Foto(s) Friday!

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On our way back from Aihole (North Karnataka)

On our way back to Chennai from Kurnool.  We saw some 9 herds like this one!

The herds were of single coloured goats.  We saw one herd with just black ones! It was interesting to watch!

Reminded me of the Kannada movie, 'Thithi'!

Survivers!

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Cyclone Vardah hit Chennai on 12th December '16.  We had never experienced such a cyclone as long as I remember.  The wind blew with a hissing sound.  We could hear breaking of the tree branches near our house.  Since last year's December flood had given us a good lesson about natural calamity, this year lot of preparation was there by the State and Central Governments.  More than human loss, this time natural loss was more.  The avenue trees, huge ones too had fallen down.  Many very old trees inside the IIT, Kalakshetra, Theosophical society etc. had fallen down and repairs are still going on.  Some trees were lifted and re-planted.  Huge amount of green waste was seen everywhere. Many compound walls have got huge gaps now.  It will take a long long time to get back the green cover in Chennai.

Many volunteer groups have started planting new saplings everywhere.  Rainfall this year, is not helping.  Hope it rains soon as is predicted, which will help the trees to come up fast.

Let me write what happened to a beautiful tree behind my house:

This is my favourite tree in the neighbourhood.  Everyday we could see many parrots coming and chatting on this tree.

Same tree...spring is coming! This picture was taken in 2014.

I have got many snaps of this tree in my album.  My favourite one is this with Rufous Treepie birds!

During the Vardah cyclone...this is the same tree which is shown in the first picture. Many branches have flown away (On 12.12.16). Picture taken from our window.

Next day (13.12.16)

This was taken on 9.1.17...It has survived! It should be back to normal like the first picture by next year! Parrots and other birds will be happy...Me too!

Some trees which were affected during the cyclone are fighting back to come out now! Feel so happy to see them during our morning walk!

A tree which was damaged during Vardah...the new branches have started coming out (1.9.17)

Many huge trees had fallen down but some like this, survived even after losing all the leaves which had flown away during Vardah.  Many tree are like this in our neighourhood!

On the Elliots beach road.  The small ones are given support now by volunteers and they are coming back! ((9.1.17)

Only a small base is remaining...still they are surviving!

Now, let us wait for Chaennai to become green city soon...like Bengaluru ones was! Reading about many groups taking action! Hope for the best!

The Father Of Family Planning In Our Country!

T.T. Vasu, The Father of Family Planning in India.

As soon as I read this article in 'The Hindu' today, I wanted to post it in my blog for future reference!

I have seen this person, a couple of times at The Music Academy, when I went for the December classical music concerts. My husband said that this person was the son of TT Krishnamaachari, the Union Minister during Pt.Nehru's time.  He was at the helm of administration of the Music Academy. Now, after reading the Hindu article, I googled about him.  This article said:

CHENNAI: The industrialist T.T. Vasu, who passed away on Tuesday a few weeks after his 76th birthday, has been lauded as a versatile personality, one who excelled not only in promoting business and industry but also art and culture. Born on April 24, 1929, the last of the four sons of T.T. Krishnamachari, who served as Union Minister of Industries and Commerce and Finance, Mr. Vasu grew up to inherit his father's capacity and interest in several fields, funding and sponsoring projects that marked his space in the realm of business, philanthropy and classical arts. He also contributed in large measure to the promotion of health care, travel and communications. 

This article is very interesting.  I had never known this fact about Mr. T.T. Vasu.  Have a look at the article:

‘The Father of Family Planning’

• The Hindu
• 9 Jan 2017

T.T. Vasu

It was 50 years ago that another ‘make in India’ venture got going. It was the first condom-manufacturing plant to be set up in the country. It was a joint venture between London Rubber of the U.K., manufacturer of the famed Durex condoms, and the TTK Group which had been importing the brand. T.T. Vasu was in charge of the project and before the project could be approved and the plant set up in Madras, he had a problem on his hands; a Central Government committee, set up to examine whether India needed family planning, felt that manufacture of contraceptive measures in the country was not necessary.

As Vasu in typical irreverent fashion kept repeating over the years, he went to Nehru in appeal and wondered what a bachelor, spinster and widower knew about family planning. The three were, respectively, Ashok Mehta, Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission; Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, Union Health Minister; and Vasu’s father, T T Krishnamachari, Union Finance Minister. In the event, London Rubber India’s plant was set up in Pallavaram in 1967.

With sales slow to get off the ground, the factory had little work till the Swedish Government gifted the Government of India 85 million condoms for free distribution. Vasu persuaded the donor to have the contraceptive manufactured in Madras — and he played a key role in advising the Government of India on how to distribute them as the 1970s were born. Nirodh had arrived — and it was no wonder many in the know called Vasu the ‘Father of Family Planning in India’.

A similar Vasu story told in a recently released, rather frank biography of him is of his wanting to set up a TTK plant in Madras to manufacture on contract Pond’s cosmetics. Apparently, when the papers went up to Rajaji, Chief Minister 1952-54, for approval to set up the factory in Madras, Rajaji is alleged to have minuted, “Sita never used cosmetics; I do not understand why Indian women need such products now.”

Off Vasu went to Nehru and the Prime Minister is said to have told the Industries Ministry’s Principal Secretary who brought him the file. “Sita was a naturally beautiful woman and not many Indian women are blessed like her, so they must have all the help they feel they need.” And so, permission was granted to set up the plant — but Vasu took it to Bangalore.

He brought it to a spanking new plant in Pallavaram in 1967, when there was a more sympathetic Chief Minister. In Tamilnadu!


I should have read about this before he died in 1975.  I would have seen him at the Music Academy with more reverence.  He looked like a very ordinary person then.  But he was an interesting personality.  Hope this deed of him (Family Planning), spreads.  

Picture courtesy: here

Foto Friday!

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