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A Tribal Woman from MP Has Been Saving Forests Since 7 Years. Now She Will Teach the World …

September 4, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Ujiyaro Bai, a tribal woman from Pondi village in Madhya Pradesh will be addressing the UN World Forestry Congress in South Africa. Ujiyaro has been the force behind leading a movement against tree logging in MP since the past 7 years. Here’s more.

Ujiyaro Bai, a tribal woman from Madhya Pradesh has spent several years working for the conservation of forests in the state. She has been leading the residents of Pondi village, inspiring them to do their bit in making sure that the green covers around them do not recede.

And finally her hard work is getting the recognition it deserves. Ujiyaro has been invited to attend the World Forestry Congress (WFC) to be held from September 7 to 11 in Durban, South Africa.

Source: Flickr

Ujiyaro, who belongs to the Baiga tribe, started her fight to save forests, seven years back. This was after she saw markings on some trees during her regular visit to the village for collecting leaves. Disturbed by the fact that the trees will be logged, she waited at the location and raised an alarm when some contractors started logging. She called in all the villagers. Since then she has dedicated her life to preserve the natural forests around the Baiga Chakka belt.

Her efforts soon picked up pace when other women got inspired by her work and started an awareness drive to save the trees and warn people about forest fires.

The 2015 WFC will bring many foresters and forest supporters together from around the world, and Ujiyaro will get a chance to share her views with them. The theme this year is Forest and People which will focus on “investing in a Sustainable Future”. Here’s more about the event.

Source…Shreya Pareek…..www.thebetterindia.com

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அன்பாசிரியர் 2 – தர்மராஜ்: ஊராட்சிப் பள்ளி ஹை-டெக் ஆசான்!

September 4, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

ஆசிரியர் எஸ்.தர்மராஜ் | படம்: எம்.சத்யமூர்த்தி

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நீலகிரி மாவட்டத்தின் மூலையொன்றில் இருக்கும் தேனாடு ஊராட்சி ஒன்றியத் தொடக்கப்பள்ளியின் ஆசிரியர் ஒருவர், தேசிய அளவில் புதுமையான கற்பித்தல் முறை போட்டியில் பரிசு பெற்றிருக்கிறார். மத்திய மனிதவள அமைச்சகம் நடத்திய அப்போட்டியில் கலந்து கொள்ளத் தமிழகத்தில் இருந்து தேர்வான ஆறு பேரில் ஆசிரியர் தர்மராஜும் ஒருவர். தகவல் தொலைத்தொடர்பு மற்றும் தொழில்நுட்பத் துறையில், புதுமையான முறையில் கற்பித்ததற்கான பரிசு அது. தொழில்நுட்பம் வழியாக மட்டுமே பயணிக்காமல் பழங்குடி இன மக்களின் கல்வி மேம்பாட்டுக்காகவும் பாடுபடுபவர்.

ஆசிரியர் தர்மராஜின் பயணத்தை, அவர் வழியாகவே கொஞ்சம் திரும்பிப் பார்ப்போமா?

“என்னுடைய சொந்த ஊர் கோத்தகிரி. படித்து முடித்து புதுக்கோட்டை மாவட்டத்தில், முதுகுளம் என்ற ஊரில் ஓர் அரசு நடுநிலைப்பள்ளியில் வேலைக்குச் சேர்ந்தேன். ஆரம்பத்தில் தமிழ்நாட்டின் ஏதோ ஒரு மூலையில், கிராமத்திலிருக்கும் பள்ளியில் சேர்ந்துவிட்டோமே என்ற ஆதங்கம் இருந்தது. ஆனால் அங்கு படித்த மாணவர்களின் ஆர்வம், என் ஆதங்கத்தைத் தூக்கியெறிந்தது.

வழக்கமான தமிழ், ஆங்கிலம், கணிதம், அறிவியல், சமூக அறிவியல் பாடங்களைப் புதுமையான முறையில் கற்பிக்க எண்ணினேன். தமிழ் மற்றும் ஆங்கிலச் செய்தித்தாள்கள் வாங்கப்பட்டன. மாணவர்கள் தினமும் படித்துவிட்டு, காலை பிரேயரில் அதனை வாசிக்க வேண்டும். இதனால் அவர்கள் நாட்டு நடப்புகளை அறிந்து கொண்டதோடு, மொழியறிவும் வளர்ந்தது. ஓவிய வகுப்புகளின்போது, பத்திரிகைகளில் வரும் கேலிச் சித்திரங்களை மாணவர்கள் கரும்பலகைகளில் வரைய வேண்டும்.

வேதியியல் பாடத்தில் தனிம அட்டவணைகளில் இருக்கும் தனிமங்களின் அணு எண், நிறை எண், அணு எடை ஆகியவற்றை எண் வரிசை அடிப்படையில் கற்றுக்கொடுத்தேன். ஆர்வமாய்க் கற்றவர்கள், நாட்கள் செல்லச் செல்ல, அப்படியே அதை ஒப்பிக்க ஆரம்பித்தனர்.

விளையாட்டு மைதானத்தில் சமூக அறிவியல்

அதுபோக சமூக அறிவியலையும் ஆர்வத்துடன் படிக்க, செயல்முறைகளோடு கற்பிக்கலாம் என்று தோன்றியது. இந்திய வரைபடத்தைக் கருப்பொருளாக எடுத்து, பள்ளியின் விளையாட்டு மைதானத்தில் வரையும் எண்ணம் வந்தது. ஊருக்குப் போகும்போது, ஊட்டியில் இருந்து புல் கொண்டு வந்தேன்; அதை மைதானத்தில் வளர்க்கத் தொடங்கினோம். புற்கள் புல்வெளியாய் மாறத் தொடங்கியதும், இந்திய எல்லைகளுக்கு ஏற்றவாறு, புல்வெளியைச் சீர்ப்படுத்தினோம்.

இந்தியப் பெருங்கடல், வங்காள விரிகுடா ஆகிய நீர்நிலைப் பகுதிகளை ஏற்படுத்த, சுமார் நான்கரை அடிக்குப் பள்ளம் தோண்டினோம். தண்ணீர் வற்றாதவாறு அதில் கான்கிரீட் தளம் போட்டு, தண்ணீர் பாய்ச்சினோம். மேலே இமயமலை, பர்வதை மலைகளுக்குக் கற்கள் இட்டு நிரப்பினோம். வெளியிலிருந்து யாருடைய உதவியையும் எதிர்பார்க்காமல், ஆசிரியர்களும் மாணவர்களுமே இதை செய்து முடித்தோம். மாநில எல்லைகள், தலைநகரங்கள், தொழில்பேட்டைகள் ஆகியவற்றையும் அதில் குறித்தோம். மாணவர்கள் சலிக்காமல் இந்தியா குறித்த கேள்வி- பதில்களைக் கற்றுக்கொண்டே இருந்தனர்.

2002- 2003-ம் ஆண்டுவாக்கில், தமிழகத்தில் மழைநீர் சேகரிப்புத் திட்டம் அறிமுகப்படுத்தப்பட்டது. எங்கள் பள்ளியிலே முதல்முறையாக அதை ஏற்படுத்தினோம்.

பாடம் தாண்டி…

வழக்கமான பாடத்திட்டங்களோடு நின்றுவிடாமல், கல்வி தாண்டி, வேறு தளங்களிலும் பயணிக்கத் தோன்றியது. கூடுதல் கல்விசார் நடவடிக்கைகளில் ஈடுபட ஆரம்பித்தோம். மாவட்ட அளவில் நடக்கும் பேச்சு, கட்டுரை, கவிதைப் போட்டிகளில் மாணவர்கள் கலந்து கொண்டனர். புதுக்கோட்டையில் இருக்கும் அனைத்துப் பள்ளிகளிலும் எங்கள் பள்ளி தனித்துப் பேசப்பட்டது. அனைத்துப் பள்ளி ஆசிரியர்களும் கலந்து கொள்ளும் கருத்தரங்குகள் நடைபெறும் இடங்களில் மாணவர்களால் வரையப்பட்ட ஓவியக் கண்காட்சிகளை நடத்தினோம்.

ஒவ்வொரு மாதமும் கடைசி வெள்ளிக்கிழமை இலக்கியக் கூட்டங்களுக்கு ஏற்பாடு செய்யப்பட்டது. நாடகம், விவாத மேடை, சொற்பொழிவுகள், கருத்தரங்குகள், மேடைப்பேச்சு ஆகியவை நடத்தப்பட்டன. மாணவர்கள் வெகு விரைவிலேயே எல்லாத் துறைகளிலும் கற்றுத்தேர்ந்தனர். எட்டாம் வகுப்பு முடித்து, உயர்நிலைப் பள்ளிகளுக்குச் செல்லும்போது, அங்குள்ள மாணவர்கள் இவர்களைக் கண்டு ஆச்சரியப்பட்டனர்.

இயற்கை மீதான அக்கறையை வளர்த்தெடுக்கும் பொருட்டு, மொட்டை மாடித் தோட்டத்தை வைத்தோம். தொட்டிகளில் செடிகள் வைக்காமல், மண் கொண்டுபோய், பாத்தி கட்டினோம். ஊட்டியில் இருந்து பூச்செடிகள் எடுத்து வந்து, மாடியில் நட்டோம். மாணவர்களின் முறையான பராமரிப்புக்குப் பிறகு, பள்ளியே நந்தவனமாகப் பூத்துக் குலுங்கியது” என்கிறார்.

மாணவர்களே இல்லாத பள்ளிக்கு வந்த மாற்றல்

கோத்தகிரி மாவட்டத்தில் தேனாடு என்னும் ஊரில் இருந்த ஆரம்பப்பள்ளி ஒன்று, 4 மாணவர்களுடன் மூடப்படும் நிலையில் இருந்தது. அங்கிருந்த ஆசிரியர், 4 மாணவர்களுக்கும் டிசி கொடுத்து, வேறு பள்ளிக்கு மாறச் சொல்லிவிட்டார். இந்நிலையில் மாற்றலாகி, தேனாடு வந்து சேர்ந்தார் ஆசிரியர் தர்மராஜ்.

அங்கிருந்த பள்ளியின் சுவர்களில் விலங்குகள், தாவர வகைகள், நிலங்களின் வேறுபாடுகள் உள்ளிட்ட ஏராளமான தகவல்களை ஓவியங்களாக வரைந்தார். அந்த நான்கு மாணவர்களையும் அழைத்துக் கொண்டு, வீடு வீடாகச் சென்று, கல்வியின் முக்கியத்துவத்தை எடுத்துரைத்தார். மெல்ல மெல்ல அப்பள்ளியின் மீது மக்களுக்கு ஈடுபாடு வர ஆரம்பித்தது. மாணவர்கள் சேர ஆரம்பித்து, கல்வியும் கற்கத் தொடங்கினர்.

முளைத்த கணிப்பொறி ஆர்வம்

ஆசிரியர் தர்மராஜ், 2005-ம் ஆண்டு வரைக்கும் கணிப்பொறி என்றால் என்னவென்றே தெரியாமல்தான் இருந்திருக்கிறார். பாடப் புத்தகங்களை வைத்து மட்டுமே கற்பித்தார். 2006-ல் சென்னையில் மைக்ரோசாஃப்ட் நிறுவனத்தில் கணிப்பொறி குறித்த பயிற்சி எடுத்தவர், அங்குதான் முதன்முதலில் மடிக்கணினியையே கண்டிருக்கிறார்.

அது குறித்து ஆர்வமாகப் பேசுபவர், “அப்போதுதான் முதன்முதலாக அந்தக் கறுப்பு நிறத் தோஷிபாவைப் பார்த்தேன். அபூர்வப் பொருளாகக் காட்சி கொடுத்தது அது. அங்கிருந்த அதிகாரியிடம், இதைத் தொட்டுப் பார்க்கலாமா என்று கேட்டேன். உடனே அவர், அதை உயிர்ப்பித்து, அடிப்படைச் செயல்பாடுகளைக் கற்றுக் கொடுத்தார்” என்கிறார்.

சென்னையில் இருந்து கோயம்புத்தூர் வந்திறங்கிய ஆசிரியர் தர்மராஜ், நண்பர்கள் சிலரின் உதவியுடன் மடிக்கணினி ஒன்றை வாங்கிய பின்னரே, வீடு திரும்பினார். மறுநாள் மின்சாரம் போன்ற அடிப்படை வசதிகூட இல்லாத தேனாடு பள்ளிக்கு, அக்கணினியை எடுத்துச் சென்றார். காலையில் வீட்டிலேயே சார்ஜ் செய்து பள்ளிக்கு எடுத்து வந்து, மதியம் வரை தனக்குத் தெரிந்த அடிப்படை விஷயங்களை மாணவர்களுக்குக் கற்றுக் கொடுத்தார். மதிய உணவு இடைவேளைகளில் அருகிலிருக்கும் வீடுகளில் சார்ஜ் செய்து, திரும்பவும் கற்பிப்பதை வழக்கமாகக் கொண்டிருந்தார்.

தேசிய அளவில் தேனாடு பள்ளி

2009-ம் ஆண்டு இந்திய அரசின் எரிசக்தி அமைச்சகம் தொடங்கிய ஓவியப் போட்டியில், மாணவர்களைக் கலந்துகொள்ள வைத்தார். எரிசக்தியின் பயன்பாடுகள் என்ன? அவற்றை எப்படி மிச்சப்படுத்துவது? இயற்கை வளங்களின் முக்கியத்துவம் உள்ளிட்டவைகளைத் தன் மாணவர்களுக்குக் கற்றுக்கொடுத்து மாணவர்களைத் தயார் செய்தார். 2009-ல் இருந்து, 12 வருடங்களாகத் தேசிய அளவில் நடந்து வரும் இப்போட்டியில், ஆயிரக்கணக்கான மெட்ரிகுலேஷன், சிபிஎஸ்சி பள்ளிகளுடன் போட்டி போட்டு, 7 முறை முதல் 10 இடங்களுக்குள் வந்திருக்கிறது தேனாடு பள்ளி.

பள்ளிக் கல்வித்துறையின் வழிகாட்டுதலோடு, செயல்வழிக் கற்றல் முறையைக் கணிணிவழிப்படுத்தி இருக்கிறார். ஆறாம் வகுப்பில் தொடங்கி பன்னிரெண்டாம் வகுப்பு வரையிலான பாடவகைகளுக்கு அது தொடர்பான இடங்களுக்குச் சென்று படம்பிடித்து, காணொளியாக்கி, அதன் பின்னணியில் தமிழில் குரல் விளக்கங்களையும் கொடுத்திருக்கிறார்.

உதாரணமாக, காடு மற்றும் விலங்கு வகைகள் என்னும் தலைப்பில் இருக்கும் காணொளியில் இந்தியா முழுக்க உள்ள காடுகள், அதன் வகைகள், இருப்பிடங்கள், பயன்பாடுகள், மழைப்பொழிவுகள், வளர்ச்சி, காடுகளின் பரப்பளவு உள்ளிட்ட தகவல்களை, நேரடியாகச் சென்று படம்படித்து, தொகுப்பாக்கி, பின்னணி இசை சேர்த்து, உள்ளடக்கத்துக்கான குரல் கொடுத்திருக்கிறார். மாநிலக் கல்வியியல் ஆராய்ச்சி மற்றும் பயிற்சி நிறுவனம் மற்றும் தமிழக பள்ளிக் கல்வித் துறையின் ஒப்புதலுக்குப் பின்னரான வெளியீட்டுக்காகக் காணொளித் தொகுப்புகள் காத்து நிற்கின்றன.

காண: http://denadschool.blogspot.in/

சமூக சேவையிலும் சாதனை

கற்பித்தல் தாண்டி, சமூக ரீதியான செயல்பாடுகளிலும், ஆசிரியர் தர்மராஜ் அதிக அக்கறை காட்டி வருகிறார். வருடந்தோறும் எய்ட்ஸ் ஒழிப்பு தினத்தில் விழிப்புணர்வுப் பேரணி நடத்துவதை வழக்கமாகக் கொண்டிருப்பவர், பழங்குடி மக்களுக்காக ஹெச்ஐவி எதிர்ப்பு, இரத்த தானம், கண் தானம், உடல்நலம் தொடர்பான முகாம்களையும் நடத்தி வருகிறார்.

அத்தோடு பழங்குடி இன மக்களின் குழந்தைகளுக்காகவே, தனியாக பள்ளியொன்றையும் நிர்வகித்து வருகிறார் ஆசிரியர் தர்மராஜ். அரசின் உதவியோடு 13 வருடங்களாக இயங்கும் இப்பள்ளியில் இருந்து, இதுவரை 824 பழங்குடி மாணவர்கள் கல்வி கற்று அடுத்த நிலைக்கு உயர்ந்திருக்கின்றனர்.

எதிர்காலச் செயல்பாடுகள் குறித்தும் ஆர்வமாய்ப் பேசுகிறார். ” எங்களின் ஆரம்பப் பள்ளி மாணவர்களை வைத்து, ஒரு படம் எடுக்கும் முயற்சியில் இருக்கிறோம். பத்தாண்டுகளுக்கு முன்பு நீலகிரியின் நிலை என்ன, இன்னும் இருபது ஆண்டுகள் கழித்து நீலகிரி எப்படி இருக்கும் என்பதைப் பற்றிப் பேசும் படமாக அது இருக்கும். அதற்காக மாணவர்களுக்கு கேமரா பயிற்சியளித்து வருகிறோம். அரசுப் பள்ளி மாணவர்களால் எடுக்கப்படும் அப்படம், மாறி வரும் நீலகிரி மாவட்டம் குறித்த வேதனையை உரக்கப்பேசும். நிலத்தடி நீர்க் குறைவு, மழைநீர்ப் பற்றாக்குறை, நிலச்சரிவு உள்ளிட்ட முக்கியப் பிரச்சனைகளை வலிமையாக எடுத்துரைக்கும்.

ஆசிரியப்பணி குறித்து என்றுமே எனக்குப் பெருமிதம்தான். ஒரு முறை, கோவையில் இருந்து கோத்தகிரி திரும்பிக் கொண்டிருந்தேன். எதிர்பாராத விதமாக விபத்து ஏற்பட்டதில், இரண்டு வாரங்கள் மருத்துவமனையில் இருக்க நேரிட்டது. அப்போது எனக்கு அடிபட்ட சம்பவம், தேனாடு மக்களுக்குத் தெரிந்திருக்கிறது. கோவிலில் எனக்காகச் சிறப்பு பூஜைகள் செய்து, நான் குணமாக வேண்டுமென்று பலவித வேண்டுதல்களை வைத்திருக்கின்றனர். எதையும் அறியாமலே, குணமானவுடன் பள்ளிக்குச் சென்றேன். அங்கே நான் கண்டது அழுகையோடு கூடிய ஆனந்தக் கண்ணீரை உதிர்த்த அன்புள்ளங்களை!

கல்வியை கற்றுக் கொடுத்ததற்காக, ஓர் ஊரே அழுது புலம்பி, பிரார்த்தனைகள் செய்தது. இதைவிட ஒரு ஆசிரியனுக்கு, வேறு என்ன தேவைப்பட்டுவிடும்?

க.சே. ரமணி பிரபா தேவி – தொடர்புக்கு: ramaniprabhadevi.s@thehindutamil.co.in

Source…..www.tamil.the hindu.com

Natarajan

Message for the Day…” Teachers should Inspire , and be an Example and Role model ….”

September 3, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Teachers should regard their vocation as a sacred duty. They have the responsibility to mould the future generations of young students by what they teach, referencing practical examples from the lives of illustrious leaders. Teachers should inspire, and be an example by the way they live outside the classroom. Educational institutions have the responsibility to give to society well educated persons who are competent, who possess integrity and who can be relied upon to serve society with devotion and competence. What gives education its true value and significance is its moral and spiritual content. If teachers dedicate themselves to this noble cause, students will not go astray. I hope teachers will devote themselves to their duties with greater vigour and enthusiasm, and bring about a transformation in the students so that they become useful and worthy citizens.

This Teacher Taught His Class A Powerful Lesson About Privilege….

September 3, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

I once saw a high school teacher lead a simple, powerful exercise to teach his class about privilege and social mobility. He started by giving each student a scrap piece of paper and asked them to crumple it up.

Then he moved the recycling bin to the front of the room.

He said, “The game is simple — you all represent the country’s population. And everyone in the country has a chance to become wealthy and move into the upper class.”

“To move into the upper class, all you must do is throw your wadded-up paper into the bin while sitting in your seat.”

The students in the back of the room immediately piped up, “This is unfair!” They could see the rows of students in front of them had a much better chance.

Everyone took their shots, and — as expected — most of the students in the front made it (but not all) and only a few students in the back of the room made it.

He concluded by saying, “The closer you were to the recycling bin, the better your odds. This is what privilege looks like. Did you notice how the only ones who complained about fairness were in the back of the room?”

“By contrast, people in the front of the room were less likely to be aware of the privilege they were born into. All they can see is 10 feet between them and their goal.”

“Your job — as students who are receiving an education — is to be aware of your privilege. And use this particular privilege called “education” to do your best to achieve great things, all the while advocating for those in the rows behind you.”

Source….Natahan .W.Pyle ….www.stumbleupon.com

Natarajan

Thalassemia Could Not Stop Her from Achieving Her Dream of Becoming a Novelist…. Meet This Dynamo….

September 3, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Jyoti is a thalassemia patient. But, she says, she is more than an illness—she believes in her identity as a novelist, a blogger, a speaker, and a woman.

Jyoti’s childhood was different in many ways. She remembers reading books under a small lamp while her sisters slept. She also remembers going for regular blood transfusion while her friends went to school.

Jyoti Arora was three months old when she was detected with thalassemia, which was long before she understood the full meaning of her ailment. Her parents, though shell shocked, wanted Jyoti to have a happy and fulfilling childhood.

They sent her to the same school that all the neighbourhood children went to. Her school was disrupted often, and for days together, when she had to be admitted to the hospital.

This continued for a few years and when Jyoti was in Class 7, she had to drop out of school. This was a huge setback. But Jyoti was not going to let her illness win over her. She not only completed her school through correspondence but also got a Master’s in English and Applied Psychology.

Jyoti loved reading. Books were her best friends and she devoured every genre; she would submerge herself in classics that were written hundreds of years ago. She would dream about stories, about writing stories, about other children reading her stories. While thalassemia stunted her growth and regular blood transfusions increased the iron content in her body, what did not change was her love for books. She started nurturing a dream, a dream to write her own book.

Jyoti started her professional career as an English tutor, while simultaneously writing articles for a couple of magazines. After that, she worked for a few years as a freelance writer and content developer. Her primary role was to abridge classics and make them suitable for pre-teens to read. She also wrote fiction/adventure books for children. After working in the freelancing space, Jyoti took up full time employment with a US-based recruitment firm where she was awarded the best employee of the year award for 2014.

The battle with thalassemia continued. However, there was no stopping Jyoti. She was convinced that her soul lies in writing and her first novel — Dream’s Sake — was published in the year 2011. –

The novel is based on the psychological conflict of physically challenged people. She went on to self-publish her second novel — Lemon Girl — in the year 2014. The theme of Lemon Girl is women’s abuse and oppression. Both her novels have garnered positive reviews from readers as well as critics. While her love for reading and writing is second to none, she is fascinated by technology too, and writes about various gadgets and products at http://www.technotreats.com.

Jyoti’s undefeatable grit and go-getter attitude have won her many laurels. She was recently invited to be a speaker at an event on World Thalassemia Day on May 8, 2015, which incidentally is also her birth date.

Jyoti used that platform as an opportunity to talk about thalassemia, and today advocates awareness about thalassemia on various other forums. –

Jyoti feels that even today, awareness about thalassemia and its prevention is minimal. Thalassemia is a genetically inherited disease, is not infectious, and cannot be passed on from one individual to another through personal or any other contact. In India, about 3.9 percent of people are carriers. Thalassemia Major patients require life long blood transfusions and costly medicines for their survival. Often, the blood transfusion needs to be carried out on monthly or even fortnightly basis.

Apart from regular blood transfusions and costly medicines, thalassemia patients are also given Desferal injections that need to be infused over a period of several hours. This means that the patient has to keep the injection and the infusion pump attached to the body over a period of ten-twelve hours, several days a week. The only treatment available for this disease is a bone marrow transplant, which is very expensive and risky.

While the treatment of thalassemia can get complicated and expensive, the best solution is to prevent the occurrence of the disease. In fact, a child can be Thalassemia Major only when both parents are Thalassemia Minors. The probability of the child being a Thalassemia Major in such a case is 25 percent and can be detected during the early stages of pregnancy.

Jyoti feels that society at large needs to accept and assimilate people like her in the mainstream. She is not sick or feeble or unintelligent just because she is a thalassemia patient. She, in fact, advocates the importance of considering herself equal to one and all. Jyoti feels that she is more than an illness—she believes in her identity as a novelist, a blogger and a woman.

For more information, write to Jyoti at: write2jyoti@gmail.com

About the author: Neha Dua is a graduate from St Stephen’s College, Delhi and completed her MBA degree from MDI, Gurgaon. She is currently working with a large Indian MNC bank. She is an avid reader, dance enthusiast and likes to write. Her personal blog can be accessed at: http://www.allexpressions.blogspot.com. In her pursuit to write beyond her personal experiences, she has volunteered to be a writer of happy and inspiring stories of The Better India. –

Source….Neha Dua …. http://www.thebetterindia.com

Natarajan

How Dry Cleaning is Done and Who Invented it ….

September 2, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

What happens to clothes after being dropped off at the dry cleaners is a mystery to most. We know that our clothes come back a whole lot cleaner than when we dropped them off, but how? And who first got the bright idea to clean clothing without water?

The earliest records of professional dry cleaning go all the way back to the Ancient Romans. For instance, dry cleaning shops were discovered in the ruins of Pompeii, a Roman city buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Those cleaners, known as fullers, used a type of clay known as fuller’s earth along with lye and ammonia (derived from urine) in order to remove stains such as dirt and sweat from clothing. That process proved pretty effective for any fabric too delicate for normal washing or stains that refused to budge. (In fact, the industry was so prominent that there were taxes on collecting urine. Fullers generally used animal urine and would also maintain urine collecting pots at public bathrooms.)

As for more modern methods, the biggest revolution in dry cleaning came around in the early 19^th century. Traditionally, Jean Baptiste Jolly of France is generally named the father of modern dry cleaning. The story goes that in 1825, a careless maid knocked over a lamp and spilled turpentine on a dirty tablecloth. Jolly noticed that once the turpentine dried, the stains that had marred the fabric were gone. He conducted an experiment where he bathed the entire tablecloth in a bathtub filled with turpentine and found that it came clean once it dried. Whether a maid and an accident really had anything to do with it or not, Jolly used this method when he opened the often claimed first modern dry cleaning shop, “Teinturerier Jolly Belin”, in Paris.

However a patent for a process called “dry scouring” was filed with the U.S. Patent Office in 1821, four years before Jolly’s discovery. A man by the name of Thomas Jennings was a clothier and a tailor in New York, and soon the first African American to be granted a patent in the United States. (Previous to this, it was ruled that slave owners were the rightful owner of any inventions made by their slaves and could then patent those inventions under their own names. Jennings, however, was a free man.)

So while working as a clothier, he, like so many others in his profession, was familiar with the age old customer complaint that they could not clean their more delicate clothes once they’d become stained because the fabric wouldn’t hold up to traditional washing and scrubbing. Jennings, thus, began experimenting with different cleaning solutions and processes before discovering the process he named “dry scouring.” His method was a hit and not only made him extremely wealthy, but allowed him to buy his wife and children out of slavery, as well as fund numerous abolitionist efforts.

As for the exact method he used, this has been lost to history as his patent (U.S. Patent 3306x) was destroyed in an 1836 fire. What we do know is that after Jennings, other dry cleaners during the 19^th century used things like turpentine, benzene, kerosene, gasoline, and petrol as solvents in the process of dry cleaning clothes. These solvents made dry cleaning a dangerous business. Turpentine caused clothes to smell even after being cleaned, and benzene could be toxic to dry cleaners or customers if left on the clothes. But all of these solvents posed the bigger problem of being highly flammable. The danger of clothes and even the building catching fire was so great that most cities refused to allow dry cleaning to occur in the business districts. In the United Kingdom, for example, dry cleaners had smaller satellite stores in the city where they took in customers’ clothes and then those clothes were transported to a “factory” outside of the city limits where the dry cleaning took place.

The major risk of clothes and buildings catching on fire because of the flammable solvents led to dry cleaners searching for a safer alternative. Chlorinated solvents gained popularity in the early 20^th century, quickly leaving the flammable solvents in the dust. They removed stains just as well as petroleum-based cleaners without the risk of causing the clothes or factories to catch fire. That also meant dry cleaners could move their cleaning facilities back into cities and eliminated the need to transport clothes back and forth between two locations.

A chlorine-based solvent with the chemical name tetrachloroethylene, or sometimes called perchloroethylene, became the go-to solvent for dry cleaners in the 1930s. Originally discovered in 1821 by Michael Faraday, “perc” could not only be used in relatively compact dry cleaning machines, but also did a better job of cleaning than any of the other solvents of the day; it’s still the chemical of choice for most dry cleaners today.

While perc is considered much safer than most solvents used by dry cleaners in the past, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the United States is working to phase the solvent out of the industry. The EPA claims that while wearing clothes treated with perc does not appear to be dangerous, perc can be dangerous if accidentally released into the environment as it’s toxic to plants and animals. Additionally, the EPA also notes that sustained exposure to perc, such as by workers in the industry, can cause health issues with the nervous system, including potentially drastically increased chances of developing Parkinson’s Disease. There are also studies done by the EPA that indicate perc may be a carcinogen. The International Agency for Research on Cancer also classifies the chemical as a “Group 2A carcinogen,” meaning in their opinion, it’s probably carcinogenic.

So how exactly is this chemical used to dry clean clothes? The process of dry cleaning fabric can vary between dry cleaning companies; however, the general method is as so: before placing the clothing item in the machines, workers pre-treat stains by hand, as well as remove any materials that aren’t suitable for dry cleaning (for instance buttons made of materials that may dissolve in perc are removed). The machine works in a similar fashion to normal, in-home washing machines. It agitates the garments and adds in the solvents as it goes, cycling the solution through the machine and a filter as the clothing is agitated. Temperature is also typically controlled at around 86 degrees Fahrenheit.

Next, the garments are either dried in the same machine or workers move them to a separate machine. During the drying cycle, the temperature is raised to about 140 degrees Fahrenheit, which helps the chemicals evaporate off the clothes faster, while still being low enough not to damage the clothing. In the end, approximately 99.9% of the chemicals used are removed from the dry cleaned item and recycled for use again in cleaning.

Once the clothes are dry, workers press the clothes, potentially stitch back on any items that had to be taken off, and put the clothing into plastic bags for customer pick-up.

Bonus Facts

After the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and the covering of Pompeii in ash, Romans dug tunnels to explore (and loot) the city, long before archaeologists excavated the site.
Pliny the Elder, the famed author, naturalist, philosopher, and commander, died trying to rescue people stranded on the shores after the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. While attempting to sail his ship near the shore, burning cinders fell on the ship. Rather than turn around, as his helmsman suggested, Pliny famously stated “Fortune favors the brave! Steer to where Pomponianus is.” He landed safely and was able to rescue his friends and others on the shore. However, he never left. Before they were able to set out again (they needed the winds to shift before they could safely leave), he died and ended up being left behind. It is thought he died of some sort of asthmatic attack or by some cardiovascular event, possibly brought on by the heavy fumes and heat from the volcano. His body was retrieved three days later buried under pumice, but otherwise with no apparent external injuries. He was around 56 years old.
At temperatures over about 600 degrees Fahrenheit perc oxidizes into the extremely poisonous gas phosgene, the latter chemical being popularly used in chemical weapons during WWI.
The first widely used chlorine-based solvent was tetrachloromethane, or “Tetra” as it was often called, worked much better than petrol. However, the combination of being both highly toxic and highly corrosive on the dry cleaning machines led to it being phased out by the end of the 1950s.

Source….www.today i foundout.com

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These ” Hunger Heroes ” are Feeding the Needy ….With the Excess and Wasted Food …”

September 2, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

It all started with Ankit Kawatra getting upset because food for a thousand people was wasted at a wedding. So he created a network of 750 Hunger Heroes in 20 cities, who have fed 2.5 lakh hungry people already.

“It was a fancy party at my friend’s place. The buffet had over 30 varieties of dishes and sweets. The hosts left no stone unturned to make sure the party was a big success. Being a close friend, I decided to stay back after the party and help them clean up. And I saw so many plates of food getting wasted. The caterer just dumped all the leftover food in a huge garbage bag and threw it away. We initially thought of donating the food to the needy but didn’t know how and where,” recalls Kriti Gupta from Jaipur.

There are many of us like Kriti who often don’t know what to do with food leftover from a wedding or party. Ankit Kawatra from Delhi was one such person. Until he attended a wedding where he saw food that could feed 1000 people getting wasted.

The sight of so much food being thrown away gave him the idea of starting a service that would pick up leftover food from events and donate it to the needy.

Feeding India team has provided over 2.5 lakh meals across India.

We sometimes give money to the homeless to buy food or even buy it ourselves for them. But the idea behind this service was not to buy food but use what is already available in abundance,” says Ankit.

The idea soon got converted into action and Ankit launched Feeding India in August 2014. The plan was simple — to collect excess food from parties, events and weddings and then distribute it in shelter homes.

He started by getting volunteers, or Hunger Heroes, as he named them. These heroes were selected from different locations in the city.

Ankit then launched a 24×7 helpline that people could call whenever they wanted to donate excess food.

The Hunger Heroes make sure no food gets wasted.

“But this wasn’t enough. We needed a way to get a regular supply of food, which wasn’t possible with just launching a helpline,” recalls Srishti Jain, one of the core members of Feeding India.

Therefore, for a more systematic approach, Feeding India partnered with various catering companies that would inform Ankit and his team in advance about various events. And at the end of the event, they would give them a call informing them about the amount of excess food available.

The Hunger Heroes who lived near that particular location would collect the food and, if possible, distribute it the same night in shelter homes. In case the food cannot be distributed the same day or night, it was kept in cold storage and donated the next day.

“We mostly distribute it immediately after collecting it. There are various shelter homes open 24×7,” says Srishti. The Feeding India team also has a team of experts who test the food’s quality before it is donated.

“We have a very systematic approach which makes the entire process very simple and doable. People can call us anytime and we will be there to collect the food,” says Srishti.

Feeding India has now built a strong network of over 750 Hunger Heroes in 20 cities of India; they do not hesitate in performing their duties, even at odd hours.

Feeding India works in over 20 cities of India.

“There was a time when we had to collect food for over 5,000 people in one night. We did not even have so many containers. We had to do two trips to get all the food and our Hunger Heroes got back home at 5 am. This is the kind of dedication everyone shows,” says Srishti.

Feeding India does not have any external financial support and currently runs on the personal money of the members. They do ask the caterers and event managers to pay for transport if possible.

“This has been a challenge. The caterers and managers say: ‘We are giving you food, why should we also pay for the transport?’ If they don’t agree to pay, we bear the cost,” says Srishti.

Thanks to the commitment of the team, Feeding India has donated over 2.5 lakh meals across India.

To get regular access to food, the organization now partners with different corporate houses (to pick up excess food from their canteens and office parties) and restaurants. Feeding India also organises events to spread more awareness about the cause and to help people understand the value of excess food.

Ankit and his team even got India’s star chefs on board for one of their campaigns, where they talked about their love for food and how it should be used for a good cause.

“We organize small events where we make people pledge that they will not waste food. Through these small interventions we are trying to change the mindset of the people,” says Srishti.

In the future, Feeding India wants to reach out to over 50 cities in India and get more corporate partnerships so that the hungry can get food.

“We make sure that the needy get proper meals; very often people give biscuit packets and bread and think that they have donated food. But this is not enough. We want to make sure every homeless person gets a proper meal,” concludes Srishti.

If you would like to become a Hunger Hero and work with the team at Feeding India, check out their website, join their Facebook page or mail them at – feedingindia2025@gmail.com

Call the helpline for Feeding India to donate any excess food that you may have – 098711 78810

Source….Shreya Pareek … http://www.the better india.com

Natarajan

Message for the Day…” Trust in the God and March to the best of your Ability…”

September 2, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Virtues must be cultivated in each home; each member sharing in the joy with the rest, each one seeking for opportunities for helping others. This attitude must be stuck to, so that it may stay as character. How can a vessel kept with a closed lid be filled with water? It must be open to receive good impulses! In all your efforts, trust in a Higher Power which is ever ready to help you. Then your work is made easy. This comes out of devotion, and reliance on the Lord who is the source of all Power. When you travel by train, you only have to purchase the ticket, board the proper train and take a seat, you can leave the rest to the engine. Do you carry your luggage on your head? So too, trust in the Lord and march to the best of your ability. Have faith and earn the Lord’s grace by using the intelligence and the conscience He has endowed you with.

Fish Can Now Snack On Ganesh Idols Made From Fish Food…. Great Initiative !!!

September 1, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

If you live in Maharashtra, you must be knowing that Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated with such aplomb and on a large scale. People go crazy and pray to Lord Ganesha for their well-being. Towards the end, the Ganesha idols are the immersed in water (Visarjan). But does it end here? NO.

The main problem with Ganesh Chaturthi is the immersion of idols. It affects the marine life after it is immersed in water.

Sprouts Environmental Trust, with support from a private company, has come up with an idea of creating Ganesha idols which are eco-friendly – a way to keep oceans clean and also FEED THE FISH.

Ganesha idols were first made with Plaster of Paris (PoP). In 2004, a company resorted to making these idols with clay so that it doesn’t pollute the environment.

But this time idols will be made by vegetarian food and corn so that aquatic organisms can devour that and not be killed. Also, these food items will be coloured in an innovative way with turmeric, Chandan, and geru. Isn’t this amazing?

The founder of NGO Sprouts said that they have made around 40 idols and they are receiving orders from across the country.

How Visarjan ruins the water bodies?

The materials that are used to make these idols ruin the aquatic life as these react with organic matter. The Plaster of Paris material that is usually used lessens the oxygen level of marine life and the chemicals like sulphur, phosphorus, and magnesium act as a spoilt sport.

If you wish to buy one of these idols, you can refer to this.

How was this idea implemented?

1. A Campaign named God save the Ocean was designed by two senior creative directors. A lot of ideas were put and an extensive research followed.

2. Soon, they came across a person from Nagpur who makes idols out of chocolate. While this idea seemed good, but wasn’t implemented.

3. After this, vegetable powder seemed a feasible idea but even that had a potential to deteriorate the environment. And thus, vegetarian food seemed plausible. And thus, this was the solution – An idols that fish can eat! The small fish can consume this and larger fish can consume small fish, which is a healthy cycle and saves the environment.

After seeing these reactions, I hope this trend catches on and people buy this idol because even Gods want us to save marine life.

News Source: Hindustan Times

source…Aparajita Mishra….www.storypick.com

Natarajan

A Full Meal That Costs Just Re One. Meet the Man Behind it….

September 1, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Venkataraman, owner of AMV Homely Mess has been providing the Re one meal for the past eight years.

ERODE: What can Re one get you in these days of escalating costs?

A full meal no less, at a mess run by a service-minded man for the attenders of poor patients at the Government Headquarters Hospital in Erode.

Venkataraman, owner of AMV Homely Mess has been providing the Re one meal for the past eight years, besides the regular “tiffin” in the morning and night.

He recalls an incident in 2007 which moved him to make this decision. An old woman came to his mess to buy idlis for her ailing husband when there were none available.

He suggested she buy three dosas for Rs. 10. She however, said it was costly for her. Even if she did manage to do buy them, she would have to share it equally with her husband and it would be inadequate for both of them.

Venkatraman said he immediately gave her six dosas for the same price, and since then started offering tiffin and meals at low rates to the attenders of patients at the hospital.

“In 2007, I visited Government Headquarters Hospital and enquired about patients with the incharge nurse there. I was told by their attenders that almost all patients there were from poor families and could not afford food daily; only tea or bread at noon and night.”

He then decided to offer food at lower rates to such attenders of patients.

He visited the Government Hospital the next day, met nurses and senior doctors and told them he would provide meals at Re one to an attender. From that day on, he and his wife began visiting the hospital daily to offer 10 tokens to attenders.

“Now for the past few months the number has increased from 10 to 70 per day. In the morning I give 10 tokens, for which three dosas and two idlis are given. In the afternoon, 40 attenders are given meals comprising five items and at night 20 attenders are given dosa and chapati, every meal for just Re one.

“We have decided to increase the number from 70 to 100 in the coming years,” he says.

His wife said they charge Rs. 50 per meal from the public, but are planning to continue the Re one meal scheme, despite incurring heavy losses.

Venkatraman employs eight workers at his mess and there is no service on Sundays.

“I am ready to grant the food free of cost, but if I collect at least Re one, the buyer will not waste it. The food is given in packets and no one is allowed to eat inside the mess, but are advised to take it to the hospital, where others can also share the food.”

The couple have two girl children, one of whom is married and the other an engineering student.

Source…www.ndtv.com

Natarajan