Category Archives: World Opinion

‘India’s medical wisdom ignored’

Leaders, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Thiruvananthapuram:

“India is rich in ancient wisdom, and there’s a lot to learn from our own country, before you look towards the West for knowledge.”

These words by medical scientist and former vice-chancellor of Manipal University Dr B M Hegde were not to create confusion in the minds of budding physicians and medical scientists, but to enlighten them on the ethics of modern medicine and to warn them about the ‘murky business behind western science’.

He was delivering a talk as the part of the lecture series organized by Santhigiri Research Foundation, Santhigiri ashram on Monday.

Always a strong critic of ‘monopoly of western medicine’ and a visiting faculty at many universities in the country and abroad, Dr Hegde was candid on how the governments jeopardized the health system to protect the interests of powerful corporations.

“We have all been brainwashed into following western science through false campaigns. Western medical science is all about making money. Now, the Indian wisdom, including the practice of yoga, is being commercialized by the west,” he said.

“Unfortunately, we are inclined to condemn anything that’s Indian, including Ayurveda, Siddha and Yunani. Instead of going for a morning walk in the nature barefoot, which can rejuvenate our body and mind and keep us healthy, we have fallen for jogging shoes being aggressively marketed by the corporate world,” Dr Hegde said, quoting from books from the western world, including ‘Science for Sale’ by David Lewis and ‘Blinded by Science’ by Mathew Silverstone.

“There’s no freedom of health in the US, where it’s mandatory for a child to have 56 vaccines in the first year, when we all know that breast milk is the best vaccine for a child,” he said.

A recipient of both Dr B C Roy award and Padma Bhushan, Dr Hegde was also critical about the ‘wrong priorities’ of various governments and universities while initiating scientific researches. “We come across many science research journals which are of no use to anyone, while there’s a dearth of studies which actually would be useful to mankind,” he added.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Thiruvananthapuram / TNN / July 05th, 2016

UK-bound to expand studies on her own people

Education, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Aneesha
Aneesha

Thiruvananthapuram  :

Twenty-three-year old Aneesha from Valiyathura fishing hamlet is now in the league of elite research students. She has become the only student from the state to be selected for training in biodiversity and taxonomy from the famous Field Studies Council, an environmental education charity in the United Kingdom.

Eldest daughter of fisher parents Ani and Reena, Aneesha has always set herself high standards in academics. After studying at local schools and graduation from St Xavier’s, Thumba, she bagged the 18th rank in an all-India exam to get admission at the MSc programme conducted by Department of Ocean Studies and Marine Biology, Pondicherry University, on its Port Blair campus in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. She is the first student from a fishing community to join the campus.  ‘’When I contacted the University for a stipend reserved for fishermen’s children, the authorities were not aware of it,’’ she says with a chuckle.

According to Aneesha, it’s her interest in the people and life of fishermen community she hails from that got her into marine ecology. She is also part of the NGO Friends of Marine Life, which conducted the first documentation to prepare a bioregistry in Thiruvananthapuram coast for Kerala State Biodiversity Board in 2013-15.  The effort made her realise that fishermen like her father who depend on hook-and-line fishing are in for trouble as the natural rocky reefs are getting damaged by pollution and construction activities in the name of development. Her house situated at the south of Valiyathura pier was affected in the recent sea surge which, according to her, has to be partly blamed for dredging activities nearby.

‘‘After completing my studies, I want to expand my study to the entire coastline of the state and document the eco-sensitive areas,’’ she says.  Aneesha says she can be more effective in research as she understands the ‘language’ of her own community.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram /  by Unnikrishnan S / June 22nd, 2016

Kerala start-up wins global recognition

Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Kochi : (IANS)

Kerala entrepreneur  Shaffi Mather’s MUrgency has won the third annual Challenge Cup 2016 among 3,000 start-ups from 59 cities across the world.

It won the first prize of $50,000 and AUS$10,00,000 in fresh investments. There were 65 semi-finalists and eight finalists in the competition.

MUrgency is using the power of mobile technology and networks to build One Global Emergency Response Network. The start-up provides an app which alerts the nearest available doctor, nurse or paramedic who come to the rescue of a patient within minutes.

The emergency feature of the app has been launched in Punjab. The firm plans to reach out to rest of India in 2018 and around the world by 2020.

According to MUrgency founder and CEO Mather, with this latest win his start-up has won three of the largest tech competitions in the world this year. The other competitions were Startup Grind 2016, SXSW 2016 and 1776 Global Challenge Cup 2016.

“This validates our idea and the fact that emergency response sector is ready,” said Mather who was economic adviser to former Kerala Chief Minister Oomen Chandy.

MUrgency recently received investments from Ratan Tata, and Infoys founders  Kris Gopalakrishnan and S.D. Shibulal.

MUrgency was launched in 2015 with membership in Business Call to Action at the United Nations Development Programme , in academic partnership with Stanford Change Labs, Harvard Asia Center and MIT Global Health, and as an initiative of the World Economic Forum’s Forum of Young Global Leaders Community.

–IANS / sg/bim/dg

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Kochi / IANS / June 20th, 2016

Sports Hub wins coveted award

Records, All, Sports, World Opinion

Sports Hub, the stadium complex in Karyavattom, has been adjudged the winner of the prestigious David Vickers Award under the category of New Venue of the Year.

For the first time, a venue in India has been selected for the recognition at the Stadium Business Awards 2016 that was held at the famed Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid, Spain on June 1. The stadium beat other contenders, including Parc Olympique Lyonnais, France; Estadio BBVA Bancomer, Mexico; Kyle Field at Texas A&M University, USA; Matmut Atlantique, France; Suita City Football Stadium, Japan; Vodafone Arena, Turkey; and T-Mobile Arena, USA; for the coveted award.

The judging panel commented, “A very strongly-contested category with international entries but this world-class sports facility is the first privately-funded stadium on the Indian subcontinent and a development model for more to come.” According to sources, the Sports Hub as been designed as a multi-use facility capable of hosting international sporting events of cricket and football. It has been developed by Karyavattom Sports Facilities Ltd. (KSFL), an spv set up by IL&FS Transportation Networks Ltd.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Staff Reporter / Thiruvananthapuram – June 04th, 2016

Startups from Kochi hog the limelight through global robotics challenge

Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Hajime Asama (Robotics Challenges co-chair) with Chandykunju Alex, Lentin Joseph (Team Lead of Team Autobots), Achu Wilson and Raj Madhavan
Hajime Asama (Robotics Challenges co-chair) with Chandykunju Alex, Lentin Joseph (Team Lead of Team Autobots), Achu Wilson and Raj Madhavan

Kochi  :

Team Autobots, a collaboration of two robotic start-ups in Kochi – Qbotics Labs and Sastra Robotics –  has bagged the first prize in the Humanitarian Robotics and Automation Technology Challenge (HRATC) held in Stockholm, Sweden.

HRATC is the biggest global robotics conference organised by Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). The International Conference of Robotics and Automation (ICRA 2016) brings together the brightest scientists and researchers working with cutting-edge robotics.

Team Autobots is one of the top four teams from across the world that made it into the finals of the challenge and is the team with the leading score.

Team Autobots comprises expert engineers from Qbotics Labs, which specialises in mobile robotics research, and Sastra Robotics, which specialises in robotic arms for testing of devices.

The members of the team are Lentin Joseph (CEO/founder, Qbotics Labs), who is leading the team, Achu Wilson (CTO/co-founder, Sastra Robotics) and Chandy Kunju Alex (robotics engineer, Sastra Robotics).

The challenge of the team was to find and defuse hidden unexploded landmines in an area, autonomously using a robot without human intervention.

The competition tries to find the best software solutions to avoid and defuse mines using a robot called Husky. There are three phases in the challenge. The first algorithm phase involves teams proposing ingenious algorithms to tackle the challenge.

The shortlisted teams enter the second phase called simulation phase, which involves implementation of the proposed algorithm on robotic simulator Gazebo using software platform Robot Operating System(ROS). Teams which perform best in simulation phase enter the testing phase, in which the algorithm runs on the real robot itself. The testing phase is the final phase and Team Autobots emerged victorious with top score.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Kochi / by Express News Service / May 29th, 2016

Award for Cusat researcher

Education, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Jayesh P., a post-doctoral fellow at the Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat), has won the prestigious Innovative Young Biotechnologist Award of the year 2015 instituted by the Department of Biotechnology to prevent brain drain of highly talented and motivated young scientists in biotechnology.

According to an official release issued by the varsity, Dr. Jayesh was selected for the award in recognition of the potential of his research in the area of “crustacean cell reprogramming” under the guidance of Prof. I.S. Bright Singh and its continuation to find application to study neurogenesis and neurodegenerative diseases.

The award consists of Rs.50 lakh research grant, monthly fellowship, gold medal, certificate and a citation.

The outcome of this project will help in understanding molecular mechanism in neurodegenerative diseases in humans, especially Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s using daphnia as a model animal.

Dr. Jayesh is a recipient of Brain Korea 21 Plus post-doctoral scientist award of Government of South Korea. – Special Correspondent

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kochi / by Special Correspondent / Kochi – June 01st, 2016

Kalaripayattu eyes Olympics berth

Sports, World Opinion

The growing popularity of Kalaripayattu has triggered hopes that the sport form could find a berth in the Olympics sooner than later.

The martial art form, widely practised in Kerala, has quietly grown into a popular sports form among enthusiasts, said V.A. Shiad, national secretary of the Indian Kalaripayattu Federation.

He said that around 1,000 participants from 24 States had arrived in Kochi for the fourth national championship beginning at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium in the city. The competitions are scheduled to start at 10 a.m. on Monday.

The national championships got under way in 2013 as a small affair but have grown in popularity. Ranjan Mullaratt, who is the Kalari guru for the 19-member team from Karnataka, said that Kalaripayattu was getting popular in centres like Bangalore. He said that young people were keen to take up the martial art form and it was gaining ground fast.

The popularity of the sports form has spread internationally too. There are registered Kalaripyattu federations in 32 countries now. Once the number of countries with registered federations goes up to 40, the Kalaripayattu can vie for space in the Olympics competitions.

The national championships are conducted under age categories and there are separate sections of competitions such as Meypayattu, Chuvadu, Urumi, Vaalpayattu, freehand fight and Vadipayattu.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Kerala / by Special Correspondent / May 23rd, 2016

12-year-old California student ready to start university

Education, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Nri's / Pio's, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

A 12-year-old Sacramento student who already has three community college degrees and has been accepted to two University of California campuses says he plans on studying biomedical engineering and becoming a doctor and medical researcher by the time he turns 18.

Tanishq Abraham has been accepted to UC Davis and received a regents scholarship to UC Santa Cruz, but he has yet to decide which university he’ll attend, reported Sacramento television station CBS yesterday.

“I think I’ll be 18 when I get my MD,” he said.

Tanishq started community college at age 7 and last year he received associate’s degrees from American River College, a community college in Sacramento, in general science; math and physical science; and foreign language studies.

Professors at the college didn’t initially want him in their classes because of his age. But finally a professor agreed to let him attend if his mother, a doctor of veterinary medicine, also took the class. “There were times when I had to explain general relativity and special relativity to my mom,” he said.

Biology professor Marlene Martinez said he was never afraid to ask lot of questions. “In lecture he would always pop up with ‘so, does that mean …’ or ‘what about this?’ ” Martinez said.

Tanishq, who joined the IQ society Mensa at a tender age of 4 has always picked up knowledge quickly, his father, Bijou Abraham, told NBC News.

“We tested him and discovered that he was pretty smart,” he said. “We were surprised when we started giving him advanced stuff and he was picking it up really fast.”

Tanishq says child geniuses are often seen as odd. “When you think of a genius, you think of a mad scientist kind of thing,” he said.

But he pointed out he’s just an ordinary kid who likes learning and microscopes but also playing video games. “I just think learning is fun,” Tanishq said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> International / PTI / Sacramento – May 23rd, 2016

Athletics is in his Genes

Records, All, Sports, World Opinion

 
Sreeshankar M
Sreeshankar M

Thiruvananthapuram  :

Everyone expects that an athlete would have zeroed in on his favourite event by the time he turns 18. But for 17-year-old Sreeshankar M, it was only a few months ago that he realised he was as good at running as he was at long jumps.

Let’s fast forward to Monday. The athlete’s on the podium after setting a new meet record in 100m race in the 6th Olympian Suresh Babu memorial Kerala State Youth Athletics Championship here. And the icing on the cake was that the youngster repeated the same feat in long jump too.

“It was after a long gap that he turned out for 100m race, in fact it is for the first time since the under-12 competitions,” said his father S Murali, who doubles up as his coach. Sreeshankar has sports running through his veins with father Murali, a silver medalist in triple jump at the 1987 South Asian Games, and mother K S Bijimol, an Asian medalist in 800m.

Murali revealed it was through pure chance that he found out his son is also a very good runner. “I recorded his times during sprint training for long jump and surprisingly the speed was excellent. That was when it dawned on me,” said the Southern Railways employee.  The youngster’s performance was not that good at the State Youth Meet compared to the Federation Cup Junior Athletics Meet, which was held last week in Bengaluru, but Murali blames the tight schedule of the athletics calendar for it.

“He had to appear for 100m heats at 5 pm, participate in the long jump finals at 6 and then run the 100m finals just after 7 pm. He even had a strained hamstring to deal with,” Murali said. “People just look at the statistics and say his performance has dipped. But these factors also have to be considered,” he said.

Sreeshankar has the national youth meet, which is to take place later this month at the Calicut University Stadium, to look forward to. However, he is disappointed to have missed out on the world youth championship by a whisker. “He leapt 7.41m at Bengaluru, but missed out on the mark. We will come back stronger next year,” Murali said.

The Rising Star

Hailing from Palakkad, Sreeshankar is the son of former athletes S Murali and K S Bijimol

The 17-year-old broke two meet records  on the opening day of the state youth athletics meet at Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium

Sreeshankar cleared 7.25 metres in long jump and timed 11.08 seconds in 100 metres race

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Adwaidh Rajan / May 10th, 2016

Rich tributes to Krishna Menon in U.K. on his 120th birth anniversary

Amazing Feats, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All, World Opinion

Despite his prodigious intellect, Indian statesman V.K. Krishna Menon was no armchair intellectual and threw himself into local British politics and life. / The Hindu Photo Archives
Despite his prodigious intellect, Indian statesman V.K. Krishna Menon was no armchair intellectual and threw himself into local British politics and life.
/ The Hindu Photo Archives

“To describe Mr. Menon was like trying to contain the Niagra in a flask,” former civil servant P.N. Haksar famously said of him.

The life and multi-faceted contributions of the Indian statesman V.K. Krishna Menon (1896-1974), especially the less-known phase of his life in Britain, were remembered at a meeting organised by the V.K. Krishna Menon Research Institute at the Nehru Centre in London.

Speakers at the meeting included Cyriac Maprayil, Director of the Krishna Menon Institute; Virendar Paul, Deputy High Commissioner of India; Sir Peter Lloyd, former Minister of State for the Home office; and Chaya Ray, a lawyer who offered interesting reflections on Mr. Menon who she knew as a child in London.

“To describe Mr. Menon was like trying to contain the Niagra in a flask,” said Mr. Maprayil, quoting the former civil servant P.N. Haksar.

Prodigious intellect

Despite his prodigious intellect, Mr. Menon was no armchair intellectual and threw himself into local British politics and life. He an elected Councillor for Camden Town for four terms and was conferred the Freedom of the Borough for his public services.

As a member of the library committee, he wanted to see “as many libraries as pubs” in the area, Mr. Maprayil noted. His interest in promoting reading led him to set up Penguin paperbacks in 1935 with Sir Allen Lane. For a time during the war, he even acted as an air raid warden for his area.

Indian League role

Better known and documented are his activities in the India League, which he founded in 1929 and which canvassed support in Britain for Indian independence.

His contacts were wide and influential and included Bertrand Russell, J.B.S. Haldane, Michael Foote, Aneurin Bevan, E.M.Forster and Marie Seton.

1962 war defeat ‘hard on him’

Sir Peter Lloyd noted how Mr. Menon was invariably “right, but at the wrong time.” India’s defeat in the Indo-China’s war was “hard on him”, Mr. Lloyd said, “not the kind of payback he was looking for from the Chinese.” But on non-alignment, “his timing was right,” as it made the two power blocks take note of newly independent nations, even as it gave the latter a “sense of autonomy as equals rather than as players with client status.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News / by Parvathi Menon / London – May 04th, 2016