Saturday, November 5, 2011

Children friendly play ground in SEVAI Shanthi Higher Secondary School


SEVAI Shanthi Matriculation Higher Secondary School
SEVAI school playground fulfills several functions. First, it provides a safe place for children to play. Second, it provides an environment where children feel relaxed, able to play freely and creatively. And it is visually appealing as well, making the school appear a welcoming space. This school playground doesn't have lots of fancy or expensive equipment; rather, smart design of this SEVAI School helps school playground to fulfill all of these important functions. The playground offers large spaces for free play. Free play helps kids to become more creative, confident and social, and possibly even more intelligent. Plus, free play is fun; helping kids to relax and remember that school can be enjoyable. Constant supervision is given as crucial intervention on a playground. Kids feel safe from the outside world as well as from playground injuries. Thus, teachers on "playground duty" are able to easily monitor all areas of the playground. This playground wraps around the building in an L shape to maximize use of space while allowing several teachers to effectively survey the playground. Children don't always want to feel exposed on the playground. Sometimes they need a quiet spot for playing with a small group of peers. Safely discovering purposefully hidden nooks in a playground keeps their imaginations working. It gives them a way to play hide and seek, and provides a structure for games like "house" or "pirate ship." These spots are decorated with themes, such as "good habits." These spaces are not entirely hidden; rather, they are allowing teachers to easily look in.SEVAI school playground are complete with a garden. Children dig in the dirt to learn about plants and develop a sense of connection with the earth. The school management planted colorful flowers around the edge along pathways, to draw interest in the project. Playground makes all children feel welcome, regardless of disabilities. Playground equipment like jungle gyms and slides offer a way for all children to participate, offering alternative routes and ways of playing taking into the account of high-quality playground equipment. -Govin



Friday, November 4, 2011

SSA-IED launches Free special resource centre for children with autism, speech disorders and mongolism in Srirangam of Trichy.


Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Trichy District under inclusive Education for differently abled children in collaboration with a Trichy based NGO, SEVAI launches a special Resource Centre for the children in need with intellectual disabilities such as Autism, speech disorders, mongolism or down syndrome. The District Programme officer of SSA, Trichy has announced that this special Resource centre will be housed at Sriranga municipal corporation middle school of Amma Mandapam, Srirangam. This Autism, speech disorders, mongolism care Resource Centre is a not-for-profit community focused organisation committed to meeting the needs of such children of the locality. The officials said, “Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan is an effort to universalize school education by community-ownership of the school system. It is a response to the demand for quality school education all over the country. The SSA programme is also an attempt to provide an opportunity for improving human capabilities to all children, through provision of community-owned quality education in a mission mode”. The Ngo, SEVAI Project Coordinator R.Deivakumar mentioned “this SSA-IED/SEVAI resource centre for children in need would Support Individuals with Autism, speech disorders, down syndrome, Aspergers Syndrome and Pervasive Developmental Disorders. The IED special educators of Resource Center conduct indoor training, and consultations, engage in counseling the parents, and develop and disseminate information focused on building the capacity of local communities, and families to support children across the autism and other intellectual disorders spectrum in typical work, school, home, and community settings. The special educators will strive to address the specific needs of the individual by providing information and training on a variety of strategies and methods”. R.Deivkumar further added that the SSA Authorities had given guidance to give special attention to the children with Down syndrome or mongolism, a condition in which a person is born with certain distinctive features:  flat face, short neck, and a degree of mental delay (mental retardation). R.Deivakumar of SEVAI opined, “Although Down syndrome cannot be treated, most affected can lead a normal life. With the proper care and help they need, children with Down syndrome can have a spectacular growth and development and can become healthy and happy adults. Special Educators of IED will offer a range of services, including Assessment and Diagnosis, Information, Direct Therapy and Education Support, and Training of regular teachers and parents and volunteers. It will offer life skills and mainstream academics for its students. The special educators have personal experiences with disability, so they genuinely understand their needs and offer free, non-biased advice, to assist the children in making informed decisions on accessing services that will assist them in your daily life”.SSA authorities made announcements the parents of such children with Autism, speech disorders, mongolism or down syndrome can send such children to the SSA-IED Resource centre for free care as per the norms of SSA.-Govin

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Trichy Muthamil Kalai Panpattu Maiyam is in process of documenting cultural heritage of Trichirappalli




Trichy Muthamil Kalai Panpattu Maiyam is in process of documenting cultural heritage of Trichirappalli and the Maiyam also works on the preservation of Tamil Culture and it also documents the historical background of Trichipallai City and its surrounding areas. As guided by Prof.So.Sathiyaseelan noted Tamil Scholar hailing from Trichy takes efforts for documenting the important ant historical features of Trichirpalli.Writer and convener of Trichy Muthamil Kalai Panpattu Maiyam,Jawahar Arumugam who is in the process of collecting data on Trichy states,. “The Tiruchirapalli Rock Fort is a historic fort and temple complex built on an ancient rock. The 83-metre rock fort situated in the center of town is a major landmark in the town of Tiruchirapalli and is visible from a long distance. The Pallavas initially built this temple, but the Nayaks made use of its naturally fortified position and designed it again. It is a long climb up the 437 steps cut into the stone to the top. This is also a major tourist spot. The fort complex has witnessed fierce battles between Madurai Nayakas andBijapur, Carnatic and Maratha forces. The fort played an important part during the Carnatic wars helping lay the foundations of the British Empire in India. In the late 18th century, Hyder Ali was a major threat to the British, as were the French who were still fighting for their colonial supremacy in this region. By now, the town was firmly established as a cantonment town and the fort's gate was known as main guard gate. Robert Clive lived near the tank when he was in Tiruchirapalli. The Rock is said to be one of the oldest formations in the world. It is 3.8 billion years old, making it as old as the rocks in Greenland are found in this rock formation. The temple complex in the fort complex is a collection of three temples: the Manikka Vinayakar temple at the foot of the hill, dedicated to Lord Ganesha,The Ucchi Pillaiyar temple at the top of the hill, dedicated to Lord Ganesha,the Taayumaanavar Koyil Shivastalam, a rock cut temple dedicated to a Nayaka era saint, Taayumaanavar Mathrubutheswarar, dedicated to Lord Shiva  , has a lingam which is a projection of the rock itself. It is reached by a flight of steps on the way to Ucchi Pillaiyar temple. The rock-cut temple in the hill temple complex is named Lalitankura Pallaveswaram, with several inscriptions attributed to rulers. .The two-storey-tall Taayumaanava temples are considered to be a masterpiece of construction. At the foot of the rock fort stands a tank and a pavilion which are used during the float festival of the temples. These were by Viswanatha Nayaka of Madurai to hold major religious festivals. Near the tank is the house and 18th-century church built by Reverend Schwartz of Denmark. The mid-17th-century palace at the base of the rock was built by Chokkanatha Nayak, now known as Rani Mangammal Mahal, and features a Durbar hall. Historians thought the palace was built by Chokkanatha Nayak after he demolished three-fourths of the Tirumalai Nayak palace. This palace was supposedly used for materials in this palace. This palace was also the Durbar hall of Madurai Nayak when Tiruchapalli was the capital during the years 1616 to 1634 and 1665 to 1736. Today, it houses a Museum and state government offices. The main guard gate was one of the main entrances for the fort complex. It is located on the major fort wall enclosing the periphery of the rock fort with its temples, lake, the palace and bazaars .The main entrance faces the north. Six worship services are offered each day here. This well-endowed temple celebrates the annual Brahmotsavam in Chithirai. Aadi Pooram and the float festival in Panguni are also of significance here. They were started by the Nayaks of Madurai and are dedicated to both Shiva and Ganesa”. -Govin


Tuesday, November 1, 2011

“Electronic waste accounts for 70 percent of the overall toxic waste currently found in landfills”-Dr.Arun Sentilram.

Dr.Arun Senthilram delivers the key note address on e-waste management
The joint venture of creating awareness on e-waste among Trichy School students by Toxic links, Nokia and Centre for Media Studies, Trichy has a very positive response among the school pupils, teacher and the parents of schools and their neighbourhoods of Trichy schools.  Mr.L.Shanawas Khan, Director of Media studies welcomed the gathering at SEVAI Shanthi Higher Secondary School,Arubuhalnagar,Pettavaithalai and enlightened the purpose of the pilot campaign on e-waste especially mobile phones. Dr.Arun Senthil Ram, Coordinator of Toxic Links delivered the key note address and said, “Electronic waste accounts for 70 percent of the overall toxic waste currently found in landfills. The statistics on electronic waste (e-waste) are alarming. E-waste is now the fastest-growing part of the municipal waste stream. In addition to valuable metals like aluminum, electronics often contain hazardous materials such as mercury. When placed in a landfill, even in small doses, these materials can contaminate soil as well as drinking water. Although cell phone may not contain as much toxic material as larger electronic devices such as TVs, its shelf life is only about 18 months for the average consumer. With hip new products coming out on a regular basis, it’s estimated that there are more than 500 million used cell phones ready for disposal. Cell phone coatings are often made of lead, meaning that if these 500 million cell phones are disposed of in landfills, it will result in 312,000 pounds of lead released. However, possibly the most hazardous component of the cell phone is the battery. Cell phone batteries were originally composed of nickel and cadmium (Ni-Cd batteries). Cadmium is listed as a human carcinogen that causes lung and liver damage. Alternatives contain potentially explosive lithium or toxic lead. There are over 400 million active mobile phones in India. Think of how many of those people are on their second and even third cell phones. When we also consider that 80% of the world's populations live in an area with cell phone reception, recycling old phones just makes sense. Mobile phones seem so efficient, but there are hidden dangers associated with them once they become e-waste. The harmful materials contained in electronics, coupled with the fast rate at which we're replacing outdated units, poses a real danger to human health if electronics are not properly processed prior to disposal or recycled. Electronics like computers and cell phones contain a lot of different toxins. For example, cathode ray tubes (CRTs) in computers contain heavy metals, such as lead, barium and cadmium, which can be very harmful to health if they enter the water system. These materials can cause damage to human nervous and respiratory systems. Flame retardant plastics, used in electronics casings, can release particles that damage human endocrine functions. These are the types of things that can happen when unprocessed e-waste is put directly in landfill. Individual consumers are obviously not solely responsible for e-waste issues. Institutions also bear a significant ownership of these problems. Think of how many mobile phones are in your workplace. Clearly, businesses make a substantial contribution to the consumption and disposal of electronics. Thus, everyone should ensure the responsible recycling and/or disposal of cell phones. In most instances, your mobile phone company should be able to recycle your old phone for you. Prior to recycling or disposing of your old cell phone, it is very important that you remove all personal data from the unit. Recycling and the proper disposal of electronics is a major part of the solution to our growing e-waste problem. Regardless of whether these positive actions are mandated by industry or government, progress occurs when individuals and businesses change their thinking about e-waste”.Dr.Arun handled this session as more interactive and participative. Several students raised meaningful queries and Dr.Senthil Ram responded positively and appreciated the students for their thought provoking questions. The students were also received the recycled pens from the organizers for their intelligent questions and responses. Principal of the school, Mrs.P.Chitra proposed vote of thanks-Govin

Goat rearing program of Tamilnadu Government will improve poor family’s income.


SEVAI/Heifer Project international house hold goat project

Thanks to the Chief Minister of Tamilnadu Ms.J.Jayalithaa for the announcement made and being implemented the Goat rearing program for the poor in Tamilnadu and this Government project Government will improve poor family’s income level. In ancient time animal husbandry was very beneficial for people economy and social revolution because animal husbandry is very essential and positive source of income. Goat is known as ‘Poor man’s cow’ in India and is a very important component in dry land farming system. Marginal or undulating lands unsuitable for other types of animals like cow or buffalo, goat is the best alternative. With very low investments goat rearing can be made in to a profitable venture. Marginal or undulating lands unsuitable for other types of animals like cow or buffalo, goat is the best alternative. With very low investments goat rearing can be made in to a profitable venture for small and marginal farmers with Low capital investment and quick return, Simple and small shed is enough, Profitable under stall fed condition. High prolific rate of goats, Year around job, meat is lean and has low fats and is liked by all people, can be sold and encashed anytime. These small animal goats are the most efficient converters of farm and crop residues into excellent organic manure. Goat farming needs less capital when compared with dairying, and the animals can be raised in small farms. The floor space requirement per adult animal is about one square meter. A properly fed and managed milky goat will yield at least as much milk (on average two liters per day) as low yielding desi cows. The she-goat will deliver 2-4 kids at each parturition after a short gestation period of 150 days. The popular Indian breeds are Sirohi, Jamnapari, Surti, Tellicherry, and Kanniyadu.-Govin

Girls Education is the single most powerful way to lift people out of poverty.

Bright girls Students of SEVAI Shanthi Higher Secondary school

Gender equality in education is the need of the hour. Girls are less likely to access school, to remain in school or to achieve in education. Education helps men and women claim their rights and realise their potential in the economic, political and social arenas. It is also the single most powerful way to lift people out of poverty. Education plays a particularly important role as a foundation for girls’ development towards adult life. It should be an intrinsic part of any strategy to address the gender-based discrimination against women and girls that remains prevalent in many societies. Everybody has the right to education. The right to free school education, without discrimination and of good quality, has been reaffirmed in all major international human rights conventions. These rights have been further elaborated to address issues like quality and equity, moving forward the issue of what the right to education means, and exploring how it can be achieved. The right of girls to education is one of the most critical of all rights – because education plays an important role in enabling girls and women to secure other rights. The achievement of girls’ right to education can address some of societies’ deeply rooted inequalities, which condemn millions of girls to a life without quality education – and, therefore, also all too often to a life of missed opportunities. Improving educational opportunities for girls and women helps them to develop skills that allow them to make decisions and influence community change in key areas. Basic education provides girls and women with an understanding of basic health, nutrition, giving them choices and the power to decide over their own lives and bodies. Women's education leads directly to better reproductive health, improved family health, economic growth, for the family and for society, as well as lower rates of child mortality and malnutrition. It is also key in the fight against the spread of HIV & AIDS. Educating girls and women is an important step in overcoming poverty. Inequality and poverty are not inevitable. “The focus on poverty reduction enables the right to education to be a powerful tool in making a change in the lives of girls and women. Poverty has been universally affirmed as a key obstacle to the enjoyment of human rights, and it has a visible gender profile. Govin