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Monitor Blood Sugar Through Sweat, Using PhD Scholar’s Biodegradeable Skin Patch
In India, 77 million people suffer from diabetes, which is the second-highest in the world. It is recommended that such patients wake up and test their blood sugar levels using a glucometer every day....
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Unable To Walk Herself, Woman Grows Organic Rice & Fruits For 30 Special Kids
wheelchair user D Indra was barely four when she was admitted to a shelter home for children with mental and physical disabilities. She was allowed to visit her parents and elder sister only during the...
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TN Fisherwomen Fight Patriarchy, Set up Beach Restaurant to Earn Rs 50,000/Month
In 2016, Stella Gracy was among the many women in Tamil Nadu’s Poompuhar village who earned a living by selling dry fish. Her income varied between Rs 150 and Rs 250 a day. Her husband, a fisherman,...
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After 14 Years, Indian Woman Leaves Canada To Become Natural Farmer in Tamil...
After living in Canada for 14 years, S Jayalakshmi returned to Chennai in 1992. However, she found herself in a conundrum — it was hard to find chemical-free vegetables for her daughter in the market,...
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India Needs More People Like This 24-YO TN Girl. Here’s Why
Manisha Krishnasamy was born to a lower-middle-class family in Erode city of Tamil Nadu, where her father was a butcher, and her mother took care of their home. Since childhood, she could never turn a...
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Widowed At 20 & Forced Out Of In-Laws’ Home, HIV+ Woman Transforms 30000 Lives
“Remove your uterus if you don’t want to die from HIV,” was the doctor’s response when a frightened 20-something woman came in, asking for a treatment course. Her husband had just died by suicide from...
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Mom’s Legacy Inspires Brothers to Smash Age-Old Stereotypes With Kolam
Over the years, many cultural practices have been passed down to women as a part of their moral responsibilities to society. One of them is practising the art form of drawing kolams, which are patterns...
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Using Rs 80000 of Her Savings, Woman Brings Education to Disabled Tamil Nadu...
Suganya Kandasamy, from Triplicane in Tamil Nadu, was only a child when her father discouraged her from pursuing higher education. “My father was a fisherman and had no financial means to fund my...
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5 Farmers Band To Revive Dying Water Body, Now Irrigate 50 Acres Of Farmland
On the receiving end of the climate crisis and urban infrastructural issues, five Madurai farmers approached DHAN (Development of Humane Action) Foundation as their last resort in 2016. M Seedhuramu,...
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Forgotten ‘Queen of Tamil Theatre’ Took The Art Of The Devadasis To The World
In his book Drama Queens: Women Who Created History on Stage (2017), author Veejay Sai encapsulates the allure of a woman who was once deemed the ‘Queen of Tamil Theatre’. He says her legacy was such...
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Real Life ‘Jai Bhim’ Disposed 96,000 Cases in High Court, Fought for the...
Jai Bhim, the hard-hitting Tamil film on Amazon Prime starring Suriya Sivakumar, has caught the imagination of cinegoers from around the country for its stark depiction of the justice system and how...
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Farmer Gives Up 50-Acre Land To Protect ‘Deer’ Friends, Increases Population...
In Tamil Nadu’s Pudupalayam village, a 50-acre farm has something unique to offer — if you visit, you might be greeted by a flock of deer, alongside the usual goats and cows. For the past 20 years, the...
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Watch: Super Cop’s Heroic Rescue Of Unconscious Man Amid Chennai Floods Goes...
Inspector E Rajeshwari from TP Chatram area in Chennai is now a star in not only the Tamil Nadu Police Department, but also on social media. She has been an active participant in the rescue operations...
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He Inspired 5000 People to Revive a 60-Acre Lake & Make a Village Drought-Free
In 2019, the south-eastern city of India, Chennai made national headlines as its water crisis peaked, which served as a wake-up call for the rest of the country. Out of the 38 districts, the drought...
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This Fisherman Singlehandedly Brought Solar Electricity to a TN Village
“Until I completed my Class 12 examination there was no electricity connection in my village. I have spent all my school life studying with a lantern that would need kerosene to work,” says 30-year-old...
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His Unique Technique Recharges 45 Million Litres of Rainwater/Yr in 25000 Wells
In recent years, Chikamaglur in Karnataka has recorded severe droughts affecting their areca nut, coffee and spice plantations. The crisis escalated due to poor rainfall, causing the residents and...
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My Zero-Waste Home Saves 70% Energy By Using the Sun to Run Appliances
Building a sustainable house was a dream come true for Balasunda Kaushikan, a Bengaluru-based architect. Hailing from Hanumanthanpatti in Theni district of Tamil Nadu, Kaushik always wanted to build a...
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Exclusive: IAS Officer Revives Tamil Nadu’s Eco-Friendly ‘Manjapai’ Bags
The slogan Meendum Manjapai Vizhipunarvu Iyakkam (Back To Yellow Cloth Bags Awareness Campaign) is gathering a lot of momentum in Tamil Nadu, thanks to Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer...
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‘I Had to Sleep Hungry’: Man Who Sells Dosas for Rs 2 & Serves 800 Daily
Dosa, one of the most sought out South Indian dishes, are available in every nook and corner of Tamil Nadu in different varieties and at different prices. But 49-year-old Chinnathambi’s dosa shop in...
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Sivakasi Couple Creates Healthy & Caffeine-Free ‘3-in-1’ Tea That Helps You...
It was people’s unhealthy obsession with caffeinated drinks that prompted this Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu, native to think of healthier alternatives. The common switch most people make is to shift to green...
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College Dropout Makes 100% Biodegradable Containers That Cattle Can Eat
When the Tamil Nadu government began its Meendum Manjappai campaign to promote the use of eco-friendly bags, 39-year-old Kalyana Kumar found a lucrative opportunity. The campaign provided the...
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Moringa on My Face? 26-YO Uses the Superfood to Make Skin & Hair Care Products
Born and brought up in Karur, Tamil Nadu, Deepika Ravi had witnessed the trials and tribulations of farmers in her village who didn’t get enough markets to sell their produce. She remembers her father,...
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‘Why I Do the Job of a Ragpicker’: Artist Who has Recycled 19 Tonnes Plastic...
Chennai-based artist B Gowtham was upset with the rubbish surrounding his neighbourhood and strewn across his city. The amount of pollution piling up every day and the irresponsible behaviour of...
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‘I Quit My Job in The US to Sell Organic Turmeric & Help Farmers Double their...
When Kiru Maikkapillai quit his well-paying job in the US to start an enterprise in India, his parents expected that he would still pursue his field of expertise. But to their surprise, he ended up...
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‘I Pawned My Gold Chain & Spent Rs 1.5 Lakh to Renovate Our Anganwadi’
“A few years ago, the premises of our anganwadi used to be a wasteland and was infested with snakes. I wouldn’t have sent my daughter there if it was still unsafe. But now the place has transformed....
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11 Medicinal Plants You Can Grow at Home for Respiratory & Digestive Health
Subashree Vijay, a resident of Chennai, is an entrepreneur who sells herbal products from food to cosmetics and is an expert in gardening. For the past two decades, she has maintained a herbal garden...
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Couple Quit Jobs To Sell Traditional Eco-Friendly Bags, Earn Turnover of Rs 3...
While hustling in their corporate jobs in Bengaluru and Chennai, Gowri Gopinath and Krishnan Subramanian had always longed to return to their hometown, Madurai, and embrace a minimalist lifestyle. This...
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‘Go Ahead & Love’: Why a Lawyer Dedicated 20 Years to Unite 200 Inter-Caste...
In 2003, when Se Gunasekar was working as an auditor, the news of a gruesome honour killing was sweeping the nation. In a village in Virudhachalam, a town in Tamil Nadu’s Cuddalore district, a young...
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Couple Sell Property, Jewellery to Open Free Shelter Home for Abandoned Elders
As an employee of Tamil Nadu’s Health Department, N Ramamurthi could not help but take care of the elderly lady with leprosy in his house some 20 years ago. His wife, Rajeshwari welcomed her and took...
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Teacher’s Method Helps 6000 Kids With Learning Disabilities Become Doctors,...
We all remember that one teacher from school who taught a subject so well that they helped us master it. Dr Bhuvana Vasudevan from Puducherry has a similar special place among some of her students. She...
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‘How I Turned a Hobby into Business’: Homemaker Earns 75000/Month With Home...
Growing up in Coimbatore, Deepika Velamurugan would observe her mother drawing rice flour kolams at the entrance of their house. These, she says, were intricate and beautiful designs made using a...
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After Decades Of Drought, One ‘Akka’ Helped This Village Restore 6 Cr Litres...
Malarvizhli Akka died a sudden death due to multiple organ failure in 2019. But not a day goes by that villagers of Chinnapallikuppam and its surrounding hamlets don’t remember her work and legacy. The...
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5 Ponds, 4 Lakes, 3 Canals: This Man Dedicated his Life to Reviving Filthy...
When one of the community wells in his village dried up, Manikandan recounts how much difficulty it caused his family who depended on it for domestic purposes. While people spoke about the issue across...
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This Gorgeous Paint-Free, Mud Home Needs 50% Less Cement & No ACs in Summers
When architect Rajiv Kumarvel built an eco-friendly house in Denkanikottai for himself, it was meant to be just a weekend getaway spot. He would stay here for a few days with his family during the...
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‘I Save Rs 36,000/Year in Electricity Bills Thanks to The Sustainable Home I...
C N Raaghav is an architect based in Coimbatore whose home Casa Roca (‘house with natural stones’) has become the talk of the town. Armed with a degree in robotic architecture from Spain, one of the...
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21-YO Student Builds Palm-Sized CNC Machine Using Scrap, For Just Rs 1500
We often hear parents complaining about how kids smash their toys. S Kavin Prabhu, from Rasichettipalayam village in Pollachi, Tamil Nadu, was such a kid. But his parents, especially his father...
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What You Can Learn From These Youngsters, Who Recycled 43,000 Kg Waste in 2...
Revathy Rajasekaran, the former entrepreneurship development cell coordinator of V V Vanniaperumal College for Women, Virudhunagar, would consistently instruct her students to segregate waste based on...
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‘I Took A Year’s Break After Class 10; What I Learned Will Shape the Rest of...
“What should I pursue after school?” After Class 10 boards, almost all of us ask ourselves this question. Now is the time to decide what stream or subjects you will take for the final two years of your...
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Rainwater Harvesting System in TN Man’s Home Helped His Entire Village During...
In the town of Kothamangalam in Tamil Nadu’s Pudukkottai district, 36-year-old M Veeramani credits his wife for his success. Veeramani and Vanitha’s hometown faces a scarcity of water. People here have...
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Made of Rice Husk, This Water-Proof ‘Wood’ Saves 20000 Trees from Being Cut
Entrepreneur B L Bengani, a resident of Chennai, was so concerned about climate change that he decided to manufacture a new product to combat the problem of tree cutting. He spent two years and several...
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Why You Should Choose Rice Powder Kolam Over Stone Powders Sold in Markets
Every morning, I would wake up and open the door to observe my mother’s kolam of the day. Some days, the kolam would be big, some days small. Some days the designs were extremely complex, and on some,...
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Potter Crafts Portable Clay Fridge To Keep Veggies, Curd Fresh Without...
Clay or earthen pots have been used to keep water cool since time immemorial. When the pot can keep water cool, surely it can do the same for other things? This thought struck M Sivasamy, a potter from...
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Mother-Son Duo’s ‘Humanity’ Stall Lets You Pay What You Can, Feeds the Poor...
As I begin my conversation with Sekar Poovarasan, I’m awestruck by his first question. It’s not ‘How are you?’ but ‘Saaptingala (Have you eaten)?’ Serving food in a ‘pay what you can’ model,...
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At 89 & 71, ‘Golden Girls’ of Tamil Nadu Run Eco-Friendly, Sustainable Farm Stay
For Laxmi Ammal and Kasthuri Sivaraman from Tamil Nadu, owning and running a business was a distant dream. But in 2021, they faced their fears and decided to set up Pico Farmstay on their 185-year-old...
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Now Turn Your Grandmother’s Kitchen Hacks Into a ‘Petti’-Full of Illustrated...
Growing up, lunchtime for Shuruti Vengatesh meant storytime. As her maternal paati (grandmother) Devatha would feed her, she would hear mesmerising stories with valuable lessons — like how to save...
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IT Professional Spent 10 Years in TN Helping Skater & Surfer Kids Get Global...
This article is part of #MakingSportWork, a series launched by The Better India and Sports and Society Accelerator. The series celebrates India’s independence with stories of heroes who have spent...
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Iconic Family-Run Eatery’s ‘Border Parotta’ Was Once Loved by APJ Abdul Kalam
Back in 1956, when the two states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu were recognised, multiple small food stalls popped up on the border where a toll booth used to exist. They all sold similar dishes and were...
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Used in Luxurious French Perfumes, What Makes Madurai’s Jasmine Oil So...
The ancient temple town of Tamil Nadu’s Madurai is known as India’s Jasmine city. Madurai’s jasmine oil is one of the most expensive scents in the world, and just 1 kg of this essential oil can cost...
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‘We’ve Got Wings’: IAS Officer Rescues Hundreds From Bonded Labour, Makes...
Born in rural Tamil Nadu, Chinnathambi spent his entire childhood around as a bonded labourer at a brick kiln. This had been his life since the age of 5, and he worked into the wee hours of the day,...
View ArticleForesters Reunite Lost Baby Elephant With Mother, Win the Internet With Most...
Forest officials in Tamil Nadu ended 2023 with a smile on their face after reuniting a baby elephant with its mother at the Anamalai Tiger Reserve in Pollachi. On 29 December, a team of field officers...
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