THE i-Opener TEAM Editorial Supervisor
i-Opener A Newsletter by Advanced Journalism Students of DMS
Pg1 Vol:1 Issue:5 26th September 2010
Yercaud special
V.Sundareswaran
Editorial Coordinator C.Velayutham
Editors
Tap the Untapped Potential
Chandrasekar Sundaresan
Yercaud - a “new” good place to Unwind
Vignesh Gopalraj
Reporters Divya Vaidyanathan Haripriya Madhavan Indumathy Devendran Rajalakshmi Kanagavel Shriya Suresh Sindhu Sugumar Shruthi Ingersal Subashsri Anbazhagan Arul Maran Srinivasan Abhilash Kesavan Arvind Natarajan Infant Genieve Krishna Kumar Suraj Sasidharan Vinu Karthik
Proof Readers Divya Vaidyanathan Haripriya Madhavan Suraj Sasidharan
Layout & Graphics Shriya Suresh
Note: The opinions expressed in this newsletter are that of the reporter’s and not endorsed by DMS or the University.
Abhilash Kesavan Yercaud is an unexploited/ unexplored scenic beauty that has ample scope for development as a major hill station. Much hasn’t changed since the days of British, Yercaud still remains predominantly a coffee estate. The climate of Yercaud is a moderate one “Yercaud is not commercially exploited which makes it great to explore around.”
hovering around 12C – 25C in winter and 30C – 16C in summer, some of the original forest still exists making it an ideal place for holiday retreat, yet Yercaud doesn’t shoot high in terms of popularity and preference compared to Ooty and Kodaikanal. Majority of the tourists visiting Yercaud are from Bangalore and Chennai. Laxman of Shevroy hotel said “People come here to relax and rewind their week end, some stay for a month. A
local Auto Driver and Tourist Guide pointed out “The path that leads to Killilour Water Falls are improper and highly dangerous, tourist enquire about the Water Falls get disappointed on seeing the way.” Tourist population who throng Yercaud are spell bound by its tranquillity. A couple from Mumbai, Amrita and Rohit say “Yercaud is not commercially exploited which makes it great to explore around” Yercaud has several avenues
like View Points, Water Falls and Reserve Forest which can be further explored and publicized to support sustained Eco-Tourism. Philosopher and writer Martin Buber said “All journeys have a secret destination of which the traveler is unaware”. It is in the Attitude of travellers to break new grounds and opt for destinations like Yercaud to experience the true sense of travelling.
It’s Fun To Sometimes Reside Like Tarzan! Sindhu Sugumar A house on top of the tree has started to sound far more exciting than a house by the lake. The conventional trend of a weekend out at a resort in a hill station has slewed and is no more in vogue with people who prefer an escapade to a peaceful and calm trip. A tree house which offers a blend of adventure and deviance, both in a very scenic location is the most perfect stay place for people who love being adventurous, and luxurious tree houses are no more uncommon in many of the major hill stations. Yercaud’s Glen rock resorts, situated 7 kilometres away from central Yercaud and about 2 kilometers down the Pagoda point amongst the Glen Rock estates has a very spacious tree house built on top of an impregnable banyan tree. The amazing thing about
house. The tree house that stands 140 feet above ground can accommodate five people and the charges areRs 1700 per person including food that are deliciously prepared and served right up to the tree house at any time. “ Push open the balcony door and soon you would find yourself witnessing the most thrilling and spine- tingling view of the vale beneath and the mountains right before you. The wooden tree house has comfortable cots, western A house right at the top lavatory, hot water supply all the tree house is the 20-minute through the day. The resort trek through the estate’s dense management also arranges aromatic greeneries made up of coffee, pepper, and orange plantations along with the natThe amazing thing urally growing trees that leads about the tree house at to the tree house. Rustle of the glen rock estate is the leaves would be the only sound 20-minute trek that reaching you when you’re leads to the house. amidst the path leading to the
camp fire, trekking, barbeque on request and thereby turning it out into the most perfect place for a gang of pals to experience some thrill and fun. “Atleast five people come to stay here at the tree house per week and the number of visitors rises to the peak in summer obviously” says Gregory Bosen, the owner of the tree house resort. In the recent past it’s the IT people who have been going often on such kind of weekend trips and treks and they have begun to seek difference and thrill. Tree houses have become favorite spots for such people rather than just a normal lake or garden resorts and this shift would definitely affect the conventional hotels and resorts which still continue to exist in a great number in these hill stations.
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Resident Guides, a Hit in Yercaud? Suraj Sasidharan Locals in yercaud have turned to being tour guides to tourists by plying as taxi and auto drivers. With transportation also being taken care by the guides, the tourists find the packages provided penny worthy. This way the locals get a livelihood out of their native town too. Tourist spots usually are colored with guides who are always a nuisance to visiting tourists. But Yercaud presents a different picture altogether. Here the locals, who act as both the “Sarathis” and guides, are lot friendlier and easily accessible. They have a very good network of understanding with the local resorts and hotels, where when tour-
ists contact the hotel people,they are put forth to the local guides for the tour around yercaud. Packages are nominal and sometimes a “steal” if properly negotiated. The locals with a good knowledge of the town are adept in explaining the various places of interest, though a problem of language barrier does arise in some cases. The Tamilnadu tourism development corporation TTDC, who are supposed to provide with professionally trained guides, are seriously lacking with just one single licensed guide for the entire town of yercaud. Siva Kumar, an auto driver pin points that “Tourists find it hard
The Innocent That Are Ignored Indumathy Devendran
to just move around by themselves without official guides and it is quite natural that we locals started helping out in their stead.” There is always a counter conclusion to this trend with many tourists being skeptical to follow unofficial
Journey On Foot Over The Shevaroy Hills Trekking at Yercaud is a healthy way to slack up
Problems
Villages Kovilur Maaramangalam Vepaadi Kondanur Thurakkappatti
Villages without transport and medical facilities
Most of the villages in Yercaud are still in their shadowed region within the negligence of transport and health care facilities. This leaves people to lead a life which resembles days in the 1950s. The tribal innocent life makes the people to practice superstitious beliefs like the Nirvana Pooja practiced in Vellakada village which was recently highlighted in the media. It is said that 30 villages lack adequate training facilities immobilizing the people. Even for their basic needs they have to travel through a route where jeeps are operated rarely. This is also the main reason for increased mortality rate.
There is always a counter conclusion to this trend with many tourists being skeptical to follow unofficial ways of sight-seeing. Some tourists would still want to go either the right way or their own way.
ways of sight-seeing. Some tourists would still want to go either the right way or their own way. Rohit a mumbaikar visiting Yercaud for the first time notes “ I find the locals doing a great job in taking us around the town though language sometimes is a problem. But in the end what you need is a trip around which they do pretty well.” Communication skills notwithstanding, locals find this new avenue of money lucrative and the tourists are not complaining much. But if the government do rectify their errors and may be include the locals into their network, tourists will be guaranteed a good all-round outing.
Villages alleged that private land owners do not want their lands to be wasted by roads. When asked to Vijayakumar, President, Panchayat Board, Yercaud , the reply was contrasting. “The main reason put forth by them is that huge sum can’t be spent for the benefit of few people. Mud roads provide the transportation and they can reach their nearest hospitals in 30minutes.” Even after 67 years of independence and India undergoing unprecedented growth in several sectors, there still exist groups of such minorities whose basic needs have not been met.
Shruthi Ingersal Trekking expedition hitting up both recreation and wellness, people of all age groups make out to the nearest hill stations for a goal break. Yercaud which was once a nomads’ land is now booming to be a hot spot of attraction for fun loving trekkers. With a large number bedding in the forests, the forest department initiates proper development and safety measures. Yercaud being the most preferred spot for trekking, the trip organizers make the whole show more “easy and comfortable”. The idle trekking point in yercaud is the path from the 60ft bridge to the main road that touches the telescope building. The entire distance covered is around 4000ft, which will be climbed in about 3-4 hours. They are taken through the horse path, which is free from wild life, thus this junket does not pull in any kind of mishap.
The locally preferred trek point being the “kiliyur trekking point” goes up to 800ft high. “Climbing hilly forests and going through the peculiars of yercaud makes me feel relaxed and healthier” says Sumesh a tourist from Bangalore. “Salem trekking club” auctions short trips every fortnight. Apart from being actively involved in arranging these slips they are involved in a lot of social activities during their trip to the villages all over their path. Trekkers mount these forests relishing the vegetation and chillness of the shevaroy hills.”the moderate climate and the allititude makes yercaud more opted than kodaikanal or ooty” says Mr.Arivuazhagan, Manager, TTDC, Yercaud. People of all age groups ranging from 10 yrs to 60 yrs old rise up with much ease. Trekking at Yercaud is a factor to experience.
Government’s Drinking Problem Vignesh Gopalraj
Employees of the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation ltd, commonly known as TASMAC are turning into bootleggers in Yercaud. TASMAC has the overall monopoly in the retail and wholesale alcohol business inside Tamilnadu. The large amount of variety of liquor that comes to these outlets are smuggled and sold to illegal street vendors who sell alcohol at high rates in the black-market. This is complete exploitation of government resources
for individual benefit. TASMAC’s outlets in Yercaud get all the domestic spirits from various recognized brands. The ones that the customers demand the most are never available at these places. This is because of the employees of these retail alcohol outlets are selling them to a certain group of vendors who sell alcohol at anyplace, anytime and to anyone (Including minors). TASMAC is one of the major economic assets of the Tamilnadu
government that has been showing great numbers at this alcohol business including the whopping Rs.125 billion profit in the year 2009. (Source: The official website of TASMAC) Over 30,000 employees have been employed since the government taking over the alcohol business wholly from private people. This is not a new way a government employee is using the public’s money for personal benefits. Technically this is not stealing but it is exploita-
tion of public money and misuse of power. This poses direct threat to the society because the restrictions that the government has laid are broken in one big sweep. A government run business should be documented at all levels; but TASMAC never gives proper bill to its consumers. Proper monitoring and billing should be done.
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Knowledge of Heritage Can Inspire Conservation Instilling a sense of pride about Yercaud’s heritage will lead to positive action Haripriya Madhavan Documenting the history and heritage of Yercaud and educating the people of the hill station about it will be a significant tool to encourage ecological conservation, feel conservationists who have been raising concerns about placing environment as a vital priority for this tourist-hit destination. A place that is famous for its Arabica coffee and has one of the best agroclimates in the world is also fighting battles against challenges like unregulated growth of buildings, contamination of drinking water and absence of a proper waste dis-
A people participatory approach with emphasis on public-private partnership could make way for possible solutions.
Anti-Plastics Rally Involving The Local People
this place is getting visibility only now”, says Murali Kesavan, a floriculturist who has been involved in posal system. “Tourism continues conservation activities at Yercaud to be a main reason for degradation for several years. Other factors that besides providing a steady income. put pressure on the ecosystem like Unlike Ooty or Kodaikanal where stone-quarrying and spread of retourism is almost near saturation,
sorts are ironically sources of livelihood of the local people. However, a people participatory approach with emphasis on publicprivate partnership could make way for possible solutions. Groups like Citizens for Yercaud, The Rotary
Club of Yercaud and Kurinji People’s Development Society, along with the State’s support, have been instrumental in encouraging vendors in the resort town to avoid giving out plastic carry-bags and cups. There are also plans to bring up environment friendly housing systems which once used to be a unique feature of the place. As part of conservation measures, commenting about the documentation of biodiversity in the forests surrounding Yercaud, a significant part of India’s Eastern Ghats, Murali adds “So far, there have been minimal efforts to document the biodiversity. Educating the tribal people in the process is essential to preserve the ecological heritage of these hills”. In contrast, a woman from one of the tribal villages believes that they can’t play a major role in conservation and it is the duty of the forest offices. With such counter-opinions still continuing, cooperation of the people and better interest from the local civic authorities will be crucial for achieving the vision of these concerned groups.
No Sign of Them! Why Yercaud needs to ‘Sign up’ for a better experience. Shriya Suresh
L to R : Illegible Road Sign in Tamil; Cluttered Sign Board ;Vishu Kaliappa’s Humorous sign board
The success of a tourist spot depends on how accessible it is and how easy people are able to navigate around without much difficulty, this is where street signs can make a tourist’s life easier. Street signs are used to impart information. They are meant to give a sense of what to expect on the road whether it be directions, distance, or a condition of the road. The very first street signs were not really signs at all. They were massively tall columns built by the Romans and were called milestones. The use of street signs became more formalized and popular when the first automobiles hit the road. Drivers
needed signs to tell them where they were going, how to get there and how far away they were. The Italian Touring Club, in 1895, was the first organized group to petition for better road signs for drivers.
either placed amidst clutter from other resort name boards and ads or aren’t recognizable because its too old or in the regional language ( Tamil) or worst still never placed at some spots . Tourists hardly go by foot around Yercaud and are forced to rely on guides and local means of transport like bus,auto The first signboards were and taxi. tall massive columns called While the absence of signboards is a milestones. problem , the presence of humorous social message boards were spotted throughout Yercaud. On Probing furWalking through the prominent spots ther, one gets to know that an active of Yercaud, its evident that you miss environmentalist cum hotel owner of the obvious “Welcome” sign at the Regal Hills Resorts has taken upon gateway to Yercaud . Sign boards are himself to spread the need for social
awareness in Yercaud . “ My Fondness for Yercaud dates back from the time I studied here at Montfort School and my family owned the first hotel in Yercaud. I have around 40 Social Message Boards put up and I make sure its humorous so that the seriousness gets absorbed more deeply. “ says the activist, Vishu Kaliappan. When a single citizen can do his best to create a change , its high time the government take steps and make this place more vibrant with signboards to increase the tourist traffic and bring to foray the best that Yercaud can host.
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Montfort’s Beacon Status Remains Etched In Moulding Leaders Divya Vaidyanathan The history of Montfort is in essence a history of ideas, visions and hard work. The leaders it has produced is innumerable. Three policy makers at different levels ,one of the state P.T.R.Palanivel Rajan, of the nation Anbumani Ramadoss & the man who has been the voice of India in the world, Shashi Tharoor. What would it have been if they had not come to Montfort?
Any old boy who is given a chance to be a Chief Guest in Montfort has one sentence to say, “I owe what I am to Montfort”. To them it is just a statement for us it is the consequence. With many a distinguished past students of Montfort, it is seen that the school has been an inspiration to make everyone rise higher. The pedagogy implemented at Montfort is quite unlike a clichéd high profile residential school. They believe in moulding a person completely. Extra-curriculars and academics are given an importance as much as the peasant –like student
life they’re asked to lead. They believe that this modesty will mould them into successful individual personalities both in personal as well as public life. P.T.R.Palanivel Rajan being from a rustic area has said that his parents decided to send him to Montfort School. Rev.K.J.George says that the then Principal, Brother Lawrence was the one who admitted him into the institution & shephered him into Montford. But, when he met P.T.R the first time, Rev. told P.T.R’s
Cambridge educated father that, “I don’t think he has the standard to come into Montford. I will give you 20 days time, train your son & if he passes in the entrance, I will guarantee him his seat”. Anbumani Ramadoss says that the great personality who came into his life was none other than Rev.George K.J. He says that he is really indebted to him in many ways is proud to be in his first batch of students.Within a span of 10 days he found that Anbumani was mischievous & full of
energy. He says that channelizing Anbumani’s energy into a progressive & pragmatic manner yielded instant results, he was the School Captain, and now can be none the less proven by our eyesight. Shashi Tharoor having spent very few years at Montfort in comparison with P.T.R & Anbumani is seen as a silent student who kept to himself. He excelled in English, even beyond the knowledge of the teacher recalls Brother Augustine. He was a man of words. Every Montfortian has his own version of how Monfort turned him into a successful individual. Most common myth being that it is catering to the needs of topnotch high profile personalities, is strongly contradicting the truth. Standard has been its driving force long since. Be it P.T.Rajan’s son or Dr.Ramadoss’s son it is standard & quality which speaks for itself. Not sure if it’s the scenic serenity of Yercaud which is acting in combination with this successful equation, it can be clearly said that Montford has etched its mark in producing the privileged and the influential.
Yercaud Becoming Bikers’ Favorite Place For a Break! Rajalakshmi Kanagavel As the gear gets higher and higher; you will get high and HIGHER. Yes! bike ride is ectasy. With a lot of hairpin bends, exotic viewpoints and other vehicles coming from nowhere, it is more thrilling as a rollercoaster ride. The Shevaroy hill ranges situated in Yercaud, a less crowded hill station as compared to the other major hill stations in the state of Tamil Nadu, is the most preferred spot in the South lately. The major two reasons why youngsters flock this place in bikes are climatic conditions and the altitude range. The hill is not that high, and the distance covered from Salem till Yercaud is upto 32 kms. Sharath, a biker from Chennai shared his experience saying that,“The hilly ride through the Shevaroy hills is easy and convenient. It is ous places like Bangalore, Chennai not that ventured and it is extremely and even Kerala during weekends safe to ride during nights too.” look for something adventurous like Bikers who come in groups from varitrekking, camping and fishing. Since
most of the road trips are planned by IT professionals and college students, they stay for a maximum of just two days.
“The road to Yercaud is quite steep. You gain altitude rapidly and it is helped by 20 hair pin bends. The bends are well designed to allow making a turn in the inner corner easy. It was fun driving less-dangerous winding road and feeling the chillness”, says Thileeban, IT professional from Bangalore. Many new improvements are being made to the roads so that the tourists are benefitted. “Since most of the road trips are done by the people of Bangalore and it’s a five hour trip from Bangalore to Yercaud, a new road is been constructed now with the same twenty hair pin bends .It connects to the beautifully built NH7 at Denish Pettai which saves one hour without going through Salem”, said Venkatesan, Manager of TTDC, Yercaud.
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Coffee Production Suffers a Dip Arul Maran Srinivasan The conservative coffee plantation methods and the land owners’ motive in Yercaud have led to durable loss in productivity and the quality of coffee crops in the region during the last 10 years. Yercaud, which is apparently famous for coffee cultivation in Tamil Nadu, provides livelihood for more than 70% of its total population but most of the profit goes to the landlords rather than the agricultural-workers. There are nearly 80 coffee estates in and around this region covering a large area of 5000 hectares. Most of the coffee crops are even older than 20 years where it lost its productivity at the most. But the estate owners want to make a kill out of unfertile plants and this desire to earn more and more without an investment reduce the production affecting the land workers. There are many steps taken by the Coffee Board to introduce new hybrid varieties but those are allowed only to a less sown land. Fertilizing is not done properly as
the workof November ers use it and December without only on the any prior temporary bainstrucsics” said Chtion. inna Gounder, A p a r t a daily wager from the who earns methods only Rs.4000 a used, the month. number of A.Periyasamy workers SLO of the Cofper acre fee Board said The Green Bean coffee land “the lands are is also antested once in other cause for the low production. every three years and we are trying It is said that an acre of coffee culti- our best in cultivating the new hyvation needs at least one person for brid varieties of the coffee plants to good productivity. But the scenario increase the productivity as the new here is too pathetic that only a group Chandragiri(a new hybrid variety of 15 looks after a whole estate of 80 introduced two years back) is giving acres. In such a type of situation an positive results in the cultivated 5% agricultural worker cannot look af- area”. But it is observed that most of ter such a vast land which directly the chandragiri crops are cultivated affects the production. “More peo- only under the government area. ple will be employed in the fields at Secondary crops like pepper, silthe time of harvesting in the months ver oak, jack, orange are also culti-
The Fragrance Factory Arvind Natarajan The Yercaud perfumery factory, which has been in existence for 64 years now has become a very important asset of Yercaud and has become quite popular across the nation. Previously known as the Essential and Chemico industries, the three generation old factory was founded by freedom fighter P.S.Bhavani in the year 1946. Located near the Gnanananda Ashram. It produces perfumes, pain relief oils, facial gels, lemon grass oil, herbal shampoos, soaps, and other herbal products. They specialize in the cultivation of rare and exclusive herbs and the extraction of essential oils. In the early years of operation, they were suppliers of oils for the Kerala Soap Institute, Kozhikode. Geranium, Blue eucalyptus, lemon verbina, java citronella, peppermint, rosemary are some of the major herbs being cultivated. Also plants of medicinal value like the Costus Igneous which is proven to be effective in the treating diabetes and Ajwain, known for its effectiveness against Kidney stone formation are also available here.
“The oil obtained from the blue gum Eucalyptus is nearly ten times better than the local variety.”
vated in the land without any land test. This also leads to the new pests which affects the prime crops. When an initiative is taken to reduce the loss in agriculture due to natural calamities through crop insurance particularly in horticulture and in sub tropical climate zone most of the people are unaware of the crop insurance which indirectly affects the agricultural workers in such case. The large coffee cultivated area in Tamil Nadu which is experiencing a series of problems though have some less significance like relaiable temperature, soil fertility where the people believe in it. And hence it is the time for the government and other private land owners to concentrate on this plantation where most number of people relying in too low income.
Truth, Sometimes It Prevails and Sometimes It Hurts Infant Genieve
Fragrance of Success In an effort to improve the quality of the end product, imported varieties of plants are being used. “The oil obtained from the blue gum Eucalyptus is nearly ten times better than the local variety” says P.J.Ramesh Singh, proprietor, Yercaud perfumery factory. Also a lot of quality control and regulations in the process of extraction are followed to preserve the quality of the end product. The perfumery has the reputation of being completely free of adulteration. They are the suppliers of raw material to leading fragrance brands like the cycle brand agarbatti, the kerkal group and several other soap companies. This has been one of the major reasons for its remarkable growth from a small scale industry to what it has come to be today.
Its been a tradition since time memorial that hill stations produce extensive herbal products. It’s true to a great extent when we read the legends of ooty, shevaroy hills, kodaikanal etc. Nature has blessed with these glorious mountains with the richest natural plants like Euclapytus, Clove, Citronella, champak, patchouli etc. Called the “kurinji” in Tamil {which denotes places in and around mountains) herbal products has always been a thriving business. Yercaud is no exception.one such centre is the siddha herbarium near sheveroy mines in yercaud.Founded in the year 2000 by the bharat yatra centre it is run by the trust of former prime minister Chandrasekar. The line of products and their medicinal usage is no wonder or something extra ordinary. Some are Gulkhand honey, Clove oil, Citriodora, Lemon grass oil etc., The centre offers solutions to common problems like arthritis, stomach ache, Ulcer etc. But the question is how effective are these products? Proper investigation reveals the various fraudulent acts of the centre. From its year of inception to the quality of the products etc. The centre has a history of no more than 3 years say the villagers. Fur-
ther, some hazardous adulterants like Methyl alcohol(Methanol), white oil, power kerosene are used in the herbal products like aroma oils(sandalwood and eucalyptus oils) says a local expert who owns and runs a perfumery in Yercaud. The adulterants are easily traceable even without lab tests and such chemicals are really harmful. Power kerosene also known as tractor vaporizing oil is actually used as a fuel for internal combustion engines. White oil is an insecticide. Methanol(wood naptha) is used for producing bio-diesel. The thing which worsens the situation is that the siddha centre uses several herbal products to treat stomach ulcers, skin disorders, arthritis and some heart ailments etc. These dangerous adulterants can produce some ill effects depending upon their amount of mix. The products are said to be manufactured from own distilleries though authentic sources reveal that their supply is obtained from a local market in Salem called Kalangutthu. (Arunachala Aasari Street). A great number of people including local authorities believe it as a great centre, but the truth is otherwise.
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Providing Strength To The Down And Trodden: Horticulture Krishna Kumar Recent research ture Research has suggested Station. that natural food The research produced through results, once horticulture can released is reduce the imexpected to pact of HIV/AIDS boost the peron patients by centage of strengthening farmers who their immune syswould take up tem. This finding, horticulture, combined with which is less increased yield than 10% in and a promising Yercaud, with source of income the majority for farmers has put opting for Cofhorticulture on the fee plantation. map to developFurther, what Plant with Power ment. is more promising Better breed of vegabout horticulture etables, tuber crops, and flowers is its labour-intensive nature. Horticulture requires less space, more laborers, more inputs and yields Rich diet content and higher higher income, This has brought yield has put horticulture in back the tribes who were switching limelight. to other means of income. “The extensive promotion of horticulture would increase its proetc., which are cultivated under duction. An example would be fig controlled environments for high seeds, which has been a sell out yields, are known to have rich diet every time it’s released owing to the content, which helps in boosting the demand abroad for its rich vitamin immune system and help fighting and mineral content.” says Soundar the disease, “A well nourished moth- rajan, assistant agricultural officer, er has less chances of transmitting underlining the bright future for the disease to her babies” says Na- horticulture in the coming years. galakshmi, a faculty at the Horticul-
From Zero’s to Hero(ine)’s
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Subashsri Anbazhagan empowered them immensely . NGOs in Yercaud have greatly contributed to this and ’Deepam People Society’ requires a special mention having 370 SHG from 67 villages. They were given training for making small scale products like making of candles, masala powder, coffee etc as well as other awareness programs. These products are abundantly purchased by the visiting tourists. Fertilizers for coffee plantation which had to be bought from outside earlier is produced by the self help women group itself. ‘’People who were once unaware of filling forms have now gone to the extent of fighting for their rights. No No longer left alone strength matches these women’’ says Bhuvaneswari,Yercaud,PLF leader. However, the road to the developYercaud strengthens the saying ‘’If a ment has some pitfalls. People spewoman is educated the whole family cially women suffers due to lack of is educated’’ by showing women upproper medical facilities. Staff are liftment has lead to the development meagre and there are no female docof Yercaudu as a whole. tors. ’’Women address their problem Women development for the past 10 to me and then I on behalf of them ask years has drastically increased and doctors for their treatment’’ says Venlead to the development of self and nila, Nurse, Yearcadu Government the society especially through self hospital. Morehelp groups. Yet cerover people tain issues have to be Women is a full circle, have to travel resolved for the bet- within her is the power down for nearly terment. to create, nurture and one hour for Earlier women transform by Daine Maria advanced treatworked mainly in Child. ments , which plantations with may sometimes meagre facilities even result in and rights. They barely knew how to loss of life. These problems have to sign. Gradual development after 2000 be solved for their betted developstarting from non-formal education ment. After all ‘’Its health that is real to awareness campaigns on child lawealth, not pieces of gold and silver’’ bour, climate change, HIV etc., have as said by Gandhi.
A Walk Down Memory Lane : Shevaroyan Temple Vinu Karthik I wanted to go to the Shevarayan temple, some said it was boring, some said going there was not easy and expensive. But I wanted to go. On my way to the temple on an expensive ride, I was wondering if my journey was really worth it? The Journey of my body stopped in front of the deity of Shevarayan and Cauvery and bowed with respect and awe. But my mind continues to travel wondering about what lies beyond in the caves running behind the deities for not many people have taken much beyond it. Long ago Shevarayan was traveling to river Cauvery through this cave which he himself created to reach and
marry his love to be a noof life Goddess ble genCauvery. It was erosity also an expreswith the sion of his love nature of to his subjects this cou(the people of ple as I the sixty seven seek their villages in the blessing hills) as the godand also dess brought for everyalong with her one who the water from Pic Courtesy :signature holidays.co.in r e a l l y river Cauvery. c o m e It was a true asking journey with a noble cause, for Love. for it. The couple standing there means to me “They have blessed many couples a lot from love to divinity. There seems with babies and the couples are grate-
ful enough to give those children the names of the God and the Goddess and so the legacy of this lord, an Incarnation of Vishnu himself will never cease to exist. Shevarayan can just elevate a simple seeker of his blessings to great levels in a matter of no time, he will just take you by surprise” says the temple caretaker. He has always been the hero for the village tribes and his power and legacy seems to just get bigger and flowing on because then why else did I want to go to this temple in the first place, for he was magnetic and it was at its full display, as I was standing in front of Him. “No pictures of the Temple, just the experience” says the priest, I respect their