Monthly Archives: February 2017

No Raman effect: How his dream died a quiet death

Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leaders, Science & Technology, , ,

Madras / Bangalore (KARNATAKA ) :

Sir C V Raman had planned to set up a scientific institute in 1959 on a four-acre land in Madras.

Sir Raman has clarified that he was not sent out of Mysore, but came from Calcutta to Bangalore in 1933, and received support from the Dewan for his scientific work.
Sir Raman has clarified that he was not sent out of Mysore, but came from Calcutta to Bangalore in 1933, and received support from the Dewan for his scientific work.

Bengaluru:

A research institute – complete with a lab, a science museum, a science library, a lecture hall and office rooms – was late Nobel laureate Sir C.V. Raman’s idea of giving something back to Madras (Chennai), a city where he commenced his scientific career, and to make a “distinct contribution” to the scientific life of the city, but it has remained an unfulfilled dream.

Sir Raman planned the second institute in 1959, 11 years after establishing Raman Research Institute (RRI) in Bengaluru, on a four-acre land parcel owned by him in Mylapore (Madras), where “scientific work of the highest standard could be carried on”.  He estimated that the research institute could be built with a budget of a couple of lakhs of rupees and carry on work with a minimum recurring expenditure of Rs 2,000 a month. “My confidence in the usefulness of the proposed institute is indicated by my preparedness to find from other sources one half of the capital expenditure proposed and also to meet one half of the recurring expenditure necessary for the next five years. If the Government of Madras could see their way to make an equal contribution, the construction of the institute could be immediately taken up and proceeded with,” states the renowned physicist’s letter dated August 18, 1959, to the late C. Subramaniam, minister for finance education, Government of Madras,  unearthed by Deccan Chronicle on the eve of National Science Day, observed on February 28 to mark the discovery of ‘Raman Effect.’

Subsequent correspondence between Mr Subramaniam and Sir Raman point at the state government’s willingness to support the proposed institute, but with a suggestion that the Nobel laureate write to the Union government for non-recurring expenditure of the project. “I may say, however, that subject to the condition that the assistance to be given by the Government of India, if any, will be taken into account in fixing the actual grant, this Government will be willing to meet a maximum of half the non-recurring cost of establishing the research institute and to make a suitable annual recurring grant for five years in the first instance,” reads the late Mr Subramaniam’s reply.

With the erstwhile Madras government listing several conditions as part of the grant-in-aid code for half grant towards construction of the institute and repeated suggestions for securing the Union government’s financial support, Sir Raman’s subsequent letter to Mr Subramaniam points at his reluctance to seek help from New Delhi. “My past experience and present knowledge of the attitude of the Central Government in matters concerning scientific research alike indicate that any application for a building grant made to that Government for the proposed institute would be met with a refusal. Not until the institute has been fully established and proved itself useful would the Central Government feel at all inclined to extend a helping hand to it,” mirrors his disinclination to write to the Centre.

Sources in RRI Trust said Sir Raman had adopted a similar stand vis-à-vis RRI and the Union government. “It was only after Sir Raman’s demise that the Union government offered aid to RRI, and the Trust invited his son Prof V Radhakrishnan to head RRI,” sources added.

Sir Raman came to the rescue of Dewan Ismail
Another set of letters, exchanged between Sir Raman and Sir Mirza Ismail, the Dewan of Mysore, in 1939, illustrates how the Nobel laureate rushed to support the latter in the wake of an article published in “The Hindu Outlook”, accusing the Dewan of favouring Muslims in appointments in Mysore state.

Sir Raman has clarified that he was not sent out of Mysore, but came from Calcutta to Bangalore in 1933, and received support from the Dewan for his scientific work.

“Throughout this period, I have received nothing but kindness and consideration from Sir Mirza Ismail on all occasions, and indeed I have had reason to feel most grateful for the fact that he has held the high office of Dewan of Msyore during these years,” reads Sir Raman’s letter in response to an article published by Krishna Lal Anand in “The Hindu Outlook” on September 14, 1939, with a headline “Muslim Dewan over Hindu state.”

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Lifestyle> Viral and Trending / by B R Srikanth, Deccan Chronicle / February 28th, 2017

After years of neglect, glass top to complete Satkhanda.

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leaders, Travel & Tourism, , , , ,

Lucknow, UTTAR PRADESH :

Wikimedia Commons
Wikimedia Commons

Lucknow :

The 177-year-old iconic Satkhanda in Husainabad area of old Lucknow is finally going to live up to its name, of ‘seven storeys’, with the proposed glass roof to the monument taking shape, completing the unfinished Nawabi era structure. The iron storeys which will hold the glass have already come up. Part of the Husainabad beautification project, it is likely to be completed in six months.

Conserving the interiors of the monument along with keeping its circular staircase intact, the building will now provide people with an aerial view of the beautified area through the 360-degree glass facade. With a roof on top now, the monument won’t be subjected to rain water either.

“The plan is to conserve the monument and let people experience the building in its original form. Even though the glass roof covering will be on the uppermost storey, it will give the viewer the experience of being on the seventh floor because of the elevated height. The roof on top of this will be flat,” said Tracy, who is part of the Noida-based architecture firm working on the plan.

The Satkhanda, originally meant to be seven-storey-high was built in 1837 by Mohammad Ali Shah, the third King of Awadh, for moon-sighting by clerics. However, with his death, the monument was left incomplete at just four storeys. Considering it a bad omen, no other ruler bothered to complete it.

In the initial phase of the beautification work in 2014, only the park around then dilapidated monument was part of the plan. Converting the empty ground into a park with light fixtures, fountains, swings and a bridge was completed around November, 2014. Between 2011-13, restoration work on Satkhanda started. An approximate Rs 50 lakh was spent on the initial restoration that included getting rid of encroachment, grouting cracks, restoring parapet brackets, construction of a new roof and a Chhota Imambara-inspired dome. However, apart from removal of encroachment, nothing else was done then.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Lucknow news / TNN / February 28th, 2017

Yakub Bee, an angel for the aged

Community Involvement / Social Issues, , , , , ,

Warangal, TELANGANA :

“Starting from two persons in 2007, we now provide shelter to 100 people,” says Mr Ali.

Yakub Bee helps dress a handicapped elderly lady, resident at the Sahrudaya old age home on Monday. (Photo: DC)
Yakub Bee helps dress a handicapped elderly lady, resident at the Sahrudaya old age home on Monday. (Photo: DC)

Warangal:

“Extending service to the needy is what makes my day; awards and applause subdue the anxiety and restore my confidence,” says Yakub Bee, the founder of Sahrudaya Old Age Home in Hanamkonda.

Yakub Bee and her husband Mahboob Ali have opened their home for elderly homeless and destitute people since 2007. Recognising her services, the World Peace Festival Society International (WPFSI) has conferred on her the Shanthi Dhootha award.

Yakub Bee lavishes love and affection on her charges and recognises no religious or social barriers. She looks after the food and medical needs of her charges and when it was required even performed the funeral rites of a Hindu man when her husband was not there to do it.

“Most of the people living in our home have been abandoned by their children. Some of them have no memory of their whereabouts. Such people deserve to be cared for. There is no human being in this world who does not deserve to be loved. It gives me immense satisfaction to be able to help such people,” says the compassionate lady.

Yakub Bee, who hails from Ellanda village in Wardhannapet mandal, used to work as a tailor. Her husband Mahboob Ali used to do petty jobs. Mahboob was inspired by a rickshaw-puller who ran an old age home in Khalsa in Amritsar.

“Starting from two persons in 2007, we now provide shelter to 100 people,” says Mr Ali. The WPFSI, founded in 1997, is based in Warangal. Its aim is to celebrate and encourage the pluralistic character of the Indian nation. People’s poet Kaloji Narayana Rao and Telangana ideologue, the late K. Jayashankar, have been involved in the formation of this society.

Yakub Bee will receive the award along with film maker Dr K. Vishwanath and historian Dr Lingala Pandu Ranga Reddy in Warangal on Tuesday.

source:  http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Lifestyle, Viral and Trending / Deccan Chronicle – Anudeep Ceremilla / February 28th, 2017

Guinness World Records finally acknowledges Sameera’s feat

Amazing Feats, Sports, World Opinion, ,

Hyderabad, TELANGANA :

No stopping her Shaik Husna Sameera playing a friendly game with AICF president Neeraj Kumar Sampathy in Hyderabad on Saturday. | Photo Credit: V_V_SUBRAHMANYAM
No stopping her Shaik Husna Sameera playing a friendly game with AICF president Neeraj Kumar Sampathy in Hyderabad on Saturday. | Photo Credit: V_V_SUBRAHMANYAM

Issues certificate to the carrom champ for setting a world record

For Shaik Husna Sameera, the agonising two-month wait has finally ended with the Guinness World Records (GWR) issuing the certificate recognising her feat of playing carrom for 34 hours and 45 minutes at DRRMC Indoor Stadium in Vijayawada in December last.

She broke the previous record of 32 hours and 45 seconds set by Narayan Paranjpe, Atul Kharecha, Prakash Kagal and Pramod Sen in the US in 2005.

Another record holder

With the GWR insisting that the world record be certified, she had to play with only one opponent, 22-year-old Allada Pavan, who is now employed in Bengaluru.

Interestingly, both are certified as world record holders for their feat.

“It’s a great moment. I have been waiting for this for long. Only I know what I had to go through in the last two months because of the suspense. But I must thank the AICF President Neeraj Kumar Sampathy for his support in helping me realise my dream,” said the Intermediate second year student of Sri Gayathri College at Chaitanyapuri in the city here.

“Yes, there were some doubts about the date mentioned in the proof that was submitted and there were quite a few queries too. But once they were satisfied, they declared that I did set a world record with a break of five minutes after every hour. This is a great moment for me,” said the 16-year-old Hyderabadi, who took to the sport as her mother was also a player and a qualified umpire too.

National titles

What next? “The focus is on winning the national titles. I am sure that given the kind of support from the AICF and Hyderabad Carrom Association with founder-president Haranath and S. Madan Raj going all out to help me, I hope to win the World Cup one day,” she said.

For his part, Dr. Neeraj said it was a great honour for the young champion as it’s not every day that such a record is attempted in any sport.

“And, I feel it is a huge fillip to the sport itself,” he added.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Telangana / by V.V. Subrahmanyam / Hyderabad – February 25t, 2017

He cremates Hindus, buries Muslims, scorns communalism

Community Involvement / Social Issues, ,

Faizabad (Ayodhya) – UTTAR PRADESH :

His long kurta-pyjama is caked with mud as the almost 80-year-old Mohd Shareef crosses over several mounds in the  Taadwali Takia cemetry in Rakabganj to reach a green coloured room on the other end.

Hanging outside the room are three boards that proclaim “Lavaris mayyat/matti ka ghuslkhana” (bath of destitute unclaimed bodies).
Breezily, he unlocks the gates and walks into a room that has seen the last rituals of hundreds of bodies, Hindus and Muslims alike some with heads and some without, some reeking of the hours that had gone by since death befell them and some smothered in blood.

“Pradhan Mantri ji ka logo ko baantne wali baat kehna bilkul bhi sahi nahi tha. Hum Hindu aur Muslim dono ki mitti gale se lagate hain aur ye log sabko alag karna chahte hain (The Prime Minister should not say things that are divisive. I hold dear bodies of both Hindus and Muslims and these people want to divide us all),” remarked the old man who has, for the past 25 years, been performing the last rites of unclaimed bodies in Faizabad which has five assembly constituencies, including Ayodhya, that will go to polls on Monday (February 27). Since 1992, he has performed last rites of over 25,000 unclaimed bodies.

Shareef Chacha, as he is famously known, was referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent ‘shamshaan and qabristan’ statement in a rally in Uttar Pradesh (UP) where he said that if land is allotted to cemeteries, it should be given for cremation  grounds too, implying that the Samajwadi Party favours Muslims.

“Ye sab vote ke chakkar mein neta log bolte hain par Hindus se hee izzat bani aur badhi hai meri. (These politicians make such statements for votes but it is only because of Hindus that I have earned respect in what I do). Our blood is one and my love is not restricted to a particular caste and religion,” he said, while commenting on the present political scenario as he flipped through the numerous photographs and award certifications received from both government and non-goverment entities.

Ask him why he chose this form of service and Chacha recounts his son’s death in February 1992. “He was my elder son Mohd Raes Khan (25) who had gone to Sultanpur to work as a chemist but went missing for a month. The Ramjanmabhoomi movement, that led to the demolition of Babri Masjid in December 1992, was brewing at that time. Raes was found murdered, his decomposed body in a sack. “Police located me through his shirt label that had the tailor’s name. It was then that I decided to not let any unclaimed body lying off the road to be devoured by stray animals,” said the old man who juggles being a cycle mechanic and shunting between graveyards and cremation grounds every day.

Since then, the man has been fulfilling the task with a few neighbours and supporters. “But these politicians and governments don’t do anything. They honour me but extend no monetary help to the cause or to me. Raes was my sole earner and now I live in a rented tin-shed with my depression-struck wife, a son who is into bad habits and is mentally disturbed and a daughter. My two other sons, who live separately, gave up on me because of the work I do,” he said. “Only a few days back, many candidates came here to ask for vote and to take me in their cars for campaign. I told them that I need a stronger light for the room to perform last rite rituals at night, and I haven’t heard from any of them since,” he added, dejected.

With hardly enough to make the ends meet, it’s cash donations and shrouds that help Shareef Chacha continue with his service. As a routine, he covers every police station, nearby hospitals, railway stations and mortuary for any unclaimed body. It is only after a body has been in the morgue for 72 hours that it is handed over to Chacha.

“I am old and have had to keep helpers. Santosh at the ghaat burns the bodies with Hindu rituals that I send him and others, like Mohd Ismail and Shyam Vishwakarma, and some boys help me bury the dead. Sometimes, they don’t even charge for their own labour, like for babies.

But resources are difficult. For burying a Muslim, Rs 5,000 are needed, while for a Hindu cremation around Rs 3,000-3,500 is required for 350 kg of wood,” said Chacha.
It is only when he hears the Azaan that Chacha takes a few moments out of his service. “No Hindu ever asks me to stop cremating Hindu bodies, instead I’m always invited and honoured as a special guest to their wedding and pujas. To all those who prosper in the name of communalism, where is the communal fight of Ayodhya and Faizabad?” he asks.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Lucknow News / by Yusra Husani / TNN / February 25th, 2017

They have played their cards right

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, , , , , , , ,

Chennai, TAMIL NADU :

H. Noor Mohamed (left) and his son Mohamed Faizal. Photo: K. Pichumani | Photo Credit: K_Pichumani
H. Noor Mohamed (left) and his son Mohamed Faizal. Photo: K. Pichumani | Photo Credit: K_Pichumani

When the wedding cards business was at a nascent stage, N.M. Habibullah sensed an opportunity and started Olympic Cards Ltd. Later, his son H. Noor Mohamed went on an ambitious expansion spree, making it a pan-Chennai enterprise

In 1962, N.M. Habibullah, a resident of Parrys, started a stationery store on Anderson Road under the name Olympic Papers and Stationery. With Habibullah’s work, the business flourished. Five years later, during a pensive moment at the store, when he was turning over in his mind various strategies to expand his business, two stores for wedding cards caught his attention.

In 1967, Habibullah switched to selling wedding cards. It turned out to be the right move. In 1974, his son, H. Noor Mohamed joined him and took the company to the next level.

“Until the mid-1960s, there were only two shops in Madras for wedding cards, Ramakrishna and MN Swami; and both wound up their businesses in a few years. Even in the 1970s, there weren’t too many stores for wedding cards. Sensing an opportunity, my father started this new business. As the basic raw material was paper, which is what he was selling in the stationery business, it took him only 15 to 20 days to set up a wedding card store,” says Noor, the current managing director of Olympic Cards Ltd.

Olympic Cards Limited was first set up on Anderson Road. In 1982, Noor and his brother Saladin Babu established a second store at No. 194 (now 195), N.S.C. Bose Road, and this went on to become the main office.

“The five-storey building, which originally belonged to the East Indian Company, was demolished and reconstructed to accommodate the showroom and the office,” says Noor.

Soon, Noor’s sons N. Mohamed Faizal and N. Mohamed Iqbal joined the business as the executive director and production head of the factory respectively.

Quickly, Olympic Cards Ltd. spread to other parts of the city: Kodambakkam, T. Nagar, Anna Nagar, Peravallur in Agaram, Velachery and Thiruvanmayur.

“Wedding preparations involve considerable stress for families. So, they would gravitate towards a wedding card store that is located in or close to their neighbourhood, sparing them a long trip. With this thinking, we began to take our collection to different localities,” explains Noor.

Besides wedding cards, they sell office envelopes, calendars, diaries, notebooks, account books, business cards, letterheads, files and folders, scribbling pads and greeting cards. They also have provisions for instant digital printing, design creation and proofreading at the outlets.

In addition to an outlet in Coimbatore, they have 25 franchise stores in Chennai, Puducherry and Kerala. There are plans to expand their franchising operation across Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Karnataka in the near future.

On how difficult it is to manage several branches, Mohamed Faizal says that besides training the staff, the heavy stock has to be managed and their timely delivery ensured every day.

“We cannot maintain all stock at all the outlets. Therefore, we keep all our stocks in Parrys. Whenever there is a requirement, we send it to the respective outlets,” he explains.

The waning demand for greeting cards too keeps the team on their toes. “We not only cater to direct customers but retailers as well; the latter look for variety. Creating designs that are different from previous year’s can be challenging. We create 20 to 30 designs once in three months. If these don’t sell out in three months, we incur a huge manufacturing loss,” says Mohamed.

Despite all these challenges, the business is growing, as is evident from the size of its manufacturing unit.

From a 13,000 sq.ft factory at the Vyasarpadi Cooperative Industrial Estate, the company now handles the production from a two lakh sq.ft factory near Periyapalayam. The factory is well-equipped with advanced machinery.

“Contributing to the creation of a healthy environment, we have installed 0.5MW solar power production facility at the unit. This way, we ensure all our products are manufactured in an eco-friendly manner,” says Noor.

Olympic Cards Ltd. will soon test the waters in the others areas of the print industry such as packaging and pharma-printing and luxury packaging.

“We have taken baby steps by way of outsourcing packaging jobs and associating with their print partners. We hope to get into mainstream packaging shortly,” adds Noor.

Name and fame

Olympic Cards Ltd was first incorporated as Olympic Business Credits (Madras) Private Limited, in April 1992 under the Companies Act, 1956. Subsequently, in October 1996, it became a public limited company and the name was changed to ‘Olympic Business Credits (Madras) Limited’. In 1998, it was renamed Olympic Cards Limited, in 1998. In 2013, the company offered IPO and successfully subscribed and listed in BSE.

A ringside view

*H. Noor Mohamed: “In India, the wedding card market is booming, despite the advent of e-cards and Whatsapp. So, any aspiring entrepreneur can enter this industry confidently.”

*Mohamed Faizal: “My father has cultivated a habit that has contributed immensely to his success. Every morning, he jots down the details of his tasks for the day, this is a habit he picked up from his father. This practice has made him so self-disciplined that he never forgets to take his pen, cellphone or wallet with him. It has helped him considerably in his business.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Shiba Kurian / February 24th, 2017

A bronze statue to celebrate a visionary civil servant

Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leaders, ,
In fond memory: Villagers of V. Venkatayapalem looking at the statue of late Zaheer Ahmad to be installed at a housing colony, in Khammam district. | Photo Credit: G_N_RAO
In fond memory: Villagers of V. Venkatayapalem looking at the statue of late Zaheer Ahmad to be installed at a housing colony, in Khammam district. | Photo Credit: G_N_RAO

V. Venkatayapalem residents steeped in the memory of Zaheer Ahmad

The residents of V. Venkatayapalem in Raghunadhapalem mandal are steeped in the memory of Zaheer Ahmad, a former Hyderabad civil service officer, who contributed his mite for the development of the village through multiple landmark initiatives.

The name of Mr. Ahmad, who was in-charge of the erstwhile Hyderabad State, and his development initiatives conjure cherished memories of the past.

V. Venkatayapalem was among a few villages adopted by the former bureaucrat around seven decades ago. He earned a reputation of being the visionary officer who laid a strong foundation for the holistic development of the village.

The spacious housing colony, scenic park, water tank, and verdant high school campus stand testimony to the approach of the officer.

Park named after him

In an effort to keep alive the memories of Mr. Ahmad, the villagers named the park after him and mooted installing a bronze statue of his in the park.

“Zaheer Ahmad developed our village in all spheres by constructing spacious houses, each measuring 350 sq. yards, on 17.5 acres for the weaker sections, upgrading the local school into a high school, constructing 60 feet-wide roads, and developing a spacious park,” said Y. Hanumantha Rao, a resident of V. Venkatayapalem.

A statue of Mr. Ahmad is ready for installation in the colony, he said, adding that they have already consulted sculptors in Rajahmundry in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh to make a bronze statue of the officer.

“He used to come to the village occasionally on a horse, traversing a tough terrain, with a deep sense of attachment,” recalled Ramulamma, a resident.

“Our village has produced nearly 400 government employees, most of whom work on the Nagarjunasagar project (NSP),” said Hemalatha, the sarpanch of the village.

The residents owe a lot to Mr. Zaheer and former Chief Minister Jalagam Vengal Rao, who made invaluable contribution to the growth of the village, said another villager.

“The modernisation of the old minor lift irrigation scheme by the present TRS regime helped restore the full irrigation potential of the project to an extent of 1,320 acre,” he said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Telangana / by P. Sridhar / Khammam – February 21st, 2017

Doing good better

Community Involvement / Social Issues, , , , ,

Chennai, TAMIL NADU :

GiveAwayIndiaMPOs23feb2017

GiveAway India, a crowdsourced platform founded by three city-based youngsters, channelises donations for the disadvantaged

It was the fag end of November 2015 and Chennai was beginning to reel under the onslaught of torrential rains. Though the floods were yet to hit the city, rooms in Amir Mahal, the 18th Century palace and residence of the current Prince of Arcot, had already begun to resemble a warehouse. Groceries packed in cartons covered every square inch of space as three youngsters worked round the clock, trying to coordinate sourcing and delivering of relief material. Within their first week of operations, they had groceries worth ₹2.5 lakh and an alphabetic database of the city.

By the time the December floods came, they scaled up efforts and managed to get 25,000 packets of biryani from Paradise Hotel in Hyderabad via air and road to help the countless who were marooned in the city.

With corporates such as Big Basket, Foodpanda and Snapdeal coming on board to pitch in, the trio — Mohamed Asif, Fahd Khaleel Wallajah and Nareshwar Sivanesan — managed to mobilise large quantities of food, raincoats, mosquito repellents and groceries for those in need. Wallajah, the nephew of the current Prince, Nawab Mohammed Abdul Ali Azim Jah, along with close to 35 other volunteers and Amir Mahal staff mobilised relief efforts for the flood hit.

Crowdsourced help

That was only the beginning for them. The events of December 2015 and their efforts to help fellow Chennaiites sparked the idea for a sustainable system to continue helping those in need.

And that is how GiveAway India — a product crowdsourced platform that channelises donations to the needy — began. “While GiveAway was set up in September 2015, the idea to formally create a single web or app system, where donors and beneficiaries come together, came about after the floods,” says Wallajah, the nephew of the Nawab of Arcot and co-founder of GiveAway India.

For three months since its inception, GiveAway focussed on sourcing spare food from restaurants and parties and distributing them among the homeless with the help of volunteers. But the floods gave impetus to what was a fledgling movement. “During the floods, we’d managed to convince corporates to donate and also come on board to encourage their users to donate to charity, since the prices of essentials sky-rocketed during the rains,” says Asif, adding that partners such as Big Basket and Snapdeal put out a message on their websites asking users to buy products from them that would go to charity. “When we decided to scale up operations and turn GiveAway India into a more sustainable venture, we spent six months researching what needs had to be addressed,” says Asif.

“We got a team in place; went back to all the corporates to try and convince them to come on board on a long-term basis. It took a lot of convincing to get some of them to agree.” According to Sivanesan, the effort was to create transparency and, “not replicate what is already out there”. Finally a month ago, GiveAway India went live as a web and mobile-based platform. “The platform caters to homes and orphanages across the city and also has a pan-India presence. These homes and orphanages can enter requirements on our site, which are posted after verification. Beneficiaries can choose the cause they would like to donate to. Both the beneficiaries and donors are not charged anything by us,” says Asif. The causes supported by GiveAway India are many — from football programmes for slum kids in Nagpur, woollens for the homeless in Karnataka and relief for drought-hit Maharashtra to elephant welfare programmes in Tamil Nadu. “We also support women’s issues, acid attack victims, people with blindness and deafness. Essentially, what beneficiaries do is donate to these causes by buying products on our site that are then sent to them,” explains Asif.

Their portfolio

They also plan to introduce a feature that will allow users to choose an occasion (such as birthdays, anniversaries or memorial days) to donate to a particular charity. “For instance, many people would like to do something for the needy on such occasions. We can facilitate that through our website. If the donor wishes to be present on the occasion he/she can choose to do so as well,” says Wallajah. In the one month since they went live, GiveAway India has been able to facilitate close to 1.5 lakh transactions. “We’re now in talks with a leading hospital for medical facilities for those in need,” adds Sivanesan.

The Road Ahead

  • As GiveAway India grows from strength to strength, the three co-founders have their future plans chalked out. “In the next three quarters, we want to get every home and orphanage in South India on our platform and then focus on strengthening our pan-India presence. We also plan to introduce geo-tagging to let you find an NGO or cause that is in your locality. And we’re on the lookout for investors who can not only fund us, but also mentor us,” says Asif.
  • For details, log on to www.giveawayindia.org

 

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sci-Tech> Technology / by Ranjani Ranjendra / February 21st, 2017

City Muaythai Fighters Bag Medals In Natl. Championship

Sports, , , ,

Mysuru, KARNATAKA :

MuayThaiMPOs23feb2017

Muaythai fighters attached to Academy of Martial Science (AMS) and representing Mysore Muaythai Trust won 6 Gold and 4 silver medals respectively at the MTI(R) National Federation Muaythai Cup-2017 held between recently in Bengaluru.

Results –

Division A:

M.R. Darshan (Bantam Weight- Natl. Champion), Naveen Shetty (Feather Weight- National Champion), Surya Sagar (Welter weight- Natl. Champion), Abdul Razak (Light Middle Weight-National Champion).

Division B:

Shashank (Light Weight-Gold Medal), Sathvik (Light Welter Weight-Gold Medal), Kiran (Welter Weight-Gold Medal), Vinod Borana (Light Heavy Weight-Silver Medal), Faizan Ahmed Quraishi (Cruiser Weight-Silver Medal), Cuong Mahn (Heavy Weight- Silver Medal).

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Sports News / February 22nd, 2017

Bengaluru had its first date with air show a century ago

Amazing Feats, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Sports, Transport, Travel & Tourism, World Opinion, , , , , , ,

Bengaluru, KARNATAKA :

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Bengaluru had its first date with an air show 106 years ago
  • In 1911, Jules Wyck and Belgian adventurer Baron Pierre De Caters were the two pilots who brought their aircraft to Bengaluru

__________________________________

Bengaluru :

As the curtains were drawn on the 11th edition of Aero India on Saturday, thousands who thronged the Yelahanka Air Force Station need to know that they are not the first patrons of such a show. In fact, they are not even the first generation.

Bengaluru, India’s aviation capital, had its first date with an air show 106 years ago. February 3, 1911. Cricket hadn’t become the religion it is today in India. The Chinnaswamy Stadium was a barren land, and parts of Bengaluru were still a functional cantonment.

While people from districts neighbouring Bengaluru had made their way back then to catch what the organizers had called a “miracle in the skies,” Bengaluru’s quest for the flying machines remained intact in 2017 with at least three lakh people reported to have visited the aero show.

In 1911, Jules Wyck and Belgian adventurer Baron Pierre De Caters were the two pilots who brought their aircraft to Bengaluru, for a show that garnered a huge response. “But police had been prepared to handle the crowd here, after things had gotten slightly out of hand in Kolkata,” historian Vemagal Somashekar said.

If the elaborate preparations of the organizers a century ago are any indication then it only shows that a lacklustre event, like the 2017 edition of Aero India — just 53 aircraft on display and four aerobatic display teams — may fail to garner similar response in the coming years.

(The poster in Urdu, issued by merchants and businessmen from the Baidwadi (present day Shivajinagar) area. Photo Credit: fly.historicwings.com)
(The poster in Urdu, issued by merchants and businessmen from the Baidwadi (present day Shivajinagar) area. Photo Credit: fly.historicwings.com)

The fact that organizers did not reveal the right number of aircraft at Aero India 2017 is an indication that even they know it. When TOI enquired about the details of the show and the preparations in the run-up to the show, Mayaskar Deo Singh, director, Defence Exhibition Organisation, the nodal government agency organizing the show said: “An official release with final numbers on participation and other details will be issued so that there is no confusion.”

The official release days before the show had claimed that the number of aircraft participating would be 72, as many as the 2015 show, rated much better, had seen. Answering a specific question, defence minister Manohar Parrikar, however, had said on February 14: “There are 53 aircraft participating…”

Also, there are ways to watch the show for free, hundreds of citizens who stood with their cameras on terraces, the highway, some even got hospitality at villages around the air base.

But organizers in 1911 had figured out a plan for such free viewers. A poster in Urdu, issued by merchants and businessmen from the Baidwadi (present day Shivajinagar) area, reveals that the organizers, who had learnt that people would not buy tickets as they thought planes could be spotted even otherwise, had organized the show in such a way that only those with tickets (worth 25 paise each) had a one-hour exclusive.

“…Between 3.30pm and 4.30pm the planes will fly at a height of just 30 metre which only the ticket holders can see. For a few minutes after 4.30pm, the planes will fly a little higher,” reads a translation of the poster documented by the state archives department.

Mustafa Khan (mandi merchants, Ibrahim Sahib Street); Abdul Razak (businessman, Modi Road); Ibrahim Sahib (Meenakshi Kovil Street), Abdul Razak Sahib (steel merchant, Narayan Pillai Street) and Mastan Khan from Baidwadi (present day Shivajinagar) were the men who had signed off on the poster —they are an indication of how Bengaluru had a good trade set-up.
While TOI got a look at the poster, permission to take a photograph was denied. The poster, which has been sourced from fly.historicwings.com, further reveals as Somashekar had pointed out.

Police had been ordered to patrol major roads leading to the venue such as South Parade Road (now MG Road), Brigade Road and Church Street and even in Cubbon Park.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> City News> Bangalore News / Chethan Kumar, TNN / February 20th, 2017