Headmaster beaten up by teachers

12/01/2020, STAFF REPORTER,ERODE

The headmaster of Government Middle School at Sundapur tribal hamlet was allegedly beaten up by his colleagues in Gobichettipalayam on Saturday after he refused to return school documents taken away by him.

During an inspection on January 8 by the Assistant Elementary Educational Officer, Anthiyur, over 10 documents, including the attendance register of teachers and school management council records, were found missing. Despite officials asking the headmaster, Chandran, to return the records, he refused. On Saturday, he tried to escape when his colleagues asked about the records, but was nabbed. He later returned the records and no complaint was lodged.

Those with normal BP should also cut salt intake, says expert

12/01/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,CHENNAI

Having normal blood pressure (BP) level does not mean one can take more salt with their food. Cutting down salt intake by 10% to 20% could prevent strokes, heart attacks and kidney failure to a great extent, according to Rajan Ravichandran, chairman of Sapiens Health Foundation.

“Everyone knows they should reduce salt once they have high BP. We want to target the normal population. They should reduce salt intake to prevent high BP. Hence, we have shifted our target to students so that they reduce their intake at a young age,” he said while distributing prizes to schoolchildren for an essay writing contest on “Salt in Diet and Health” on Friday.

The foundation that has been campaigning for low salt intake for the last 11 years wrote to nearly 300 food manufacturers to cut down added salt in their products, Mr. Ravichandran said.

He said the world’s number one killer was hypertension and its complications such as heart attacks, strokes and kidney failure. K.N. Ramaswamy, director of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (Chennai Kendra), said extra tax on salt would create awareness on the impact of having excess salt.

“Schools should ensure that children avoid processed food,” he said. Vijaya Bharathi Rangarajan, president of Rotary Club of Madras and P.N. Mohan, ex-president of Rotary Club of Madras spoke.

Mylapore street comes alive with kolams

Contest held as part of Mylapore Festival

12/01/2020, STAFF REPORTER,CHENNAI

Fifteen kolams were selected and participants given prizes at the end of the contest. K.V. Srinivasan

As V. Mythili, a resident of Mylapore, deftly drew an intricate pattern on the road at North Mada Street, a group gathered around her, clicking photographs of her kolam.

The octogenarian was one among over hundred participants of the kolam contest, organised as a part of the Sundaram Finance Mylapore Festival, on Saturday evening.

“For many of us here, drawing kolams has gone from an interest to a passion. Every day, I think of a new design and draw it at home,” Ms Mythili said.

For many other participants like V. Raji from Alwarpet, several designs online and video tutorials on how to draw kolams helped develop interest in recent times.

Participants at the contest were given around an hour to complete their kolams, and watching them keenly were several onlookers. Several tourists visiting the Kapaleeswarar Temple too stopped by to see the competition. As many as 15 kolams were selected and the participants given prizes at the end of the contest.

“Having participated in the festival for many years now, I’ve learnt a lot of interesting kolam techniques from other participants here,” said Jayanthi Murugesh, a participant from T. Nagar, who also won a prize at the competition.

Vincent D’Souza, director of the Mylapore Festival, said the festival initially began with the kolam competition as a standalone event, and over the years, had evolved into a much bigger cultural festival. “The festival and events such as the kolam contest are aimed at spreading the message that the temple and its surrounding areas need to be preserved and promoted as a cultural heritage zone,” he said.

The kolam contest will also be held for more participants on Sunday, from 3.30 p.m. As part of the festival, a rangoli competition, for a limited number of participants, will also be conducted on Sunday.

Nirbhaya case: SC to hear plea on Jan. 14
12/01/2020, LEGAL CORRESPONDENT,NEW DELHI

A five-judge Bench led by Justice N.V. Ramana will examine the curative petitions filed by two Nirbhaya gang-rape case convicts, Vinay Sharma and Mukesh, on January 14.

The other judges on the Bench are Justices Arun Mishra, Rohinton Nariman, R. Banumathi and Ashok Bhushan. The judges will examine the petitions in their chambers at 1.45 p.m. and decide to either accept or reject them. The curative petitions were filed by both convicts on January 9, just days after a Delhi sessions court scheduled the execution of all the four convicts for January 22, at Tihar Jail.

Sharma and Mukesh, in separate petitions, said there had been a sea change in the death penalty jurisprudence since their convictions.

Need to reorient syllabus, teaching methods: Venkaiah

TNN | Jan 12, 2020, 04.24 AM IST

Trichy: There is a need to reorient syllabus and teaching methodologies in educational institutions to train students at par with industry requirements, Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu has said. Addressing the 21st convocation of Srimad Andavan Arts and Science College, Thiruvanaikoil on Saturday, he said institutions must lay greater emphasis on skill development and establish industry linkages. This would give students first-hand experience of working in an enterprise and at the same time cultivate the spirit of entrepreneurship.

He appealed to students to protect nature and preserve culture for a better future. “When I crossed the river Cauvery, I noticed water flowing on the river. I got down from the vehicle breaching the protocol and went to the bridge side and saw the water and I felt very happy. Because water is our life, rivers are life. Unfortunately, because of neglect all rivers are drying and dying,” the VP said adding that the time has come to rejuvenate and connect all rivers. For the past few decades, people have been seeing the adverse impact of global warming and climate change. People have tinkered with nature for too long and now they are experiencing the impact of nature’s fury. Despite being a perennial river once upon a time, Cauvery is not flowing, he said. “Water problem will be a severe problem for the whole world. So, we have to find ways how to use, reduce and reuse water. Rainwater harvesting system should be part of our education system”, he stressed. Former chief election commissioner of India N Gopalaswami, chairman of national executive committee of Andavan Ashram R Rajagopal, college secretary C A Ammangi, correspondent V Balaji and principal, staff and students attended the event.

At Kappalur toll plaza, rude staff even beat up motorists

TNN | Jan 12, 2020, 04.33 AM IST

Madurai: The Kappalur toll plaza has become notorious for the hostile behaviour of its employees who frequently pick up quarrels with users and even beat them up occasionally. With the plaza witnessing law and order issues, local people have demanded that the district police verify the background of workers employed there and ensure that they wear identity cards.

At least three Ayyappa devotees from Chennai who were travelling on a van suffered injuries on Thursday when a group of toll plaza employees attacked them. Sakthi Sai, Kumaraguru and Madhesh suffered injuries and were treated in a hospital. Based on a complaint from S Baskar, 40, from Broadway in Chennai, a case was registered with the Thirumangalam Town police station.

Four people identified as N Pankaj, 20, from Bihar, S Tejbir Singh, 20, and K Rohit, 22, from Uttar Pradesh and V Vignesh, 26, from Maninagaram in Madurai city were arrested. Police sources said that the accused attacked them using a flag pole and helmet. According to the police, the van carrying 20 devotees wrongly entered FASTag lane. After being told by the toll gate employees that they would be charged twice, the van driver reversed the vehicle. An altercation ensued when the employees gently knocked on the vehicles asking them to make it fast. A quarrel erupted when the occupants of the van questioned it and in no time the employees gathered and started assaulting the devotees.

However, Shankar Raj, toll officer at the toll gate, said they acted only in self-defence as the Ayyappa devotees provoked them by attacking one of the employees. The devotees suffered injuries when they fell down accidentally during the altercation, he said. P K Vembuvendan, coordinator of the committee against Kappalur toll plaza, said that motorists being abused by the toll plaza staff is a regular affair irrespective of whether they are locals or outsiders. This is evident from the peace committee meetings periodically conducted by revenue officials to ensure law and order.

The plaza has been set up at Kappalur, which is within a 5km radius of Thirumangalam municipality, in violation of rules. “People from other states are being employed to threaten users. Police should intervene by checking the criminal antecedents of workers and ensure they wear ID cards. They go into hiding after every assault and the administration washes its hands off saying they were not employees,” Vembuvendan said.

NHAI project director, Madurai, V Saravanan said the issue was the result of the user entering FASTag despite being stopped by employees. A counter-complaint against the occupants of the van has been lodged with the police. “Users always have the mindset that they are being cheated. Things go out of control when the employees are being attacked. They had to retaliate in self-defence,” he told TOI.

Nirbhaya case: Kannada film actor Jaggesh offers Rs 1 lakh to hangman

TNN | Jan 11, 2020, 02.08 PM IST

BENGALURU: Kannada film actor Jaggesh announced on Twitter that he will hand over Rs 1 lakh to the hangman who will execute the four convicts in the Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case.

Jaggesh told TOI that as a believer of the Mahabharata and Bhagavad Gita, he felt the death sentence was a just decision. "I have watched videos of Nirbhaya's mother pouring her heart out and many a time I too have wept," he said.

Jaggesh said he saw an interview of the hangman, Pavan Jallad, who said hanging the four culprits would fetch him Rs 1 lakh which he plans to use for his daughter's wedding.

"In the video, the hangman said he does not have a proper home but wants to get his daughter married and does not mind hanging the convicts. He said hanging each of them would get him Rs 25,000 and since there are four convicts, he would get Rs 1 lakh," Jaggesh said.

"The money I am giving will be of help to Jallad, who will be ending the lives of the cruel murderers of an innocent girl," he said.

While Tihar Jail has sought for two hangmen to execute the four, Pawan Jallad from Meerut is expected to be one of them.

Jallad through a video on social media expressed joy at Jaggesh's gesture.