1000 artistes to perform at a dance programme
THANJAVUR: To commemorate the millennium of the Big Temple here, a dance programme with 1,000 artistes at a time will be held at the temple premises on September 25. Jointly organised by the Association of Bharatanatyam Artistes of India (ABHAI) and Brahan Natyanjali foundation of Thanjavur, the event will be the obeisance paid to Lord Brihadiswara on the 1000th year of completion of the construction of Big Temple.
Briefing presspersons, Padma Subramanyam, president, ABHAI, and V. Varadarajan, president, Brahan Natyanjali Foundation, said that the temple, an architectural marvel and a world heritage monument declared by United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), was built between 1004 and 1010 by the Great King Raja Raja Cholan. To mark the occasion, Tamil Nadu Government would release a coin and a stamp. ABHAI and Brahan Natyanjali Foundation thought it fit to celebrate the occasion with a special programme.
The temple had an epigraph stating that King Raja Raja Cholan paid obeisance to Lord Brihadisvara through dance artists. It was said in the epigraph that 400 artistes were selected by the king. They were given food, shelter and clothes and honoured with gold coins. They performed dance and paid their obeisance to Lord Siva three times a day at the temple every day. Taking cue from this, ABHAI and Brahan Natyanjali Foundation would organise a massive dance programme on September 25 in the temple with 1,000 artists.
“It will be our aradhana to Lord Brihadisvara. I don’t’ think that such a programme with 1,000 artists was conducted in the past. It will be a record of sorts also and may enter Guinness record book. But then, we are not doing it for the Guinness record. It will be our aradhana to Him. The dancers, through Bhratanatyam, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Bhagavatga Mela, etc will perform to Karuvurar song in praise of the Big Temple. We will record the song and tune and send to the selected artistes to practice before they come for the performance. They will stand around the Big Nandhi and till the entrance of the temple and perform the dance programme,” Dr. Subramanyam said.
Interested artists can contact Priya Murali, Secretary of ABHAI on phone number 044 24994751 or e-mail abhaischennai@gmail.com or S. Muthukumar, secretary, Brahan Natyanjali foundation, on 98424 55765 or e-mail bnfoundation@rediffmail. com. “Big temple vimana has the Karna sculptures of Bharatha Natyam. I did research on them. I am a regular visitor to the temple. It’s magnificence cannot be explained in words. We have to celebrate it, protect and preserve it. With this feeling, elated over the 1000the year celebrations, we are offering our prayer in the form of dance,” said Dr. Subramanyam. Priya Murali, secretary of ABHAI, Roja Kannan, Executive committee member, S. Natarajan, president of Bhagavata Mela Natya Nataka Sangam, Melattur and S.Rajendran of INTACH were present.
Reference Link
http://www.hindu.com/2010/05/23/stories/2010052362380600.htm
Courtesy
The Hindu
Plan to modernise system tanks in Thanjavur district
Farmers encouraged to put up vermicompost units —Photo: M. Srinath
Manure:A farmer showing the worms grown in the vermicompost yard under the IAMWARM scheme at Sendakottai near Pattukottai in Thanjavur district.
THANJAVUR, India: World Bank funded Irrigated Agriculture Modernisation of Water Bodies Restoration Management Project (IAMWARM) has helped in popularising vermicompost and pulses, maize and red gram cultivation in Pattukottai and Peravurani areas of Thanjavur district.
IAMWARM aims at modernising system tanks under Agniyar and Ambuliyar divisions in the area and utilising the water from the tanks for taking up demonstration cultivation of pulses, maize and red gram.
Farmers of the area have also been encouraged to put up vermicompost units. Vermicompost units have been put up using Sil paulin method under the project. “Seventy such vermicompost units have been put up in the area” said P. Loganathan, Joint Director of Agriculture, Thanjavur district and Eashwar, Agriculture Officer.
A sum of Rs. 6000 is given as subsidy for a unit. The subsidy is given in the form of inputs like five kg of earthworms for a unit of one tonne capacity, coir compost, shade nets etc. The worms are fed on coir compost and the excreta by them which is the vermicompost is collected and used as manure by farmers. Vermicompost can be harvested in 120 days. For a unit which is fed with one tonne coir compost, 750 kilos of vermicompost is taken.
“Vermicompost is rich in nutrients. It can easily replace bio manure. As cattle population is dwindling there is problem in getting bio manures and also green manures. In such a situation vermicomposts can help the farmers. It can be applied to any crop.” said S. Rajkumar, Deputy Director, State Schemes, Agriculture Department.
Johon Bosco, a farmer of Punavasal village in Peravurani block has put up a unit. He said that he could harvest good vermicompost and use it for his land.
Under IAMWARM scheme, maize cultivation has been taken up at Rettavayal in Sethubavachathiram block and Red gram at Kurichi in Peravurani block.
“Inputs worth Rs. 4,000 is given as subsidy per hectare for maize, groundnut and red gram. Similarly, inputs worth Rs. 2,500 is given as subsidy for pulses.” said Ragunathan, Deputy Director, Government of India Schemes, Agriculture Department.
“Red gram is rarely cultivated now. We are popularising this in Kurichi area” said Janani, Assistant Agriculture Officer.
Under IAMWARM scheme, paddy cultivation is also taken up under System of Rice Intensification Method. In this a farmer is given Rs. 1500 as subsidy for raising green manure, Rs. 6,000 for paddy cultivation and another Rs. 1,500 for raising rice fallow pulses per hectare. Two cono weeders and a marker worth Rs. 1,750 was given.
Reference Link
http://www.hindu.com/2010/04/22/stories/2010042258780300.htm
Courtesy
The Hindu
“Parents should not impose their desires on children”
valuable message:Suki Sivam speaking at the Velammal Education Trust silver jubilee celebration in Thanjavur on Sunday.
THANJAVUR, India: Parents should identify the individual talents of their wards and help them nurture that talent and to become an achiever in that field said Suki Sivam, Tamil scholar and speaker, here on Sunday.
Delivering a lecture on the topic “Dear Parents” at a function organised by Velammal Educational Trust, Mr. Suki Sivam said that parents should help students explore their own talents instead of forcing on them their wishes. “Parents are trying to impose their desires on their children, instead parents should help in shaping their future.” Mr. Sivam said.
He cited the example of Swami Vivekananda. The saint said to his teacher when he was asked that he would like to become a tongawala (rider of a cart pulled by horse).
Everyone laughed at him. He came home and told his mother about this. Mother of Vivekananda did not scold him or discourage him. “You have said the right thing. If you want to become a tongawala, you should become like the one in this picture” she said and showed the Geeothopadesam photo and said that he should become like Him. This got into the mind of Vivekananda and became a saint in his life and guided the whole world with his erudition, saintliness and spiritualism. Children should be allowed to become what they want to become, Mr. Sivam explained.
K. Kothandaraman, Principal of the school, said that Velammal Educational Trust is planning to start a school in Thanjavur.
Reference Link
http://www.hindu.com/2010/04/20/stories/2010042057520200.htm
Courtesy
The Hindu
Centre to release coin on Thanjavur Big Temple
CHENNAI, India: The Centre has agreed to release a commemorative coin of Thanjavur Big Temple, which is completing 1,000 years.
An official release stated that Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi had written to the Centre with a request to issue a commemorative coin, stating that the temple had unique Dravidian architecture and was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Monument.
In response, Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had said that the Centre had decided to issue the special coin based on the unique and outstanding architecture.
Mr. Karunanidhi has also written to Union Minister for Communications and Information Technology A. Raja to release a special stamp to commemorate the occasion.
Reference Link
http://www.hindu.com/2010/04/19/stories/2010041955720400.htm
Courtesy
The Hindu
Precision farming yields good results
Advantages are equitable distribution of water and fertilizer and increase in yield
THANJAVUR, India: Precision farming has caught the fancy of farmers in Thanjavur district, particularly among those raising sugar cane.
Twenty farmers of Thirupurambiyam in Kumbakonam agriculture division have raised sugar cane under precision farming on 20 hectares of land, thanks to the National Agriculture Development Programme. “The advantage of precision farming is that it facilitates equitable distribution of water and fertilizer through fertigation technique, besides increase in yield,” said P. Loganathan, Joint Director of Agriculture, Thanjavur district.
Fertilizer was mixed with water in precision farming through fertigation technique and taken to each and every plant in the field. The girth and weight of sugar cane was more when raised under precision farming and recovery of sugar was also high, said Mr. Loganathan.
The agriculture department was giving a total subsidy of Rs. 65,000 to a farmer per hectare for raising sugar cane under precision farming. A sum of Rs. 40,000 is given for micro irrigation and another Rs. 25,000 worth inputs such as liquid fertilizer was given to the farmer.
“Water saving is yet another advantage in precision farming. At a time of frequent power cuts, it is enough if the farmer irrigates the field for one hour per hectare in precision farming instead of four to five hours in conventional farming method,” said Mr. Loganathan. The required water alone was let into the field thus avoiding wastage since water pipes run along the field carrying water mixed with fertilizer to each and every plant. Micro nutrients were also supplied to the plants.
Horticulture crops
The horticulture department was providing subsidy for raising vegetables, banana and even bamboo under precision farming.
Reference Link
http://www.hindu.com/2010/04/19/stories/2010041956560600.htm
Courtesy
The Hindu
Agri clinics equipped to test soil content
| A sum of Rs. 30 is collected for testing soil samples |
—Photo: M. Srinath
Determining deficiency:V. Deenadhayalan, agri consultant, testing a sample of soil at the Thirupurambiam agri clinic near Kumbakonam in Thanjavur on Thursday.
THANJAVUR, India: Farmers of Thanjavur district can now test soil and water at 14 places in the district. It is an initiative of the agri clinics established under National Agriculture Development Programme.
The clinics have been functioning from October, 2009. “Previously there was only one soil testing laboratory at Tamil Nadu Rice Research Institute at Aduthurai. Nearly 45,000 samples of soil will be tested in this laboratory per year. Now farmers need depend on this laboratory alone for testing. There are thirteen other places where agri clinics test soil and inform about soil health,” said P. Loganathan, Joint Director of Agriculture.
Out of these 13 agri clinics, six are attached to Primary Agriculture Co-opertive Banks(PACB) while others are run by unemployed agriculture graduates. Agri clinic at Thirupurambiyam village in Kumbakonam agriculture division is attached to the PACB of Thirupurambiyam.
“We have registered 296 farmers in the clinic. Fifty-five soil tests have so far been done. Depending upon the soil health the required nutrition will be found and farmers can add fertilisers accordingly,” explained K. Nedunchezhiyan, Assistant Director of Agriculture, Kumbakonam.
The clinic has various equipments like digital Ph meter, digital conductivity meter, flame photo meter, deep vision, spectrophotometer, distillation set, microscope, water still, electronic balance, chemical balance etc. A sum of Rs. 30 is collected for testing soil samples.
Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potash content of the soil can be determined.
Deficiency in any one of them can be removed by applying the required fertiliser. S. Thirunavukarasu, a farmer of Thirupurambiyam who owns six acres of land said that he tested the soil at the agri clinic.
Besides testing soil and water other technical inputs are also given.
A sum of six lakh is provided for establishing the agri clinics. Agriculture Department provides a subsidy of Rs. three lakh while Co-operative Department is providing Rs. three lakh.
Reference Link
http://www.hindu.com/2010/04/16/stories/2010041659230300.htm
Courtesy
The Hindu
Hotel gets award
THANJAVUR, India: The Union Government has awarded the National Tourism Award 2009 to INDeco hotels at Swami Malai near Kumbakonam under the heritage classical category.
The award was handed over to Steve Borgia, its Chairman and Managing Director, by Vice-President Hamid Ansari in New Delhi on March 3.
Reference Link
http://www.hindu.com/2010/03/06/stories/2010030654890200.htm
Courtesy
The Hindu
College students urged to learn fine arts also
GOOD WORK:Students of Bon Secours College in Thanjavur receiving the overall championship award.
THANJAVUR, India: College students should learn fine arts apart from their regular studies to preserve our rich heritage, said K. Murugesan, Emeritus Professor, (UGC), Department of Folklore, Tamil University, here recently.
Speaking at the Bon Fest 2010, the cultural festival at Bon Secours College for Women, Mr. Murugesan said that fine arts like vocal, veena recital, Bharata Natyam, etc., bring peace to the mind.
“There are many folk arts which the students can learn. Our cultural troupes comprising students win prizes in Republic Day parade at Delhi every year.”
Tamil University drama department trained students for Republic Day parade in the nineties and won many prizes.
Students, particularly girls, should take up art. Murugesan distributed prizes to students on the occasion.
Principal Sister C.A.Mariammal said that social service was part and parcel of the students of the college.
The students produce various goods, sell them and use the money got out of it to educate poor students of the college.
They are also interested in folk arts. They underwent training in folk arts.
K. Lakshmi, cultural secretary and Ravi, President, Vilar Pachayat, participated in the function.
Cultural programmes by students followed the meeting.
Reference Link
http://www.hindu.com/2010/03/05/stories/2010030559510300.htm
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