Category Archives: Green Products

Karanji Park gets Orchidarium

December 10, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Green Products, Leaders, Travel & Tourismmpositiveone@gmail.com

Wildlife photo expo inaugurated; Great Indian Rhinos released for public viewing at Zoo

Mysuru, Karnataka :

Adding to the existing attractions at Karanji Lake Nature Park, an Orchidarium with 98 Orchid plants of various varieties was inaugurated by Rehana Banu, Chairperson, Zoo Authority of Karnataka (ZAK), at the Park premises on Lalitha Mahal Road in city this morning.

Orchidarium is an indoor enclosure for keeping and cultivating plants and observing them under natural conditions, especially for the cultivation of various types of Orchids.

Orchidarium is an area that provides the desired environmental conditions for different varieties of Orchids grown abundantly for cultivation and conservation of Orchids both endangered and otherwise.

It is provided with optimum lighting conditions for the plants while protecting them from direct and harsh sunlight. The structure is covered with mesh with a roof to protect the plants from direct sunlight.

Prior to the inauguration of the Orchidarium, the Wildlife Photography exhibition was inaugurated at the Zoo Library by MLA M.K. Somashekar.

The expo, which is being held in two categories like Zoo Animals and Wildlife Photography has a total of 220 pictures clicked by both amateur and professional photographers.

In the Zoo Animals category, pictures of Hippo and its baby, playful bear cubs, tiger and its cubs playing and other pictures of Zoo animals are on display.

In the Wildlife Photography category, prize winning photos of World Wildlife Day contest clicked by photographers S.R. Madhusudhan, G.S. Ravishankar, M.K. Sapthagirish and others has been put on display.

A pair of Great Indian Rhinos, three-year-old Virat and one-year-old Bablee, brought to Mysuru Zoo from Patna’s Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park about two months ago, were released for public viewing by Mayor R. Lingappa and MLA M.K. Somashekar at an enclosure made for them at the Zoo premises.

Zoo Executive Director B.P. Ravi, Manager Shivanna, Zoo Veterinarian Dr. Suresh, RFO Girish and others were present.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / Thursday , December 04th, 2014

International honour for Rose Society president

November 21, 2014Business & Economy, Green Products, Leaders, World Opinionmpositiveone@gmail.com

President of Hyderabad Rose Society Ahmed Alam Khan has been elected vice-president (Central Asia) of the World Federation of Rose Societies, at 16th World Rose Convention held at Sandton City, South Africa, a press release informed on Wednesday.

In yet another achievement, five members of the Society have been elected to the Indian Rose Federation. They include Vijay Kant, A. Veerbhadra Rao, Khader Alam Khan, and Mohd. Minhajul Hussain, apart from Mr. Khan, the press release informed.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Andhra Pradesh / by Staff Reporter / Hyderabad – February 07th, 2013

Treat for Rosarians

November 21, 2014Business & Economy, Green Products, World Opinionmpositiveone@gmail.com

Hyderabad :

Rose lovers have another reason to celebrate as the The Indian Rose Federation and Hyderabad Rose Society together are organising 3rd World Federation of Rose Societies Regional Convention in the city. During the event, around 800 varieties of roses will be displayed. The purpose of the convention is to inform people about the wide varieties of roses available in the country, informs Ahmed Alam Khan, President of Indian Rose Federation. “This is the first time such convention will be held in India,” he adds.

Rosarians from around the country will be presenting the flowers they grow in their convention. “A competition will be held where they will be judged on the quality of their flowers. Apart from the competition, technical sessions will be held at the convention where they will be informed about how to good quality roses, increase their shelf life, etc,” he says. Ikebana, Japanese pattern of arranging flowers will also be taught during the convention.

The theme of the convention is ‘New Light on the Old World of Roses’. “Around 98 per cent of roses exported in the world is by Israel. But India also has the potential to have good market in exporting roses. Through this convention, we aim to encourage the rosarians to develop good quality of roses. People from the city are encouraged to visit the show to gain more knowledge about roses at the event.

The event will be held from November 29 to December 2 at HICC between 11 am to 5 pm.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express Features / November 14th, 2014

Tender coconut, fair and lovely

November 19, 2014Business & Economy, Green Products, Science & Technology, World Opinionmpositiveone@gmail.com

Kaja Mohideen. PHOTO: GNANAVEL MURUGAN / The Hindu

The strong pith is removed using a machine and weight is reduced to 800 gm.

Innovation in marketing tender coconut has been his watchword. He has designed special machinery for peeling off the strong pith before despatching them to market.

The new shape of the tender coconut appears white all around – a value-addition with a new look. Its weight gets reduced from about 2 kg to less than 800 grams or so.

“The value addition mainly aims at attracting the consumers besides ensuring environment-friendly ambience at the retail sales outlets,” says Kaja Mohideen (50), referring to the growing demand for the produce in the city in the last one week since he introduced his sales.

With lightweight, it could be stocked at commercial complexes and medical shops. Using his experience of three decades in the trade, he had devised the plan of using a machinery for ‘clean coconut’.

Mr. Mohideen procures about 6,000 coconuts a week from Pollachi and a group of six workers work on the machinery peeling off the pith. Explaining the functioning of the machinery designed at Pollachi, he says adequate training had been imparted to all the workers on the task.

At the retail outlets on the pavements, the pavement vendors would be spared of the problem of collecting and disposing the waste pith.

White tender coconuts kept ready for sale. PHOTO: GNANAVEL MURUGAN / The Hindu

Export-oriented

Apart from local market, he has explored the possibility of exporting it the tender coconut to Australia. “There has been a growing demand for coconut in Australia. The container with a capacity for 6,000 tender coconuts would reach Australia by sea within 20 days from Chennai,” he says.

To attract customers, he has fixed the price per coconut at Rs. 20. “My investment on the machinery is Rs. 90,000 and I have to incur a huge expenditure for purchasing the coconut from Pollachi,” Mr. Mohideen added.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Tiruchirapalli / by Special Correspondent / Tiruchi – November 10th, 2014

Birding session marks birth anniversary of Salim Ali

November 14, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Green Products, Travel & Tourismmpositiveone@gmail.com

Bird watchers at the Government Botanical Garden in Udhagamandalam on Wednesday. - PHOTO: M. SATHYAMOORTHY / The Hindu — Bird watchers at the Government Botanical Garden in Udhagamandalam on Wednesday. – PHOTO: M. SATHYAMOORTHY / The Hindu

As many as 25 species spotted at Government Botanical Garden

Spread over 55 acres and dotted with hundreds of trees and flower beds apart from many ponds, the Government Botanical Garden here played host to a birding session organised by the Nilgiri Wildlife and Environment Association on Wednesday to commemorate the 118th birth anniversary of Salim Ali, the father of ornithology.

With the undulating venue and the occasion complementing each other, members of the association and students of Wildlife Biology in the Government Arts College returned with the satisfaction of having spotted birds belonging to about 25 species.

Pointing out that the most prized sighting of the day was a Kashmir Fly Catcher, the association’s executive committee member K.Vijay told The Hindu that the migratory bird from the Himalayas, which has been classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, could not be seen here last year.

Pointing out that its presence now signifies the commencement of the migratory season, he said that among the other birds spotted were the Grey Wag Tail, the Black and Grey Fly Catcher, the Common Hawk-Cuckoo, Pond Heron, Great Pit and the Nilgiri Blue Robbin.

Responding to a query, Mr.Vijay said that the botanical garden with its wild fruits and flowers is an ideal bird habitat.

Birding destination

Expressing the view that it can be promoted as a responsible birding destination, he said that the authorities concerned should regulate the activity and restrict it to one or two days a week. Stating that birding is a very effective stress buster, he said that it also encourages people to walk. Volunteers including students of Wildlife Biology should be engaged to create awareness among tourists about the role of birds in protecting the ecology.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Coimbatore / by D. RadhaKrishnan / Udhagamandalam – November 13th, 2014

National Bird Watching Day attracts large crowds in Ramnagar

November 11, 2014Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Green Products, Leaders, Travel & Tourismmpositiveone@gmail.com

Ramnagar (Uttrakhand) :

Nature enthusiasts and students gathered at a barrage on the river Kosi in north India, observing migratory birds on the occasion of National Bird Watching Day, celebrated to mark the 116th birth anniversary of renowned biologist Salim Ali.

Armed with binoculars, notebooks, field guides and cameras, they stood at the edge of the reservoir, making a note of the resident and migratory species present at the site.

The bird watchers said that it was important to educate people about the importance of conserving the country’s diverse fauna.

“We brought a few children who study in a local school, so that they can make themselves aware of bird life. The message for the people of the country and people in the world is that we must keep (these birds) alive, so that we learn about them and protect them,” said a birder, Rohit Sati.

The waters of the reservoir had large numbers of Ruddy Shelducks and cormorants swimming, feeding and sunning themselves.

The reservoir at Ramnagar is close to India’s iconic Jim Corbett National Park, which is home to over 500 species of birds, a sizeable chunk of more than 1200 species found all over the country.

Winter sees many species of birds migrate from north and central Asia and other, colder parts of the world, as the birds breed and live in the more temperate climate of the Indian subcontinent.

The Director of the Rainbow Wildlife Awareness organisation, Rajesh Bhatt said that the reservoir itself played host to over 200 species of resident and migratory birds.

“The important birds here are the Ruddy Shelduck, the Ibisbill, wallcreeper, cormorant, garganey, pintail, Bar-headed Goose, which can be seen easily,” Bhatt said.

Born in 1896, Salim Ali, known as ‘the Bird Man of India’, made his name as one of the first Indian naturalists to conduct systematic surveys on birds. His field guides are used by many birdwatchers when they set out in pursuit of the hobby.

Ali, who died in 1987, is also credited with the creation and recognition of such biodiversity hubs as the Keoladeo National park in Rajasthan and the Silent Valley National park in Kerala. (ANI)

source: http://www.aninews.in / ANI News / Home> National / November 12th, 2014

Meet Tabassum Bano – the first female e-rickshaw driver of Allahabad

October 22, 2014Business & Economy, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Green Products, Transport, Travel & Tourismmpositiveone@gmail.com

Tortured by her in-laws for dowry, Tabassum was thrown out of the house with her six months old son, she decided to not give up.

Tabassum Bano riding the e-riskshaw - Mohammad Anas — Tabassum Bano riding the e-riskshaw – Mohammad Anas

Tabassum Bano decided to fight and not surrender despite facing so many hardships some years back. She had been tortured physically and mentally by her in-laws for dowry, she was thrown out of the house with her six months old son, but Bano didn’t give up. She braved all the difficulties and challenges of her life. Confident and self dependent, Bano has set an example of courage as the first female e-rickshaw driver of Allahabad.

“I came to Allahabad in the year 2005. My family lives in a small village Narsimhagarh in Pratapgarh. One year after marriage, my in-laws started torturing me for more dowry. My son was just six months old at that time. One day they even took my clothes off and threw me out of the house. Tired of their torture, I had even thought of committing suicide, but my child gave me the reason to live and fight,” Bano broke into tears as she narrated her life story to iamin.

“Finally, I decided to get divorce from my husband and made up my mind to come to Allahabad and start a new life. With just two rupees in hand and my son in my arms, I began my journey from Pratapgarh by foot and reached Allahabad after walking 50 kilometres. Once when I wa at new Yamuna bridge, out of hunger, my son started crying uncontrollably and I became restless and helpless in this unknown city. An old man saw us and brought us to Sister Sheeba Jones. My life changed since that day,” said Bano who lives in a rented room at Teliyarganj colony in Allahabad with her son.

Bano gives the credit to Sister Sheeba for changing her life. “Sister Sheeba first taught me how to ride a scooty and then four-wheelers.” Besides riding the e-rickshaw, Bano also works as a maid in houses to bear her expenses of her family members.

Yes, apart from her own son, Bano is taking care of six other members of the family. “After my brother-in-law’s death, I took care of my sister and her three children. My brother died in the year 2011 and his daughter is also my responsibility. There is no male member in our family. I take care of my old mother too,” said Bano.

Besides work, Bano who was an illiterate before coming to Allahabad started studying and cleared class X examination. Her son Abdullah studies in a reputed English school in the city. “I want a better life for my son so, I work hard to send him in a good English medium school.”

Sharing her experience as a female e-rickshaw driver, Bano asserted, “I want to change people’s attitude towards women. There are different types of people in our society. Some people stare at me awkwardly while some praise and encourage me. I want to show that women are strong and can face challenges.”

Bano also uses her scooty to carry people. She sometimes drops school children to their homes free of cost in her e-rickshaw. Tabassum is surely an inspiration for women in the country.

source: http://www.iamin.in / I am in DNA of Allahabad / Home> Allahabad> Trending News / by Mohammad Anas, Edited by : Longjam Dineshwori/ Tuesday – October 21st, 2014