Monthly Archives: May 2018
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This IAS officer built her future with a clear vision
Kochi :
Pranjal Patil, who lost her vision at the age of eight, has braved all odds to become an IAS officer. On Monday, she took charge as the assistant collector of Ernakulam district.
Pranjal from Ulhasnagar in Maharashtra had cracked the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination in 2016 and secured 733rd rank in her first attempt. Since, Pranjal always wanted to become an IAS officer, she decided to give it a second try and went on to secure 124th rank in 2017.
Pranjal said that she is excited about her posting as the assistant collector of Ernakulam.
“This is my first major assignment. I completed my nine-month training at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussorie, Uttarakhand, two weeks ago. Here I am undergoing further training to become a collector. So, this is like a practical exam for me. At present, I am considering areas that need my contribution, the areas I need to improve and what positive changes I can bring for the overall development of the district as a whole,” said Pranjal, who is looking forward to learn more about the city by interacting with people here.
For civil service aspirants, she said, “Have faith in yourself. Don’t listen to any negative comments but please be open to criticism. However, don’t get bogged down by criticism. Things may take time to get the desired outcome but we shouldn’t give up.”
According to her parents, L B Patil and Jyothi Patil, Pranjal lost her vision when a student in her class poked one of her eyes with a pencil which eventually led to retinal detachment and as a result she lost the vision of her left eye. Doctors warned her parents that she might soon lose vision in the other eye too and unfortunately, the warning proved to be right and she lost the vision in her other eye within a year.
However, Pranjal’s parents never let blindness come in the way of her education. Her parents said that Pranjal has been good at studies right from her childhood. They sent Pranjal to Kamla Mehta School for Blind in Dadar, Mumbai,. She did her graduation in Political Science from St Xavier’s College, Mumbai and later earned a master’s degree in international relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi.
“People who always look for excuses for their failures should learn from my daughter,” said L B Patil, Pranjal’s father.
Pranjal said that technology played an important role in her education. “I have learnt Braille. Now there is a screen reader software installed on my laptop which would read out chapters from various books for me. This software will scan the pages of the book or material I want to read and the software reads it out to me. The screen reader software also helps in carrying out various activities related with my work. Once you know how to use technology things will be easier,” she said.
Regarding whether cracking UPSC exams was a challenging one, Pranjal said that it was challenging for everyone not just her. “Challenge is in the sense of getting the right material and its accessibility. For me, finding a trustworthy scribe to write my exam was also a challenge. But things fell in the right place for me,” said Pranjal.
Pranjal said that her aim is to learn as many Malayalam words within a short span. “Malayalam is a language which is completely different from other languages that I know. So, it will need a lot of effort. But I strongly believe I can master it once I put in all the effort in right direction,” said Pranjal.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Kochi News / TNN / May 30th, 2018
CBSE Class X results: National topper from Kochi yet to know her marks
Sreelakshmi has scored 499/500 in the CBSE Class X examination.
Sreelakshmi. G, a student of Bhavan’s Varuna Vidyalaya, Thrikkakara, emerged as one of the national toppers in the CBSE Class X examinations.
She was one of the four students to bag 499 marks, dropping just one mark in Maths. However, when the news reached her house at Puthiya Road in Vennala near here shortly thereafter, she was not there to celebrate the success.
Sreelakshmi was away attending entrance coaching at Chavara Public School at Pala in Kottayam district. Only her mother Rema L.P. was at home to receive the good news.
“I could not reach her to share the news and instead had to pass it on to her hostel warden,” an excited Ms. Rema, an assistant professor of Zoology and Controller of Examination at the Maharajas College (Autonomous) told The Hindu. Neither could she immediately reach her husband S. Gopinathan, senior government pleader, as his phone, just like hers, was bombarded with calls from the media and friends.
Asked about her daughter’s preparations for the exam, Ms. Rema said that Sreelakshmi was a very diligent student who left nothing for the next day. “Besides, the school notes, she used to prepare her own multi-coloured special notes. Teachers were also very confident about her performance in all subjects except Maths about which she was a bit sceptic. She was also a bit concerned about English since traditionally high marks are not awarded for that subject,” Ms. Rema said.
However, Ms. Rema was candid enough to admit that not in their wildest dreams did they expect her to emerge as one of the national toppers. According to her mother, Sreelakshmi aims to pursue medicine.
Sreelakshmi enrolled for the entrance coaching in April 16 and was supposed to return home on Tuesday. But then it was postponed by a few days at the instance of the school authorities in the wake of the outbreak of Nipah virus.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kochi / by M.P. Praveen / Kochi – May 29th, 2018
28
Secrets in a sword
When the piece of a broken sword turned out to be a vital clue in the murder of Conolly
(A weekly column on the region’s past culled from historical documents.)
Henry Valentine Conolly’s murder marks a bloody chapter in the history of Malabar. Killing a Collector was unheard of and the instance became a much-debated one, spurring research, speculation and analysis. We will spare the causes, political and social, which led to the event. Instead, through two letters find the state of the British administration in the immediate aftermath of the murder. The British predictably were rattled by the act and the letters depict their search for the culprits. The investigation here is centered on a sword which turns out to be a vital piece of evidence.
The first letter which mentions the murder is written in the wee hours of September 12, 1855, by S. B. Tod, the Assistant Collector of Malabar to C. Collett, the Sub Collector. Written at 1 a.m., he breaks the news of Conolly’s death. “This is my melancholy duty to inform that Mr Conolly, the Collector of the district was barbarously murdered this evening by three moplahs,” he writes. Collett is expected to arrive at Calicut as soon as possible.
After this cryptic message, Tod writes a detailed letter to the T. Pycroft, Chief Secretary, Ootacamund, two days after the murder. The focus has shifted to the investigation and the search is on for the murderers. Tod narrates his experiences on visiting Conolly’s residence after the death. Though he took depositions from the employees at the bungalow, no concrete evidence seems to have emerged. “I took depositions from the servants, peons and who were in the house when the murder was committed but regret to say that very little could be brought to light,” he writes.
The workers were scattered across the house and while all came running hearing Conolly’s cries, none seem to have been in state to nab or identify the attackers. “Our servant and peon who came before the ruffians escaped were severely wounded by them.”
Tod quickly comes to the matter of the evidence. “The most important evidence as yet procured is the discovery on the floor of the room in which the murder took place of a piece of a sword of the kind that is used in the jail and supposed to have been used by one of the prisoners who escaped from the Calicut jail about a month ago,” he writes. Tracing the sword piece to the jail, he says the sword was among the weapons which included pistols that were taken from the guard by the fleeing prisoners.
Simultaneously, the British also receive intelligence on 12 moplahs who wounded a Namboodiri Brahmin in the Koduvally taluk. While one Vasoodevan Namboodiri was injured, the attackers later took up the house of his brother who is also the amshom adhikari, writes Tod. The official writes on the need to gear up a force to tackle the insurgency. This attack proves a distraction to the British and while a force proceeds to the Namboodiri’s house they receive their next intelligence message saying the moplahs have left the house in the night. Since the direction undertaken by them is unclear, Tod writes that the troop is instructed to march back to Calicut.
On the morning of September 14 when he writes the letter, Tod mentions getting other linking clues. It follows the visit of the tahsildhar to the Namboodiri household. The attackers had apparently carried off “382 rupees in jewels and money and two swords, bow and arrows.” He comes to the point soon. They “had left behind a sword with an end broken off and some clothes covered with blood stains but that it was not known in what direction they had gone.” The British immediately piece together the facts. The attackers of Conolly had ventured into the Namboodiri’s house after killing the Collector.
“The fact of the broken sword being discovered … is a strong and importance piece of evidence,” writes Tod. The peculiarity of the sword makes identification easier, according to him. “The shape of the weapon being a peculiar one, not generally in use except by the government servants. The clothes had been washed as if with the intention to efface the stains of blood with which they were covered,” says Tod.
Consequently, the search is accelerated, but Tod warns that the task is not easy. “I have little doubt that the insurgents will ere long be put an end to.” But it is the social impact of the incident that will be hard to erase, he believes. “The dread these men have inspired is so great that I am anything but sanguine of them being captured alive by civil powers.”
Tod also discusses the reward for informers. “I have referred of 1,000 rupees for such information,” he writes. In the file is also a notice to the people of the region. It says “that any person of persons who may give any aid, assistance, information or shelter to the four escaped prisoners who are suspected of the murder of the late Collector and their comrades are if convicted of the same liable to be punished with death.” They are warned against admitting strangers into their house. It does not take the British more than couple of days to get to the men. That of course, makes for another story.
(Source: Regional Archives Kozhikode)
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Past Continuous> History & Culture / by P. anima / Kozhikode – June 07th, 2013
Kochi girl emerges CBSE commerce stream topper
Maehal Barthwal wins 99.2% to become regional topper
It was a proud moment for Kochi on Saturday when the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) declared the results of its Class 12 examinations.
City student Maehal Barthwal emerged as the commerce stream topper in the Thiruvananthapuram region of the board. A student of Navy Children School, Naval Base, Maehal was on cloud nine when The Hindu wanted her to share the secrets of her success.
“There is no secret to success. Just keep working hard. It’s okay even if you are not able to score well in your exams at school. Just keep working hard. Don’t give up. Have a good timetable fitting everything [enjoyment, studies etc.,]. Have everything in the right proportion,” said the young talent.
Daughter of Lt. Col Rakesh Barthwal at the Station Headquarters (Army) at the Naval Base here and Alpana Barthwal, a former Army Captain, Maehal said she never expected this result. She won an overall percentage of 99.2 (496/500). “I was expecting somewhere between 97 and 98%. This was an added bonus,” she said.
Asked whether the re-test of economics paper following the question paper leak had put extra pressure on her, Maehal said it was slightly better for her compared to the exam that got cancelled.
A girl who loves to pursue a career in finance and accounting, Maehal said she had applied for B.Com (Hons) course at Delhi University and was hopeful of joining the prestigious institution.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kochi / by Special Correspondent / Kochi – May 26th, 2018
Thottara Puncha rice brand to hit market by June
Government’s farming success story sees revival of 652 acres of paddy land
A rice bowl that had been lying almost fallow for over a decade has now been revived fully to produce some 1,500 metric tonnes of paddy in a joint effort by the Ernakulam district administration, Agriculture Department, paddy field collectives, and local bodies.
The rejuvenated Thottara Puncha, where 652 acres of paddy land were brought under cultivation last year, will now be a brand, with the rice produced here hitting the market in that name in the first week of June. The effort to breathe life back into the Puncha, trapped amid some nine hills, was spearheaded by District Collector K. Mohammed Y. Safirulla.
The plan is to market some 20 tonnes of rice initially, followed by another batch of 20 tonnes. Keecheri Service Cooperative Bank has completed collection of paddy, threshing, packing, and branding, said a release issued here.
Mr. Safirulla sought the support of Amballoor and Edakkattuvayal panchayats to cultivate some 350 acres of the 990 acres of the Puncha in Ernakulam district (the remaining 1,082 acres are in Kottayam) in 2016-17, and the results were stunning. “Preparation of fields itself was a challenge, but paddy field collectives worked in tandem to make it happen. This time around, we were able to bring under cultivation the maximum cultivable area — around 700 acres over nine paddy land collectives barring areas acquired for various projects, canals, farm roads, and irrigation channels,” said C.K. Prakash, general coordinator of the project.
Several departments, including irrigation, Land Development Corporation, and the State Electricity Board, supported the initiative. The canals were cleaned, and pumping facility was added to the sluices at Olippuram and Pulimukham (as a chunk of the Puncha being in low-lying areas will get heavily inundated during the monsoon).
“It posed some challenges, as not every area could be cultivated in October, which delayed harvesting too. We have now set up 12 high-power submersible pumps along the Puncha for de-watering, which will help us harvest the entire field by March next. This is going to drastically reduce the harvesting cost as well. And, the idea is to incorporate Kudumbasree in threshing paddy at our own mill and brand it,” said Mr. Prakash.
A Thottara Puncha Development Council will soon be formed, and a mill will be set up at a cost of ₹40 lakh. Terming it his pet project, Mr. Safirulla said all agencies and stakeholders had chipped in with verve to script the success story.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kochi / by Special Correspondent / May 25th, 2018
Farmer awarded, gives Governor a gift that grows
Tuber Man’s ‘seed pen’ germinates into tree after pen is disposed of
Shaji N.M., a farmer who was conferred the Biodiversity Award under special mention category by the National Biodiversity Authority, attracted many eyeballs during the award ceremony on Tuesday.
After receiving the award, he presented seed pens as return gift to the dignitaries, including Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan from whom he received the prize. “It is made of paper. You can use it as a normal disposable pen, and when the ink is exhausted, you can just throw it away. It contains a seed, which will give birth to a tree in future,” he explained.
Making seed pens is more like a hobby for Mr. Shaji, whose major occupation is conserving tuber species.
Started 20 years ago as a response to the drought conditions in Wayanad district where he lives, his passion has taken him places across the country, in search of newer tuber species. “I have a collection of 200 edible tuber species, including the rarest ones, besides herbs and medicinal plants on my four-acre land,” he says proudly.
He has shared the germplasm of the tubers with institutions such as Central Tuber Crop Research Institute and Kerala University.
Recipient of many awards, including National Plant Genome Saviour Award, Mr. Shaji’s conservation efforts are not limited to tubers; they extend to rice. He grows 17 traditional varieties of rice on the meagre plot, besides dabbling in fish farming, bee keeping and horticulture.
There were nine winners and 13 special mentions in total at the biodiversity award ceremony, among whom two were from Telangana.
Sangham Women Farmers Group from Medak won the award for ‘Sustainable use of Biological Resources’ for its efforts in traditional and organic methods of seed processing.
The Biodiversity Management Committee of Modi (Jheri) village of Kerameri mandal in Asifabad district won under special mention category, for conserving 26 native varieties of pulses and cereals. Among them, two varieties ‘Erra Machala Kandulu’ (a variety of pigeon pea) and ‘Vayunowka Jonna’ (a variety of sorghum) have been registered with the Plant Varieties and Farmer’s Rights Authority of India, while the recognition of another variety, ‘Balintha Pesalu’, is under way.
Singchung Bugun Village Community Reserve Management Committee from West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh won the award for protecting the community reserve, while Lemsachenlok Organization ( Y.NukuluPhom), Longleng, Nagaland, received it in the Institutions category.
Awards were also given under Special Mention category to corporates such as Godrej & Boyce, Mumbai, and Coromandel International, Kakinada. Coringa BMC of East Godavari too won under this category.
There were five categories of awards — conservation of wild species, conservation of domesticated species, sustainable use of biological resources, replicable mechanisms for access and benefit sharing, and best biodiversity management committees.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Swathi Vadlamudi / Hyderabad – May 24th, 2018
Rare hill palm spotted in Kollam
Road widening is threatening the palm seen at a tea estate near Thenmala
Unlike its cousin the arecanut palm, the hill areca Bentinckia condapanna is a rare sight. Now, researchers have spotted a population of the threatened wild palms in an abandoned tea plantation in Kollam district.
According to a recent study in the Journal of Threatened Taxa which publishes scientific articles to promote conservation, M. Divin Murukesh of Malappuram’s MES Mampad College and his colleague Ajith Ashokan discovered 76 adult palms and 66 seedlings of the hill areca near a road on the Arundel-Priya estate near Thenmala.
Although the palm is reported to grow in high elevations (between 1,000 and 2,000 metres above mean sea level) in the Western Ghats, the new population has been reported from a lower altitude of around 600 metres. The team also noticed birds (including the Malabar grey hornbill and Malabar barbet) and mammals (bats and bonnet macaques) feeding on the bright red fruits of the palm.
Road widening threat
The researchers spotted the palms growing on a slanting rock along the Kazhuthurutty-Arundel-Achencoil road which has been proposed for widening. “If the road is widened, these palms could be in danger,” says Mr. Murukesh.
According to them, the discovery could add to the importance of this site, which, along with five other estates in the area, has been proposed to form a potential wildlife corridor along the Aryankavu pass for the use of large fauna, including elephant and tigers.
Locally called condapanna, the hill areca grows only along steep rocky slopes of evergreen forests south of the Palakkad Gap in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It is categorised as “Vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.
“The palms are also rare possibly because they cannot survive without mycorrhizal associations [beneficial fungi on their plant roots],” said Mr. Murukesh.
Plant regeneration from seeds was also very poor, said V.B. Sreekumar of the Department of Forest Botany at Thrissur’s Kerala Forest Research Institute. However, with more populations of the plants being discovered, they may not be as rare as previously thought, he said.
“But there are very few studies on the palm since it is very difficult to access the rocky cliffs where they grow. There have been no surveys to assess its current status either,” he said.
Kerala’s hill areca is one of the only two such species in the world; the other, Bentinckia nicobarica, is seen only on the Nicobar Islands.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by Aathira Perinchery / Kochi – May 23rd, 2018