Madurai’s jigarthanda reaches Singapore for first time

TNN | Feb 27, 2020, 04.38 AM IST

Madurai: While traditional snack items like murukku, kadalai mittai, karachevu and the Geographical Indication (GI) tagged Srivilliputtur palkova have frequently been exported due to their high demand in other countries, it is the first time that Madurai’s famous drink jigarthanda has been flown to Singapore by an Air India flight on Wednesday.

S Thanga Pandian, customs clearance agent, said that traditional Indian sweets were in high demand in other countries and over the past few months, he had seen the exports of not less than 1,000 kg of traditional sweets and snacks being flown from the Madurai airport to various destinations.

The makers of the famous jigarthanda recently received a request from a local trader in Singapore for their jigarthanda. After completion of all formalities, including the FSSAI certification, the first consignment of 135 kg was flown to Singapore on a trial basis on Wednesday.

Pandian said that all the ingredients for jigarthanda including the milk, almond gum, sea algae, sugar and the ice cream for the constitution of the drink were being taken from Madurai. “It is the taste of cow’s milk and the handmade ice cream from Madurai that gives the specific taste to the drink, hence all the ingredients have to be taken from here, only the algae is taken in the dry form and will be soaked once it reaches its destination,” he said. As the fasting season of Ramzan is coming up, jigarthanda is expected to be in demand in Singapore as it is an energizer and also has cooling properties. Pandian said that based on the reception that the drink receives in Singapore, the frequency of export may be enhanced to even daily.

Anna University's move to formalise appointment of emeritus professors faces opposition

TNN | Feb 26, 2020, 01.31 PM IST
 

CHENNAI: To overcome huge backlog of vacancies and dearth in quality faculty members, Anna University has decided to utilise expertise of retired professors from the university, IITs and other eminent institutions. A resolution recently passed by the institute syndicate sought to standardise the quality and experience of faculty members and appoint retired professors on temporary basis.

However, the move now faces opposition from PMK founder S Ramadoss who alleged that it would block the employment of young faculty members. "When the university is having 40% vacancies, it is taking steps to appoint retired professors," he said asking the state government to advise the university to drop the move. Owing to no recruitment in the past six years, the number of vacancies across various departments has reached 320 out of 851 posts on the four campuses.

"There is a dearth of experienced faculty members in most of the departments. The university has been appointing emeritus professors and professors eminence in research centres and departments even before the present vice-chancellor took charge," professors from the university said.

University vice-chancellor M K Surappa said the university is only trying to adopt best practices from top institutions like IITs.

"We are not doing anything new in university. All top institutions like central universities and IITs have emeritus professors in good numbers. The university is only trying to adopt best practices from those institutions," said Surappa. He said the appointment of these professors is only on temporary basis and they are being paid honorarium, not full salary.

Central agencies like All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), University Grants Commission (UGC) and the department of science and technology (DST) have schemes to employ retired professors.

"We have less than 20 professors currently. There was a confusion over their appointment. So, we have adopted guidelines for their appointment. The maximum amount to be paid is 1.5 lakh, which is less than a professor's salary. But, all our existing emeritus professors are receiving much lower amount," he said.

Educationists said the move is common practice among higher educational institutions. "There is nothing wrong in appointing retired professors from eminent institutions like IITs and the university as professors of eminence. It is common practice in higher educational institutions across the world," says E Balagurusamy, former vice-chancellor of Anna University.

Retirement age for Anna University professors is 60 while in institutions like IITs and IISc it is 65.

Remembering the evergreen voice of Madurai Somu

Feb 27, 2020, 04.07 AM IST

Chennai: He was one of the rare Carnatic vocalists who was a musician of the masses. So it comes as no surprise that Madurai S Somasundaram’s birth centenary celebrations are continuing for more than a year, with Sangita Kalanidhi Madurai Seshagopalan paying tributes to the master at Ragasudha Hall in Mylapore this weekend.

But if his parents had their way, rasikas may not have had the pleasure of knowing his mesmerizing voice. Somu, as he was popularly known, was the tenth child, who was initiated into music as a ‘shruti-petti’ accompanist. As a child he showed keen interest in vocal music, but those at home didn’t seem to approve. Belonging to the family of nagaswaram vidwan Srinivasa Pillai, he was expected to take up this instrument. But the headstrong boy, captivated by singing, joined the theatre group "Boys Company" on his own.

Bowing to his preference, his parents took him to veteran vocalists Abhirami Sasthriar and Sesham Bhagavathar. Later in 1930, he began taking lessons from Chitoor Subramaniam Pillai in the gurukulam style for 14 years, at the end of which he debuted on the stage at a concert in Tiruchendur in 1945.

A faithful to the grammar prescribed by music pundits, he never allowed this to imprison his creativity. One could equate the popularity of Somu with that of Madurai Mani Iyer. Somu’s music, his abilities in all domains of Carnatic music — the ‘alapana’, rendering of the ‘kriti’ and ‘swaraprastharam’ — was engrossing. He would explore known ragas to unknown depths.

His concert-framework had special time for Ragam Tanam Pallavi. His pallavis used to be tough on the accompanists who used to dread these. He always demanded the full-bench when it came to supporting (pakka vadhyam) laya artists. The picture of Somu at the centre, as if on a pivot swirling around, encouraging these performers is etched in the memory of those who frequented his concerts. His concerts would follow the pattern of temple nagaswaram concerts, commencing in the evening and extending into the small hours of the day with unflinching vitality. He tried to mimic the nagaswaram and it is well-established that his raga phrases were imitative of the nagaswaram ‘bhani’ (pattern).

During his concerts there was the less heavy phase where he used to sing self-composed Tamil pieces as ‘ragamalika’(in a string of ragas). His evergreen songs are "Enna Kavi Padinalum", "Ullak Kovilil" and "Madumeikkum Kanna". Listeners would not let him go without singing these. After he had made his conspicuous entry into cinema with ‘Deivam’ as a playback singer, requests included the number "Maruthamalai Mamaniye", a song that made him popular instantly among the masses.

In spite of being a star, Somu was easily accessible, amiable and an endearing personality. And probably his goodness of heart also reflected in his voice too. People used to say his voice would improve qualitatively, get stimulated, mellow and attain sweetness as the concert progressed — an eternal experience of rasikas.

Impersonator hired by Chennai medical student wrote NEET in Bihar

TNN | Feb 27, 2020, 05.55 AM IST

CHENNAI: A second-year student of Madras Medical College, who was arrested along with his father on Wednesday in connection with the NEET scam, had used an impersonator who took the entrance exam at a centre in Bihar, investigators have found.

The student was expelled from the college last October, but could not be booked till now because of delay in establishing mismatch of fingerprints on the NEET answer sheet and other documents submitted to the college during admission.

Police said K Deivendran, 53, a businessman who hails from Hosur, had paid 20 lakh to a Bengaluru-based broker to arrange an impersonator for his son. The broker is yet to be apprehended.

Deivendran told police that he met the mediator in Bengaluru through a common friend. A police officer said, "Once we arrest the mediator we may be able to get to many impersonators who wrote NEET on behalf of students from Tamil Nadu," said a police officer.

According to a press release, police arrested Deivendran and his son (name withheld) after scrutinizing documents submitted by the student to the Madras Medical College and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). A magistrate court in the city on Wednesday remanded them in judicial custody.

Police said the student enrolled in MMC in 2018 claiming that he had appeared for NEET at a centre in Gaya, Bihar, though he was born and brought up in Hosur. After the scrutiny found the papers suspicious, the college filed a police complaint which was forwarded to the CB-CID.

In October last year, news about a case of impersonation of a second year medical student in the Madras Medical College came up. College dean Dr R Jayanthi filed a police complaint at the Flower Bazaar police station, which was later transferred to CB-CID. There was so far no other complaint against anyone of the 2018 batch, said director of medical education Dr R Narayana Babu. Earlier he had asked all medical college deans to verify the credentials of first year students in MBBS and PG courses.

‘Madras eye’ is back, with fever, cough

TNN | Feb 27, 2020, 05.20 AM IST
 

CHENNAI: Several people are walking into eye clinics with red, itchy eyes and opthalmologists say the season for conjunctivitis has just begun.

While adults complain of watery eyes, children are showing symptoms of fever, cold and sore throat, along with conjunctivitis.



“The viral disease, unlike what we saw last year, isn’t serious. Most people don’t require medication. It settles down in five days. But this time we are seeing many children with flu-like symptoms,” said opthalmologist Dr V Vasumathi of Radhatri Nethralaya. “They may need no medication for the eye, unless there is an associated bacterial infection causing eye inflammation or vision disruption,” she said.

Childcare specialists call the condition pharyngoconjunctival fever. “We see this often in school children. It is caused by a virus, usually the adenovirus, and is contagious,” said Dr S Balasubramanian, medical director of Kanchi Kamakoti Childs Trust. This type of fever peaks in summer, particularly when children are in camps and swimming pools, he said. Some children may also complain of fatigue and and upset stomach.

Most patients are treated as outpatient and advised to stay athome. They are askedto come back if they notice photophobia (unable to see light), swelling of the eye, vision disruption or a cloudy cornea. “The viral disease is contagious and can spread quickly in classrooms or closed office spaces,” said Dr S Soundari, head of medical services, Agarwal Eye Hospital. “We are commonly seeing at least seven to eight people a day, compared to the usual one or two, or none,” she said.

சென்னை - மும்பை மெயில், தாதர் விரைவு ரயில்கள் அதிவிரைவு 

ரயில்களாக இயக்கம்- ஜூலை 1-ம் தேதி முதல் நடைமுறைக்கு வருகிறது

சென்னை 26.02.2020

சென்னையில் இருந்து மும்பைக்கு இயக்கப்படும் தாதர் மற்றும் மும்பை மெயில் ஆகிய இரு ரயில்களும் வரும் ஜூலை 1-ம் தேதி முதல் அதிவிரைவு ரயில்களாக இயக்கப்படும் என அறிவிப்பு வெளியாகியுள்ளது.

சென்னை சென்ட்ரலில் இருந்து மும்பைக்கு இரவு 11.55 மணிக்கு மும்பை மெயில் (வண்டி எண்.11028) இயக்கப்பட்டு வருகிறது. இதேபோல், சென்னை எழும்பூரில் இருந்து தாதருக்கு காலை 6.45 மணிக்கு தாதர் விரைவு ரயில் (வண்டி எண்.12164) இயக்கப்பட்டு வருகிறது. இந்த இரு ரயில்களும் வரும் ஜூலை 1-ம் தேதி முதல் அதிவிரைவு (சூப்பர்ஃபாஸ்ட்) ரயில்களாக இயக்கப்பட உள்ளதாக மத்திய ரயில்வே வெளியிட்டுள்ள அறிவிப்பில் தெரிவிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

மேலும், தாதர் விரைவு ரயில் ஜூலை 1-ம் தேதி முதல் எழும்பூரில் இருந்து இயக்கப்படுவதற்கு பதிலாக சென்னை சென்ட்ரலில் இருந்து இயக்கப்படும். அதேபோல், தாதரில் இருந்து இயக்கப்படுவதற்கு பதிலாக லோகமான்ய திலக் முனையத்தில் இருந்து இயக்கப்பட உள்ளது. அத்துடன், இந்த ரயில் மும்பையில் இருந்து வரும்போது அரக்கோணத்தில் நின்று செல்லாது என அறிவிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

இதேபோல், மும்பை மெயில் சென்னை சென்ட்ரலுக்கு பதிலாக எழும்பூரில் இருந்து இயக்கப்படும் எனவும் அறிவிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. மேலும், இந்த ரயில் திருவள்ளூர், அரக்கோணம், திருத்தணி, புத்தூர் ஆகிய ரயில் நிலையங்களில் இனி நிற்காது என அறிவிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. அதேசமயம், மும்பையில் இருந்து சென்னைக்கு வரும்போது மட்டும் அரக்கோணத்தில் நிற்கும்.

இதற்கிடையே, இந்த இரு ரயில்களுக்கும், குறிப்பிட்ட ரயில் நிறுத்தங்கள் ரத்து செய்யப்பட்டிருப்பது ரயில் பயணிகள் மத்தியில் கடும் அதிருப்தியை ஏற்படுத்தியுள்ளது.

இதுகுறித்து, ரயில் பயணிகள் சிலர் கூறும்போது, “மும்பை மெயில் கடந்த 60 ஆண்டுகளாக திருவள்ளூர், அரக்கோணம் ஆகிய ரயில் நிலையங்களில் நின்று செல்கிறது. இந்நிலையில், இந்த ரயில் நிலையங்களில் நிற்காது என அறிவிக்கப்பட்டிருப்பது அதிர்ச்சியாக உள்ளது.

பயணிகள் யாராவது இனி எழும்பூரில் மும்பை மெயிலை தவற விட்டுவிட்டால் அடுத்ததாக ரேணிகுண்டா ரயில் நிலையத்தில் சென்றுதான் ஏற முடியும். முன்புபோல், வழியில் திருவள்ளூர், அரக்கோணம் அல்லது திருத்தணி என எந்த ரயில் நிலையத்திலும் ஏற முடியாது.

இதேபோல், தாதர் விரைவு ரயில் மும்பையில் இருந்து சென்னைக்கு வரும்போது அரக்கோணத்தில் நிற்கும். தற்போது இந்தநிறுத்தம் ரத்தானதால் அரக்கோணம் மற்றும் திருவள்ளூர் பகுதியை சுற்றியுள்ள பயணிகள் இனிமேல் ரேணிகுண்டாவில் இறங்க வேண்டும் அல்லது பெரம்பூரில் இறங்கி செல்ல வேண்டும். இது பயணிகள் அனைவருக்கும் பெரிய சிரமத்தை ஏற்படுத்தும்” என்றனர்.

ஆர்.டி.ஓ., உதவியாளர் லஞ்ச வழக்கில் கைது அடங்க மாட்றாங்கய்யா...!

Updated : பிப் 26, 2020 02:14 | Added : பிப் 26, 2020 01:27

ஈரோடு:இறப்பு சான்றிதழ் வழங்க, 4,000 ரூபாய் லஞ்சம் பெற்ற, ஈரோடு, ஆர்,டி.ஓ., அலுவலக உதவியாளர் கைது செய்யப்பட்டார்.

ஈரோடு மாவட்டம், பெருந்துறை குள்ளம்பாளையத்தைச் சேர்ந்தவர், சத்தியமூர்த்தி, 35; விவசாயி. இவர் மாமனார் முத்து சாமி, 1988ல் இறந்துள்ளார். மாமனாரின் இறப்பு சான்றிதழை, நீதிமன்றம் மூலம், சத்தியமூர்த்தி வாங்க ஆணை பெற்றார்.இது தொடர்பாக, ஈரோடு, ஆர்.டி.ஓ., அலுவலகத்தை அணுகினார். அங்கிருந்த அலுவலக உதவியாளர் கணேசன், 49, சான்றிதழ் வழங்க, 4,000 ரூபாய் கேட்டுள்ளார்.

இது குறித்து, ஈரோடு லஞ்ச ஒழிப்பு துறை அலுவலகத்தில், சத்தியமூர்த்தி புகார் அளித்தார்.லஞ்சஒழிப்பு போலீசார், நேற்று காலை, கணேசனை கைது செய்தனர். மேலும், லஞ்ச பணத்தில், யார் யாருக்கு பங்குஉள்ளது என, விசாரித்து வருகின்றனர்.