Gudalur banana growers tap global market

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Nature
Bananas at a field near Gudalur in Theni district on Tuesday. / Photo: G. Karthikeyan / The Hindu
Bananas at a field near Gudalur in Theni district on Tuesday. / Photo: G. Karthikeyan / The Hindu

Precision farming techniques, effective irrigation methods yield high quality fruits with better shelf life

Progressive banana growers in Gudalur and nearby areas not only get bumper harvest this season but also get to tap global market, particularly countries in the Middle East. They harvest high quality fruits with better shelf life, thanks to advanced technologies, precision farming techniques, use of organic manure and effective irrigation methods.

“We do not directly export banana to foreign countries. We export through exporters. The high quality of the fruits, their uniform size, colour and long shelf life help us gain access to international market,” says R.Madhan Kumar, a banana grower from Lower Gudalur.

The weight of one bunch of bananas is around 45 to 56 kg. Some farmers have produced bunches weighing up to 62 kg. Many farmers in Gudalur have shifted to banana cultivation from grape, which is a labour-intensive one. Moreover, acute care is also necessary to protect the plants till harvest. Labour shortage has pushed most to shift to banana cultivation.

After 75 per cent of ripening, bananas are transported to harbours in refrigerated containers and shipped to countries in the Middle East in 12 days’ time. Later, the fruits can be kept alive for two months, say farmers.

The banana growers have also been selling raw bananas to agents who ripen them and market them in Karnataka, Kerala, Delhi and Chennai.

Now, some banana growers have started engaging themselves in direct marketing. They undertake ripening process on their own. The existing private ripening chambers in Chinnamnur are dominated by traders only.

To help banana growers, the Agri-produces Marketing Committtee has set up a ripening chamber with a processing capacity of five tonnes a day in Chinnamanur.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Madurai / by Staff Reporter / Theni – July 31st, 2013

Did Japanese originate from Tamil?

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All, World Opinion
Katsuma Doi, Director, Japan Foundation, addressing the inaugural of a Japanese language school in Madurai on Friday. / Photo: S. James / The Hindu
Katsuma Doi, Director, Japan Foundation, addressing the inaugural of a Japanese language school in Madurai on Friday. / Photo: S. James / The Hindu

The debate continues three decades after it was raised at the fifth World Tamil Conference held in Madurai in 1981.

It is more than three decades since Japanese linguist Susumu Ohno stirred a controversy at the fifth World Tamil Conference held here in 1981 by raising the possibility that the Japanese language may have originated from classical Tamil. The debate rages to this day.

Vimala Solomon, head of the Madurai-Japan Cultural Foundation and Director of Surya Nihongo Gakko, a Japanese language school here, says:

“I agree with Mr. Ohno because we find many similarities between Tamil and Japanese. We can think in Tamil and speak in Japanese. The syntax is also very similar.” However, she points out that one must learn Japanese first to appreciate the connection.

On the need for more Indians to learn Japanese, Savitri Vishwanathan, former head of the Department of Chinese and Japanese Studies, University of Delhi, says learning Japanese has its advantages as it facilitates interaction with the native speakers and helps in understanding their culture better, especially because Japanese is the only language spoken in all regions of Japan.

Katsuma Doi, director of the Japan Foundation in New Delhi, told The Hindu he is not aware of Mr. Ohno’s theory as the subject is confined to linguistic circles. But he adds that people-to- people contact between Japan and India has been excellent.

Referring to a great wave of interest created by the dubbed version of the Rajinikant film ‘Muthu’ in Japan in 1998 and the consequent interest evinced by Japanese audiences in watching Tamil movies, he says: “Now there is a second wave with the Japanese exhibiting much enthusiasm in watching Bollywood movies such as Aamir Khan’s 3 Idiots, Shahrukh Khan’s Om Shanthi Om and Salman Khan’s Ek Tha Tiger.”

He points out that a survey conducted in 2012 has revealed that Japanese is being taught to 3.98 million learners in 136 countries. “India is in the fourteenth position among countries where Japanese is popular. The number of learners in India has increased by 2,000 over the figure of 18,000 recorded in a survey conducted in 2009,” he points out.

He believes that Madurai will make great strides in learning Japanese in the years to come. “I feel that there will be rapid growth in the number of Japanese learners here as Ms. Vimala, a native of Madurai, has the ability not only to teach Japanese but also nurture the next generation of Japanese language teachers here,” he adds. Mr.Doi was in the city on Friday to inaugurate the Japanese language school.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Madurai / by Mohamed Imranullah S / Madurai – July 20th, 2013

Record attempt by enacting ‘three monkeys’ in sign language

Records, All

25-tamil-nadu-mapCf30jul2013 

Coimbatore :

In an attempt to enter the Guinness Book of World Records, 10,000 students from 40 schools and colleges will enact the famous ‘three monkeys’ sings in sign language on July 28 in Coimbatore.

The students will repeat the sign language of ‘See No Evil, Hear No Evil and Speak No Evil’ 10 times, under guidance of Dr V G Mohan Prasad, chairman, VGM Hospital Institute of Gastroenterology, joint organisors of the attempt, as part of World Hepatitis day.

After the Guinness record event, all students would take an oath ‘each one teach one’ on the importance of safeguarding the liver and awareness on Hepatitis and all participating students would get a certificate from World Hepatitis Alliance, UK, one of the partners of the programme, Mohan Prasad said.

Hyderabad-based Shantha Bio-Technics will provide 10,000 doses of Hepatitis ‘B” vaccine free of cost to the children of Coimbatore, which will be administered free of cost at VGM Hospital, for the benefit of those who have not so far vaccinated, he said.

Mohan Prasad said he would speak on ‘Love Thy liver’ will while Anusha Ravi, CEO, Park Institutions, would speak on ‘how can youngster protect themselves from the luring vices of the modern era.’

District Collector M Karunagaran and Chief Educational Officer A Gnana Gowri will be the guests of honour at the function, in which I Varaprasad Reddy, Chairman, Sanofi, would be honoured, Mohan Prasad said.

PTI

source: http://www.news.oneindia.com / Oneindia News / Hone> Oneindia> News> India / Thursday – July 25th, 2013

A student cabinet to enhance leadership skills

Education
Students at MOP Vaishnav’s fourth student cabinet installation programme.| A Raja Chidambaram/ File
Students at MOP Vaishnav’s fourth student cabinet installation programme.| A Raja Chidambaram/ File

The fourth student cabinet installation programme was held at the MOP Vaishnav College for Women on Wednesday.

MOP is among the first few colleges in the country to have introduced the student cabinet which has a representative body working in a parliamentary set up.

The 26 members of the student cabinet, elected on the basis of voting system, were officially assigned their roles at the installation programme by R Thandavan, Vice-Chancellor of Madras University, who was the chief guest.

The cabinet has nearly 11 ministries and each ministry is assigned a minister and deputy minister.

Sharing her agenda for the year, Aprajita Ghildiyal, the elected student prime minister, said: “It is a huge responsibility to coordinate with all other ministries and execute tasks. But this is a platform to learn and manage. Since we have all the departments involved, the learning is also diverse. We have included a new Ministry for innovation this year, so we can expect a lot of innovations happening in and around the campus. The cabinet helps us to be socially conscious citizens and that will surely reflect in our events this year.”

Principal Nirmala Prasad, who also acts as a president of the student cabinet said, “The ‘Student to Student’ mode of communication has more acceptance than ‘Teacher to Student’. This cabinet helps in uniting the whole student community into one and also helps in inculcating leadership skills in them. The students learn good governance in such a scenario, which, in turn, will help them to get into politics too.”

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Express News Service – Chennai / July 18th, 2013

Book expo at Royapettah

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education
Urdu books on wheels at New College in Royapettah / .Photo: K. V. Srinivasan / The Hindu
Urdu books on wheels at New College in Royapettah / .Photo: K. V. Srinivasan / The Hindu

The Department of Urdu and e-Centre of The New College, Royapettah, in association with National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language, Ministry of Human Resource Development, organised ‘Exhibition of Urdu Books on Wheels,’ recently at the college premises.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> Downtown / July 14th, 2013

This year, govt. hospitals are richer than ever before

Records, All, Science & Technologies

For the past year, government hospitals in the city have been generating more money than they ever have before.

One year after the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CMCHIS) was introduced the once fund-starved hospitals are delighted with the outcome, as through it, they have earned crores of rupees, which in turn has translated into better facilities and equipment.

The CMCHIS has not only changed the lives of several patients, but has also brought smiles to the faces of doctors and heads of institutions.

Under the scheme, cashless treatment is provided to those whose income is below Rs. 72,000 per annum at various government and certain specified private hospitals.

Hospitals are reimbursed by the government for treatment costs. Of the funds received, hospitals can use 15 per cent for incentives to staff – including doctors, nurses and paramedical personnel, while the remaining 85 per cent can be used to upgrade infrastructure and equipment.

The nine institutions under Madras Medical College have received Rs. 53 crore, benefiting 35,000 patients. Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (GH) alone has earned Rs. 41 crore benefiting 25,000 patients, Dean V. Kanagasabai said.

“We have been able to improve wards and upgrade facilities. We have invested in new cots and mattresses as well as equipment. For high-end surgeries, we have started using disposable aprons, which reduce infections,” he said.

The top five revenue-generating departments are – cardiothoracic, medical hepatology, neurosurgery, urology and cardiology, Dr. Kanagasabai added.

Over the past year, GH has used most of the funds on implants, amounting to Rs. 14.4 crore.

Expenditure on equipment has been to the tune of Rs. 5.76 crore and drugs have cost the hospital Rs. 2.52 crore. Incentives given to the medical staff accounted for Rs. 3.92 crore.

The hospital has bought and used 250 pacemakers since the inception of the CMCHIS, Dr. Kanagasabai said.

GH has also placed orders for a fibroscan, a device to conduct liver biopsies that can diagnose cancer even before histological changes are registered.

A liver intensive care unit and a dialysis centre are two major units that have come up thanks to the CMCHIS.

Government Stanley Medical College Hospital has generated nearly Rs. 25 crore. General surgery has earned the most under the scheme with Rs. 3 crore, followed by cardiology and plastic surgery with Rs. 2 crore each.

Orthopaedics generated Rs. 1.5 crore and medical gastroenterology, Rs. 1 crore.

“Doctors are happy as they now have access to new equipment and consumables. We are also performing day-care surgeries such as laparoscopy procedures,” said S. Geethlakshmi, dean of the hospital.

CMCHIS has brought in Rs. 9.37 crore to Government Kilpauk Medical College Hospital, with paediatrics emerging as the top earner at Rs. 2.42 crore.

The hospital has invested the money on equipment such as ventilators, pulse oxymeters and implants for knee and hip joint replacements.

At the Government Royapettah Hospital, oncology (surgical, radiation and medical) generated Rs. 3 crore followed by cardiology and nephrology at Rs. 2 crore each. Total funds generated stood at Rs. 10 crore.

An ENT professor at GH said that for three years before the CMCHIS, the budget for equipment at his department was Rs. 16 lakh.

“After the introduction of CMCHIS, we have generated Rs. 1.6 crore in a year. This has taken the department ahead of those in the private sector as we now have state-of-the-art equipment,” he said.

Name of hospital Earnings beneficiaries

Rajiv Gandhi Govt. GH Rs. 41 cr 25,000

Institute of Child Health Rs. 6 cr 4,000

Egmore Maternity Hosp Rs. 3 cr 3,000

KG Hosp. Triplicane Rs. 2 cr 1,600

Govt. Eye Hospital Rs. 1 cr 1,400

Stanley Hospital Rs. 25 cr 11,500

Kilpauk Hospital Rs. 11 cr 6,000

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by R Sujatha and Serena Josephine M / Chennai – July 19th, 2013

Kalam’s dream of turning R’waram to solarcity reality in 5 yrs

Green Initiatives/ Environment, Leaders, Science & Technologies

Former President  A P J Abdul Kalam’s  dream of turning Rameswaram to a solar city would be a reality in five years, a top official of BrahMos Aerospace said here today.

“In five years, Rameswaram will be changed completely to a solar city as per the wish of Dr Kalam. Solar lighting will first be provided to fishermen, schools and hospitals and later to all houses,” BrahMos Aerospace chief A Sivathanu Pillai told reporters.

He sought the cooperation of all people to ensure its success.

He was speaking at a function where solar lamps were fixed free of cost on five mechanised boats.

Pillai said the solar lamps would attract fish, enabling fishermen to have a larger catch. It would also help them not cross the International Maritime Boundary Line, he said.

source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> PTI Stories> Nationa> News / Press Trust of India / Rameswaram (TN) – July 19th, 2013

Quality grid for Coimbatore Rally

Sports

It is as close to a dream line-up as it gets as the third round of the FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship commences here Saturday with a 32-four-wheeler grid that will start the Rally of Coimbatore.

Headlining the field are former World champion (production class) Karamjit Singh of Malaysia with compatriot Jagdev Singh in the navigator’s seat in a Volkswagen Polo representing Slideways Industries, India’s ace driver Gaurav Gill (Musa Sherif) who will be seeking a hat-trick of wins this season in a modified factory-backed Mahindra XUV 500 and reigning National champion Amittrajit Ghosh (co-driver Ashwin Naik) driving a Group N-spec Mitsubishi Cedia.

Also in the mix is Delhi-based Samir Thapar of JCT Rallying with Erode’s Vivek Ponnusamy, winner of 2012 FIA award for Asia Pacific two-wheel drive cup as his co-driver in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X prepared by top tuner and former National champion Narayanaswamy Leelakrishnan of Red Rooster Performance.

Further down the grid is former National champion Vikram Mathias (Chandramouli) who is making a comeback after a two-year break. It will be his second outing this season after finishing second overall in the Rally of Maharashtra, driving a Cedia. This time, Mathias will be piloting a VW Polo car for Slideways team that has fielded as many as six cars.

Asia Pacific Championship title contender Gill, along with team-mates Lohitt Urs (Bonnie Thomas) and Sunny Sidhu (PVS Murthy), will be competing in the SUV category that was introduced this season, while Karamjit is in the top-end Indian Rally Championship (IRC) class that also has Thapar, winner in the first round, and Sumit Punjabi (Chetan Shivram) in a VW Polo. Being a foreign national, Karamjit is ineligible for championship points.

Kolkata-based Ghosh, the Overall INRC winner in the previous two rounds, leads with a tally of 78 points, well clear of Arjun Rao (Satish Rajagopal) who has 40 after a near-win in the first round and third place finish in the second this season, driving a VW Polo.

Rao, however, heads the championship standings in the 1600cc class with 66 points, just six ahead of Sirish Chandran (Nikhil Pai) of team Slideways.

The Junior INRC class is likely to witness close battles up and down the grid with Bangalore’s Asad Khan (Zayne Asrar) on top with 68 points after winning the second round in Nashik and finishing second in the first outing in Chennai, driving a Maruti Esteem.

Ranged behind Khan are Anirudha Rangnekar (Nitin Jacob) in a VW Polo of team Slideways (47 points), just one point ahead of Chennai winner Suhem MK (J Jeevarathinam) who will be driving a Maruti Baleno.

With a host of other experienced drivers like Rahul Kanthraj (Vivek Bhatt), Vikram Devadasen (Srikanth Gowda) and Dr Bikku Babu (George Varghese), all driving the Mistubishi Cedia, the Rally of Coimbatore, with its fast and flowing Special Stages, promises close contests in virtually every class.

The two Special Stages, Gem (12.45Kms) and Textool (24.81Kms) that would be run twice on Saturday and once on Sunday, are located near Kethanur about 40 Kms from Coimbatore. The Stage terrain is said to be “smooth gravel” with average speeds in the range of 70 to 75 kmph.

The event will conclude with a Super Special Stage (2.32Kms) at the Kari Motor Speedway on Sunday afternoon. The total Rally distance is 347.6 Kms of which 114.10 Kms will be competitive (Special Stages).

source: http://www.business-standard.com /Business Standard /Home> News-IANS / Coimbatore – July 18th, 2013

Noted lyricist Vaali dies at 82

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders, Records, All

Veteran Tamil film lyricist Vaali died at a private hospital here today. He was 82.

Vaali was undergoing treatment at a private hospital for respiratory problems for a month and was on ventilator support.

Born as T S Rangarajan in the temple town of Srirangam, Vaali penned lyrics for stars across generations, from the veteran M G  Ramachandra  (MGR), Kamal Haasan to present day heroes like Dhanush. He worked with star composers of Tamil cinema like M S Viswanthan and AR Rahman.

Having started in the mid-60s, Vaali went on to pen nearly 10,000 songs in his five-decade-long career.

Vaali also acted in a few movies including veteran K Balachander-directed ‘Poikal Kuthirai’ and Kamal Haasan’s ‘Hey Ram’.

He wrote two songs in Bharat  Bala directed film ‘Mariyan’, starring Dhanush, which is scheduled for release tomorrow.

source: http://www.business-standard.com  / Business Standard / Home> PTI Stories> National> News / Chennai – July 18th, 2013

NIT centre to take technology to villages

Science & Technologies

Trichy :

For the first time in south India, a centre of the Rural Technology Action Group (RuTag), an initiative of IIT-Delhi to help rural development, will be launched at National Institute of Technology-Trichy by the Prime Minister’s principal scientific advisor RChidambaram on August 3.

The RuTag centre will coordinate with NIT faculty and students to provide solutions to various problems faced by the villagers. A similar centre will be opened in NIT, Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh shortly. “We had a meeting with Chidambaram recently in New Delhi and he wanted us to open a RuTag centre in NIT-Trichy. We met the stakeholders and Trichy collector Jayashree Muralidharan on Thursday to get an idea of the demands of the villagers,” S Sundarrajan, director NIT-Trichy told TOI.

“The meeting with villagers and government officials in the collectorate was an eye-opener for us. We came to know of the exact needs of the villagers and now we will put forward the problems to our faculty and also students seeking solutions. It is a win-win situation for the villagers as well as for us,” said Sundarrajan.

The NIT-Trichy director said though the institute has the knowledge base and experts to address problems that the rural populace face, the faculty and students are unaware of the problems. “The RuTag centre will bring our people face-to-face with the rural realities and that will help provide villagers solutions,” Sundarrajan said.

Quoting an incident of how students are ignorant about the villages, Sundarrajan said, “Recently a group of Trichy NIT students, ignorant of villages, called up an alumnus, who is now an IAS officer in Allahabad, and asked him to explain a village. The officer immediately asked the group to come over to Allahabad and sent them in a jeep to a few villages. The group, on their return, submitted a report to us about the problems villagers face. We had a hearty laugh as the group had gone all the way to Allahabad to see a village when we have so many in our backyard.” RuTag initiative is aimed at alleviating such anomalies, he said.

In a meeting with the collector, the villagers sought solutions to prevent snake bite during plucking of jasmine early in the morning. “Many complained of snake bite as they pluck the flowers between 3am and 4.30am as only then will they be able to send the consignment to various places by 5am. During this hour, they encounter snakes sitting on the jasmine plants,” said Sundarrajan. Other issues include hygienic abattoirs, easy and cost-effective implements in agriculture and for MNERGS work, cold storage for vegetables and sanitation facilities.

While some villagers sought a mask and a gloves while working in construction sites as the dust from cement and bricks affect their breathing, sugarcane cutters sought a body cover as they get cut marks while working in sugarcane fields, said A Basheer, revenue divisional officer, Trichy.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Madurai / by B. Sivakumar, TNN / July 20th, 2013