Volunteers take on a marathon under the siege of Rotary Club

Chennai: The Cool Runner, A set of young and passionate runners along with the volunteers from the Rotary Club of Adyar have come together with a twin objective focusing on helping the needier by getting people participate in fund raising activities organised through a marathon.

The groups conducted a marathon to fund Fourtts Medical Centre, Okkiam, Thoraipakkam, a full fledged clinic which serves the medical needs of the under privileged on the marathon runners set off from the YMCA Grounds, Nandanam in which 2500 runners participated.

Speaking at the valedictory Mr. Jayaraman, President of Cool Runners said, “The event is an initiative by The Rotary Club of Adyar and Cool Runners. We are looking forward to make this a yearly event to support the noble cause and provide quality service to needy patients, providing access to Doctors from various specialities along with nurses. Currently about 120 patients are being attended per day. We are focusing on increasing the patient care to 500 per day”.

The marathon aims at providing free services like medical consultation and dispensing of medicines. Through the marathon the rotary club also aims at rendering complimentary services in like family planning, child immunization and health education amongst the poor.

Bangalore: While the country awaits the festival of colors, Trio students get right into the Holi spirit before the school wraps up for the year. The students came together at the school grounds to enjoy a splash of color with their friends and teachers, celebrating the spirit of the festival.

Holi is one of the much awaited festivals in the country. The scintillating colors marking the festival were, as usual, the highlight of the day. It is the festival that transcends differences, forges friendships and leaves lasting memories. This is what the students of Trio basked in as they splashed colors and spread smiles across the school.

Students from across ages and grades jovially attacked each other with bright colors until their frames immersed in the glory of the hues. As the teachers joined in the fun, the day took a more exciting turn making it a truly memorable Holi for the entire school.

As vacations approach, students bagged a cartload of memories to cherish and new friendships to come back to, as the school reopens for the next academic year.

Mr. Daisuke Nakamura, MD, ROHM Semiconductor India

Japanese semiconductor components major, ROHM Semiconductor hopes to tap the emerging opportunity in the automotive sector and smart phone markets in India. ROHM Semiconductor India headquartered in Bengaluru, has an office and a design centre in Bengaluru and last year launched an application engineering centre, said Daisuke Nakamura, Managing Director of the company.

A programme on electronics innovation for the automotive sector to increase awareness about ROHM’s technology in South Asian markets, was held here at ITC Grand Chola, Guindy. ROHM launched a driver IC for brushless, DC motors used in domestic appliances such as ceiling fans and air coolers.

Globally, its business is about $3 billion a year and India is a focus market, he said. It supplies components to tier I and II auto components suppliers with the automotive sector contributing a large chunk of its business here.

While for now smart phones are only assembled in the domestic market, there is an emerging market as manufacturers are expected to set up shop. This will provide an opportunity for ROHM, he said.

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday celebrated Holi with auto-rickshaw drivers, his family members and others at his official residence here.

"Played holi with my family, volunteers, ministers, MLAs, officers, autowallas and my dear junta. Happy Holi," Kejriwal tweeted. Holi - India's festival of colours, was on Thursday celebrated with lots of fun and religious fervour in the national capital.

Bengaluru: Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni wants Bangladesh batsman Mahmudullah Riyad to "learn from his mistake".

The in-form Bangladesh batsmen perished while trying to hit a full toss from Indian fast bowler Hardik Pandya out of the ground when Bangladesh needed just two runs from three balls to pull off a sensational victory over the hosts in a World Twenty20 Group 2 encounter here on Wednesday.

His senior partner Mushfiqur Rahim had departed off the previous delivery, trying to pull a short delivery from Pandya for six. Both holed out to fielders in the deep as Dhoni took his time re-arranging the field and briefing Pandya after every delivery.

With Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah gone off successive deliveries, Bangladesh failed to even tie up with the Indian score due to a last ball run out and the hosts won by one run, a match even the most ardent Indian supporter had given up as lost.

"In-form bastmen often try to play big shots to finish the game. If that shot by Mahmudullah had crossed the ropes, he would have been hailed as a courageous gutsy batsman. Now he will face criticism for playing such a shot," Dhoni was quoted as saying by bdnews24.com

And Dhoni's final advice for the promising Bangladesh batsman: "This is cricket. I hope Mahmudullah will learn from his mistake." But despite the loss, the Bangladesh gave India the fright they rarely experience at home.

Before the match, Indian veteran Virender Sehwag had written off Bangladesh. Commenting on Star Sports, Sehwag had said Bangladesh could be a 'cake walk' for the in-form Indian team after the hosts' facile win over Pakistan.

Chennai: The Chennai airport has been put on a ‘red alert’ following an anonymous call warning explosions on aircraft bound from Chennai and other metro cities.

Not taking any chances, an elaborate seven-tier security has been laid out with the CISF (Central Industrial Security Force), State police and various Intelligence agencies on round-the-clock duty.

An official source said, entry of visitors have been put on hold for the next few days, and each and every passenger is put through a number of clearance checks. Passengers undergo clearance checks by CISF personnel at the entrance and followed by respective airline staff.

At the security hold area, the CISF would again do a check. The hand luggages will be checked as well. ‘From a hairpin to a gold ornament, everything will be under scrutiny’, the official said.

The 84 point list of items not to be carried on the flight is being strictly followed. Along with the CISF and State police; the IB (Intelligence Bureau), RAW (Research and Analysis Wing) SB-CID, CB-CID, State police Intelligence, CISF Intelligence and Q-Branch are on their toes and monitoring any suspicious movement.

The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security Force (CASF) has also stepped up security measures of employees at the airport. The employees including staff of the airport, airline crew including pilots, stewards, housekeeping staff, cargo workers will only be be allowed with valid passes and identity cards.

Bomb squads of both CISF and State police have been deployed at the spot. According to police sources, following the Brussels terror attack at the airport and at the metro station, the security concerns of Chennai airport heightened after a private flight booking agency in Thoraipakkam received an anonymous call stating that 15 flights bound from Chennai will report bomb explosions.

The caller specified two dates on which metro cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkatta and Chennai will have bomb explosion on the flight. The information was passed on to the local station and to the Intelligence agencies. An Indigo flight from Chennai to Mumbai was grounded following the threat.

Chennai: Bearing this in mind, SRM University will hold real-time demonstrations for doctors in order to meet the gap at the Simulation Centre, said Dr VV Bashi, Director, Institute for Cardiac and Advanced Aortic Disorder (ICAAD) at SIMS.

Dr Bashi, who was talking on the sidelines of a press meet, mentioned the case history of a complex aortic surgery on a 47-year-old man from Maharashtra. Prashanth had previously undergone an aortic surgery more than four years ago in Mumbai.

However, he recently developed intense back pain and was advised another complex surgery. He was referred to doctors at SIMS. Dr Bashi said, “A second surgery can be very risky and challenging.

After studying his case we decided to carry out the procedure through a hybrid technique. This involved replacing the ascending arch of the aorta with a graft surgically and replacing the descending aorta through an endovascular approach at once. This is the first time such a procedure has been carried out in India.”

Dr A B Gopalamurugan, senior interventional cardiologist, was part of the team, along with Dr Aju Jacob, Senior Cardiac Anaesthetist. Prashanth was turned away by several doctors before he finally approached SIMS. This is because even several senior doctors are not equipped with the skills to handle the surgery, added Dr Bashi. “Therefore we have taken a decision to hold real-time demonstrations for creating more skilled people to handle the condition.”

He added, “Unlike other heart conditions, aneurysm requires immediate intervention. If not, it can lead to death in a matter of hours 50 percent die in 24 hours and 40 percent in 48 hours. Not all of them require open surgery.” he added.

The hospital has operated on a couple of more patients with a similar condition. Dr Bashi added, “At the moment, the surgery can cost around Rs 12 lakhs. If we have more specialists performing it, the cost can come down.”

Kolkata: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has slapped a fine on Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and his men for a slow over-rate against India in their last World Twenty Group 2 fixture.

Match referee Chris Broad imposed the fine after Bangladesh were ruled to be one over short of the target when time allowances were taken into consideration. As per the rules, Mashrafe was fined 20 percent of his match fee while the other players received 10 percent fines, reports bdnews24.com.

Mashrafe pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction, doing away with the need for a formal hearing.

Bangladesh bowed out of the showcase event losing the match by just one run. They will take on New Zealand in their last Group 2 match on Saturday at Kolkata's Eden Gardens.

Patna: A temple for the late Rajiv Gandhi, who was the Indian prime minister from 1984 to 1989, is being built in Bihar's Buxar district, a Congress leader said on Saturday.

The construction of the temple for the scion of the Nehru-Gandhi family started early this month, said Mirtunjay Rai, a Congress leader who, along with other Congressmen, is behind the project.

"The foundation stone was laid and construction work began for the temple at Kathrai village under Rajpur block in Buxar," he said.

The site is about 125 km from here. A lifesize statue of Rajiv Gandhi will be installed in the temple, said Rai. "It is a small gesture for Rajiv Gandhi, a Congress leader who worked hard to develop India," he added.

Rajiv Gandhi became India's youngest prime minister in 1984 after the incumbent prime minister and his mother Indira Gandhi was assassinated. He was himself assassinated on May 21, 1991, while campaigning in Tamil Nadu for the general elections.

Chennai: With political parties of Tamilnadu plunging into election work for the 2016 Assembly polls, Chief Electoral Officer Rajesh Lakhoni advised the contesting parties to avoid personal attacks against other party members and confi ne their criticism to party principles.

The CEO was speaking this morning at the meeting convened by the Election Commission in Tamilnadu with political parties that are contesting the polls to discuss complaints of violation of the model code of conduct and election expenditure.

With almost all parties taking up social media campaigns this time round, the norms to run such a campaign were also discussed at the meeting, t is learnt. Representatives from each party presented their grievances to CEO Lakhoni and sought clarification on the action taken by the Election Commission on various issues.

The party representatives present at the meeting were DMK spokesperson T K S Elangovan and legal secretary Girirajan; BSP State executive committee member Bharatidasan and general secretary Rajinikanth; BJP general secretary K T Raghavan and election wing representative Balachandran; CPI(M) district secretary of north Chennai Bakyan; DMDK literary wing leader Ravindran and advocate Santosh; Congress general secretary Jyothi; AIADMK Deputy Speaker Pollachi Jayaraman; CPI’s Murthy and an NCP representative.

Pitching in for the Election Commission in its mission to ensure 100 per cent voting during the upcoming elections, the Greater Chennai Corporation organised an awareness rally along with Ethiraj College faculty and students in the city this morning.

Election officials R Balasubramanian and T Murali took part in the rally and were joined by the students of Ethiraj College and college principal, Dr A Nirmala.

Chennai: DMK chief Karunanidhi sent a legal notice to MDMK chief Vaiko warning of civil and criminal proceedings against him for his allegation that the former's party had offered money to DMDK over forging electoral alliance.

"On behalf of our client M Karunanidhi we call upon you to withdraw your false accusation made against our client and express your regret," Advocate R Dhevi said in the notice to Vaiko which was circulated to the media.

Noting that Vaiko should withdraw the false accusation and express regret for the defamatory statement within seven days, she said, "otherwise our client M Karunanidhi will be constrained to initiate appropriate civil and criminal proceedings against you for defamation."

Reacting to the notice, Vaiko said "I will face it legally in the court." Speaking to a tamil news channel, he said, "I welcome his (Karunanidhi's) action."

Earlier in the day, Vaiko had claimed DMK had "offered" 80 (assembly) seats and Rs 500 crore to Vijayakanth for joining its alliance while BJP had offered him a Rajya Sabha MP post and a ministerial berth in the union cabinet."

"Our client Karunanidhi states that he was shocked to hear the false and defamatory statement made by you accusing him of offering money to Thiru Vijayakanth, leader of DMDK for joining as an alliance party along with DMK."

The statement has been made by you to the media, "knowing very well that the same is false." The notice said, Vaiko's statement "is a motivated one made with the only intention to damage the reputation of our client and to defame him in the eyes of the public in Tamil Nadu, the DMK party men and supporters."

Also, it said Premalatha Vijayakanth has "denied and controverted" Vaiko's statement and said there was no talk between the DMK and DMDK. Premalatha had told media persons to seek comments of Vaiko over the issue (again) and quipped that it was his opinion. Days ago, DMDK chief Vijayakanth had asserted that that his party had never bargained with any political party over alliances.

"Your conduct of not immediately withdrawing your defamatory statement and regretting to have made a false statement of accusation against Karunanidhi shows that your intention is only to defame and bring disrepute to our client at this crucial time when elections have been announced."

Further, the notice said MDMK itself had fought election in alliance with DMK and "on that ground you (Vaiko) are aware that our client does not indulge in such unethical electoral practice of offering money for alliance partners."

கோகுல மக்கள் கட்சி நிறுவனத் தலைவர் எம்.வி. சேகர் அவர்கள் வெளியிட்டுள்ள ஈஸ்டர் வாழ்த்து செய்தியில், "இயேசுபிரான் உயிர்த்தெழுந்த இந்நாள் ஈஸ்டர் திருநாள், துன்பம் நீங்கி இன்பம் பூக்கும் இத்திருநாளில் அனைத்து கிருத்துவ மக்களுடன் அனைத்து சமய ஏழை எளிய மக்களின் நலன் பாதுகாக்கவும் எல்லோருக்கும் எல்லாம் கிடைக்கவும் அனைவரும் பாடுபடுவோம் என கூறி அனைத்து கிறித்துவ மக்களுக்கும், இனம் மதம் பாகுபாடு இன்றி வாழ்வோம் என எனது சார்பாகவும் கோகுல மக்கள் கட்சி சார்பாகவும் ஈஸ்டர் திருநாள் நல்வாழ்த்துக்களை தெரிவித்துக் கொள்கிறேன்".

Jakarta: More than 150 people were displaced following landslides in Central Java in Indonesia,the a media report said on Saturday.

Continuous, heavy rains, which have drenched the Banjarnegara district, caused three successive landslides on Thursday and two on Friday, according to Catur Subandrio, head of the Banjarnegara disaster mitigation office.

Though no casualties were reported, 14 houses sustained varying degrees of damage, and 158 people were displaced, EFE news reported.

Victims of the disaster were moved to safer areas and a public kitchen was set up to provide food. Banjarnegara district has faced several landslides in recent years, killing dozens of people in January 2006 and December 2014.

New Delhi: Will vehicles no longer need petroleum products to run? The government plans to make India a nation with 100 percent electric vehicles and is already considering making electric cars available for zero down payment.

At a programme organised by CII Young India, Power Minister Piyush Goyal said India can become the first nation where 100 percent vehicles will be run on electricity, adding the government is trying to arrange funds for such an initiative.

Goyal said that a group has been formed under Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari. Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Minister of State for Environment and Forests Prakash Javadekar would also be a part of this group. He said that discussions would be held in the first week of April on whether India can become a nation with 100 percent electricity run vehicles by 2030.

Would it be possible to effectively utilize the savings accumulated by the consumers by switching to a less expensive alternative - electricity? The government says that people would be able to buy an electric car from the money that they would save by not having to buy petrol and diesel.

He said that the government is considering whether electric cars can be made available at a zero down payment. Citing the example of LED lights, Goyal said that because of the huge requirement for LED lights, the government has been able to bring down the purchase price to Rs. 64.41, which in February 2014 used to be Rs. 310.

Mentioning electricity bills, he said there is no need to increase the fee, adding one just needs to be smart and effectively utilize the electricity. He further called for an open minded approach and an honest thinking.

Chennai: BJP national secretary H Raja and two state vice presidents are among the 54 persons in the party's first list of candidates released for the May 16 Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu.

According to the list of candidates put up on the BJP's national website, Raja, a former Karaikudi MLA, will contest from T Nagar in Chennai which has traditionally favoured DMK or AIADMK.

BJP's state vice president and prominent woman leader Vanathi Sreenivasan has been fielded from Coimbatore (South) while another vice president M Chakravarthy will fight from Tiruthani, as per the details on the website.

Known for making controversial remarks, Raja had earlier unsuccessfully contested from Alandur during the 2006 Assembly polls. Sreenivasan, a familiar face in TV debates, was the party's choice for Mylapore constituency in the city for the 2011 Assembly elections which was won by AIADMK.

The party named its candidates for 54 constituencies including six reserved seats. Karuppu Muruganantham, who unsuccessfully contested from Thanjavur for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, is fighting from Pattukottai constituency this time.

In Vedaranyam constituency in Nagapattinam district, BJP has fielded former DMK strongman and three-time MLA S K Vedaratnam, who contested as an independent in the 2011 assembly polls.

The Central Election Committee of BJP had announced the list of 54 candidates for the Tamil Nadu assembly polls at Delhi yesterday and said that a second list would be issued after talks with IJK and NJP fructify in the coming days.

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday urged the chief ministers of all states to oppose the central government's proposal to levy excise duty on non-silver jewellery.

"I wrote to prime minister a few days back seeking roll back of excise on jewellers. Today, I wrote letters to all chief ministers urging them also to write to PM," Kejriwal tweeted on Saturday.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, in his budget speech, had proposed levying one percent excise duty on non-silver jewellery. Many jewellers and bullion traders associations have been opposing the move and have been on an indefinite strike since March 2.

"I have written to the prime minister requesting him to roll back the excise proposal. I also request you to oppose the excise duty on jewellers and write to the central government in this regard," Kejriwal said in his letter to the chief ministers.

APARNA MALLADI’S ‘THE ANUSHREE EXPERIMENTS’ SET TO RELEASE ON APRIL 1ST, 2016

A YOUNG WOMAN DODGES MARRIAGE IN A LIGHT COMEDY FEATURE SET IN HYDERABAD

Hyderabad, March 29th, 2016: The Anushree Experiments, the second feature film from Aparna Malladi [Nupur (ankle bracelets), Mitsein, Rosy Theatre Kanapur] will debut in theaters on April 1st, 2016.

The film has a clean ‘U’ rating from CBFC and is perfectly positioned to entertain families of all ages seeking a wholesome and inspiring summer movie.

The family-friendly film explores the coming-of-age of a spirited young woman and how the transition affects her relationship with her family, friends & her world at large. “I made this film to inspire young women who are dealing with their emerging adulthood and are trying to find their freedom to realize their full potential in a world of pure possibilities,” said Director Malladi.

Filled with wit, humor & heart, The Anushree Experiments follows Anushree Sharma (Sri) during her last weeks of college – failing grades, girlfriends, love interests & pressure from her parents to meet potential bridegrooms. To dodge arranged marriage, Sri comes up with ingenious schemes to sabotage her parent’s plans, When put her under “house arrest”, Sri gets inspired by Gandhi’s autobiography ‘My Experiments with Truth’ and goes on a comical Gandian style fast bringing her entire world down to free herself.

The film features London based Hyderabad actor Ulrika Krishnamurti [Rockford] as Anushree Sharma. The cast also includes Los Angeles based Anita Kalathara [The Mindy Project], Meka Ramakrishna (Baahubali] & Hemanth Yerra (Varadhi]. The Anushree Experiments introduces US based Karimnagar actor Vengal Rao Kanaparthi as Karthik – Sri’s love interest.

The Anushree Experiments is an ideal addition to the slate of low-budget indie films being made and released in Hyderabad. The film features a female protagonist, is helmed by a female director & producer and had the distinction of have approximately 50% female crew.

The Anushree Experiments is produced & directed by Aparna Malladi and shot in and around Hyderabad. She Creates Cinema & Movie Knight Studios partnered to make The Anushree Experiments. The film is being self-released and will have a limited theatrical release in Hyderabad, Vijayawada & Visakhapatnam.

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Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today condoled the death of Infosys employee Raghavendran Ganeshan in the terror attack in Brussels, saying he symbolises hard work and spirit of enterprise that characterise knowledge workers from the state.

"It is extremely tragic that Thiru (Mr) Raghavendran Ganeshan who was working in Brussels fell an innocent victim to a mindless act of terrorism," she said in a statement here.

His death was "an irreparable and immense" loss to the family, including his parents, young wife and infant child, she said, adding that "in this hour of grief our thoughts and prayers are with the family".

"Ganeshan will always symbolise the hard work, diligence and spirit of enterprise that characterises knowledge workers from Tamil Nadu serving the global community," Jayalalithaa said.

Ganeshan, a native of Tamil Nadu and Infosys employee from Bengaluru, had been missing since the deadly Brussels bombings on March 22. He was yesterday confirmed dead in the blast in the metro at Maelbeek station.

His body is being brought here from Amsterdam by a flight. At least 35 people were killed and over 300 were injured in the attacks at Brussels Airport and Maelbeek metro station.

Namakkal: Nearly 200 polling booths in the district have been identified as sensitive and would have additional security and other measures.

The district had a total of 1,560 polling booths spread over six assembly constituencies and of this 190 had been identified as sensitive, District Collector and Election Officer K. Dakshinamurthy told reporters here today.

Web cameras and additional police personnel would be deployed in these booths, he added. He also said the election department had given voters ID card to 129 members of seven old age homes in the district.

Usha Uthup and Anil Srinivasan performed at ROCK N ROLL CHENNAI, a fundraiser event by ACE Events

ACE (Ashtalakshmi Creators Entertainment) has created the 'Voice Of Hope' Series of events with a dual purpose. Firstly with an aim of reaching out to deserving causes through funds raised from Events they organize. Secondly to give the audiences an Unique Musical Experience with eminent performers.

The first in this series was 'Panch Tantra' a beautiful combination of Eminent artists like Sudha Raghunathan, Anil Srinivasan, Jayanthi Kumaresh, Ambi Subramanian and Naveen Iyer !

The second in this series Rock and Roll Chennai brings together the Queen of Pop, Usha Uthup and Anil Srinivasan for the first time ever along with other talented performers to weave a multilingual musical experience for the Chennai audience.

Chinni Jayanth was seen as a Singer ably supported by Saindavi. The event was held on March 26th at The Music Academy.

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