HIV pulled them down, love gave hope 

Priya Menon | TNN | Updated: Dec 1, 2017, 00:11 IST

An infected needle turned Arun's* life upside down. In another part of the country, a blood transfusion brought Radhika's* dreams crashing down. But instead of letting their HIV+ve diagnoses fill their lives with negativity, they decided to stay positive. Brought together by a twist of fate and the late Dr Suniti Solomon, the pioneer of AIDS research in India, the couple is now proud parents to a 16-year-old, and productive members of society.

"When I was first diagnosed with HIV, I was terrified," says Chennai-based Arun, who was referred to Dr Solomon of YRG CARE. "She reassured me that I could still lead a normal life as long as I took medication, and adopted a healthy lifestyle. Getting to know other people living with HIV helped me overcome my fears," says Arun, who gave up smoking and drinking.

Two years later, when Dr Solomon asked him if he was looking for a life partner, Arun was ready to take the next step forward. "I hadn't told my parents or siblings that I am HIV+ve so they were keen to see me married. I wanted a companion but didn't want to spoil the life of another person, so I decided to marry a woman who was also HIV+ve," says Arun, an engineer.

Dr Solomon, who documented the first cases of HIV in India in 1986 among sex workers, took voluntary retirement in 1993 to establish YRG Care. In the latter part of her career — as people began living longer with generic anti-retroviral medications and faced the same pressure at home to get married — she began helping healthy patients find life partners. Though the centre has played 'matchmaker' for 30 couples so far, Arun and Radhika's was the first success story.

With Dr Solomon's encouragement, Arun decided to meet prospective brides. That's when Dr Solomon heard about Radhika, a young woman from Maharashtra. And once Arun met her and her family, he was quick to make up his mind.

Radhika, who takes tuitions at home, was also willing to take the plunge. "I didn't want to be alone for the rest of my life, and wanted the emotional support a partner can give," she says. The next hurdle was convincing his parents who were still unaware that he is HIV+ve. Arun's family was quick to come around and the only barrier was language.

But there was another, bigger challenge ahead. The couple, who got married in July 2001, discovered that Radhika was pregnant in September. "We were scared but both of us were on medication and our son, born in 2002, is HIV-ve," says Arun.

Till today, they have not disclosed their HIV+ve identity to friends, Arun's family, or their son.

"There is still some stigma attached to the disease as people have misconceptions about it," says Radhika. "But there is nothing to fear. We take our medicines every day, eat healthy and go to the hospital every six months to check our CD4 (white blood cell counts) and viral loads," says Radhika.

Arun says getting married and having a child has given direction to his life. "If you live on your own, you can get depressed. My outlook to life changed after marriage, and now I have a son to live and work for, which gives purpose to my life," he says.

He has just one word of advice for people. "If you are in the high-risk group, do go to the doctor and get an HIV test done. With timely and regular treatment, you can lead a normal life."

KK Nagar road caves in for the third time 10 days

TNN | Updated: Dec 1, 2017, 00:21 IST

Chennai: A busy stretch in K K Nagar used mostly by school students has caved in for a third time in the last 10 days due to a leaking Metrowater sewer line. The situation has induced worry in locals' minds who fear the road strength has been compromised, especially as another spell of rain is expected to hit the city.

A portion of the road in Alagirisamy Salai in K K Nagar caved in late on Wednesday night with Metrowater officials, at the time of writing, yet to ascertain the cause behind the incident. The cave in happened barely inches away from the last crater which developed on the stretch last week.

"The (Metrowater) workers had been repairing a damaged sewer pipeline for the last 10 days," said a shopkeeper in the vicinity, who didn't want to be named. Metrowater had replaced a pipe crossing over at the junction of Lakshmanaswamy Salai and Alagirisamy Salai. The damaged pipeline, placed on a footpath nearby, appeared rusted and broken.

A third cave in was reported around a week earlier near the Padma Sheshadri Bala Bhavan school premises. "The caved in portion has been covered but it has become a hassle to drop children because of the large barricade placed in the middle," said a parent.

Corporation officials told TOI that the Metrowater's leaking sewer lines were causing problems not only on Alagirisamy Salai but also on Anna Main Road nearby. "There is no problem with our roads. Opposite the Nesapakkam sewage treatment plant, multiple road cave-ins have happened in last two months," the corporation official said.

Education institutions to remain closed

TNN | Updated: Dec 1, 2017, 07:37 IST

 

TIRUNELVELI: Heavy winds and rain hit normal life in Tirunelveli and Tuticorin districts from Wednesday night damaging 18 houses, uprooting 87 trees and also pulling down 278 electricity poles.

Since the meteorology department had warned of heavy winds two days in advance, the fishermen in the coastal hamlets did not venture into the sea from Wednesday night.

The collectors of the two districts have announced closure of schools and colleges due to the rough weather. Manonmaniam Sundaranar University cancelled all its semester examinations slated for the day.

Heavy rains, winds batter Kanyakumari district

PTI | Nov 30, 2017, 13:56 IST



 KANYAKUMARI : Torrential overnight rains accompanied by squally winds lashed this district, uprooting scores of trees and affecting normal life. The district administration asked people not to venture out following the heavy rains and squally winds. Many parts suffered power cuts even as educational institutions remained closed in this district.

A couple of trains, originating and passing through this district suffered partial to full cancellation, even as some of them were rescheduled, Southern Railway officials said. Local administration employed personnel to remove uprooted trees even as movement of vehicular traffic was affected.

Meanwhile, rains accompanied with strong winds lashed many parts of south Tamil Nadu such as Tirunelveli and Tuticorin among others. Fishermen stayed off the sea in Tuticorin even as boats anchored on the shore suffered damage following strong winds. Educational institutions remained closed in southern districts such as Tirunelveli, Tuticorin, Viruthunagar and Thanjavur.

Cyclone Ockhi wreaks havoc in South Kerala, to intensify into severe storm over Lakshadweep

Laxmi Prasanna | TNN | Nov 30, 2017, 22:36 IST

Highlights

The storm is moving towards the west-north westwards towards Lakshadweep islands and adjoining areas.

It is expected to intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm during the next 24 hours in Kerala and by 48 hours over Lakshadweep.

The name Ockhi means 'eye' in Bengali and was given by Bangladesh, as a member of WMO.




The cyclonic storm wreaked havoc in the districts of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta, Idukki and Ernakulum.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Cyclonic storm 'Ockhi' over Comorin area at 11.12 am on Thursday that kicked off 75 km per hour along Kanyakumari moved westwards at a speed of 32 kmph during the last six hours which is 70 km south of Kerala capital. The storm is moving towards the west-north westwards towards Lakshadweep islands and adjoining areas. It is expected to intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm during the next 24 hours in Kerala and by 48 hours over Lakshadweep.

The core effects of the cyclonic storm has led to havoc in Kerala mostly along South Kerala with incessant heavy rains and squally winds gusting up to 65 km per hour during transit which is expected to intensify further till December 1. The havoc has claimed eight lives including four lives in Kanyakumari and four lives in South Kerala with about 180 fishermen from Poonthura missing and brought many parts of South Kerala into a standstill with tree fall, jamming electricity and cable wires along the roads leaving traffic haywire in many parts. With that chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan through video conferencing called for an emergency response across the state by KSDMA in coordination with the district collectors and officials of various departments in the state.

"The deep depression over Bay of Bengal and Sri Lanka since Wednesday turned into the cyclonic storm Ockhi at 11.12 am today and the core effects of that is felt with heavy rains, squally winds and high waves with rough sea along Kerala coast. It is expected to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm over night and will move to Lakshadweep with a landfall. The name of the cyclonic storms are given by the World Meteorological Organisation based on the UN Charter," Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) member secretary Sekhar Kuriakose told TOI. "So by afternoon, we had issued the alert and the Minister has declared a holiday for schools," he said. The name Ockhi means 'eye' in Bengali was given by Bangladesh, as a member of WMO.

The cyclonic storm wreaked havoc in the districts of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta, Idukki and Ernakulum. The coast guards, Indian Navy personnel and the National Disaster Response Force team have been alerted and they will be in the affected areas of the state to take up the rescue and rehabilitation works, KSDMA officials said. The state has sought the support of Indian Navy helicopters, Dornier aircrafts and ships for the rescue works. In addition, the state has sought the support of Indian Air Force for the rescue work.

While in a joint alert by KSDMA, Indian Meteorological Department (IMD (and Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), forecasted high waves in the range of 3.0 to 5.4 meters (10 to 18 feet) during 6:30 pm on November 30 to 11.30 pm on December 2 along the coast of Kerala from Vizhinjam to Kasaragod. The current speeds vary between 47 to 65 cm/sec.

"We have also issued a joint warning on Rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places very likely over south Tamil Nadu and South Kerala during the next 24 hours and isolated heavy falls over interior Tamil Nadu and Kerala during subsequent 24 hours, IMD director S Sudevan told TOI.

In the joint alert, they have also warned of Gale wind speed reaching 65-75 kmph gusting to 85 kmph very likely along & off South Kerala during next 48 hours and along & off south Tamil Nadu during next 24 hours. With that, Squally winds speed reaching 55-65 kmph gusting to 75 kmph very likely along and around Lakshadweep Islands during next 12 hours and increase thereafter with wind speeds becoming 80 to 90 kmph gusting to 100 kmph from tonight of November 30, INCOIS scientists said.

It warns that damage is expected over South Kerala in the districts of Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki, Kollam, Pathanathitta, Thiruvananthapuram districts, adjoining districts of south Tamil Nadu and Lakshadweep Islands: Damage to power and communication lines due to breaking of tree branches and uprooting of trees, damage to thatched houses particularly with major damage to kutcha houses and minor damage to pucca roads. Further, damage to paddy crops, banana, Papaya trees and orchards is also warned in the region.

"We have also issued joint warning of Storm surge of about 1 meter above astronomical tides very likely to inundate low lying areas of Lakshadweep Islands from tonight, the November 30, 2017. Storm surge of about 0.5 meter above astronomical tides very likely to inundate low lying areas of coastal districts of south Kerala and adjoining districts of south Tamil Nadu during the next 12 hours. We had issued warning since yesterday to the fishermen not to venture into the sea and sought the coastal community to be cautious," KSDMA scientists said.

TN police put 42 Chinese apps under scanner

A Selvaraj | TNN | Dec 1, 2017, 00:01 IST

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu police have told subordinate officers to delete from their mobile phones 42 applications deemed detrimental to data security, and a threat to the force and national security.

The move comes after troops posted along the China border were instructed to do the same last week. According to reports, a circular was issued by the Intelligence Bureau that flagged 'Chinese' apps.

Senior officers in Tamil Nadu have been instructed to communicate with their subordinates and get the 'suspicious' mobile applications uninstalled. "We have informed all the officials to uninstall these applications and advised them to format their mobiles after uninstalling them," a senior cybercrime official said.

The decision was made after Intelligence Bureau officials in coordination with cybercrime experts reviewed the apps, developed mostly by Chinese firms. "As this could pose a threat to national security, we have advised all the police personnel to be cautious before installing these apps on their mobiles," said a police officer.

Applications under the scanner include popular ones like WeChat, True Caller, SHAREit, 360 Security and Clean Master that could spread malware and spyware enabling the application developer to access data and other information in the phones of the end users.

When asked how the department concluded that the said apps were a threat to security, a senior cybercrime expert attached to the Tamil Nadu police refused to comment. "We have trained cybercrime hackers and they used modern tools to trace the presence of malware hidden inside these apps," the officer said.

Tech experts have welcomed the move. "Many people are talking about privacy and personal safety but they are allowing a stranger to enter their house in the form of apps," said V Rajendran, Cyber Society of India consultant and chairman of Digital Security Association of India.

Rajendran said popularity of an app might not ensure that it was foolproof. "Social networking also has a high security risk. No messaging service can be stated to be 100% safe and impenetrable. A service considered secure today could prove to be vulnerable tomorrow," he said.

In a related development, True Caller, also on the list of forbidden apps, came out with a statement on Thursday denying that it was a malware. "In response to certain reports, we would like to clarify that we are a Sweden-based company. We are not sure why the app is on this list, but we are investigating," the statement read.

HC asks Kilpauk DC to bring to court, the man who bagged govt job using fake certificate

TNN | Updated: Dec 1, 2017, 00:09 IST

Chennai: A man who bagged the village assistant post, and joined in Purasaiwalkam-Perambur taluk, on the basis of a bogus community certificate, is now facing arrest warrant issued by Madras high court on Thursday.

Justice S Vaidyanathan issued the bailable warrant against S Vijayan, and directed the deputy commissioner of police, Kilpauk range, to produce him in court on December 13.

The direction was given on a on a writ petition filed by D Gunasekaran of Vadapalani seeking action against Vijayan, who had joined as village assistant in Purasaiwalkam-Perambur taluk by producing bogus certificate.

As Vijayan had not responded to earlier notices issued by the court, it had summoned the jurisdictional tahsildar to be present in court.

On November, tahsildar TS Neela appeared before the judge and said Vijayan had already been placed under suspension and an explanation too had been called for. Steps are being taken to initiate criminal proceedings against him, she said.

On his part, special government pleader S Diwakar told the judge that there was no tahsildar, by name Rangan, who had allegedly issued the community certificate to Vijayan at that point of time.

Justice Vaidyanathan, in his interim order, said: "From the pleadings, it appears that a bogus certificate had been produced by Vijayan and if the entire relief is granted at this stage, there will not be finality to the issue. Hence, there shall be an interim order directing the authorities concerned to proceed with the departmental proceedings against Vijayan on day-to-day basis, without granting adjournment for more than two working days at any point of time, apart from initiating criminal proceedings."

Recording the fact that Vijayan had been ducking appearance in court despite notices, the judge directed the court registry to issue bailable warrant and asked the deputy commissioner of police, Kilpauk, to ensure the presence of Vijayan in court on December 13.