As the relentless monsoon floods battered the state of Kerala, we saw the entire nation coming to the aid of God’s own Country, with monetary assistance, relief materials and most importantly, rescue operations.
Even as various media agencies and government agencies were yet to wake up to the reality of what was going on in the state, it was incredibly touching to see how people from across India and abroad, irrespective of their age or financial status, readily came forward to offer their help and support.
One such uplifting story was that of Anupriya, an eight-year-old girl from Villupuram in Tamil Nadu, who donated all of her savings that she had collected to purchase a bicycle, after learning about the miserable state of the people affected by the floods.
Anupriya had managed to save ₹9000 over a span of four years, but broke open all of her piggy banks after seeing visuals of the affected people on television and decided that her dream of owning bicycle could wait, as it could instead help people in need by contributing towards their relief.
Her story came to light when someone posted about this rare example of unconditional compassion and generosity on Twitter and people couldn’t stop appreciating Anupriya’s gesture of goodwill, especially because she is so young.
Touched by her selfless action, Hero Cycles came forward not just to appreciate her gesture but also present Anupriya with a brand new bicycle.
“Dear Anupriya, we appreciate your gesture to support humanity in the hour of need. You would get a brand new cycle from us. Please DM your address or contact us at customer@herocycles.com,” the cycle company posted on Twitter.
Dear Anupriya, We appreciate your gesture to support humanity in the hour of need. You would get a brand new cycle from us. Please DM your address or contact us at customer@herocycles.com. @PankajMMunjal
And it doesn’t end here. Taking the appreciation a notch above, Pankaj M Munjal, the Chairman and Managing Director of Hero Motors Company, took to social media with an extra special announcement.
“Anupriya, parnam to you. You are a noble soul and wish you spread the good around. Hero is too pleased to give you one bike every year of your life. Please share your contact on my account. Love you and best wishes. Prayers for Kerala,” his tweet said.
Anupriya, parnam to you. You are a noble soul and wish you spread the good around. Hero is too pleased to give you one bike every year of your life. Pl share your contact on my account. Love you and best wishes. Prayers for Kerala https://t.co/vTUlxlTnQR
We applaud both Anupriya and Hero Cycles for their remarkable gesture. Anupriya’s generous contribution must have surely made a difference to someone’s life, and we hope that this cycle brings her a lot of happiness.
Despite the several shortcomings of the public school system, there are many inspiring stories about teachers who have gone above and beyond their call of duty to help their students.
The story of Madan Yadav, a teacher who transformed the face of a government school in a remote village in Bihar is one such example.
Mr Yadav has left no stone unturned in his efforts to better resources and facilities for his school. While most people in the village haven’t even stepped out of the village their entire lives, he runs a school where students recite English poems, excel academically, and are dressed well.
And one cannot forget the story of G Bhagawan, a government school teacher in Tamil Nadu, whose transfer caused his students to cry and plead with him to stay. The students won, and the teacher’s transfer was put on hold. Read the story here.
Kodungaiyur is a neighbourhood tucked away in the northernmost part of Chennai. The Chennai High School is one of the many schools that dot this area, but what makes it different is a unique initiative by one of its teachers, which is making a difference to the lives of 120 children.
As reported in the Times of India, Mr PK Ilamaran, has been providing a healthy breakfast to around 120-odd children in the Chennai school, from his own pocket. He started this initiative in July 2018.
For about two decades, Ilamaran observed that many of the children who came to school without eating breakfast would suffer from sunstrokes and or stomach aches. He finally decided that the problem could not be ignored any more and resolved to do something about it.
Every day, PK Ilamaran ensures that these kids do not start the day hungry. Image Credit: PK Ilamaran
Speaking to ToI, Ilamaran said, “I am happy to spend some time with the students in the morning while serving them food. We buy idli and pongal from the nearby Amma Unavagam.”
Ilamaran, who teaches students of Classes 7 and 9, first made a list consisting of the names of students from Classes 1 to 10. He ensured that the names of all the children who were skipping meals were on this list.
Today, these kids get a good breakfast to start off their day. From 7:30 am to 8:00 am, students of Class X are fed, and from 8:20 am to 8:50 am, students from Classes 1 to 9 are fed.
This initiative is one of the many which have been taken up by the Chennai government school. In fact, ToI has reported that from September 2018 onwards, the school will provide free tuition for students of Class 10.
(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)
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Door-to-door garbage collection in India’s cities is not only a slow and inefficient way to collect waste, but workers often complain of contemptuous treatment, and exposure to dangerous infections due to handling trash.
In the hope that this will soon be a thing of the past, Tamil Nadu will soon introduce battery-operated three-wheelers across the state.
As reported in the Times of India, the state government is all set to procure around 1,694 garbage collecting vehicles. All this is a part of a massive Rs 654 crore plan, under the Swachh Bharat Mission.
So how do these vehicles work?
Chennai and other places in Tamil Nadu will soon have batter-operated 3-wheeler trash collection machines. Representative Image Only. Image Credit: சிங்கார சென்னை
According to officials with the Commissionerate of Municipal Administration, these vehicles contain rechargeable batteries and are equipped with different bins, to collect different kinds of trash. The machines will help cut trash collection times, segregate waste and provide sanitary workers with the much-needed dignity of labour while cutting down the risks they face when they are exposed to garbage.
Chennai will be endowed with 100 vehicles, costing around Rs 2 lakh each, and the 3-wheelers will replace the age-old tricycle carts that civic bodies across the state use as of now.
The sanitation workers will be in the driver’s seat, ensuring that waste is adequately segregated before dropping it off at designated locations, according to an official.
The plan is in motion and was approved by a high-powered committee at a meeting held a week a week before this report.
G Prakash, the Chennai Municipal Commissioner, is optimistic about this project and told TOI that the machines would help reduce the mountains of trash in the city. Additionally, the vehicles with their speedy collection process will allow workers to cover around 1,200 households daily, moreover without touching the waste they collect.
This plan by the authorities will offer cash incentives to conservancy staff including contract workers, to motivate them to work more efficiently. The workers will drop off the biodegradable waste to ward-level composting centres, where it will be turned into manure, while recyclable plastic waste will be re-sold to corporation-recognised dealers at Rs 6 per kilo.
What’s more, the workers can keep the proceeds. Prakash added that every worker could potentially earn Rs 7,500 per month by selling covers, bottles and other recyclable plastic items.
Not everyone is in a celebratory mood, though. The corporation workers themselves are nervous, and as Srinivasulu, an employee pointed out, the mechanisation of processes can lead to layoffs. The worker perhaps echoes the sentiment of his colleagues, when he hopes that the machines will not cost him his job, but instead help him to work better, and also improve the quality of his life.
(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)
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History books will never tell you who Velu Nachiyar was, or that she was the first ever queen from India to have bravely rebelled against the British forces. Neither will they mention Kuyili, who was the commander of Velu’s army, and gave the British East India Company a real run for their money!
With the exception of Tamil Nadu, both women are relatively unknown across the country despite their epic warfare tactics and historic win against the British in the eighteenth century, and we take this opportunity to share a little-known heroic saga of probably one of the first movement of active and violent resistance against the colonial oppressors.
The year was 1772, when Muthuvaduganatha Peria Oodaya Thevar, the second king of Sivaganga, was embroiled in a war with the Nawab of Arcot for refusing to yield to his demands.
Although the king could have easily managed to fight against the Nawab’s army had it comprised soldiers from the local population, what ended up being problematic and later, fatal, for the former, was the direct involvement of the British troops, who were fighting wars for the Nawab, through a strategic partnership.
Shortly after, the town of Sivaganga was attacked and ravaged by two British officers, who managed to get through to Thevar’s defence forces lined up in the neighbouring Kalayar Kovil forests and take the king down in the battle that ensued, along with many of his citizens.
Velu Nachiyar was Thevar’s wife and mother of their infant daughter, Vellachi, and their lives came to a standstill following Thevar’s unexpected martyrdom.
A woman of rare intellect who was way ahead of her time, Velu’s skill in learning new languages as well as her combating abilities were already well known, and it is believed that her bravery and impressive scholarly knowledge was what won Thevar’s heart before they entered into wedlock.
So, when Sivaganga fell, surrendering to the British was probably the best option to save one’s head sans honour, but Velu had other plans in her mind.
An India postage stamp celebrating the valiant warrior queen. Source: Live India.
Along with her baby and few surviving courtiers, she escaped to the village of Virupakshi in Dindigul but not before vowing that one day she would come back to avenge the death of her husband and reclaim the reigns of her kingdom.
However, for a fugitive queen to singlehandedly fight against one of the strongest armies in the world with neither military support nor strategies was like entering the lion’s den with no arms or ammunition. As much as she’d been hurting, Velu didn’t want to be carried away with emotions, and so, she patiently waited for the right opportunity.
Following much planning and deliberation, Velu finally zeroed in on a person from the South as a possible ally, who already had a notorious past with both the Nawab and the British.
The man whom she had sought for help through a letter was was Hyder Ali, and following their meeting in person, Ali seemed to be quite impressed with the queen’s unwavering resolve to overthrow the British and offered to give her everything she needed—in terms of men and arms.
More than determination, legend has it that her innate command over languages (Urdu in this instance) was what won her a powerful ally as she was inching closer to retribution.
Velu Nachiyar with Maruthu Brothers. Source: Tamil Samayam.
But it was only after an extended period of eight years that Velu finally decided to launch an attack on the Nawab’s forces, who had already renamed Sivaganga as Hussain Nagar in this while. Along with the Maruthu Pandiyar brothers, the courtiers who had initially helped Velu escape from the hands of British, she managed .
But no attack would ever come close to the final one led by Velu, which may have given the world the concept of suicide bombing. Yes, you read that right! It was none other than Kuyili, the commander of Velu’s army, who undertook a rare and selfless act of nerve and patriotism that would cost the British a humiliating defeat.
Now Kuyili, who hailed from a lower-caste background, had already earned a space in Velu’s inner circles as a confidante, as her father had been working as a spy for the queen but more so, because she had saved the queen’s life while risking her own on more than one occasion.
The final attack on the Nawab and the British troops was strategised by Kuyili, who by then had risen up to the ranks of commander-in-chief in queen’s military entourage.
The fearsome commander-in-chief of Velu Nachiyar. Source: Vikatan.
Interestingly, she had devised a strategy that would involve women infiltrating through the watchdog eyes of the British and enter the Sivaganga fort. The plan was to bomb the entire armoury of the troops, which was located into the fort premises and then attack them at their most vulnerable.
But Velu and Kuyili only had one day to accomplish this hazardous mission. Coincidentally, the festival of Vijayadashami during which women from near and far parts of the country came to Sivaganga to visit the temple of Rajarajeswari Amman, was being celebrated that day.
Using this as their leverage point, Kuyili and few women were not only able to get inside the fort under disguise, with weapons hidden inside flower and fruit baskets, they were able to catch the British unawares, who were swarming the fort and launch an attack upon them.
As chaos began to ensue, Kuyili got to what she had originally planned to accomplish—sacrifice her life for the motherland that would go on to help Velu defeat the troops and reclaim her fort and sovereignty.
Upon her command, Kuyili’s companions poured ghee and oil that were meant for lighting the lamps, upon her. Following which, a valiant Kuyili walked into the armoury chambers with her head held high and set herself on fire.
It is quite possible that Kuyili’s act may have been one of the first instances of a suicide bombing in the history of mankind that ended up leaving not one speck of ammunition left for the British to retaliate.
A memorial to Kuyili’s brave sacrifice in Sivaganga. Source: Vikatan.
Kuyili’s sacrifice eventually helped Velu attack both the Nawab and British troops and drive them away from her rightful kingdom, just as she had vowed all those years back. She ruled the kingdom for over a decade before bequeathing the royal commitments to the Maruthu brothers at her death in 1796.
Although Velu Nachiyar is still held in high regard in Tamil Nadu with the moniker ‘Veeramangai’ or brave woman bestowed upon her by the people, Kuyili’s name has somehow faded away from the public memory, except for a memorial in the Sivaganga district by the state government that was erected only recently.
Before the so-called first war of Indian Independence of 1857 took place or even before the legendary duo of Rani Laxmi Bai and Jhalkari Bai of Jhansi revolted against the British Raj, two women warriors from the South had the audacity to fight for their birthright and gave the colonialists an answer they’d never forget.
Though our history books fail to mention or credit these women for their extraordinary contribution to our freedom from a two-century-long colonial rule, the legacy of Velu Nachiyar and Kuyili will live on through local legends and word of mouth.
Cycling groups have been cropping up across India of late in a welcome movement that promotes this most environment-friendly means of transportation. In cities like Baroda, people like Nikita Lalwani, the ‘Bicycle Mayor of Baroda’, are raring to “convert 1/3rd of the city’s population to absorb cycling as a transportation mode by 2020″.
But with very little infrastructural support in cities for cyclists, it’s a long road ahead for these passionate folk! As of now, people still have to hunt for poles to tie their cycles. Avid cyclists in Mumbai have had to beseech corporate offices, malls and the BMC to provide parking lots for them, to little avail.
But this innovative idea by eighth graders in Tamil Nadu will give you tips on how to create your own affordable DIY cycle stand.
The kids cut PVC pipes to make their cycle stand
Eighth graders at ELSP SSATN Panchayat Union Middle School in Marudhurai faced their share of cycle-related hassles everyday. Cycles were always falling like dominoes in their school parking lot. Because their parking lot had no cycle stand, cycles would fall each time a student tried to park her vehicle, or when heavy winds blew.
Under the mentorship of R S Karthikeyan, the 13-year-olds – T Harish, S Vignesh, R Rajesh, S Janaki and K Mathumitha – decided to design something that would keep their cycles in place. They were inspired to do this by adopting the simple 4-step formula of ‘Feel-Imagine-Do-Share’ developed by the non-profit Design for Change, which challenges children to solve problems in their communities
The kids first ‘Imagined’ various solutions to the problem. They thought of laying car tyres to hold the cycles in place but this would take up too much space. They considered hanging ropes that could hold the bicycles in place, but these would be difficult to tie and untie frequently. Ultimately, the kids had an idea.
They could use Velcro tapes to hold the cycles in place.
The kids slide PVC pipes into a metal string, leaving gaps in-between for the Velcro strips
Here’s how you can make your own inexpensive bicycle stand in your community parking lot, college or school; you will need:
A coil of sturdy string (The kids used 80 feet of metal string.)
PVC pipes. Cut them to individual pieces of 2 feet each. (Cut as many pipe pieces as there are bicycles that need parking, or a little more.)
Velcro tapes, each 1 foot in length. (Get as many tapes as the number of bicycles that need parking)
Taking a cue from the kids, string the PVC pipes across the metal string. Tie the string on either ends of the parking lot to two vertical poles, at a height of three feet.
These vertical poles could be trees, pipes or light poles. Between the PVC pipes, leave spaces for attaching the Velcro tapes. (Velcro tapes are strong enough to bear the weight of a cycle, as well as cheap and user-friendly.) While parking a bicycle, these Velcro tapes can now be untied and tied around the bicycle carrier.
Watch this video by the kids to see how to execute this simple and effective idea:
Motivated by the success of their design solution, the students of the Marudhurai school ‘Shared’ their idea with more people. They went from school to school explaining their idea. Owners of two-wheeler stands also commended the students for their idea.
The Headmasters of nearby schools expressed that they would implement the cycle stand in their own schools.
Bicycle carriers are attached to the cycle stand by Velcro strips.
Over the past few years, kids from various Panchayat Union Middle Schools in Tamil Nadu have been incredibly active in taking on Design for Change projects.
In 2016, a group of boys ingeniously designed a toilet urinal using waste plastic bottles; their inspiring story even landed them on the TEDx stage. Another group of boys designed an Eco Roof using plastic bottles, while another created life jackets using plastic bottles.
What do these kids gain from taking on such out-of-syllabus challenges? R S Karthikeyan, a teacher at the Marudhurai school, explains,
“Students should not be fed up with the problems they face. They should try and try till they arrive at a proper remedy. We chose to call our project Arise, Awake and Stop Not to express this.”
Perhaps this points to the spirit of creativity, skills of problem-solving and underlying qualities of empathy and imagination that project-based learning can impart.
Perhaps these kids can graduate saying “I CAN” make a difference.
One of the students gives an “I CAN” thumbs up!
The students of the Marudhurai school were recognised for ‘Quick Impact’ at the ‘I CAN Awards 2017’ that’s organised by Design for Change and sponsored by Parle-G.
Since 2009, the annual ‘I CAN Awards’ have attracted 14,000 stories of change from school children all over India who have followed the Feel-Imagine-Do-Share (FIDS) model of design-thinking to create social change in their communities.
Know an avid cyclist who is hard-pressed to manage his day-to-day commute? Share this story and help make it easier for cyclists to pursue their passion!
Want your kids to learn problem-solving skills? Take part in one of the largest movements of children driving social change world-over. Take up the ‘I CAN’ School Challenge in your classroom. Find out more online.
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(@thebetterindia).
Anyone can learn from a book. But a #TerrificTeacher can make the difference between passing an exam and learning a life lesson. The Better India salutes those for whom teaching is not a job but a higher calling.
There are teachers, and then there is R Sathy, headmistress of the Panchayat Union Primary School, near Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.
The 46-year-old, with a teaching experience accounting to half of her life, R Sathy is set to receive the National Award for teachers on September 5 from the Vice President of India– Venkaiah Naidu.
R Sathy started her teaching career in 1995 in the Sulthanpettai Union School. She taught at various other schools before being posted at Malumichampatti Panchayat Union Primary School as headmistress in the academic year 2012-13. She has remained there since.
But becoming a teacher wasn’t Sathy’s childhood dream. She wanted to pursue medicine, but heeding the advice of her father, she joined a teacher training course. It was here that she became passionate about teaching and the impact she could create in society.
However, it is not her impressive career that landed her the National Award, but the various initiatives that she implemented, which impressed the panel at the Ministry of Human Resources Development in New Delhi.
When Sathy joined the school, there were only 140 students. She first focused on renovating the infrastructure of the school. With the sponsorship from L&T Constructions, the school had a major makeover.
She extensively campaigned against children dropping out of schools, going door-to-door in the town to illustrate the benefits of primary education.
Within two years, by 2015, the number of students in the school increased to 270. And that’s not all; the school building now has working toilets, an RO water purifier and even a vegetable garden.
In the same year, her school won the ‘Best School Award’ awarded to government schools by the Department of Primary Education, Chennai.
Left: The teacher– R Sathy. Right: For representation purposes only.
Sathy also made sure that students felt engaged during classes. Speaking to The Times of India, Sathy said, “We replaced blackboards with green boards, in which we can use magnets to place maps or pictures for students.”
Along with studies, she also makes sure that students are exposed to extracurricular activities through classes in yoga, art and self-defence.
One of the initiatives she is most lauded for is the ‘Kutti Commandos’, where students from class 5 spread awareness about open defecation. The students, with support from their parents, go on rounds early in the morning, to catch people relieving themselves in the open.
Speaking to The News Minute about this initiative, she says “They note down their names (people caught defecating in the open) and bring it to me, which I will forward to the panchayat president. Then, after enquiry, the panchayat officials would make arrangements to build a toilet for them or arrange for one. The squad also inspects public toilets in the area to ensure water supply, cleanliness, etc.”
Her initiatives have not stopped there.
Presently, she is putting together a student team who will combat plastic by raising awareness about a plastic-free society.
In an interview with Deccan Chronicle, Sathy elaborated on the initiative, “We are planning to transform our campus into a plastic-free campus, where students will be encouraged to use alternatives for commonly used plastic products like water bottles, pencil boxes, among others. The aim is to ban the usage of plastic in our village, and we plan to start with our school.”
She even managed to include children of migrant workers in the school rolls. She told TOI, “Today, about 42 children of north Indian labourers study in the school. One of them gave a Tamil speech for Kamarajar’s birthday.”
R Sathy is not just a teacher but an impact maker. By setting out to provide education to all children, she has set the students on a path where they can create a meaningful future for themselves as well as the country.
A bow of respect to the teacher and her students for their exemplary morals.
For South Indians, nothing comes close to being the perfect accompaniment to spice up a piping-hot plate of idli, dosa or even thayir sadam (curd rice for the uninitiated) than the unassuming podi or ‘gunpowder.’
I am sure that folks across the country who have had the opportunity to savour this coarse powder mixture would agree with this statement, and those who haven’t tried it yet should definitely give it a shot!
There are several podi recipes which have their origins in different regions of South India and it would be safe to say that each of them is a prized and fiercely guarded secret in kitchens.
The quintessential Podi, or Gunpowder. Source: Wikimedia.
However, you can now have these delivered to you no matter where you are located in the country, thanks to one woman in Coimbatore, who makes an eclectic range of podis that would remind you of your grandmother’s culinary skills but with a twist!
Suganya Selvaraj flagged off Grandma’s Goodies last year in October, after being encouraged by the stupendous response that her podis received at a carnival organised in her niece’s school.
“It was not pre-planned. My niece had a carnival at her school, and my mother-in-law took the initiative to [set] up a stall to sell podis. All our products were sold out in no time, and that gave me the confidence to turn it into a business,” said the 46-year-old entrepreneur to The Hindu.
Interestingly, Suganya learnt how to prepare podis from her mother-in-law, and she says that there are four types of podi on their dining table at all times. Tapping right into that facet, Suganya’s son came up with an apt name for the venture—Grandma’s Goodies!
Through her venture, Suganya is giving her customers a trip down the memory lane, with that familiar burst of flavours and aroma reminding them of their homes.
While preparing podi for a household isn’t really rocket science, one needs to be careful and precise and ensure that the proportions of ingredients is correct while preparing it in large quantities, in order to maintain the taste. For Suganya, that was a tough task initially, and she took some time to ascertain the right quantities for every recipe.
Suganya has an interesting array of podis to offer including Dandy Dal, Tamarind Temptation, Gusty Garlic, Peanut Perfection, Moreish Moringa, Comforting Curry, Crunchy Coconut and Scrumptious Sesame. Apart from podis, she also sells masalas such as sambar podi, rasam podi, vatha kuzhambu masala, fish fry masala, chicken or mutton kuzhambu masala, chicken or mutton fry masala and pepper fry masala.
“The podis and masalas are made in small batches of four kg according to the order. This ensures that all my products are fresh. I buy the ingredients from the local market, except moringa leaves, which I source from my farm. These have a shelf life of four to eight months (depending on what they are) and contain no added preservatives or artificial colours,” Suganya added.
In the last one year, Suganya has participated in about ten exhibitions across Coimbatore as well as Chennai, where she says that her products received a fantastic response—most of her buyers were young working professionals!
While she home delivers orders that are placed in Coimbatore, she has also been sending her goodies to people across the country. The products are priced between ₹120 to ₹180 and weigh between 100 gm and150 gm.
As for future plans, Suganya adds that pickles and thokku are in the pipeline, and she plans to introduce them as soon as she finishes working on the menu.
Wootz steel or Damascus steel is one of the wonders of the ancient world. With its characteristic meandering pattern, the steel alloy known as Wootz steel (derived from the Tamil word ‘Urukh’) still a towering example of metallurgy to this day.
Incidentally, though the swords made from the steel, Damascus swords, are famous around the world, few seem to realise that the swords were made from ingots forged in India.
Way back in the 6th century BC, this finest of alloys being made was in the Chera Kingdom of Tamil Nadu, from where it spread far and wide.
Developed by the Tamils themselves, the alloy is made by hammering porous iron while it is hot.
Then, the metal is sealed in a clay container with wood chips. When heated, the wood turns to carbon, which bonds with the iron to make steel. At least that is how we speculate that they did it. The real technique has been lost to history. And it may be far more complicated than that.
But now, we may be one step closer to proving this theory, thanks to two inter-connected papers published by Prof Sharada Srinivasan from the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bengaluru.
Prof Srinivasan has been studying wootz steel for quite a while. She has published several research papers on the subject, highlighting the importance of metallurgy.
The Damascus Sword made form the Wootz Steel. Source: Pinrest
Some of the earliest metallurgical finds to date are those found in Adichanallur, Tamil Nadu – now stored in the Government Museum, Chennai. For her research, Prof Srinivasan studied these artefacts quite closely.
Prof Srinivasan studied these metallic artefacts under an electron microscope, only to find an intricate, perforated design that could only be achieved through the use of sophisticated metallurgical processes. This means those who made the alloy not only knew exactly what they were doing but had perfected the method through trial and error.
Previously, alloys like these were thought to be made either by fusing cast iron and wrought iron or by adding carbon to wrought iron through various means. But it has been difficult to find clinching evidence to prove with certainty which technique made the ultrahigh-carbon steel of the Tamils all those centuries ago.
Prof Srinivasan may, at last, have some answers for this. In her new paper, she states that her research has indicated that this type of high carbonaceous steel could only be achieved by packing the iron blooms with carbonaceous materials like wood, and firing the furnace at high temperatures, not less than 1,400°C for a long time.
This method, dubbed by the paper as the ‘Tamil Nadu Process’, could only be achieved by skilled personnel with a deep understanding of the metallurgy of those times.
A dagger made from woozy steel. Source: Flickr-jasleen_kaur
This is a method that is used to create variation in modern steel as well.
Interestingly, she arrived at this conclusion through a tangential route. Her earlier published paper focused on bronze. An alloy of copper and tin, the bronze from the forges in Adichanallur was also rated very highly.
Prof Srinivasan discovered that Adichanallur’s beta bronze had a very high percentage of tin, some 23%. This composition increases the malleability of the alloy, which can then be worked on to a considerable degree at high temperatures, followed by rapidly cooling, improving the tensile strength and tonality of the bronze.
She figured out that the only way they could create alloys with such high proportions of tin was by heavy hot-forging. That is, the temperature of the crucible in which the alloy was made had to be very high and consistent.
Investigations on the crucible fragments of Mel Siruvalur have shown that these crucibles are made of ‘hypereutectoid’ or ultra-high carbon steel.
Her further research into these crucibles led her to her the current paper.
Speaking to Research Matters, Prof Srinivasan commented on its importance, “There has to be more awareness of the need to also preserve such aspects of scientific and technological heritage for posterity. There is also a need to foster more interest in the disciplinary study of scientific archaeology.”
The power of social media so very remarkable that a simple idea has the potential to go viral.
But what if it could also make a difference?
The Times of India has reported that the CMWSSB (Chennai MetroWater Supply and Sewage Board) has come up with a rather innovative challenge, which they call the ‘Rainwater Harvesting Challenge.’
Year after year, during the summers, Chennai undergoes a terrible water shortage, and in some parts of the city, many homes do not get any water for several days at a stretch.
A simple rooftop rainwater harvesting system provides drinking water and protective irrigation
It was former CM, J Jayalalitha, who came up with the rainwater-harvesting scheme. Launched in 2001 to improve the groundwater levels in the state, it was initially met with a lot of resistance but over the years has proved to be one of the most beneficial schemes to have been introduced.
17 years later, the groundwater situation in the state has definitely improved. However, even as there are about 8 lakh rainwater harvesting structures in the city, the problem lies in their maintenance.
The challenge is an attempt by the CMWSSB to infuse new energy into the scheme, get more people to implement rainwater-harvesting, and also draw the attention of residents towards the existing systems.
As per the challenge, Chennai residents have been invited to click pictures with rainwater harvesting structures and upload them to their Facebook page.
Chennaites can post videos and photographs of the five steps needed for harvesting, i.e., cleaning their terrace, checking the pipelines, clearing waste dump, checking the RWHS and pouring water into it to verify if it is functioning.
The department will be handing out prizes to the best entries and is also planning to get professionals to shoot videos to be played at malls and other public places.
Each participant will be given a badge, and each zone will have three winners. Besides this, the CMWSSB is also looking to tap into schools and get students to participate in drawing and wall painting competitions.
Here’s hoping that this challenge is a huge success!
Over 80 people travelling in a Tamil Nadu State Transport (TNSTC) bus would have lost their lives, had it not been for Kapil, a JCB Excavator operator in Idukki, Kerala, who swooped in to help when disaster struck.
The bus was making its way to the top of the hill when the driver lost control, following which the bus slipped and started hurtling towards a ravine.
Accidents like these, especially in hilly areas prone to landslides and slippery roads, have claimed many lives because there is very little that the driver or passengers can do once a heavy vehicle like a bus loses control.
Kapil was working his regular shift close by, and when he saw the TNSTC bus, he put his JCB in gear and started driving towards the bus.
Kapil’s machine can easily manoeuvre over hilly, muddy or rocky terrain and Kapil is well-experienced in handling it.
He approached the bus and held the TNSTC vehicle with the JCB’s front handle in place. This stopped the bus from falling further down the ravine and gave the passengers an opportunity to escape.
Kapil ensured that everyone was out of the bus and in a safe place before he pushed the bus back on the road with the JCB. He had been holding the vehicle for about an hour!
Navbharat Times reports that the passengers had tears in their eyes as they thanked the man who saved them from the clutches of death.
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The fact that Kapil was at the right place at the right time is fortunate, no doubt. But the kind of action he took, running the JCB and holding the bus safely mid-fall is nothing short of a superhuman deed.
I’ve always thought that such exploits can only be seen in movies, but Kapil has shown that real-life heroes certainly exist and can come in the form of simple JCB drivers too!
When Chennai went underwater during the devastating floods of November 2015, urban planners and environmentalists had cited encroachment and destruction of water bodies, besides a poor drainage system as factors that heightened the natural disaster.
With funds (both a loan and grant) from the Asian Development Bank to the tune of $500 million (Rs 3,600 crore), Tamil Nadu is looking to develop climate-resilient water supply, revitalise water bodies, and strengthen the drainage network in 10 major cities, including Chennai and Coimbatore.
Additional funds worth $766.4 million (Rs 5,500 crore) for this urban rejuvenation venture will come from the Centre, State government, Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board, besides a whole host of other urban local bodies.
Chennai (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Here are eight things you should know about this venture:
1) This venture is expected to benefit four million people directly. Additionally, they can also look forward to avail the incidental positives that emerge from such an undertaking.
2) Funds from the ADB will be primarily spent on “areas adjoining industrial clusters of the target cities” says this Times of India report.
3) This venture will fund the first solar-powered sewage plant in India, and Coimbatore is the chosen destination. “A $2 million grant from the Asian Clean Energy Fund, established by the Government of Japan, will fund the solar energy project,” said Ron Slangen, a senior Urban Development specialist with the ADB, in its press release.
4) Funds will flow in three tranches until March 2022. The first tranche of $169 million will be dedicated to Coimbatore, Chennai, Vellore, Trichy, Tirunelveli and Rajapalyam.
5) One of the biggest concerns in many urban localities is the outdated water distribution network, which results in the inadequate supply of piped water and wastage. Only a shocking 42% of all households are covered by a functioning sewerage network. Making matters worse, 43% of all the sewerage is dumped into water bodies untreated. The fund looks to address these concerns.
6) An ADB technical assistance grant of $1 million will accompany the program to support capacity building, reports Money Control.
7) “The ADB program will provide direct assistance in these areas as part of its support to the state’s Vision Tamil Nadu 2023 to provide universal access to water and sanitation and to develop world-class cities in high-performing industrial corridors,” says the ADB in its press release.
8) As India’s most urbanised state, cities in Tamil Nadu have their fair share of challenges. “Managing this rapid urbanisation is essential for sustaining its economic growth and alleviating poverty. The state suffers from recurring droughts and erratic monsoons linked to climate change resulting in severe water scarcity and urban flooding. ADB’s support will help address these complex urban challenges through innovative and climate-resilient investment and deeper institutional support,” added Ron Slangen.
Late last month, the Idol Wing of the Tamil Nadu Police’s Economic Offences Wing, conducted a raid on the properties of Chennai-based businessman and art connoisseur Ranvir Shah retrieving (or seizing) 91 valuable antiques worth approximately Rs 100 crore, which law enforcement officers believe were first smuggled and eventually procured illegally.
Among the items recovered from his property were statues of Nandi (Lord Shiva’s vahanam), panchaloha idols and pillars with intricate carvings, among others. According to law enforcement officers and the state Archaeological Department, these artefacts are over a hundred years old.
There is still much uncertainty about whether these particular idols and artefacts are illegal or not, but it does bring to the forefront a little-known division of the Tamil Nadu state government – one dedicated to stem the torrential idol and artefact smuggling in the state.
Until 1980, all cases of theft of ancient antiques, artefacts and other such items came under the jurisdiction of a small team of law enforcement officers under the Crime Branch–Criminal Investigation (CB-CID) Department of the Tamil Nadu Police.
In 1980, however, there was a sudden spurt in such thefts, particularly of panchaloha (five metals) idols or Chola period sculptures—crafted using five metals including gold, silver, copper, iron and lead, or in certain cases zinc or tin.
These thefts hurt the sentiments of many local devotees and responding to their anger the then Director General of Police issued a restructuring of the department and set up the Idol Wing CID to investigate idol theft cases in 1983, according to this Wall Street Journal article.
After the bifurcation of the CB-CID unit, the Idol Wing came under the Economic Offences Wing of the Tamil Nadu Police. As per Tamil Nadu Police website, the primary functions of the Idol Wing are:
-To investigate cases of theft of idols and antiques exceeding a value of Rs.5 Lakhs.
-To investigate idol theft cases referred to it by the State Government.
-To co-ordinate in the investigation of important idol theft cases handled by the District Police
-Collection of intelligence on nefarious activities of antique dealers and art collectors.
Although many have long known about the rampant smuggling of statues, pillars and other precious antiquities from Hindu temples across Tamil Nadu, it was only after the 2016 arrest of Chennai-based art connoisseur Govindaraj Deenadayalan that the issue emerged out of the shadows.
Smugglers would steal artefacts from temples across Tamil Nadu, present it to Deendayalan, who would then either sell them to wealthy businessmen or work with writers and scholars, offering pictures of these stolen antiques that they would use on the cover of their books.
Following last month’s raid, however, IG Pon Manickavel has stepped up the ante and has given buyers a 15-day deadline to return any antique or artefact purchased without the necessary documentation to the police or face legal action.
IG Pon Manickavel (with his hand on the arm of the statue) and Tamil Nadu minister K Pandiarajan presenting a retrieved a Raja Raja Cholan statue back to Chennai after 50+ years. (Source: Twitter/Hari Prabhakharan)
Will it hasten the process of high net-worth individuals declaring these smuggled properties? Hard to say, considering the Idol Wing’s recent track record, but with the spotlight on them now some real action seems forthcoming.
One of the Idol Wing’s major victories came in 2014 when the Australian government returned two ancient Hindu artefacts allegedly stolen from temples in Tamil Nadu.
Thanks to their meticulous work, they managed to trace and retrieve the sculptures of Ardhanariswara and Nataraja (avatars of the Hindu god Shiva) from two Australian art galleries—National Gallery of Australia in Canberra and the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
At the centre of these thefts was New York-based art dealer Subhash Chandra Kapoor, a smuggler with strong business ties to Deendayalan. It was Kapoor’s arrest which led investigators to nab Deendayalan. Kapoor is still lodged in a Tamil Nadu prison.
Nonetheless, the sight of the then Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott presenting the stolen artefacts back to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the former’s visit to Delhi left an indelible mark on those struggling to retrieve these treasures.
According to police officials, the biggest challenge “is to convince authorities by presenting impeccable evidence” that a particular artefact been stolen and needs to be returned.
There are no shortcuts when it comes to retrieving stolen items from abroad.
Although it’s the police’s job to retrieve and recover these precious items, the ASI and the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department under the Tamil Nadu government, which manages and controls the temple administration within the state, haven’t really covered themselves in glory either.
As per a recent report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), “security lapses” have resulted in the theft or loss of 37 art objects from site museums under the ASI and 131 antiquities from monuments and sites under their care in the past five decades.
“We noticed several examples of antiquities of national importance being sold and displayed abroad,” the CAG report said.
There is definitely something amiss in government-run agencies mandated to protect and preserve these precious antiques and artefacts in Hindu temples across the State.
Smugglers probably cannot act with such impunity without some collusion. Or it could just be rank incompetence, which some would argue is worse.
Having said that, there are some institutional challenges before agencies like the HR & CE Department and ASI, which curtails their ability to do an efficient job.
For starters, one must note that not enough money is allocated to the maintenance and preservation of monuments and museums in Tamil Nadu. According to this Times of India report, the ASI only allocated Rs 5 crore for the maintenance of 413 monuments in Tamil Nadu compared to the Rs 22 crore Karnataka receives for 506 monuments this year.
IG Pon Manickavel, who has been leading the Idol Wing for the past five years has driven Tamil Nadu’s charge towards retrieving stolen Hindu idols. (Source: Facebook/J Prabhu Agamudayar)
This disproportionate allocation of funds has hurt conservation efforts in Tamil Nadu. Speaking to the publication, officials at ASI say that they need Rs 10 crore at least to do their work with a semblance of efficiency, besides additional funds.
Since the HR & CE Department also oversees many Hindu temples and structures, the amount allocated to Tamil Nadu is less. Strangely enough, the revenue ASI generates from ticket sales cannot be used for its maintenance work. Instead, that money comes from the annual budget allocated each year.
It’s a strange practice, and if the ASI does not have enough funds to maintain temples and other structures, the Tamil Nadu government must take over.
However, there is another problem here as The Hindu reported last year that the HR & CE Department suffered from a severe cash crunch. The state must spend more to maintain, preserve and protect these monuments or else smugglers will continue to sell the state’s heritage to the highest bidder.
The state can begin with an expansion of the Idol Wing, which is severely understaffed and lacks the necessary resources. Initially, it was supposed to have 100 police officers working on these cases, but the state has only sanctioned 29 personnel for this wing, of which nine positions remain vacant, according to this Scroll report.
Despite these constraints, the Idol Wing continues to recover artefacts and antiquities using informants on the street to ascertain where a particular sale of smuggled items is happening, besides depending on volunteer groups.
According to HR & CE Department report published last year, approximately 1200 ancient idols were stolen from the temples of Tamil Nadu from 1992-2007, of which 350 are untraceable while 18 have been retrieved and 50 located.
In this context, the recent recovery by the Idol Wing does augur well for the future. Moreover, the HR & CE Department said last year that of the 36,595 temples under its jurisdiction, 11,500 have developed strong rooms that they believe will prevent future thefts.
The department, meanwhile, is looking to collect data on the security features of these temples further, and finding ways to enhance them, while the Idol Wing remains in the hunt of stolen items.
(Edited By Vinayak Hegde)
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Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in India on Thursday for the annual India-Russia bilateral summit that has been taking place since 2000 alternately in Moscow and New Delhi. As such, it is a good time to take a look at the close ties between the two countries.
From cultural connections to strategic partnerships in defence, space and atomic energy, India and Russia share a relationship centred around mutual respect and goodwill. In fact, it won’t be an overstatement to say that Russia, more than any other country, has stood by India through all kinds of geopolitical upheavals.
While most Indians are aware of this long-standing friendship, few know of the time when top Soviet leaders visited the Nilgiris and were left impressed by a talented Ooty barber!
The year was 1955. Soviet Prime Minister Nikolai Bulganin and the then Communist Party Secretary Nikita Khrushchev arrived in India on November for the first official visit of Soviet leaders after Independence. It was also the first time since the start of the Cold War that Soviet leaders were visiting a developing country that was not socialist.
Welcomed in India with much fanfare, the arrival of the Russian dignitaries at Delhi’s Palam airport saw excited crowds that far exceeded the expectations of the authorities. Exuberant crowds indeed became the hallmark of duo’s entire journey across the country. Interestingly, the apogee of this trend was reached in Kolkata.
Bulganin and Khrushchev receiving souvenirs during their visit to Howrah Jute Mills, Calcutta.
In PM Nehru’s own words, the gathering of nearly two million people that welcomed Bulganin and Khrushchev in Calcutta’s famous maidan was the “largest anywhere in the world”. Little wonder the open car carrying the Soviet leaders broke down. Unfortunately, so did General Serov — the KGB chief accompanying them.
Panicking at the sight of the crowds surging towards his leaders, Serov demanded that the troops be called out to fire upon the unruly hordes. He had to be restrained while Bulganin and Khrushchev were packed into a police van and taken to the Raj Bhawan!
That said, the Russian duo’s momentous visit to Punjab, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai and Kolkata heralded a new era of cooperation between the two countries.
However, it was their sojourn through smaller towns and hamlets that left an indelible mark in the hearts of the residents.
For instance, when travelling through Tamil Nadu, Khrushchev and Bulganin visited the village of Vadamadurai near Coimbatore. It was here that Bulganin stopped at a local farm to sip tender coconut. Even today the place is called ‘Bulganin thottam’ by the locals!
The duo then visited the Nilgiris where they sought the services of Ooty’s most famous barber, N. Varadhan.
One of the most prominent citizens of the picturesque hill station, Varadhan had a deft hand with the scissors and a knack for making people comfortable. It was also widely acknowledged by many that the genial barber’s head massage was an experience by itself. In fact, back then, Varadhan’s humble hair saloon was part of picnic tours offered to tourists visiting the hill station!
As for his dealings with the Soviet leaders, a 2003 report in The Hindu describes the fascinating anecdote:
“The proudest moment of Varadhan’s life came in November 1955, when he was brought in a car to the Raj Bhavan here to attend to the tonsorial needs of the then Soviet Prime Minister, Nikolai Bulganin, and the then chief of the Communist party of Russia, Nikita Khrushchev. For meeting their requirements satisfactorily and seven others of the Russian party, Varadhan was given a hundred rupees.”
A man who did his job with the flair of an artist, Varadhan left quite an impression on the Russian dignitaries. With time, he would also find fans in MGR, Sheikh Abdullah, and Dilip Kumar.
As for the Soviet entourage, Bulganin and Khrushchev stayed in the Nilgiris only for a couple of days but left behind quite an impression of their own.
“Those leaders may never have known how much of an impact their trip had in the Nilgiris for more than a generation. There was a lot of demand for Tamil translations of Chekhov’s and Pushkin’s works. Even in the early 1980s, when the song Rasputin by Boney M became popular in Ooty, many people associated it with Khrushchev and Bulganin”, former Tamil Nadu bureaucrat V Raghavan told Russia Beyond.
At a time when visits of foreign leaders last hardly more than a day or two, one has to appreciate the time and effort put aside by the Soviet leaders to reach out to India. Little wonder, three decades later, it would be termed by the Los Angeles Times as “a watershed for the Soviet Union’s relations with India and, in fact, with the rest of the developing world.”
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“Most of us barely even had an identity beyond the peripheries of our households. Forget using a mobile phone, things like bank transactions, government schemes or even using an ATM were things that we couldn’t comprehend,” says Mohammed Peer Banu, the leader of Bismi, a self-help group in Eruvadi hamlet in Thirukkurungudi.
Bismi is just one example amongst thousands of SHGs and income generation groups (IGGs) supported by Srinivasan Services Trust (SST), the social arm of TVS Motor Company and Sundaram Clayton, where they work with communities and governments in tandem to empower India’s rural poor through awareness, skills and training programs.
What had started out as an in-house tailoring outlet by Banu in 2010 soon paved the way for other women in the community to join hands. Today, Bismi has a workforce of 14 tailors – each one of whom is no longer financially dependent on their fathers or husbands.
Even more, they now make optimal utilisation of their earnings, thanks to bank-related interventions by SST.
Banu (standing) with few members of Bismi.
“Following mentoring and guidance from SST officials, we are now equipped with basic banking and ATM literacy and have maintained a joint account under Bismi to deposit our savings. We also regularly take loans for our personal requirements that have speedy procurement, thanks to SST. Today, we feel proud of ourselves for not only being able to contribute to our households but also stand on our own feet through our hard work and skills,” adds Banu.
Thirukkurungudi is just one amongst the thousands of rural sites identified across the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh by SST.
Since its inception in 1997, the organisation’s presence has been central in aiding rural communities in areas ranging from economic development and infrastructure to healthcare and education. It finds solutions that are sustainable by mobilising the necessary resources and encouraging residents to take ownership of the changes that bring about lasting development.
Another example of such change is Dhanalakshmi Fireworks, run by the women of Gandhinagar colony in Arasanarkulam village in Thirunelveli district, where serial bulb setting business is run by 15 functionaries.
Teaming up to form their own SHG, Gandhi, they got financial aid and assistance through SST’s intervention to establish a fully fledged business (year). Today, they get orders from not just Tamil Nadu, but from Kerala and Karnataka as well.
Dhanalakshmi with one of the SHG’s handiworks.Dhanalakshmi (sitting first from right) with her band of women under Dhanalakshmi Fireworks.
“Initially, we were able to make monthly earnings of ₹15,000-20,000 since we could only supply in and around Thirukkurungudi or Thirunelveli at most. After being sanctioned an initial loan of ₹3 lakh through SST, which we invested in materials and transportation, and another loan of ₹5 lakh for setting up the business, today we earn close to ₹50,000 every month and have been able to send our kids to schools and colleges,” says Dhanalakshmi, the co-owner of the serial light company.
The organisation’s social impact driven initiatives aren’t just limited to empowering SHGs or IGGs only. A large part of their on-field interventions focus on rural education and particularly, mobilising sanitary facilities to government schools.
The best example amongst these initiatives is that of the government girls higher secondary school in Eruvadi village, Tamil Nadu, which until recently just had one toilet.
To understand the scale of the issue, consider that the school has roughly 1020 wards and that toilets breaks were only possible during the recess. “Not only were the girls suffering from a lack of toilets they also end up missing their meals by spending the entire break in queues to the toilet,” says Ida, a teacher at the school.
Once the issue came under the notice of SST, Ida was identified as an Education Development Facilitator (EDF) by the organisation, whose responsibilities require her being an interface between the school authorities and the former. To resolve this grave issue of sanitation, SST decided to intervene in three ways: collate public support, accumulate funding and lobby with concerned government officials to put in place proper sanitary facilities in the school premises.
After raising public awareness and finding support from local citizens, raising funds wasn’t a problem. A total of ₹15 lakh was subsequently pooled through individual donations as well as funding from SST.
Today, girls no longer line up for toilet breaks or miss their lunch as a well-maintained sanitary complex with 12 toilets stand in the school’s premises.
The sanitation complex at Govt girls school at Eruvadi.Number of cubicles in the complex.
Also, two educational institutions under SST’s ambit of operations proudly flaunt the distinction of having ISO certification—a rare feat for government schools across the country. One is a model Anganwadi located in Moolakaraipatti village, which is amongst only four ISO certified rural childcare centres in Tamil Nadu. The other establishment is a higher secondary school in Kariyandi.
Whether it was adopting a local crèche or providing monetary support to equipping a school with smart facilities to provide holistic learning growth for students, SST has dedicatedly invested and allocated its functionaries and resources to such institutions with the goal of helping children from rural areas not miss out on learning opportunities.
This coupled with sincere efforts of the local teaching staff has helped make these schools model examples for even private schools.
SST has also worked extensively towards empowering farmers in areas under its focus and Thirukkurungudi is no exception. An exceptional project has been its de-silting initiatives across many villages in the region. Let’s focus on Veppankulam as our example.
Many ponds surround vast stretches of farmlands here, but they dry up entirely during the summers – only replenished during the monsoons.
Recent years had seen an acute shortage of water, that was pulling down the already burdened shoulders of farmers in the area.
Following many deliberations with SST, a comprehensive plan to de-silt these water bodies and build localised bunds using the same de-silted soil was chalked up by experienced engineers.
The ingenuity behind this simple scheme also increased the water capacity of the ponds, allowing the to irrigate farms even in peak summer, while the bunds would ensure there was no displacement of soil.
De-silting works in progress at Veppankulam.The de-silted water body.
From a capacity of 2.79 Million Cubic feet, the identified water body, which is the only irrigation source in Veppankulam site, now has an increased capacity of 3.04 Million Cubic feet after de-silting. The pond collects rainwater from the Northwest monsoon lashing in the village from October to November and has benefitted about 200 farmers from Muthulapuram, Puthukulam, Retti Veppankulam and Meenatchinathapuam villages.
“Though the area once only catered to plantain farming, the increasing irrigation capacity has given us farmers the opportunity to try a hand at paddy, cotton and black gram cultivation as well,” says Rani, one of the woman farmers from Veppankulam.
Venturing further into agriculture and especially towards sustainability, SST has also helped various farmer groups to embrace organic ways of farming in order to bring down the damage that harmful fertilisers and pesticides were inflicting on the environment.
This was easier said than done though. It took a lot of involvement and convincing on Samudra Lingam’s part, who is the Village Development Officer (VDO) instated by SST, to bring the paddy farmers in and around Melasevval village on board.
Most farmers in the region were used to normal modes of farming – powered by chemical fertilisers and pesticides. This changed with SST’s intervention about four years ago. Starting with educating them about the hazards of chemical usage to the perks of organic farming, the farmers were also told that the shift to organic was a gradual process with results emerging at a slower pace and one had to be patient.
These farmers were intensively trained on making their own organic fertilisers like Panchagavya and Jeevamrutham and pest repellent sprays that were made out of natural ingredients such as ginger, garlic and green chillies.
Some of the farmers who have taken up organic farming after SST’s intervention.Azolla (left) and Panchagavya, Jeevamrutham and organic pest repellent samples displayed by the farmers.
“The initial two years were hard but the farmers could slowly see a significant transformation in their crop quality as well as soil fertility. Making their own natural fertilisers and pesticides has saved the farmers from routing huge amounts of money to procure their chemical equivalents, leaving them with better savings for their family. Today, they are able to earn about ₹8-10,000 per acre with an increased yield of about 50 per cent in comparison with their earlier days,” says Samudra Lingam, who is physically disabled. But that doesn’t slow him down!
Also, a drastic improvement in their expenditure came with the inclusion of the wonder weed, Azolla—an aquatic fern – as fodder for livestock. Something that can be easily grown with seed procurement being the only initial investment, Azolla is quite nutritious for cattle in comparison to hay and worked wonders for both parties.
The organisation also helped needy farmers easily avail equipment support like mechanized planters and power tillers that were supplied by the government at subsidised rates.
Over the last 21 years, SST has made it possible for the common people to dream and turn these into reality. From two villages in Tamil Nadu to 5000 villages covering 31.4 lakh people across five states in India today, the organisation is carrying forward the torch of hope for underprivileged people with better livelihoods and whose children are now able to avail better education and employment opportunities.
To know more about Srinivasan Services Trust and their initiatives, you can check out their website here.
In a few days, most parts of India will start gearing up for Diwali with diyas, lanterns, sweets and firecrackers. Most parts, but not the towns of Kollukudipatti and Singampunari in the Sivaganga district of Tamil Nadu.
These towns, rather than bursting colourful crackers, will marvel at the colours of exotic birds that nest in the villages as winter arrives.
This won’t be the first year that the villagers will refrain from buying any firecrackers either. It is a tradition!
Veeraiya, a forest official in Kollukudipatti, told The Hindu, “I’m 47, and all these years, I’ve never seen my people burst crackers inside our village. We stay off from crackers even during temple Thiruvizhas.”
Thiruvizha is a month-long festival celebrated in the Gregorian month of April.
And while people usually enjoy the thrill of igniting crackers and running to a safe distance before they burst in a loud boom, these villagers maintain a safe distance from the celebrations altogether.
All to welcome Grey Herons, Darters, Spoonbills, White Ibises, Asian Open Bill Storks.
According to Sampathlal Gupta, district forest officer, Sivaganga, endangered species like Little Cormorant, Little Egret, Cattle Egret and Flamingos, fly to the Southern Indian state in the winter months. These migratory birds fly all the way from Northern India, Siberia and New Zealand right around the time of Diwali.
With loud crackers and harsh lights, even we humans take shelter inside our houses and cover up our ears as loud crackers burst in the skies.
Why then, must the poor animals and birds suffer for a menace that some humans enjoy?
“A loud bang would scare nesting mothers away from the nest. This could leave the hatchlings and eggs in danger,” says S Balpandi, a bird expert from Sivaganga.
The tradition or more accurately, the abandonment of tradition by the villages, started about 30 years ago when the locals observed how the fleeting enjoyment was causing trauma to the innocent birds.
Speaking to DT Next, Arumugam, former Panchayat President, Kollukudipatti, said, “Earlier, during the time of Deepavali, we had exploded loud crackers, and on hearing the sound, the birds started to shake vigorously. In the process, their eggs fell down and were damaged. On seeing the birds shiver, we held a meeting with our village elders and then decided not to burst crackers.”
This isn’t law, nor is it a written rule. It’s just a counter-tradition that is passed from one generation to another.
The adults took a firm decision to give up crackers during festivals, but it wasn’t easy convincing the children that they would have to sacrifice the yearly custom, especially one that they eagerly awaited.
But a simple explanation from the parents and headmaster of the Kollukudipatti village school was enough for the children to realise that crackers are a small sacrifice to ensure a safe haven for the migratory birds who come there to lay eggs.
“Our school’s headmaster instructs our children not to disturb the birds,” says Saraswathi, adding, “He tells them the babies are paavam and that they should protect them.”
Eventually, this change in tradition was followed by putting a stop to the use of loudspeakers in the village. Not just that, the concern over migratory birds has helped villagers put the subject of wildlife conservation into perspective.
A part of the Vedakundi Bird Sanctuary, the Sivaganga district is an example of how small steps from us can go a long way in preserving nature.
In the rare case that young kids wish to burst a few crackers, they trek for over two kilometres outside the village. But usually, they avoid it. Together, the young and the old have made Kollukudipatti and Singampunari exemplary.
Personally, I never understood the thrill of bursting crackers. I feel bad for the strays who are affected by the loud sounds throughout the 4-5 day festival. But if the same stray or wild animals could teach us the vanity of crackers and the necessity of thinking beyond cheap thrills, this Diwali could be brighter.
Charan Singh, the former Prime Minister of India, had famously said, “The true India resides in its villages.”
It is these villages, with their myriad cultures and way of life, that truly epitomise the diversity that India has come to be known for, across the world.
But how often do you come across a hamlet nestled deep in a forest, where none of the inhabitants wear footwear, even while venturing out in public spaces?
No, we are not kidding.
Vellagavi, a quaint little hamlet, with a sparse population of 150, exists in relative obscurity in comparison to its extremely famous neighbour, Kodaikanal.
The hamlet of barefoot residents. Credits: Manish Kumar.
Located amidst the undulating forested terrains of Western Ghats, there are no roads in this hamlet, and the number of temples far exceeds the number of houses! Perhaps, that is the reason why the inhabitants of Vellagavi refuse to wear any footwear, in reverence to the local gods, who cohabit the area with their devotees.
Fascinating, isn’t it?
However, despite its proximity to Kodaikanal and Vattakanal, reaching this hamlet is nothing less of a backbreaking task. It is only after undertaking an arduous trek through dense forests from Kumbakkarai that easily takes between six to eight hours on foot that one finally manages to clinch the first glimpse of Vellagavi!
Adventure seekers beware, the trek is definitely not for the faint-hearted, for the path that takes you to Vellagavi is as narrow as footfall-worn paths deep in the woods can get, and one wrong step could result in a fall deep into the gorges.
Greeting travellers at the entrance to Vellagavi is a temple, after which one can find as many as 25 temples interspersed between houses and also at the end of streets.
One of the many temples in Vellagavi. Credits: Raja Selvaraj.
The no-footwear policy is a practice that the villagers have been strongly adhering to since time immemorial, for they believe that the entire hamlet, which is believed to be over 300 years old, is a blessed and holy land. The way people have built their houses side-by-side along straight rows is quite a sight, with a beautifully etched kolam adorning each entrance.
People here have quite an idyllic way of living, with farming and goat rearing being the primary occupations. Sadly, developmental interventions from the government are yet to reach this hamlet that has no roads, hospitals or even basic amenities.
Besides a tea shop and a small provision store, the villagers have to head to Kodaikanal to meet most of their day-to-day requirements.
But the inhabitants of Vellagavi do not let the government’s indifference affect their demeanour. They come across as warm human beings, who will not only greet you with a smile but also inquire about your well being.
With the rise of visitors in recent years, the lone tea shop in Vellagavi now offers camping arrangements that you can make use of, in case you plan on making a trip to this rustic hamlet of barefoot residents.
On 23 October 2018, the Supreme Court made a judgement refusing to impose a blanket ban on firecrackers. Instead, it limited the time to two hours, between 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. The apex court also ruled that only green crackers could be sold in the country. You can read the details here.
Following this, the Tamil Nadu government had approached the SC, requesting for permission to lift the ban for the state from 4:30– 6:30 a.m. This is because, states in South India celebrate Diwali at the crack of dawn, symbolizing the death of Narakasura.
Following this appeal, the SC bench, comprising of Justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan have modified the earlier judgement. Here are six things to know about it:
1. Tamil Nadu’s plea, filed through state counsel B Vinod Khanna said that Diwali is celebrated in different ways in different sects and regions.
Therefore, it said, the two-hour window issued by the top court would be “rejecting the people with their due religious rights and would subject the people of the state into much hardship.”
2. “It would be in the interest of environment not to subject the entire population to burst firecrackers within a stipulated short time as it would lead to a larger volume of emissions within a short span. Permitting people to burst firecrackers at two different times with due intervals would facilitate dissemination of the smoke,” according to the plea.
3. In response, the bench said that the judgement passed on October 23rd was restricted to Delhi National Capital Region (NCR).
4. Other states, like Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, have the freedom to allocate time to burst firecrackers according to the traditions they follow, it said.
However, the allocated time should not exceed two hours.
5. “On Diwali days or on any other festivals like Gurpurab when such fireworks generally take place, it would strictly be from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. On Christmas Eve and New Year eve, when such fireworks start around midnight, i.e., 12:00 a.m., it would be from 11:55 p.m. till 12:30 a.m. only,” the Supreme court had ruled. This rule prevails.
6. Speaking about the green crackers advocated by the court, it said that they would possibly come in the market next year. To quote the counsels, “The green crackers will come only in July 2019 and not before that. We are seeking some kind of modalities of regularisation so that it does not become complete ban this year.”
Growing up, we rarely see the struggles our parents go through as they try to provide the best opportunities to us. How many times have you heard them say, “we want to provide you with the things that we never had”?
Whether it is a sense of responsibility, unconditional love or pure magic, parents can move heaven and earth for their children.
The story of Mr Bathirasamy from Karamadai in Tamil Nadu is not very different from the millions of parents across the world who give their all to their children, but is unique in itself.
Several generations of Bathirasamy’s family had not pursued education, and it was no different for him. He was quite young when was married off, and soon the couple had a child. Now, he was in a fix as he was uneducated, and not only would it be challenging for him to earn a living, but he also had two other people to look after.
Bathirasamy took up odd jobs like washing cars for as little as Rs 10 and soon came across a job opportunity at a catering company which worked for the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington, Tamil Nadu. The salary wasn’t much, but at least he had a steady income.
Bathirasamy was clearly willing to leave no stone unturned for his family.
“My elder daughter was born with deformities and at the age of five, [and] she passed away. We were devastated, but life keeps moving. If we didn’t move with it, it would have broken us further,” said the father to The Better India, adding that, “I was not going to let any harm come in my son, Viji’s way; if that meant working twice as hard to earn a little more money, so be it.”
What he hadn’t realised up to that point of time was that even as he was saving every penny to ensure that Viji had a secure and comfortable life, the catering business was already cheating him of money.
“A few years after working tirelessly for the catering company and earning as low as Rs 250-300, a co-worker of mine and I wanted to resign. There were better opportunities at the Wellington Service Staff College, and we were looking to shift. But our company, to which the college had outsourced its catering wouldn’t let us go.”
That’s when the duo approached a lawyer and decided to sue the company. The company on its part countersued them! Now, burdened with a case that had to be fought, Bathirasamy decided to give it his all.
“While studying our case, our lawyer discovered another outrageous truth—the company claimed to have a professional fund for us but what was rightfully our money was getting stolen by them.
Courtesy: Viji B.
One thing led to another, the case went all the way to the Supreme Court, and after months of toiling, we won!” he told TBI.
Bathirasamy and his colleague were given a compensation of about six lakhs, and now, the devoted father could fulfil his long-cherished dream—to provide Viji with a good education.
Viji, on his part, was just as diligent as his father. He pursued education dedicatedly and was awarded a PhD in Economics.
Today, Viji is an Assistant Professor at the Christ University in Bengaluru and is also preparing for the UPSC exams. He wishes to become an IAS officer, and even as his job at Christ University is challenging, perhaps Viji has taken after his father and never backs down from challenges.
“I am thrilled to see Viji pursue such an esteemed position,” an emotional Bathirasamy told TBI. He also advised us to “No matter what, never give up on education. I have experienced how it is to live day and night, counting the last of your income. We have spent years working tirelessly so we can eat well. Today, I am very happy that my son is studying to become an IAS officer. This would have never happened if we as parents did not stress on education.”
A true story of grit, determination and struggle, Bathirasamy is an inspirational father, to say the least. Viji has requested us to post only his father’s photos and dedicate this article to his challenges.
To Bathirasamy and all the fathers who hide their struggles and are our superheroes, we salute you.
The tremendous impact of cyclone Gaja across coastal Tamil Nadu is there for everyone to see. Trees have been uprooted, houses have flown away, and there is a sense of despair among the residents of the state.
However, with casualties rising with each passing minute, rescue personnel have no time to lose and are relentlessly working towards evacuating people to safety.
It is in such precarious conditions that the involvement of bureaucrats plays a critical role and their expertise in making quick decisions as well as ensuring timely action comes to the fore. As always, direct ground level involvement that provides last mile connectivity is the need of the hour, as compared to deploying a rescue team while overseeing arrangements from the comfort of one’s armchair.
IAS officer Johny Tom Varghese, who led a relief team to reach out to fishermen hamlets that were made inaccessible by the wrath of Gaja in Nagapattinam, is one such person who has truly pulled out all the stops in this regard and unquestionably belongs to the former category.
Johny Tom Varghese (white in centre). Source: Twitter.
Varghese is the additional director of the State Fisheries Department and has been appointed as the Nodal Officer of Nagapattinam. In the last one week, he has made several visits to the affected villages.
Only a few months ago, Kerala was devastated by the worst floods in nearly 100 years, and its after-effects are still plaguing the state. The manner in which the armed forces, fisherfolk and the common folk joined hands at Kerala’s darkest moment is an example that will undoubtedly go down in history.
In all this, we must not forget the contribution of dynamic IAS officers like TV Anupama, K Vasuki, Krishna Teja Mylavarapu, Kannan Gopinathan, Prashanth Nair and MG Rajamanikyam, who went beyond the call of duty and truly exemplified what it means to serve the citizens in time of need. You can read some of their inspiring stories here.
We hope that Tamil Nadu soon recovers from the aftermath of Cyclone Gaja, and are sure that the road to recovery will speed up with the involvement of dedicated officers like Johny Tom Varghese.
About eight months ago, the police personnel at the Pazhavanthangal Police Station in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, found a woman weeping at the entrance. Distraught, helpless and without any family member in sight, 66-year-old Anushya had nowhere to go. Perhaps she hoped that the police could help her and that had brought her there.
Speaking to The Better India, Inspector G Venkatesan said, “We convinced her to come inside the police station, thinking that she wanted to file a complaint. When she calmed down, she told us that her name was Anushya and that her husband had passed away a few years ago. Her son, who is an alcoholic, had kicked her out of the house.
She was completely helpless, but she didn’t want to file a complaint against her son.”
Courtesy: G Venkatesan.
The police officers decided to help the lady. Since her son could not offer her any financial assistance, they decided to employ her as a help in the police station itself. “We decided to provide her with breakfast, lunch and dinner. She agreed to work at the station, and comes here every day at 7:00 a.m.,” the inspector told the Times of India.
Early in the morning, she cleans the police station, draws a rangoli and fills empty bottles at the officers’ tables. “She also waters the plants kept in the front of the police station. Then the policemen order breakfast and coffee for her before she leaves for her house. She then returns to the police station in the afternoons and evenings and is given food,” he added.
On 27th November, Anushya came to the police station at the usual time, but was carrying a small packet of chocolates with her.
Courtesy: G Venkatesan.
“She distributed them among all the officers as students do in schools. When I asked her what the sweets were about, she told me it was her birthday,” said inspector G Venkatesan to TBI.
“I asked a constable to quickly get a birthday cake for her. She is part of the family, and we wanted to surprise her. We gathered together, singing Happy Birthday, as she cut the cake,” he added.
Anushya was in tears as the police officers celebrated her 67th birthday. “I have never celebrated my birthday. I can’t believe the police took the effort to plan this for me,” she told TOI.
This is truly one of the most innocent and happy stories we have come across in a while. Moreover, the Chennai police have shown that small gestures, like employing a helpless, abandoned mother and celebrating her birthday go a long way in changing someone’s life.
