Category Archives: Amazing Feats

Nine Ships in Nine Months: Record Delivery for CSL

Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Science & Technology

The protocol of delivery and acceptance of the seventh fast patrol vessel being exchanged by Capt R S Sundar, Director of Operations, on behalf of the CSL to Commanding Officer (designate) of the vessel Cmdt Nitin M Rathore of the Indian Coast Guard
The protocol of delivery and acceptance of the seventh fast patrol vessel being exchanged by Capt R S Sundar, Director of Operations, on behalf of the CSL to Commanding Officer (designate) of the vessel Cmdt Nitin M Rathore of the Indian Coast Guard

Kochi :

The Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) has set a record by delivering nine ships in nine months, on average one vessel in a month.

The seventh of the series of 20 fast patrol vessels being  built for the Indian Coast Guard was delivered today.

The nine ships consisted of 7 fast patrol vessels for the Indian Coast Guard, and two platform supply ships for international owners.

The ship that was delivered prior to today’s delivery was ICGS Agrim. It was delivered to the Indian Coast Guard on May 30, 2014. The company has delivered the next ship within one-and-half month, compared to the contractual requirement of delivery in every three months. The Coast Guard expressed satisfaction over the quality of the ship delivered by the Shipyard.

The Protocol of delivery and acceptance was signed by Capt R S Sundar, Director of operations, on behalf of the CSL, and Commanding Officer (designate) of the vessel Cmdt Nitin M Rathore of the Indian Coast Guard.

Cmde K Subramaniam; Vivek Vajpayee, principal director (materials) of Indian Coast

Guard; DIG T P Sadanandan (Kochi); Paul Ranjan, director of finance at the CSL; and Sunny Thomas, technical director at the CSL were present on the occasion.  The vessel that was delivered today is named ‘ICGS AMAL’, which will be operated by the Coast Guard station in Goa.

The Cochin Shipyard had signed the contract for the construction of the 20 fast patrol vessels (FPV) for the Indian Coast Guard on October 20, 2010.

Like its sister ships, ‘ICGS AMAL’ is a fast patrol vessel, with a speed of 33 knots. The vessel will be very effective in supporting the Coast Guard in its anti-smuggling operations, anti-piracy operations, as well as in the monitoring and protection of fisheries. As the speed of the vessel is crucial in coastal security operations, the superstructure of fast patrol vessels are made of aluminium.A considerable amount of innovation was brought in in the welding and fabrication techniques by the CSL to achieve a very high quality product.

The ship is propelled by water jets powered by three main engines, each with a capacity of 2720 KW, and built to the dual classification requirements of ABS and IRS.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Kochi / by Express News Service / July 19th, 2014

Two-year-old gets liver transplant

Amazing Feats, Records, All, Science & Technology

A two-year-old child, suffering from a complex liver disease, has a new shot at life, thanks to a life-saving transplant performed on her by a team of doctors at the Kerala Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) here.

Sreelekshmi, born to her parents after 18 years of marriage, was transplanted with a portion of the liver donated by her father himself. The family hails from Shoranur, Palakkad.

Sreelekshmi’s liver disease began in infancy and she was diagnosed with progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis, a rare autosomal recessive disorder of the liver (Though both parents carry a copy of faulty genes, they remain carriers only while the condition manifests in the offspring). She had been undergoing treatment in Kochi and came to KIMS when her condition worsened and a liver transplant emerged as the only option to save her.

Doctors at KIMS said that the child’s asthma was something that aggravated the complexity of the transplant. The father’s liver was found to be more compatible for the child.

Liver transplants in children who weigh less than 10 kg are rarely successful but Sreelekshmi, who weighed just 7.5 kg, beat all odds and came through the surgery well.

She was ready to be discharged, according to a statement issued by KIMS.

The transplant was done by a team of doctors at KIMS, led by Venugopal and Shabeer Ali, liver transplant surgeons, and other specialists.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Thirvananthapuram / by Special Correspondent / Thirvananthapuram – July 09th, 2014

Seven, Including Five-yr-old,Selected for Bravery Awards

Amazing Feats, Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Education, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features

Abhaykrishnan, Akhil Biju, Girikrishna, Muneer Mohammed, Shalef Shaji, Subin Mathew and Yadukrishnan
Abhaykrishnan, Akhil Biju, Girikrishna, Muneer Mohammed, Shalef Shaji, Subin Mathew and Yadukrishnan

Thiruvananthapuram :

Seven boys, including a five-year-old who rescued his younger sister from drowning and a sixth standard student whose presence of mind saved the life of his ten-month-old brother, have been selected for the bravery awards instituted by the Kerala State Council for Child Welfare for the year 2013.

The winners are Muneer Mohammed, 14, of Manippuzha, Kottayam; Shalef Shaji, 9, of Panambukad, Ernakulam; Akhil Biju, 9, Subin Mathew, 10, and Yadukrishnan V S, 13 of Erumeli, Kottayam; Girikrishna, 5, of Kumarakom, Kottayam; and Abhaykrishnan, 11, of Kowdiar in Thiruvananthapuram. Social Justice Minister M K Muneer announced the winners here on Thursday.

Muneer Mohammed won the award for saving the life of Immanuel aka Appu, 72, who was grievously injured in a road accident on the Sabarimala route. When motorists ignored the accident victim, Muneer had run to the middle of the road, waved down a vehicle and rushed Immanuel to hospital. This tenth standard student of St Thomas High School, Erumeli, is the son of Mohammed and Aseena of Venkurinji Keecheri Purayidom, Manippuzha.

Shalef Shaji, a fourth standard student, was selected for the award for saving the life of Alna, the four-year-old daughter of Antony, Panambukad Veliyil, who fell into the backwater while playing with her friends. Shalef had jumped in and holding on to the ropes of a stake net, swum up to Alna and rescued her.

Abhaykrishnan, Akhil Biju, Girikrishna, Muneer Mohammed, Shalef Shaji, Subin Mathew and Yadukrishnan
Abhaykrishnan, Akhil Biju, Girikrishna, Muneer Mohammed, Shalef Shaji, Subin Mathew and Yadukrishnan

Shalef is a student of the St Joseph’s LP School, Panambukad.

Akhil Biju, Subin Mathew and Yadukrishnan V S saved Kalimuthu, 39, who got trapped in an eddy while bathing in the river.  Ten-year-old Akhil jumped in first, but he couldn’t get a hold on Kalimuthu. Yadu dived in next and they managed to reach the drowning man. Subin threw them a towel, and grabbing it, the boys managed a miraculous rescue. All three are sons of daily-wage labourers.

Akhil is the son of Biju and Lekha of Kannimala Puthuvelil and is a sixth standard student of St James UP School, Kannimala, Erumeli. Subin, who is his schoolmate, is the son of Mathew and Sheeba of Kattupurachakal House, Kannimala.  Yadukrishnan is the younger son of Sasidharan Nair and Sajini of Vattaparmbil House, and is a ninth standard student of St Joseph’s High School, Kannimala. He is also a recipient of the President’s award for bravery in 2013.

Girikrishna, aged 5, won the award for saving his four-year-old sister Gowri from drowning in a canal near their home. Although he could not swim, he jumped in and dragged young Gowri to the bank. Girikrishna is the son of Satheesh and Babitha of Peedikachira, Kumarakom. He is a first standard student of SKM Public School.

Abhaykrishnan of Kowdiar, Thiruvananthapuram, won the award for saving the life of his ten-month-old brother Adidev.

A huge tree had fallen on to their home in the heavy rain, and their mother, seeing the roof crashing down, tried to shield them with her body. But she collapsed, hit on the head by falling tiles and wood. Abhaykrishnan frantically dragged Adidev and sought cover under a cot.

All three were dragged out of the debris by the neighbours. Abhaykrishnan is the son of Sreenivasan, who is personal assistant to the Chief Secretary, and Sunanda. The award carries Rs 10,000 in cash, a plaque and certificate.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Express News Service / July 11th, 2014

90 and golfing strong

Amazing Feats, Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Leaders, Sports

 
George Varghese celebrated his 90th birthday with the 15th edition of the Kaipattoor tournament. / Photo:S.Gopakumar / The Hindu
George Varghese celebrated his 90th birthday with the 15th edition of the Kaipattoor tournament. / Photo:S.Gopakumar / The Hindu

Golf is still a passion for George Varghese, the oldest member of Kowdiar Golf Club

The nine-hole course at the Golf Club in Kowdiar comes up short in containing George Varghese’s exuberance as he strides across the turf waving his slightly worn-out golf club in the air. After the game, as the 90-year-old man gave a little sprint for the camera, some of his much younger teammates smiled at each other, with a glint of envy in their eyes.

Mr. Varghese, the oldest member of the club here, celebrated his birthday in style on Saturday with the 15th edition of the Kaipattoor tournament, which he started in 2000 as a tribute to the ‘unknown village’ where he was born, Kaipattoor in Pathanamthitta district, in 1924.

All the 50 of them who gathered at the club were wearing the yellow t-shirts designed for the tournament. Mr. Varghese’s was a special one though, with the number 90 stitched at the back. Members, among them retired civil servants and defence personnel, vied with each other to get themselves photographed with the grand old man, whom they affectionately address as ‘uncle.’

“I have been a member of this club since 1986. Four of us have made a team and we play in the afternoons at least four times a week. I have got some great friends from this club,” says Mr. Varghese.

Golf has been a life-long passion for him, even during his stint as the manager of a private firm in Singapore for 40 years.

Since 1952“I became fascinated with golf way back in 1952, as the famed Island Country Club was near my apartment. There were at least 12 international golf clubs in that small city and I became a life-long fan there,” he says.

When he came back to the country in 1986 after retirement, his only consideration was to stay in a place where he could regularly play golf. And so, he settled in Thiruvananthapuram. The golf course here is peculiar in that there are no carts to ferry you to the spot for the next shot. Mr. Varghese walks all the distance, as fast as the younger ones.

“One of my memories of ‘uncle’ is of the day when we were playing at Ootty recently. The golf course is reached by a steep climb and we had ridden up on our cars. Only he was missing from the crowd. After some time we heard loud cheers from the crowd and saw him walking up after parking the car downhill,” says John Thomas, Captain of the club here.

A member of the Golf Addicts Society of Southern India, Mr. Varghese speaks softly but hits the ball with all the force he could muster.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by S. R. Praveen / Thiruvananthapuram – June 08th, 2014