Category Archives: Green Products

Kashmir teacher innovates solar car

Amazing Feats, Education, Green Products, Inventions, Innovations (wef. Nov 30th, 2021), Science & Technology, Transport, , , , , , , , , ,

Srinagar, JAMMU & KASHMIR :

Breaking the notion that only the elite can have luxurious rides, Bilal Ahmad, a mathematics teacher as well as an innovator from Srinagar has made a solar car which is not only luxurious but is also affordable for the common people. 

Hailing from Sanat Nagar area of Srinagar, Bilal has been working on this project for over 11 years and today he drives his solar car with confidence. The innovative car made by him works on solar energy and has solar panels all over the surface. 

He watched and studied about various luxurious cars which were made since 1950. He also studied about an engineer and innovator named Delorian who started a company DMC which helped him and motivated him to make a car which is luxurious and simultaneously affordable for the common people.

“Cars like Mercedes, Ferrari, BMW are just a dream for a common person. Only few people are able to afford it while it remains a dream for others to drive such cars and roam in it. I thought of something to give a luxurious feel to the people as well,” he said. 

He started working on the car and modified it by watching the various videos and started adding the features in it. 

Initially he wanted to make a car for disabled people but due to his financial conditions, he couldn’t conceive the idea which made him put his idea on hold.  “Government didn’t help me at that time. I was not financially sound so I couldn’t take the cost of the innovation,” he said. 

Keeping in view the rising price of the fuel, he thought of using solar energy to run the car. In 2019, he went to Chennai to get in touch with the solar panel making company. Furthermore he researched and brainstormed with a number of experts of the field. 

“In Kashmir, most of the time, the weather is gloomy. I used solar panels which can give higher efficiency even in low sunlight days. I went to many solar companies to check the efficiency of solar panels,” he said.

The challenge of how the solar panels can be used over the car and how much efficiency it can give on the less surface area was overcome  by him with the use of monocrystalline solar panels. 

“The surface area of a car is less as compared to the surface area of the roof of the house. I got the solar panels which take less space but give high efficiency,” he said.

Pertinent to mention here that there are two types of solar panels – monocrystalline and polycrystalline. Bilal used monocrystalline solar panels which occupied less space and gave more efficiency. 

Further he worked on the weaknesses of the solar innovative car. At times, the doors of the car when parked at the place received light sunlight, to overcome this problem, he made a Gullwing door which opens upwards like the ones in a Ferrari. Making and balancing the gullwing doors was a challenge as well as a difficult task for him. “With gullwing doors, the solar panels attached to the doors will also raise up and the sunlight will directly fall on them,” he said. 

Further, the solar panels automatically can change their direction with the changing directions of the sun. For this he has made a remote control which works within the range of 1.5 kilometers which can control the direction of panels so that more light can be absorbed by them. 

Also he has increased the seating capacity of the car. “The sports car only has seating capacity of two people but here 4 people can sit conveniently. Also the braking system will regenerate the power to its batteries to save energy. It is eco-friendly and works on free energy resources. It has a huge potential to revolutionize the market,” he said. 

“The car is not a prototype, it is a fully luxurious car. The other luxurious cars available in the market have huge costs in crores. I want affordable inventions to reach common people. I want people to make use of advanced technology at affordable prices,” he further said. 

He has driven the car on the roads and has received good response from the passers-by.

He said he has used a Lead Acid battery in the car. “We can also use a lithium battery in it but we have to use a protection circuit with it additional protection can be added,” he said. 

Talking about his difficulties, he said that the unavailability of the equipment and gadgets is a major difficulty which innovators face here. “Lack of exposure among the local mechanics is another problem. The knowledge they possess is limited which makes it really difficult to explain them,” he said.

He further said that the youth of Kashmir have more talent but lack exposure and platform to showcase it. 

He is of the opinion that a place like Kashmir should have attractive things to attract the tourists as well as locals. “The electric vehicles plying on roads don’t have that luxurious look. Kashmir is a tourist place and we should have attractive things like in any other foreign place like Switzerland.”

He wishes to soon start his company for its mass production which can also generate employment for the youth of Kashmir. “I will name the company as YMC after the names of my children- Yosha and Maisha. The company will be making luxurious cars for the common people,” he added. 

Bilal is an innovator associated with IIED center NIT, Srinagar. The center will provide him assistance for this innovation.  Saad Parvez, head, IIED center said, “The IIED center will help him to develop his innovation and will connect him with the industries or forum that can help him. Our local innovators need motivation and a marketplace. The challenge is to market the innovation.”

Despite having a B.Tech degree in civil engineering, he has a good interest in electronics. He has an experience of 14 years in teaching as he has worked in various colleges and schools as assistant professor. In the past, in 2009, he has made a LPG gas controlling safety device. The device which can automatically turn off the LPG cylinder from anywhere via a mobile app.  

source: http://www.risingkashmir.com / Rising Kashmir / Home / by Insha Latief Khan / June 20th, 2022

MDMK fields ‘Nizam Maama’ in Palayamkottai

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Green Products, Women/Girls(since May26-2021), World Opinion, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Tirunelveli, TAMIL NADU :

People Welfare Front’s candidate for Palayamkottai K.M.A. Nizam of MDMK. — Photo: A. Shaikmohideen; Fatima Babu, MDMK candidate for Thoothukudi.

A social worker for Thoothukudi and a retired teacher for Nagercoil

The Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, a constituent of Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam – People’s Welfare Front, has fielded party’s Tirunelveli city district secretary K.M.A. Nizam, popularly known among the Palayamkottai residents as ‘Nizam Maama.’

Though he has not contested any election in the past, Mr. Nizam, a Grade I contractor, has held various positions in the party and is quite popular among the residents of Palayamkottai, thanks to his ‘helping tendency,’ especially to the needy.

When over 3,000 government employees and the teachers laid siege to the Collectorate recently as part of their Statewide indefinite strike, Mr. Nizam provided them lunch – both vegetarian and non-vegetarian, tea and dinner for two days.

Whenever he is approached for providing lunch for the participants of conferences, seminars in colleges here, he would oblige gleefully, saying that those who teach the younger generation should not be allowed to run from pillar to post for their professional needs.

Mr. Nizam will take on DMK’s T.P.M. Mohideen Khan and AIADMK’s A. Thamizh Magan Hussein.

The MDMK has nominated former MLA T. Sadan Thirumalaikumar, a doctor, at Sankarankovil (reserved) segment. He was elected to the Assembly from neighbouring Vasudevanallur (reserved) constituency in 2006 and had unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha polls at Tenkasi (1991 and 2014), Assembly polls at Rajapalayam (1996) and Assembly by-poll in Sankarankovil (2012).

Nagercoil

Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has fielded a retired teacher, Rani Selwyn, in Nagercoil constituency.

Ms. Rani is the State deputy secretary of the party’s women’s wing. She unsuccessfully contested for the post of Nagercoil Municipal Chairperson in 1986 and 1996.

The party has fielded 68-year old Sampath Chandra, chairman of the Kanyakumari District Central Cooperative Bank, in Colachel constituency.

Tuticorin

Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam , a strong ally of DMDK –PWF, has fielded Fathima Babu (64), former Associate Professor of English, St. Mary’s College, in Thoothukudi. Ms. Babu is a familiar face in Thoothukudi. She is a social worker and an environmental activist. Thoothukudi Mayoral election during 2011 saw Ms. Babu as one of key contenders.

She has held various responsibilities such as Executive Committee Member of Thoothukudi Town Beautification, Senate member of Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, and State Convener of Fishermen Movements of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. This candidate was conferred with ‘Greenpeace International Award’ in recognition of her efforts to protect the planet’s environment. Thoothukudi district administration honoured her at the Republic Day celebration in 2011 for outstanding social service.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Tamil Nadu / by Madurai Bureau / Tirunelveli / April 17th, 2016

Rouf Hamza has documented 100 mushroom varieties of Kashmir

Agriculture (since June 07th, 2021), Amazing Feats, Green Products, Leaders, World Opinion, ,

JAMMU & KASHMIR :

Dr. Rouf Hamza Boda
Dr. Rouf Hamza Boda

Srinagar:

Dr. Rouf Hamza Boda has documented 100 indigenous and yet little known varieties of mushrooms in the Valley to earn the sobriquet of ‘Mushroom Man of Kashmir’. This includes the most expensive fungi in the world – Gucchi (Morel) – and the exotic Porcini.

Dr Boda is the author of Nano Mushroom Identifier, a Book that is beginners’ guide on mushroom cultivation. He belongs to Doru Shahabad of Anantnag and works as a lecturer in Government Higer secondary School, Verinaag in South Kashmir.

He says, “Since I come from a village (Doru Shahabad, Anantnag), I used to be part of the mushroom hunting groups in spring. I used to collect mushrooms in wicker baskets. Along the way, I often saw mushrooms of various shapes and sizes. Sometimes, seeing the large size of mushroom was intimidating.”

His childhood exposure made his pursue a Master’s degree in Botany and, he followed it up with a doctoral research on Mushrooms.

“My guide, Dr. Abdul Hamid Wani inspired me to research on wild mushrooms. I am the first person in the valley to research on wild mushrooms,” he says.

In his research paper, he has documented about 100 mushrooms from forest areas in South Kashmir and evaluated them for antioxidants. Rauf Hamza Boda says, “I have documented their nutritive value, cultivation pattern and studied their classification.”

He said that all mushrooms are fungi and they produce spores similar to pollen or seeds that are spread by wind. A mushroom mature only after this process is completed.In nature the mushroom grow in soil or on wood.

A local variety of mushroom on South Kashmir jungles

Mushrooms grow well on a pine tree. Hamza explains: “Mushroom extracts water and some minerals from the soil and gives it to the roots of these trees and the tree undergoes photosynthesis. This in turn produces many sugars for the mushroom.”

He says Kashmir has many naturally growing types of mushrooms, some of which are edible, including well-known species such as buttons, oysters, porcini and chanterelles, he said.

However, there are inedible ones too that can cause abdominal pain, or vomiting if eaten. Some can even prove fatal.

He says mushrooms are today known for their significant health benefits as these contain a variety of medicinal properties. “Mushroom is a low calorie food. It is rich in many health-boosting vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Mushrooms have been recognized as an important part of the diet.

For example, mushrooms exposed to ultraviolet light are a good source of vitamin D, an important component in bone and immune health. In addition, many of them have anti-cancer properties.”

However, he pointed out that climate change and urbanization have affected many mushroom species. As a result, there has been a gradual decline in the mushroom production including that of Gucchi mushrooms.

“I have been tracking them for the last 10 years. It is estimated that their production has decreased as a result of climate change, deforestation and habitat destruction. Similarly, other mushrooms that grow in early spring, such as the monkey cap, are beginning to disappear. Earlier, they were seen in March and April.

He said that mushroom growing is a profitable venture for anyone who has the basic knowledge about the technique and art of growing mushrooms.

source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Youth / by awazthevoice.in / May 03rd, 2022

How India’s birdman, Sálim Ali, showed us the interconnectedness of life

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Community Involvement / Social Issues, Green Products, Leaders, World Opinion

Mumbai, MAHARASHTRA :

A recent collection of his radio talks point to the stellar role birds play in preserving our environment

Sálim Ali could reach out to a cross-section of society, telling them about birds and the stellar role they play in preserving our environment. (Source: Black Kite)

From busting myths about fireflies lighting up the homes of weaver birds to explaining the whys and hows of the spectacular phenomenon of bird migrations, there has been, perhaps, no one better than Sálim Ali, India’s best-known ornithologist, to demystify the avian world. To Ali’s already formidable list of works, comes another: a collection of his radio talks. Edited by Tara Gandhi, Words for Birds (Black Kite), the book shows him doing what he did best — reaching out to a cross-section of society on birds and the stellar role they play in preserving our environment.

“He was an excellent communicator. He gave a number of lectures and he communicated to people of different professions. For instance, while speaking to mountaineers, he would say — ‘since you go to great heights, to places that ornithologists are not able to go to, look out for nesting sites, for Lammergeiers, the big vultures that are seen in high altitudes. Look around and if you see any birds, let us know, take down notes’. He would talk to people to get out of their own turf or specialisation and become interested in the wider picture,” says Gandhi, who was guided by Ali for her MSc. in field ornithology  shortly before he passed away in 1987, at the age of 90.

India’s birdman, Sálim Ali. (Source: Black Kite)

He was, as she says, ahead of his times in understanding the importance of involving people in conservation. “You will come across one of his talks where he tells his listeners that if you see any unusual birds on the seashore, write to us. This struck me. Nowadays, we talk about citizen science, lay people’s involvement in scientific documentation. A number of bird watchers are specially involved in citizen science — doctors, teachers and people from many other disciplines are making bird lists and sending them to be compiled. A lot of important material comes out of analysing this data . Those days, nearly 60 to 70 years ago, Sálim Ali would urge his readers and listeners to write to the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) to record the information.”

Ali who took over the BNHS after Independence and remained with it for decades, was key in keeping the organisation going and in initiating a systematic study of birds. “He had a vision, which was much ahead of his time and very contemporary,” says Gandhi, who has previously edited A Bird’s Eye View: The Collected Essays and Shorter Writings of Sálim Ali (II Volumes, Permanent Black, 2018) and is the author of Birds, Wild Animals and Agriculture: Conflict and Coexistence in India (The Orient Blackswan; 2015).

Tara Gandhi, who has edited ‘Words for Birds’.(Source: Black Kite)

Delivered between 1941 and 1985, Ali’s talks were recorded mainly at the All India Radio (AIR) station in Mumbai and range from one on trends in bird study to talking about bird life for a school broadcast, in conversational Hindustani titled Chand Hairat Angez Parandon aur Janwaron ke Ghar, speaking to children who didn’t speak English. In his autobiography, The Fall of a Sparrow (Oxford University Press, 1985), he recounts his days as a guide lecturer in the Natural History Section of the Prince of Wales Museum in Mumbai, where he remembers particularly enjoying “talking to pupils from the School for the Blind, because of the lively interest they showed.” Gandhi says, “He made an effort to reach out to children to make them understand more about birds and nature in an easy way.”

After his stint at the Museum, Ali spent a year in Germany, training under Erwin Stresemann at the Berlin University Zoological Museum, returning to India in 1930 and launching on a series of bird surveys across the country. Beginning at a time when ornithology, in his own words, was the “Cinderella of Indian Zoology”, Ali can be credited for taking the discipline outside museums and collections and out in the natural habitat and widening its scope. “The kind of projects he undertook later on from the ’60s onwards were extremely important and absolutely pragmatic. He took on a project on birds in the aviation sector, that is bird hazards in aviation. It was a huge project and it was entirely for saving human lives, for preventing huge losses. The study tried to find methods to avoid bird hits on aircraft — observing the time of the day, the trajectory of the birds, which species were involved and how to prevent them from congregating in the airports. Earlier, his surveys were about collections which became a valuable and permanent resource , but later, he moved away completely from the whole idea of merely collecting specimens when he became the head of BNHS,” says Gandhi.

But being dubbed India’ birdman sometimes shadowed his role as a conservationist. “He would say repeatedly that everything is interlinked in nature. It is not just the birds themselves, it is the habitat of the birds and different ecosystems in India he wanted conserved for the sake of all the flora and fauna within them. He spoke about conservation of endangered species and regretted that so many species had died out. Ali was instrumental in getting a number of national parks and protected areas established. Through his communication skills he was even able to persuade royal families to set aside their hunting reserves for conserving the species within them,” says Gandhi.

source: http://www.indianexpress.com / Indian Express / Home> Books and Literature / by Devyani Onial, New Delhi / April 03rd, 2022

Kerala man’s story of reaping rewards of dairy farming in coconut grove

Agriculture (since June 07th, 2021), Business & Economy, Green Products, Martyrs of the Nation, , , , , , , ,

KERALA :

8 yrs into venture, V Hakeem has over 150 cows and supplies 650l of milk daily, reports A SATISH

Palakkad :

By 2am, V Hakeem is on his feet. He then goes to his coconut grove, located more than a kilometre away, and wakes up his eight migrant workers. And they begin work at his dairy farm in the village of Kamblichungam near Chittur. Hakeem’s foray into dairy farming happened with the cost of purchasing manure for his coconut grove becoming unaffordable. “So I decided to set up a dairy farm inside the grove,” he recounts.

Eight years down the line, Hakeem now has more than 150 cows and supplies 650 litres of milk daily to the Panniperunthala milk society, of which he is the president.

On Friday, he received the district’s best farmer award instituted by the dairy development department. Last year, he supplied 1.36 lakh litres of milk. Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development Minister J Chinchurani gave away the award. “It is the involvement of the farmer that brings in the results,” Hakeem says.“Apart from high-breed varieties like Holstein Friesian and Jerseys, we also have native varieties like Sahiwal, Vechur and Gir.” 

He decided to set up the shed there as the cows can be housed in a cool place. “There are coconut palms on all sides, which helps the cattle stay cool and produce more milk. The only issue is that I have to replace the sheets of the shed occasionally as dry palm leaves fall on them.”

He now plans to install a machine that can automatically milk 20 cows in seven minutes. “It will reduce the workload,” he points out. Hakeem says dairy farmers should be given at least Rs 50 per litre to ensure a minimum return on investment, with the cost of feed and other inputs increasing substantially. 

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by A Satish, Express News Service / April 03rd, 2022

Researchers document 43,118 butterflies in Dakshina Kannada

Agriculture (since June 07th, 2021), Education, Green Products, Karnataka (under research project), , ,
Painted Sawtooth (Prioneris Sita)  

The ‘winged beauties’ are a good indicator of the ecological health of a habitat

Butterflies are excellent communities to monitor the ecological health of a place. A team of researchers from Mangalore University, in collaboration with other two institutes, has identified and documented 43,118 butterflies (individuals) belonging to 175 species in Dakshina Kannada.

Of them, 22 species were habitat specific. The researchers were pursuing the ‘winged beauties’ for the past two years.

Yellow Pansy (Junonia Hierta)

The team comprised M. S. Mustak, Associate Professor, Department of Applied Zoology, Mangalore University and Deepak Naik, a PhD student at Mangalore University. The study was done in collaboration with Shyam Prasad Rao, a researcher at Yenepoya Deemed to be University, Mangaluru and Krishnamegh Kunte, a researcher from the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bengaluru.

The butterflies were identified at eight heterogeneous landscapes ranging from coastal sand dunes to agricultural fields to botanical gardens to semi-evergreen forests on the foothills of the Western Ghats.

Sahyadri Lacewing (Cethosia Mahratta) 

“Using indicator value analysis, 22 habitat-specific and several shared indicator species were identified. The study also documented larval host plants, and over 283 habitat-specific host-butterfly species pair interactions,” Mr. Mustak told The Hindu.

Their research paper – study on abundance and habitat preference of butterflies of the Western Ghats – has now been accepted for publication by the Journal of Insect Conservation, an international journal devoted to the conservation of insects and related invertebrates.

Shiva Sunbeam (Curetis Siva)  

The researchers said that butterfly communities indicate the type and state of a habitat, and can easily be conserved by the restoration of habitats with diverse host plants. They have great public appeal and easy to work with, and are the indicators of a healthy ecosystem.

Mr. Mustak said, “People usually cherish abundant and widely distributed butterflies, but fail to appreciate less common or habitat-specific species. Our study gives quantitative data on the butterflies of the Western Ghats, which is essential for public awareness and outreach.”

Malabar Tree Nymph (Idea Malabarica)  

The team conducted a systematic transect survey for two years to get baseline data on the abundance patterns and habitat preferences of butterflies of the Western Ghats. The study gives an important dataset for future assessment, monitoring and conservation of butterflies of the Western Ghats.

Sahyadri Birdwing (Troides Minos) 

The study showed interesting patterns. Some of the most abundant species are Common Crow (Euploea Core), Common Emigrant (Catopsilia Pomona), Common Four Ring (Ypthima Huebneri), Tawny Coster (Acraea Terpsicore), Lesser Grass Blue (Zizina Otis), Rustic (Cupha Erymanthis), and Chocolate Pansy (Junonia Iphita)

Blue Oakleaf (Kallima Hosfieldii)  

Some species, though very abundant, are restricted to specific habitats. For example, Tawny Coster (Acraea Terpsicore) is common in coastal regions, Common Bush Hopper (Ampittia Dioscorides) in found in agricultural habitats, and Malabar Tree Nymph (Idea Malabarica) in semi-evergreen forests. Some species, such as Common Mormon (Papilio Polytes) and Common Leopard (Phalanta Phalantha), though rare, are found everywhere.

Tree Flitter (Hyarotis Adrastus)  

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Mangaluru / by Raviprasad Kamila / Mangaluru – December 04th, 2021

Innovative Dharwad farmer Nadakattin gets Padma Shri

Agriculture (since June 07th, 2021), Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Green Products, Inventions, Innovations (wef. Nov 30th, 2021), Karnataka (under research project), Leaders, Science & Technology, , ,

Annigeri Town, Hubballi (Dharwad District), KARNATAKA :

pix: nadakattin.in

Hubballi:

Abdul Khadar Nadakattin, was on Tuesday named among the winners of the Padma Shri award.

He is an innovative farmer from Annigeri town in Dharwad district. Being a mechanic by hobby, he developed an interest in agriculture in his inherited land of 60 acres falling in dry area.


His experiments started with planting mango, sapota with intercrops like chilli and ber in the 1980s. His innovative ideas turned into reality in 1994 when he developed a device to separate tamarind seeds from the pulp after spending Rs 3 lakh and six months. In one day, this device can carry out the work equivalent to 500 labourers per day.

Nadakattin started innovating in 1974 soon after he left school as he could not get up early in the morning and his father wanted him to become a farmer. At that time, he had developed a kind of bullock drawn tiller capable of deep plouging in which whetting was not needed. He also invented a multi–purpose sowing machine in 1985.

He established Vishwashanthi Agricultural Research and Industrial Research Centre in 1975.

Now agricultural equipment named after ‘Nadakattin’ are famous across the country.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> City News> Hubballi News / by TNN / January 26th, 2022

Salim Pichan Honoured with State Award

Agriculture (since June 07th, 2021), Amazing Feats, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Green Products, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Wayanad, KERALA :

Bagged State Biodiversity Board’s Custodian of Traditional Knowledge Award 

Kerala State Biodiversity Board has conferred their award for the year 2019-20 for“custodian of traditional knowledge/ citizen scientist” to Sri. Salim Pichan, an employee of MSSRF.

The award is given to persons who have an excellent track record in biodiversity conservation, environment protection and traditional knowledge.

As a zealous para taxonomist, Mr Salim Pichan accrued the knowledge pertaining to the plants, uses and modalities of its applications through his association with traditional healers and tribal communities over a period of two decades. Mr Salim Pichan, a person with intermediate qualification has first become a lover of nature then a para taxonomist and eventually a custodian of traditional knowledge!

This is what his life’s journey is all about.

He has contributed to the discovery of eight new species of plants to science, seven new plant records to Kerala and has also published several books and articles.

As a dedicated conservationist, his 30 cents of land is protecting 300 plant species, of which 100 of them belong to the Rare Endemic and Threatened (RET) category.

A collection of Ceropegia, a unique climber is what makes his garden exceptional along with protection of 11 species in addition to 130 numbers of Orchids, 13 numbers of Dioscorea spp and 123 numbers of medicinal plants.

Most of these plants are collected from different forests and vegetation types across the state and are carefully protected with utmost care.

Many awards and recognitions have reached him in the past as well with the notable ones including Vanamithra award by Kerala State Government in the year 2012 and Swami Vivekananda Yuvaprathibha Puraskaram in 2015, Wayanad District Youth Award in 1998.

To honour his efforts in biodiversity conservation, some taxonomists also named a plant endemic to the Western Ghats as a tribute with his name Seidenfadenilla salimii.

source: http://www.mssrfcabc.res.in / M S Swaminathan Research Foundation / Home> News Room / July 30th, 2021

Ornithologist Salim Ali’s Forgotten Radio-casts Now Come ‘Alive’ in Book

Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Community Involvement / Social Issues, Green Products, Leaders, Travel & Tourism, World Opinion, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Mumbai, MAHARASHTRA :

Ornithologist Dr. Salim Ali’s forgotten radio-casts now come ‘alive’ in a book. /
In memory of Ornithologist Dr Salim Moizuddin Ali.

Dr Salim Moizuddin A. Ali (November 12, 1896-June 20, 1987) was the first Indian to conduct systematic bird surveys across undivided India and even later, and then penned several bird books which popularised ornithology in the sub-continent.

Mumbai :

In a unique initiative, the forgotten radio broadcasts of legendary ornithologist, the late Dr Salim Ali have been compiled and brought ‘alive’ in a book form, which will be released on November 12, marking the 125th birth anniversary of the ‘Birdman of India’.

Dr Salim Moizuddin A. Ali (November 12, 1896-June 20, 1987) was the first Indian to conduct systematic bird surveys across undivided India and even later, and then penned several bird books which popularised ornithology in the sub-continent.

The book — “Words For Birds” — edited by renowned author Tara Gandhi, comprises all the 35 broadcasts of Dr Ali on All India Radio (AIR) — from British India to Independent 1980s — probably unheard of by most people in the current century.

“I had worked with Dr Salim Ali for long… I have even worked on his other papers and documents and I came across these broadcasts that are well-preserved by BNHS,” the book editor Gandhi told IANS briefly, as the book awaits official release.

It will be unveiled as part of the ongoing 125th birth anniversary celebrations of the great ornithologist conferred with the Padma Vibhushan (1976), at the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS, founded 1883), said Education Officer Raju Kasambe.

The 35 talks that comprise “Words For Birds” were broadcast over 45 years, between 1941-1985, revealing Dr Ali’s exceptional skills both as an oral communicator and a passionate bird propagandist.

“The object of these talks is really to interest listeners, in the first instance for the healthy pleasure and satisfaction bird watching affords rather than for its intrinsic scientific possibilities,” the ornithologist had said of his radio transmissions.

The enthralling radiocasts, in a story-telling style, cover a wide range — bird habits and habitats, risks they face, the crucial role of avian in nature’s cyclic processes, how they benefit agriculture, unseen or little understood contributions to the economy, etc.

On his passion, Dr Ali said how 50 years ago bird watching in India was nowhere as popular, or indeed respectable, as it has become now, and in his younger days he would time and again fall in with persons who left him with a feeling, as they withdrew, that they were inwardly tapping a pitying finger on their foreheads.

“Their first glimpse of me very often was, it is true, of a distinctly shabby khaki-clad individual of the garage mechanic type, wandering leisurely and rather aimlessly about the countryside and surreptitiously peeping into bushes, and holes in tree-trunks and earth banks…” said the legend modestly.

Though he had focussed mainly on birds in his radio talks, it is evident that he was interested in all forms of wildlife and contemporary conservation issues, too, with each talk reading like a short essay, and the reader can even glance randomly through it to be immensely educated and entertained.

Dr Ali’s best-sellers from his massive collection include “Book Of Indian Birds” and the monumental 10-volume “Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan” (co-authored with S. Dillon Ripley), “The Birds of Kutch”, “Indian Hill Birds”, “Birds of Kerala”, “The Birds of Sikkim”, and his autobiography, “The Fall of a Sparrow”.

The book editor Gandhi was guided by Dr Ali for MSc (Field Ornithology), and she works for biodiversity conservation, conducts surveys to document birds and other wildlife in India.

Besides scientific and popular articles on nature and ecology, she has penned several books like “Birds, Wild Animals and Agriculture: Conflict and Coexistence in India” and edited the two-volume “A Bird’s Eye View: The Collected Essays and Shorter Writings of Salim Ali”.

Published by Black Kite and Hachette, “Words For Birds” (256 pg/Rs.599) will soon be available from BNHS and Amazon platforms. — IANS

source: http://www.clarionindia.net / Clarion India / Home> India> Life> Books / November 05th, 2021

Muslim youth invents flying car, a schoolboy e-Cycle

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Chennai, TAMILNADU / Aurangabad, MAHARASHTRA :

A youth from Chennai has invented a flying car, while a schoolboy from Aurangabad has invented an e-Cycle

Chennai: 

Indian Muslims are silently making their efforts for innovative development in the country. A youth from Chennai has invented a flying car, while a schoolboy from Aurangabad has invented an e-Cycle. Their achievements tell the story that Muslims are second to none in the innovative development of the country.

Muhammad Furkan Shoaib, an aeronautical engineer, has fulfilled the dream of million Indians of riding a flying car in the sky. He along with his technical team has innovated India’s first flying car. Furkan Shoaib is a certified UAV pilot and the Chief Technology Officer at VINITA – an Aero-mobility company in Chennai.

The model of this flying car was shown at the London Helitech Exposition on October 5, 2021. Many of India’s news channels showed the car launch in their news coverage. They gave credit for this innovation to the “Make in India” project and failed to mention the promising young engineer’s contribution to this innovation.

The gap was filled by a US website called ‘Future Flight’ that gave coverage to this innovation and also appreciated Muhammad Furqan’s abilities for his stellar contribution to the field of aviation.

Undoubtedly Muhammad Furqan has made the whole country proud. His innovation is a morale booster and inspiration for the youth, especially the Muslim youth, who too want to be on such work of innovation in the country.

Aurangabad :

“e-Cycle”

The second story is of a talented high-school boy Mohammad Faizan from Aurangabad in Maharashtra. Faizan is making waves in social media for his innovation of an e-bike that has made people rushing for a glimpse of him and his invention. Its video is available on YouTube.

Faizan, the tech-savvy student of 8th grade, has transformed a paddle bike into electric one. He actually has transformed the common paddle bike into a motorbike. Attached to the bike are a self-starter switch, accelerator, clutch, breaks, and other features.

Watch Video: Faizan’s e-bike

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRG_QfntzC4&feature=emb_imp_woyt

The bike is powered by an electrical motor. Faizan has connected the motor with a rechargeable battery that takes two hours to get fully charged. A single charge lasts for about 50 kilometers and there is a digital indicator that displays remaining battery levels. The speedo-meter tells the speed of the bike. The innovator claims that the top speed of the bike is 30 kilometers per hour.

These two positive stories from the much-maligned Muslim community show mirror to those who accuse, the 14 percent Muslim minority community of a drag on 84 percent Hindu population.

The negative stereotyping of the Muslims likes “puncher chaap” or “love jihadi” are corona jihadi are dutifully circulated in the media, while the story of these two characters has never been told even though they inspire a whole generation of youth of the country.

[Syed Ali Mujtaba is a journalist based in Chennai. He can be contacted at syedalimujtaba2007@gmail.com.]

source: http://www.ummid.com / Ummid.com / Home> Science & Technology / by Syed Ali Mujtaba / October 18th, 2021