas Ahmed, secretary of the cooperative stores.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Tiruchirapalli / by Special Correspondent / Tiruchi – July 20th, 2014

Festival of Our Lady of Snows Basilica to Start on Saturday

Arts, Culture & Entertainment
Our Lady of Snows Shrine Basilica in Thoothukudi
Our Lady of Snows Shrine Basilica in Thoothukudi

Thoothukudi :

The 432nd year celebrations of Our Lady of Snows Shrine Basilica, popularly known as ‘Madha Kovil’, would begin from July 26, said Father, Lerin Deroze.

Talking to press persons here on Saturday, Father Lerin said that the festival would be celebrated on the same date as that of 2013 and there would be no change in the programmes also. The festival would begin with the flag hoisting ceremony on July 26 which would be presided by Bishop of Thoothukudi Diocese Ivan Ambrose. Bishop of Madurai Diocese Peter Fernando would be the special guest.

The car festival would conducted be on August 5 and the next day, the flag would be lowered marking the culmination of the festival, Father Lerin informed.

The Madha Kovil festival does not belong to particular Parish and it was celebration of all the 22 Parish in the Pearl City. During the entire course of festival, people from individual Parish would offer special prayers in the Basilica. He noted that similar to last year, a music CD on Our Lady of Snows would be released during the festival. But, this year, a new book on Our Lady of Snows compiled by several old poets from Thoothukudi would be released on August 2, Father Lerin added.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Express News Service / July 20th, 2014

As she turns 100, nurse takes a walk down time

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All, Science & Technologies

Chennai :

With a rusty trunk in hand and a plethora of instructions in mind, Anna Jacob boarded SS Franconia from Bombay to Liverpool to pursue her dream of becoming a nurse. “It was 1947. There were 3,500 passengers on board, and most of them were Britons returning home,” says Jacob, 67 years later.

The journey lasted three weeks. “There was a badminton court, a swimming pool, a live band. Many of them were upbeat as they all were returning home at last,” says Jacob, her face breaking into a wrinkled smile.

Jacob, who will turn 100 this month-end, was among the first batch of students who completed the higher grade nursing course from Christian Medical College, Vellore, in 1936. In the city to attend the centenary celebration of Women’s Christian College, where she did an intermediate course in 1946, she recounts her days with Dr Ida Scudder, founder of CMC, and Vera Pitman, her nursing tutor.

Jacob, fondly called Annamma by her family and friends, surprises people with her sharp memory. “I still remember the day Miss Pitman came to our school in Tiruvalla, Kerala,” she recalls. “She was really tall and graceful, but what drew people to her was her passion for what she did — nursing. Fifteen minutes into her talk on the need for dedicated nurses in the country, I had already made up my mind to join her team in Vellore.”

Her family members were aghast as “Nursing was looked down at that time. No woman from a good family would get into the profession.” When I broke the news to my family that I was moving to Vellore, they were aghast. News spread fast and my father received condolence letters,” said Jacob, who was the third among five sisters. Undeterred, she went on to be among the first batch of nine students under Pitman. “It was the best move I made in my life,” says Jacob.

After completing her course three years later, Jacob moved on to work in Delhi, before she got a scholarship in 1947 to do a bachelor’s in Canada. “A month later, I saw myself on board SS Franconia and later made my way from Liverpool to Montreal,” she said. She returned to Vellore two years later, where she was made the Nursing Superintendent. She worked there from 1949 to 1974.

Pitman continued mentoring her through letters from London. “She said it was up to me to now to pass on what I was taught. And that’s what I did and continue doing,” says Jacob, who stays on her own in Vellore and continues mentoring young nurses.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / by Ekatha Ann John, TNN / July 20th, 2014

 

Tamil Nadu govt institutes award in poet Ilango Adigal’s name

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All
Tamil Nadu govt institutes award in poet Ilango Adigal's name
Tamil Nadu govt institutes award in poet Ilango Adigal’s name

Chennai :

The Tamil Nadu government has instituted an award in the name of Ilango Adigal, the author of “Silappathikaram,” which is one of the five great epics in Tamil literature, to honour people who have done pioneering work in the field of literature.

Chief minister J Jayalalithaa said in the assembly that the award would be presented to individuals credited with similar feat in the literary world and who spearhead the cause of classical literature. “The award, carrying Rs 1 lakh in cash, one sovereign gold medal and a citation, will be presented during the Tamil New Year in April,” she said.

Similarly, the government has instituted ‘Tamil Chemmal’ award to honour people who have made big contributions for the development of Tamil in every district. It would carry a cash prize of Rs 25,000 and a citation.

Jaylalithaa said two new buildings would be constructed at Tamil University in Thanjavur. A museum to showcase the life of ancient Tamils would be opened at the International Tamil Research Institute in Taramani, Chennai.

“My government’s efforts will develop Tamil language, encourage Tamil enthusiasts and help the future generations know about the ancient Tamils’ values,” she said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / by Julie Mariappan, TNN / July 25th, 2014

Emerging Trends in Endocrinology Discussed

Science & Technologies

Chennai :

An endocrinology conference organised by Endocrine Society of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry saw the participation of more than 1,200 doctors and scientists from various parts of the country and abroad.

The meeting held on July 19 and 20 provided for a wonderful academic feast for physicians, gynaecologists and other practitioners having interest in various areas of endocrinology.

The conference began with a debate on the importance of Vitamin D and its relevance to holistic health. Prof A K Das, Dr Arun Menon and Dr Kaushik Pandit pointed out that the vitamin plays an important role not only in bone health, but also in reducing mortality, heart disease and even cancer. There is strong optimism among scientists that more benefits of Vitamin D will be discovered in large trials over the next few years.

A seminar on parathyroid disorders by Dr  Thomas Paul, Manoj Chada, Dr Prabhu and Dr Arun Menon, brought to focus that these disorders were not uncommon and should be considered as an important cause for kidney stones and osteoporosis. The discussion focused on the need to do further tests in cases of fractures and kidney stones.

Prof Nielsen and Prof Walker underlined the importance of family studies in the understanding of reasons behind diabetes. Better understanding through population studies will aid health professionals to advise patients regarding the importance of lifestyle changes to prevent and treat Type 2 diabetes. Walker discussed the link between overweight, obesity, insulin resistance and newer medications targeting Type 2 diabetes in future.

Areas like alcoholic fatty liver in diabetes were brought to focus by Dr Sarita Bajaj.  The seminar focused on the fact that diabetes would become the single most important cause for liver failure in the next decade and observed that identifying and treating it early can reduce the progression to a large extent.

Screening for diabetes in pregnant young women  and educating women regarding the importance of lifestyle changes before becoming pregnant were also discussed.  It said that obesity seemed to have a link with insulin resistance and poly cystic ovarian disease, having implications in fertility, development of diabetes in pregnant mothers and fetal health. These disorders in the mother could affect the child later with excess obesity, diabetes, hypertension etc. This needs to be studied more to avoid health problems in the next generation.

Another session on Type 1 diabetes in children  by Dr Swaminathan, Dr Prasanna Kumar and Dr Sundararaman, dealt with the importance of  treating children with diabetes by a team of experts to avoid future complications in this group.

Dr Vijay V discussed the importance of  diabetic foot problems and ways to effectively deal with a problem of public health importance.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com  / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / Express News Service / July 24th, 2014

Exploring new frontiers in medical imaging, physiology

Education, Science & Technologies

Intravascular imaging enables doctors to assess and capture images from inside the coronary artery

Madras Medical Mission (MMM) will soon launch a centre of excellence in imaging, physiology and structural intervention.

There are only three-four such centres in the Asia-Pacific region, including in Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea.

Mullasari Ajit S., director of cardiology, MMM, said the centre will conduct training and promote peer-to-peer learning by conducting expert group meetings, continuing medical education and demonstrations for physicians.

“We have installed a 3D OCT Ilumien Optis equipment. This technology helps in looking inside an artery in 3D mode and provides better images. We are also setting up a core lab for coronary and structural intervention in angiography and imaging for research purposes,” said Dr. Ajit on Friday.

On Saturday, a two-day symposium on advanced cardiovascular therapeutics was launched. The focus is on intravascular imaging and physiology and transcatheter congenital and structural cardiac interventions. A similar symposium will be held on July 26-27, with participation of national and international faculty.

S. Vijayakumar, senior consultant of cardiology, said angiography determines the decision to perform angioplasty but can underestimate or overestimate the narrowing of a blood vessel. It has limited ability to assess severity of coronary artery disease, and is also poor in predicting the size of the stent.

Intravascular imaging enables doctors to assess and capture images from inside the coronary artery to understand the severity of the block, decide on optimal treatment options and examine the outcomes of interventional procedures.

R. Sivakumar, head of paediatric cardiology, said advanced imaging gives a picture similar to direct surgical visualisation.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Staff Reporter / Chennai – July 20th, 2014

Alternative crops the new fad for Pachamalai tribes

Green Initiatives/ Environment, Nature

Trichy :

The Pachamalai hills, which is the only hilly area in the district, was so far popular for its tapioca cultivation. But, now, much to the delight of the tribes here, the forest department has planned to provide them training in alternative crops such as cashew and fruits.

Located 800 m above the sea level towards north of the district, Pachamalai hills has a varying temperature that ranges up to 27 degree Celsius. It is now being developed into a tourism spot by the forest department along with the help of the local tribes. The state government had sanctioned 2.3 crore for developmental work, which is now in its final stages. The project involves development of the entire forests into a tourist-friendly spot with many features like trekking, water falls, medicinal parks, children’s park etc.

Talking to TOI, a higher official from the forest department said, “We are now waiting for funds from the State Balanced Growth Fund (SBGF) which has been rolled out in phases across the state.” He further added that the funds will also be used to improve basic facilities such as drinking water, which is now being carried from bottom of the hills. “Digging percolation ponds for storing water, renovation of the existing ones and construction of small ponds to help people cultivate more variety of crops are our other plans,” he said

The ?Malayali’ tribes, who live in these hilly ranges, make a living by cultivating tapioca, which is their staple crop. It is been grown here for generations since the temperature and the slopes make it an ideal place for its growth. Jebakumar, a local here, says that the crop, which is their only source of income, fetches money depending on its size. “Since the entire hilly region has been protected, the cultivation has been smooth all through the years.

Farmers here hope that the eco tourism project which is currently underway and the SBGF will improve their livelihood and reduce their migration from hilly areas to urban areas.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Trichy / by Harish Murali, TNN / July 10th, 2014

Chennai turns hub for broadcast technology

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Science & Technologies
A girl poses for a picture with special lights used in TV studios at a stall in an exhibition on broadcast equipment and technology in Chennai on Friday. — DC
A girl poses for a picture with special lights used in TV studios at a stall in an exhibition on broadcast equipment and technology in Chennai on Friday. — DC

Chennai:

Chennai is turning out to be a major hub for broadcast equipment manufacturers. To showcase the latest equipment, the trade organised an expo in the city.

Speaking to DC on Friday on the sidelines of the two-day international exhibition on broadcast equipment and technology on Friday, Satish Aggarwal, president of the association, said that this was the first in a series of exhibitions their association would organise.

“We chose to organise the exhibition in Chennai as it had several top TV channels in the country.  In the first hour of opening the expo, we had 150 registrations which show the kind of overwhelming response the city has given us. We expect the registration to touch 1,000,” he said.

Further, Mr Aggarwal said that in terms of logistics too Chennai provides good air connectivity to world’s top destinations which made them select Chennai to bring all broadcast equipment manufacturers under one roof.

Mr Masayoshi Hirashita, sales manager, Ikegami Electronics Asia Pacific Private Limited, a six-decade-old company manufacturing TV camera systems and video production accessories, said that the company had several Chennai-based Tamil channels as their clients. “We have provided latest equipment to many Tamil channels and we have come again to display our latest equipment,” he said.

Shyam, a broadcast engineer, says that Chennai boasts of being a hub for satellite channels as the cable TV industry in the city dates back to early ‘90s. “Even before anybody launched a satellite channel for Tamil, Chennaittes stahad started connecting to cable TVs to view foreign  channels,” he said.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / DC / by  N. Arun Kumar / July 19th, 2014

These keerai farmers use cars, Facebook to sell their produce

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

keerai-farmersCF23jul2014

Chennai :

When farmers are quite reluctant to encourage their kids to pursue agriculture, who head to cities for new jobs, a group of men have turned farmers, leaving their corporate jobs behind. Yes, you read that right! How many of us would give up high-paying jobs to be the change we want to see? Nallakeerai, a farming initiative, which was started by R Jagannathan, formerly a business manager with a city-based firm, and his friend, in 2011, aims to influence people to switch to organic farming.

Inspired by organic farmers in the State, including popular organic farming scientist who passed away last year G Nammalvar, this experimental cultivational venture has made many farmers in the Melappedu village take up organic farming, besides attracting more takers with their door delivery services of the organic produce.

Currently, Nallakeerai cultivates 30 varieties of spinach and sells 10 lakh bundles within the city per month. “Organic greens have a huge market. Even in half an acre of land, we can cultivate greens. I was able to produce 45 varieties of greens in one cycle,” says Jagannathan.

“The biggest challenge was to create a customer base. That’s where agriculture marketing consultants come in. We use Facebook to promote Nallakeerai and have volunteers who pick them up from certain localities and sell them.

About 15 people have invested on their land for their yearly produce,” he says. What started as a team of two in 2011, has now grown into a group of 30  metropolitan farmers ranging from an IIT graduate, management consultant, software architect, and so on. And they their keerai in a koodai just as easily as they do off the backseat of a car! So it didn’t surprise us when we discovered that theNallakeeraiFacebook page — https://www.facebook.com/NallaKeerai — has  a massive 10,000 followers.

Ask Jagannathan why his choice of crop is spinach and he  responds, “It requires a very short growth period and gives quicker returns, which eases the transition to organic farming.”

He goes on, people who produce food for the country, go to bed hungry and that’s the plight of today’s farmers. The idea struck me when I conducted a survey in my native, near Thirunindravur. I decided to do something about it and started to study the economy of farmers in my village. I found that the 240 farmer households in the village spent about `40 lakh investing in fertilisers and pesticides.

If this money was properly channelised within the farm, they would lead more comfortable lives.

So what does Nallakeerai do differently? “We help organic farmers by eliminating middle men, and connecting them to a direct consumer base in the city,” explains this farmer-preneur.  This is apart from supplying to some of the biggest organic retail stores in the city and also renting out store space within the premises of large companies to sell the veggie.

In order to get youngster interested, Jagannathan conducts weekend workshops on organic farming and eco-friendly lifestyles, assisting a community of Irula farmers to market their produce.

“Organic spinach farms are profitable through weekly door-delivery of organic greens to residences and apartment complexes in the city. We want people to emulate our model,” says Jagannathan, explaining how he spread cow-dung on his planting beds once and harvested three bundles of spinach from tiny one sq ft area. “Today, if I am doing this with spinach, somebody will come up with organic milk and organic potatoes tomorow. If the pricing of organic food is feasible, organic farming can make it big,” he assures us.

Priced at `25 to 30, Nallakeerai’s organic greens are available in T Nagar, Virugambakkam, Vadapalani, Anna Nagar, Adyar, Thiruvanmiyur, Ambattur, Velachery, and Kodambakkam, and can be reached on 99626 11767/9840614128.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by S. Subhakeerthana / July 23rd, 2014

When kids led delegations to the ‘UN’

Education, World Opinion
Student delegates at the sixth Model United Nations at Chettinad Vidyashram
Student delegates at the sixth Model United Nations at Chettinad Vidyashram

Chennai :

The valedictory of Chettinad Vidyashram’s 6th Model United Nations (MUN) was held on Sunday. The event saw the participation of over 25 schools.

This year, two delegations — The Union of European Football Association and the League of Nations — were introduced.

“The students are very enthusiastic and creative, they come up with a set of new delegations or new ideas as years pass by,” said principal Amudha Lakshmi.

This year, the MUN, saw participants from Maharashtra, Bengaluru and even the UAE.

“I came to know about MUN through my friend Pradeep, whom I met in Chennai six months ago. Most delegates in Economics and Finance council were first-timers, and teaching them was a learning experience,” said Abhishek Verma, a student from Vidya Niketan, Bengaluru, who also chaired EcoFin.

The crisis discussed in the MUN ranged from foreign military bases in sovereign nations to communal violence and child rights.

“It’s wonderful to see children passing interesting resolutions. I have learnt so much from them, their confidence and creativity impresses me,” said Dr Meena Muthaiah, correspondent, Chettinad Vidyashram.

The delegation from the US won the maximum number of awards for their hard-hitting resolutions and debates. PSBB Nungambakkam grabbed the best school delegation award.

“I’ve been a part of MUN since the time it started. I am goin to miss it next year as I will be entering college. It helped me to read newspapers, something I had long-forgotten,” said a chirpy Shreya Shriram from CV.

The function finally ended after the secretary general declared it ‘closed’.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Express News Service / July 22nd, 2014