. Kumari Arivial Peravai

Young scientist programme 2012 – 2013

J.S.Anandhu Krishna,

Leader, Maroon team

Report on the educational tour

organized by Kumari Arivial Peravai to Erode and Satyamangalam

that took place during 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th of February, 2013.

“There are no old roads to new directions”

With the mindset of having found a new road to success, I began to dream of my days in Erode

and Satyamangalam along with KAP . . . .

My attention in school on Friday was completely drawn away by the curiosity and the joyous

sensation that the educational tour was supposed to offer me. As the bell rang, I had my bag on

the shoulder and traversed as fast as I could reach my home. I got ready and started to the

Moderator Njanadasan Polytechnic College [ the place where the Young Scientists were

supposed to assemble ] with lots of dreams and radiant ideas that took my soul and psyche far

beyond the sky and much above the planets. Since it is said : “Anything well begun is half done”, I

decided to have a short time meditation in the Murugan temple located at Nagercoil so that I

could have his showered blessings upon me throughout the travel and I believed that his

blessings would help me chose the right path at any thorny circumstances.

Day – 1 :

Blue team :

We were supposed to have a short time session in the Gnanadasan Polytechnic College as to

enable the eminent doctors of the IMA, Nagercoil namely Dr.Tiraviam Mohan and Dr.Kabir to

flag off the educational tour and to wish us all the best. As planned before, the session was

organized by Annlin Steffy [ leader, Blue team ]. The introductory address was given by Velaian

sir. To be frank, I think the introductory talk which is always given by Velaian sir in the

beginning of all the programmes may be the root cause for the

ever – lasting success of KAP. His talk is just like a lucky

pendent laid on the neck of KAP. Later, Dr. Thiraviam Mohan

and Dr. Kabir told that it is actually Dr. Vijayakumar to whom

we are supposed to be grateful. I felt proud to hear it from

him because Dr. Vijayakumar sir was in reality, the doctor of

my team, Maroon. They also blessed us and wished us all

success. Immediately, I was proficient to realise that KAP is unquestionably providing a platform

for us not only to articulate our talents but also to meet such great renowned personalities.

The bus fully loaded with the Young Scientists and other officials of KAP started its journey by

about 8:00pm. After about 45 minutes we were asked to get out of the bus for having the

dinner. We had a delicate dinner which was packed in Aluminium foiled boxes which kept the

heat and aroma intact, filled our stomachs with satisfaction from the Mary Matha Church,

Kavalkinnaru. Even that place had a godly presence and it definitely did give confidence to each

of us. Thanks to IMA Nagercoil and its members for their kind heart and support.

Day -2 :

On 16.02.2012, by about 5:00am in the morning, we boarded the Arulperumjyothi lodge in Erode

and as per the schedule, we were thought to reside there that night. We were allotted 1.5 hours

for refreshment and later, we all assembled in the room no.111, a pretty large room and we had

our breakfast there. The breakfast contained dishes that belonged to the traditional culture of

Tamilians. As we were there, Balakrishnan sir informed us that Erode is one of the districts in

Tamil nadu that produces a fairly large quantity of turmeric.

Sharp by 7:00am, Velaian sir declared the commencement of a short meeting where in he read

the programme schedule and explained each of the programmes briefly. He demanded that the

sessions must be of high quality and that it must be in the form of an interactive session. He

gave a clear cut explanation as to how a session has to be organized. Without these valuable

thoughts, the later sessions would have been incomplete. After the talk, the meeting was

dispersed and we started to move towards the SKM Group of Companies.

By around 9:30am, we reached the SKM Siddha factory where the siddha medicines were being

manufactured and exported. We were made to assemble in a hall in the factory which probably

seemed to be a seminar hall. Steffy invited the gathering including the doctors of the IMA,

Erode and the officials of the factory. The man who represented the factory and the SKM

Group of Companies was Dr.K.Murugan [ Assistant manager, SKM Siddha factory ]. Among the

doctors [ IMA members ] who came there were Dr.Abul Hasan, Dr. Sukumar, Dr. Susindar, Dr.

Chinnayappan and Dr. Kanagachellakumar.

We were really grateful to have seen and interacted with such principled dignitaries even in this

very small age. In the beginning, Steffy gave a short introduction about KAP and its activities so

as to enable the listeners know more about this voluntary organization. Dr. K. Murugan stated

that another factory that SKM Group of Companies owns

is the Egg Powder India Exports Ltd where the egg is

being converted into powder form and then it is being

exported to many of the developed countries. He said

that the Panchabootas have a major control over all the

processes taking place in the nature. In terms of

medicine, the three main Panchabootas Vayu, Agni and

Neer are termed to be the three main constituents of

Human Body namely Malam, Pitham and Kabham [ in Tamil

]. He informed us that Diseases are the main obstacles in the path towards God. He explained us

that since the eggs break during transportation, there is a lot of loss for the exporters while if

it is being transported in the powder form, then the loss would eventually amended into profit.

He mentioned the success story behind their animal feeds company. He declared that the basic

metals found in those food products are Mercury, Phosphorous, Arsenic and Cadmium and also

told that all these metals are having certain proportions and if they exceed their proportions

then it may inversely influence the vigor of the living being. He affirmed that an ordinary egg

may have anti –biotic residuals and more heavy metals. He encouraged us to promote and practice

the usage of organic and approved medicines. He then utilized the rest of his time to explain

about the industry, industrial processes and the various other machineries being used there. He

began his explanation with a question i.e. What is the difference between medicines and other

products ? We offered a lot of answers. Probably, he was surprised to see our intelligence and

accepted all our answers though he didn’t get his expected answer. He acknowledged that a

medicine doesn’t get any sort warranty as to be tested or not while most of the other products

in the market have their own warranty. He cited certain details about the GMP [ Good

Manufacturing Practices ]. He then stated the elements of GMP namely :

• Quality

• Efficacy

• Safety

He also emphasized that the components being used to make the medicines must be purchased

from GMP approved centers. He also pointed out that a good medicine manufacturing company

must have the following :

• Good Infrastructure

• Good Systems and Procedures

He then mentioned the various other technologies involved in the factory functioning and

machinery operations such as :

• SOP – Standard Operating Procedures

• SCP – Standard Cleaning Procedures

- Initiates effective and

uniform cleaning procedures

throughout the factory and over all

machineries in the factory

He also mentioned that these services are being monitored by a department namely the Quality

Assurance Department and also said that this department is recommending regular checks. He

added that the application methods that are functioning in the factories and the sequence of

the process goes like the following :

He mentioned the reason for which their chairman, Padmashree Mr. S.K.M. Mailanandem received

the great honoured Padmashree puraskar. I really became greatly admired of him when I heard

that he received the award for his social service. I came to know that he was really grateful and

kind – hearted to have completely adopted two villages namely Rajiv Nagar and Gandhi Nagar and

presently the SKM Group of Companies is offering free education, free food, free medical

treatment and much other complimentary facilities and most importantly, the educational

facilities that they are offering to the rural students has made him reach a position next to that

of God. In my opinion, he can be considered as the real avatar of God in the earth. We all come

to Earth with the message of the God to help the needy but none of us do so. It is only some who

obeys his message. Padmashree Mr.S.K.M.Mailanendham is one among those who obeys God

Almighty’s orders. Murugan sir belaboured that Siddha medicines are of two types namely:

• Internal medicines

• External medicines

Raw material is

being approved.

Production and

Procedure control

and quality.

Resultant product

ready for export .

He mentioned that the Siddha medicines usually take up their role and come to effect after

about 8 days. He also emphasized that there are about seven different types of minerals that a

human body may need. We came to know from him that the Siddha medicines were primarily

derived from the principles and the morals of the life of the Siddhars. He articulated that the

Siddha medicines were acquired by using about 30 Siddha literatures as references. He

beautifully remarked that the medicine for snake poison has been derived from its venom itself

and verbalized that the latest developments in the medical field has shown us a lot of signs for

a better future. I was able to inference that in the coming years there will be no disease without

a medicine. He concluded his talk by simply wishing us a good stay and an all the best. Later, we

were endowed with a chance to clear our doubts on Siddha medicines by having a squat point

interaction with him. He was so knowledgeable that he answered all our questions evidently and

restlessly. As a result of listening to his answers, we were able to gain a lot more information

about Siddha medicines and its applications. By means of an answer, he explained us that

“Agasthiyar is considered as the father of Siddha medicines”. We came to know that the effect

and application of these types of medicines completely depends upon its dosage and he also

listed out the differences between Siddha medicines and Ayurvedic medicines in terms of its

outline and dosage. He stated that SKM group of companies is offering a lot of free treatment

plans and has also established numerable hospitals across the state including various Inpatient

hospitals. When asked as to whether Siddha medicines can cure cancer, he countered the

question by answering that cancer can be cured only if the patient thinks he has to. Moreover,

he also acquainted that they have attained success by having treated a person with both

allopathic medicines as well as Siddha medicines. He also mentioned the names of certain Siddha

medicines. I felt flabbergasted to hear those names as it seemed to be a bit difficult to

pronounce and were in the language of the ancient Siddhars. In order to mention the widespread

usage of their medicines, he declared that the Madurai High Court is being provided with their

products/medicines. He also said that the only way to make the public aware of the dreadful

medical inconvenience that we may face in the future is to :

• Conduct awareness camps

• Demeanor training programmes

• Organize various campaigns

Etc . . . . . .

It was at this time that the most awaited moment of the day arrived. We had the doctor

members from IMA, Erode in the hall. As soon as Steffy gave them a warm welcome, the team

leaders were called to propose their theme talks. First of all, I was supposed to give the theme

talk from my team on the topic :”Food production and Consumption”. I demanded that India is a

land of agriculture and also said that almost 75% of the Indian population is dependent on

agriculture one way or the other. I stated that to feed the million of our poor, we have to move a

lot and also mentioned certain organizations that have come forward to face the future

agricultural crisis like :

• Cooperative credit societies

• Rural banks

• Governmental and Non – governmental organizations

And many other agricultural organizations . . . .

I mentioned a tip as to take agricultural courses into consideration just like the other

professional courses and also consider agriculture/farming as a white collar job. I insisted them

to change themselves to ensure a better and secure future and also quoted that “Change by

heart is really better than Change by compulsion”. I concluded by raising a question as to “Will a

man who carries his son on his shoulders wherever he goes easily change? ” [ means that we are

ready to carry our problems along with us at all situations rather than finding a solution about it

].

The next theme talk was given by Fathima of Yellow team on their topic : “Food processing and

Human ”. She mentioned that food processing is simply the transfer of raw materials to cooked

products or just changing the form of food products from one state to some other form. She

informed us about the parameters, hygiene and time with respect to the food processing

concepts. She concluded by telling that the future of food and agriculture is in the hands of the

young generation of India.

Thirdly the theme talk was given by Sooraj for the Green team on the topic : “food System

and Health ”. He demanded that junk food consumption may have tremendous impact in the life

of a person and the problems caused due to this junk food consumption have really become

general around the world. I felt it to be true and decided that once the Young Scientist

Programme for our batch completes most of us would really withdraw the habit of consuming

fast foods and junk foods. He stated that in the United Kingdom the schools have taken

initiative to grant lunch for the school pupil so that they could ensure that the children are

getting the right amount of nutrients from their lunch. He too concluded by telling that various

Governmental and Non – governmental organizations have come forward to face the future food

crisis and insisted us to be the next to take up the responsibility to find an alternative to this

crisis.

After that, the theme talk was given by Dharan of Red team on the topic :” Future of food and

agriculture ”. He mentioned the two main problems that the farmers are facing as to :

• Land availability

• Water availability

He mentioned the basic factors that may affect the growth of the crops like the climatic

features, land spread etc . . . . . He said that the future agricultural practices may limit the

emission of Green house gases. He finally concluded by with a striking quote : “Save agriculture,

Save yourself, Save your future”.

As soon as, we, Young Scientists got our tasks completed, the doctors decided to propose their

special addresses. First of all, Dr.Susindar began the session with an appreciation to the Young

Scientists for our extra – ordinary talks. He then praised the land of Kanyakumari as blessed

with the adoption of Swami Vivekananda. He also told that even Swami Vivekananda was a one

among the family of Siddhars who came to Tamil Nadu. He insisted us to transform all the forth

coming sessions into effectual interactive sessions. In my opinion, I felt that it was a right tip

for all the Young Scientists. I felt proud to hear from him that Erode is blessed to have the

presence of the Young Scientists on its land. He concluded by once again offering a pleasant stay

to us.

After that, we had a short address by Dr.Sukumar. I jumped to my feet when I heard from

Steffy that he has donated his blood for more than 145 times. There are only few who are

ready to donate their blood to the needy and they are of course the great ones in this land. One

such person is Sukumar sir. He expressed his feelings in terms of words as to when one donates

his blood, his mind feels satisfied. I felt that these words should be considered as golden words

and also thought that these words should be inscribed in our mind’s book so that it could never

be forgotten. He said that when one commits himself to do something good, he becomes fruitful.

My heart stood still for a minute when I heard from him that the IMAYAM Cancer centre

organized by Dr. Abul Hasan and Dr. Sukumar [ main doctors ] was inaugurated by the former

president Honourable Mr. Avul Pakir Jailulabdeen Abdul Kalam. His talk carried a lot of messages

which I felt was necessary to all the Young Scientists so that they could all foresee a brighter

future.

The next address was delivered by the special guest of honour Dr.Abul hasan. He began with a

question so that the session could be a bit interactive. The question raised by him was: “Which

country in the world is having the most number of malnourished children?” We were really

surprised at this question because it seemed to a bit simple to us. We immediately answered

that Somalia and Kenya are the countries with the most number of malnourished children. To our

surprise, the answer was wrong. He said that INDIA is having the most number of malnourished

children [ about 38.52% of the population of children is malnourished ]. We were really

astounded on hearing the answer but slowly realized the truth. He was actually a storehouse of

knowledge.

Later, we had a talk by Dr. Kangachellakumar. His talk was too short but it his words caught a

deep position in our minds. He wished us all the best and a pleasant stay.

No sooner, we had the next talk by Dr. Chinnayappan. He appreciated the idea of the formation

of a voluntary organization like KAP and praised the brain of Velaian sir of giving training to the

budding scientists of the Kanyakumari district. He stated that KAP provides a golden

opportunity for the students to express their talents even at this young stage. He also affirmed

that on participating in the Young Scientist Programme organized by KAP, the students would

come to know about the food consumption and production trends in India and he also assured

that we would most probably change the worse trends among them in the future. He concluded

his talk with a quote i.e. “The world has enough to full fill our need but not our greed”. I felt it

to be true.

Green team :

As a matter of conclusion, Sooraj of Yellow team was asked to deliver the vote of thanks. It was

definitely an appreciable one.

We then had a short tea break. Then, we were called for the field visit. We were delighted to

have a visit around the SKM Group of Companies. I was really amazed on seeing the security

measures that they took in order to ensure the complete safety and quality of their products.

They offered us new chapels as our shoes may make the factory interiors untidy and the dirt

thus made may reduce the quality of their products.

First of all, we had our visit to the block named “Research and Development – traditional

medicines”. There we saw the various metals that were moulded into shapes and spread out on

sheets under the sun so that they could get dried. Among the metals we saw were Pattukarippu [

in Tamil ] and Nagaparppam [ in Tamil]. We came to know that these metals must change to their

oxide form in order to make the medicine consumable. Later as we got in we had a view over the

specimens of the materials that add flavour to the basic Siddha medicines. Further in we saw

the various technologies involved in making the medicines like the Grinding technologies. There

hung a board which read information about the time period involved in the soaking of various raw

materials used for making of the medicines like the Aichengooram, ICI Thiruthoda Mathirai etc .

. . We came to know that a medicine named the Thankapasmam can restore the fairness to a

person and make the person look charming. Though unbelievable, I thought that these

medicines [ thankapasmam ] could replace the costly Golden Facial technologies [ – parlour

method to restore fairness ]. We saw the technology that uses the application of heat, clay and

pottery in the making of medicines where the raw materials are Honey wax, Sadhamanjil, Salt

etc . . . We also saw the medicines production method that uses Aarumughasinduram as the raw

material. On our way to the next block, we saw various materials that were placed outside for

the drying process like Pomegranate peels, Gooseberry seeds etc . . . I realized that each thing

in this world has its own value though we don’t realize it. These peels are of no use to us and so

we throw it off but in reality they are the ones who cure us during the periods of dreadful

diseases. I learned to respect everything around me after seeing this wonderful sight. We were

also lucky to see a solar dryer in original and we also witnessed certain medicinal plantations.

We then saw the specimens of certain flavoring items. Among the specimens were :

• Thippili, Milagu, Chukku, Thanrikai thol, Athimathuram

• Paru nannari, Koraikizhangu, Karkandu, Seeni, Honeywax

• Nattu ammukara, Sinnagapoo, Malli, Vaivilagam, Ettikottai

• Sitharathi, Thavanatharani, Sathipathiri, Sathikai, Palkizhangu

• Murungai pattai, Sathavari, Avaram poo, Vellai kunguliyam

• Virali manjal, Kappu manjal, Mahilan poo, Venthayam

• Nerunchil mul, Sevallkodi, Masikkai, Karumseeragam, Seekakkal

Etc . . . . . . .

In that block, we saw a signboard that read that the factory is committed to the prevention of

diseases through herbal medicines thus ensure a better society.

Later, we went to a factory that dealt with the production and formation of Choornam, which is

one among the forms of Siddha medicines. Later, after the visit to the other factories, we

assembled outside the factory near a green grassy meadow where I met with an innovative

question raised by Velaian sir regarding the transformation of the machinery used from two

grinders at a time to four which would rather be less time consuming and might reduce the

labour charge. I took up the challenge and decided to inform him the answer during the last

meeting of this Young Scientist programme. I hope it would make him happy.

While standing there, Mr. Saravanan, our guide explained us about the different forms of

Siddha medicines like Choornam, Lehyam, Pasmam and Chindooram. The descriptions that he

offered were as follows :

Form State of existence Types

Choornam Solid Fine and coarse

Lehyam Semi – solid Poornam and Apoornam

Pasmam and Chindooram Nano powder form Nil

Soon after the summary was given, we had our way to the rest of the factory. We saw the waste

water treatment plant / effluent water treatment plant. We also did see the lemon extractor

where a lemon is inserted as a whole to the entrance of the machine which on processing throws

the peel out and the juice gets collected in the residual tank. We also saw the application of

Isopropyl alcohol in the factory which is being used as a handwash so that they could ensure

complete cleanliness of their systems and procedures. We then visited the block where the

Lehyam was being prepared. We saw boards that hung on the walls and one of them read :

We were able to visualize the methods of preparation of the Lehyam and we learned a stunning

fact that even milk is being used in the preparation of Lehyam. Moreover, we also became

knowledgeable about an eco friendly way of preparation of Lehyam i.e. rather than using any fuel

medium for providing the heat, it uses the application of steam makers for heating. We saw an

incubator inside the preparation centre which is mainly utilized for heating purposes.

When we entered the next section, I found a wonderful quote hung on the walls and realise that

it should be ready by the pupils who believe in fate and luck. It said : ”The harder you work, the

luckier you get” [ meaning: It is not simply that we should not believe in luck and fate but we

must apprehend that it is hard work that we do which decides our luck and fate ].We saw the

tablet and capsule making processes, the capsule loader, the blister packing technologies, the

semi solid state medicines’ packing and sealing techniques etc. . . Thus the lab visit came to an

end. It was indeed an informative one. My sincere thanks to Dr.Murugan and Mr. Pazhanisaamy

Raw material Q.C.Check

Sugar base Crude drugs Fresh herbs Crude drugs

Pulverising

Decoction

Juicing

Juice

Grinding

Paste

Mixing pan

Boiling

Addition of Coornam Addition of Ghee

who explained us in detail about each and every appliance and techniques used there in the

preparation of Siddha medicines.

Later, we got into the bus and then headed towards the Egg Powder India Exports limited which

also belonged to the SKM group of companies. It was one of the most memorable visits in my life.

Even the first sight of the building caught my attention. The architectural intelligence was

borrowed from the German forms of architecture. It was really fabulous and extra ordinary.

There we met an official of the Exports company namely, Mr. Pazhanisaamy who explained us in

detail about the processes involved in the making of the egg powder and also stated the areas

where it finds innumerable applications.

Pazhanisaamy sir began by telling that we were actually lucky to have visited the company as only

the B.Tech students are given the chance to study the processes and machineries used in the

factory. In my opinion, from the moment we got into the factory, we didn’t have a feeling of

being inside an industrial unit as it was neatly maintained and tidy. Hats off to the officials of

the company . . . . He stated that the Exports Company was actually a joint venture and that it

mainly aimed in Industrial Development. I was staggered to heard from him that the egg in the

liquid form is being processed and then gradually converted into the powder form. He mentioned

the three types of powder such as :

• Whole egg powder

• Egg yolk powder

• White yolk powder / Albumin powder

He said that sweet flour and sugar are also added in definite proportions during the the process.

We came to know from him that the building uses almost all sort of German technologies and

that the Company was inaugurated by our former Chief minister, Mr. Karunanidhi. It was

unbelievable to hear from him that almost 20,00,000 eggs are being broken per day while among

them only about 4,00,000 to 5,00,000 eggs are from their own farms while the rest are obtained

through extensive marketing. He affirmed that the secret of their everlasting success is the

purely organic methods of production and export. We were informed that the eggs undergo

various processes in a sequence before being taken for processing like :

Stored in the

Godowns

Neat appearing

eggs are chosen Undergoes Lab

Testing

Further

Verification

He demanded that a specialty of their products is that they possess a detail tag and that they

follow the “first come, first serve” concept in the terms of export. He confirmed that the

Company manages about six complex machineries. He listed out the production and usage rate in

terms of mass while dealing with the concept of types of egg powders. He elucidated that the

edutator is used to make the liquid content stable by adding solutes. He verbalized that the

products before package also undergoes heat treatment where in the product is subjected to

heat wherein the water molecules evaporate and this, to be sure, removes dust and the yellow

yolk particles too and thus, the end product is the powder ultimately. Moreover, he also

emphasized that almost 60 – 70% of water content can be removed with the help of the process,

‘Reverse Osmosis’. He strongly uplifted a point that the product becomes a finished good and

edible product only after air tight packing / sealing.

When we asked about its applications in the market, he told that the egg powder primarily

decides the softness of the cakes and is used for confectionary purposes. He informed that the

white yolk powder is used for cosmetics manufacturing and for confectionary purposes. He

reported that main aim for the manufacture of egg powder is to reduce transportation

difficulties and to make a superior quality product from an egg. When we enquired about its

nutritional value, he notified that there is no loss or gain in the amount of nutrients when an egg

is transformed into its powder state. He made us aware that the egg shell that are wasted are

partially utilized as animal feed. Before the session came to an end we were shown the various

machineries that found applications in the factory and most importantly we were able to

visualize the pasteurization centre. We would never ever forget the visit to the Egg powder

exports India limited. Thanks to KAP and the SKM group of Companies.

Later, we had the lunch break and the lunch uplifted the traditional customs of food in Tamil

Nadu. Later, we once again assembled in the meeting hall as to thank the faculties of the SKM

group and the facilities offered by them.

First of all, Velaian sir had a short talk. By means of his talk he pointed out certain faults that

were committed by the Young Scientists. He appreciated the sincerity of Mr. Kodeeswaran, Mr.

Shakthivel and all the others who were in constant touch with us and accompanying throughout

the programme. He mentioned the purpose of visit to the IMAYAM cancer care centre. But

before he concluded, he reported that Mailanandam sir is the right person to receive the

Padmashree award for the respectable social services that he offered to the community –

adoption of two villages, really great ! All of us had the same opinion as that of Velaian sir. We

left the SKM Group of Companies by 3:00pm. Our next destination was the IMAYAM Cancer

Care centre.

We reached our destination by 4:05pm. As soon as we entered, my heart felt saint like when I

saw the motto of the IMAYAM Cancer Care centre i.e. “Care beyond Cure”. We assembled in

the seminar hall which was a bit small to accommodate all the Young Scientists and some of us

were supposed to be seated on the floor. It was a different experience for us. Velaian sir

announced that since the doctors have not arrived yet, we were supposed to have a visit around

the Cancer Care centre and if time permits then we shall have a short team meet too. As soon

as we had a short rounds in the centre, all of us were

deeply touched by the sights of the difficulties that

the patients are facing because of that deadly disease.

We then had our team meet and during our team meet,

the team members were informed about the articles

that they were supposed to prepare and we were also

given the topics for the technical presentation.

After the team meet, we had a tea break and then the

meeting was commenced with Ram Akash campering

the programme. He welcomed everyone to the dais and

then Abiulin was called upon to give a short introduction about The IMAYAM. We were all

astounded to hear from her that the IMAYAM was inaugurated by Dr.A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. She

stated that the cost of the project was around 40 lakhs and its aim is to provide care and

support to the cancer patients. Many doctors from across Tamil Nadu are offering voluntary

services to the IMAYAM like Dr. Sadagopan who is providing the rice for all the cancer patients

in IMAYAM. She also affirmed about all the free facilities and treatment that IMAYAM is

offering to the cancer patients. She also took notice of the fact that Dr. Sukumar sir is of the

greatest support to IMAYAM. The idea about IMAYAM was originally envisaged by Dr. Abul

Hasan which was encouraged and supported by other members of IMA Erode and other well

wishers from that district. The first and main building if the trust was donated and constructed

by his family in memory of his parents. No doubt, Dr. Abul Hasan is one Mother Therasa that

India has produced.

Then the introductory address was given by Velaian sir. He appreciated the social contact of Dr.

Vijayakumar sir who is the backbone of this Erode – Satyamangalam programme. His new position

as the national president of IMA was actually a result of the social service that he has done on

behalf of KAP and of course, on his own behalf too. He even appreciated Dr.Abul Hasan sir’s

sincerity and big hearted mind of offering free service to all the Cancer patients around there.

As a token of appreciation, the doctors and the subordinates were offered books [ Book

published on behalf of the Young Scientist program that took place last year ] by the official of

KAP. The pattern was as in the following table :

Book given to : Book given by :

Dr. Abul Hasan Shri. L. Edwin Sam

Dr.Sukumar Shri. Balakrishnan

Mr. Shakthivel Shri. Thiruvenkatam

Mr. Kodeeswaran Shri. Samraj

Secondly, Dr. Abul Hasan sir was called for the presidential address. He said that we were really

fortunate to visit IMAYAM as the visit is not easily accessible. He beautifully quoted that :

”IMAYAM is actually a home built by the doctors for the cancer patients who cannot be cured”.

He listed out the treatment methodologies offered to the cancer patients like :

• Operations

• Chemotherapy

• Radiotherapy

He stated that Cancer is the only disease in which both the patient [ physically ] and the

relatives [ emotionally ] suffer equally. He informed us that even after facing a lot of

difficulties to inaugurate the IMAYAM, he was voluntarily coming forward to put IMAYAM into

force. He mentioned that other cancer care centres are charitable organizations organized by

private companies or some holy organizations while IMAYAM is a care centre completely working

under the surveillance of doctors. The causes of Cancer were discussed by means of an

interactive session. The causes discussed were:

• Bad dental hygiene

• Genital hygiene

• Carcinogens [ excessively fried food items, alcohols, cigarettes, tobacco etc .

. ]

• Pollutants

• Fertilizers

• Pesticides and Insecticides

Etc . . . . . . . .

He stated that Imayam had served more than 700 patients so far. I was amazed to hear that

wide range. I imagined the range of patients who could get care if a lot of such organizations

emerged in the various corners of the world. He beautifully defined cancer as the part and

parcel of the evolution of mankind. He said that Cancer ranks third among the diseases that may

cause death in sure. He acknowledged that among all the cancers, mouth cancer and blood cancer

can be at the first stage be cured to a certain limit. He then quoted the most touching words

that Dr. Porges narrated about himself: “I have treated many, I have cured many but forgot to

realize that I had one in myself” [It is cancer that he is referring to]. To make the session a bit

interesting and jovial he compared cancer to the sport - cricket where the Batsman is the

victim, cancer is the bowler, doctor is either the umpire or the captain and the victim’s relatives

are the vice captains. He demanded that Cancer possesses an unpredictable nature and we felt

really surprised and fearful to hear from him that India is the country with the most number of

cancer patients in the world [10,00,000 cancer patients]. He mentioned that India is sooner

going to receive the sobriquet: “ THE CANCER CAPITAL OF THE WORLD ”. I was totally

surprised to hear from him that we people have not realized the real value of life in spite of so

many years. The moment I thought to thank God for having spared me from the deadly disease

of cancer, Abul sir immediately said us to do so. Moreover, he also said that the people of India

are not ready to be accessible to the new techniques and treatment methodologies used to cure

cancer. As a result of some questions proposed by us, he narrated an incident that he did

undergo when he encountered the treatment of a girl who was severely suffering from breast

cancer. As part of the narration, we were able to know that breast cancer was caused due to the

excess secretion of harmone [ eastrogen ]. The incident that he mentioned was really miserable.

He mentioned the terms that are used when cancer affects the various parts of the body like:

• Eyes – Retinoblastoma

• Brain – Meningioma [ caused due to over exposure to mobile radiations ]

• Myxoma – Heart

He mentioned that cancer is never a problem if it is treated with the importance that has to be

given to it. He signified that various national leaders and renowned personalities of the world

have overcome this deadly disease or even more deadlier diseases. For example, Mr. Richard

Nixon [ 37th president of the United States ] have encountered serious illness like a Brain

tumour that has been densely grown, he managed to live a happier life despite bothering this

disease and he believed that he died when he had to. I was even more surprised to hear from

him that Neil Armstrong [ the first to set foot on moon ] was suffering from serious cardio

vascular disorders/cancer. Since they didn’t lose their confidence in life, they were able to

survive for longer years. This was the message that he wanted to convey to us. He denoted that

America is the country that is standing first in the field of cancer research and presently they

are doing researches to find and remove the organelle that is responsible for activating the

cancerous cells. When we asked about the symptoms, he simply answered that cancer has no

known symptoms to show in the most crucial and the beginning stage, as time goes on the person

gains overweight, becomes oversensitive, experiences unexplained swelling, causes bleeding in

urine and rectum and even suffers from vomiting and constant blood lose [ these are the

symptoms that can be detected during the earlier stages of cancer ] . He finally concluded by

telling that the only way to eradicate or curb the threat that this disease is posing to the human

society is to “BE OPTIMISTIC”. Since Sukumar sir had a very busy schedule that day, he had to

share his views on cornea transplantation and many other eye related issues before we had our

chance to ask our doubts to Abul sir.

Soon after the talk by Abul sir, Sukumar sir had his presentation / talk. He began by telling that

iris is the layer that is responsible for the colour of the cornea and explained that cataract

refers to the white reflexes in the pupil. He emphasized the causes [ defection of RB1 Gene and

often inheritance ] and effects [ total blindness ] of retinoblastoma. He shared his views on

malignant melanoma [ neoplasm of melanocytes ] which is very common among the people of the

present era. He stated that we should never use the term eye transplantation but rather it is

the term corneal transplantation that has to be used. He pointed out a very important fact that:

“ AN ALIVE PERSON CAN NEVER DONATE HIS EYES ”, while, “ A DEAD PERSON CAN

DONATE HIS EYES WITHIN 6 HOURS AFTER DEATH ”. He said that the only way to broaden

the notion of corneal transplantation is to educate the people and pupil of INDIA. He declared

that corneal transplantation is done only in the recognized hospitals. He cited that: “ TWO

PERSONS ARE BENEFITTED WITH ONE PAIR OF EYES ”. He conveyed us about the first step

to be followed during eye transplantation i.e. before the transplantation, wet gauzes or the

cotton pads are kept on the eyes as means of sterilization. To make the content reach us in the

best way, he even displayed a video showing the complete process of transplantation of cornea

from a person where in we saw the cornea and eye ball separately. He concluded by once again

mentioning the importance of eye donation. His talk was really informative with lots of points

that have to be engraved in our minds to remain forever.

Later, we had a chance to continue the interactive session with Abul sir. During the session, he

informed that Mr. Armstrong [ a cyclist ] lost his leg due to cancer. It was really miserable for a

cyclist to lose his legs. He stated that allopathy medicines are derived from plant alkaloids too.

He mentioned that it is very much necessary for an individual to learn and possess at least one

good skill in life to gain relaxation. Moreover, he also informed that apart from the usual

curriculum, it would be good if each student is also well – versed in any of the sport events too. I

asked a doubt as to the differences between a cancerous cell and an ordinary body cell:

Cancerous cell Ordinary body cell

1. Comparatively bigger 1. Comparatively smaller

2. Rapidly multiply cells 2. Cell division is a bit slow

3. More number of mitochondria 3. Less number of mitochondria

4. Nucleus is generally bigger 4. Nucleus is generally smaller

5. Secrete lots of chemicals [ hormones

and enzymes ]

5. Secretes comparatively less number of

chemicals [ hormones and enzymes ]

6. Destroys the normal cells around -

He stated that blood cancer is being treated by the transplantation of Bone Marrow as the

cancerous cells are clearly produced in the bone marrow. He concluded by telling that the only

thing that can be provided to the third level cancer patients is care and not treatment and it can

be made possible in a wide range only if organizations like IMAYAM emerge in various corners of

the world.

The vote of thanks was proposed by Deenu Raj of Red team and thus the session came to an end.

I would never ever forget this visit to IMAYAM in my life as it created a profound touch in the

deeper segment of my heart. We left the place with the satisfaction of having completed a day’s

programmes successfully.

We reached the lodge [ where we were supposed to reside ] by around 8:00pm. We had

refreshment for about half an hour and then we assembled in room no:111 for the dinner. After

the completion of the dinner, Velaian sir selected a few students who have not set foot on the

podium and who have not spoken boldly in front of others to propose the feedbacks on that say’s

programme.

After the feedbacks by the students, John Rabikumar sir, as a coordinator was called to give

the feedback / suggestion. He appreciated us for the cooperation throughout the programme

and valued the food that was served throughout the programme.

Later, Sajeev sir was called upon to offer his suggestions. He said that the one good work of

that day was that we didn’t even waste a morsel of time for anything. He also said that he was

stunned to see the technologies that were used in the manufacture of Siddha medicines as he

was aware of only the technologies used in the manufacture of allopathic medicines. He thanked

KAP for the magnificent opportunity and also wished us all the best.

After that, Balakrishnan sir began his talk with an appreciation to SKM Mailanandham sir who

has arose to this prestigious position of being a Padmashree winner from the earliest small scale

industries. He also said that the programme that he liked on that day was the visit to IMAYAM.

Next, Thiruvengadam sir was called upon. He began his talk with a petite story.

“ One day, a professor was called to a college to propose the felicitation address during a special

occasion. He began his address by asking them a question i.e. does anybody here know about what

I am going to talk ? Immediately, some among the students said yes while some said no. The

professor said that if it that so, then the ones who know about what I am going to tell should

give the message to the ones who don’t know about it. The students were totally ashamed to

hear this reply from him. ”

The story really refreshed all our minds. He praise the team cooperation of the Young Scientists

and also appreciated Velaian sir’s mentality to bring all the students to the dais and make them

speak so as to give them all an equivalent training.

As soon as he completed his talk, we had an informative and logical talk by Edwin Sam sir. He

mentioned the relationship between our topic and the visits that we have undergone that day. He

said that to foresee a good scope in agriculture, the only way would be to promote organic

agriculture. He mentioned that we must move in the right path and make use of all the

opportunities that we encounter on the way. He also mentioned a quote : “Moving one step in the

right path is better than moving miles in the wrong path”. He affirmed that the way one takes

things around him will decide his attitude and character. He said that we must inculcate the

habit of creative thinking within each one of us. He stipulated that we must do things that will

benefit the attitude of a good scientist. He concluded by pointing out the importance of social

service in the modern society.

Last but not the least, Vikram sir proposed his valuable thoughts. He said that KAP though doing

everything effectively, we must also try to improve the attitude of each Young Scientists. It

was really a point that has to be taken into account. My sincere thanks to Vikram sir. . . .

Before the meeting was dispersed, Velaian sir appreciated and thanked the genuineness of

Shakthivel sir and Kodeeswaran sir and also mentioned that we could never ever expect such

facilities if this didactic camp was supposed to be held in our district. That was really true . . .

It is said : "You're not healthy, unless you sleep at the right time with the right thoughts."

With these thoughts we bid Good Night to each other and moved to our respective rooms to

have a sweet slumber.

Day – 3:-

Maroon team :

By 6:30 am, we had our breakfast and got into the bus with lots of expectations for a good day.

As the journey was to start, Velaian sir called Sukumar sir to propose a very short talk and also

wish the Young Scientists best of luck.

Sukumar sir gave us the names of the Padmashree winners from erode and Satyamangalam

including our beloved Mailanandem sir. He, as a man of self respect, showered all his blessings on

us in the form of words. We were so much enthusiastic to have his blessings upon us and thus we

started a beautiful journey.

Since this journey had a very good start, we had the belief that it would also be a successful one

like the previous day’s programme.

Our first destination was the Sundararaman’ organic farm. To our surprise we were warmly

received by Dr. Subramanian , Dr.Chinnaswamy Dr. Selvakumar, and Dr. Venugopal and Dr.

Narayanareddy, members of IMA Satyamangalam at the junction itself. It was a rare privilege

and honour given to the young scientists and KAP. We just entered and were seated in a hall in

which the roof was made of coconut leaves and other bushes. Really it was cool and calm. As the

name suggests, it was really a very beautiful place. I was doing the campering.

I welcomed the guests and the officials of KAP in the

beginning and then gave a short introduction about KAP

and the facilities that it offers to the society as well

as the Young Scientists.

By means of the presidential address, our beloved Dr.

Subramaniam sir introduced Sundararaman sir and

said that he was actually – “the son of the soil”. He

claimed that Sundararaman sir’s family had been

practicing this organic farming since many years and agriculture had been passing on in his family

from generation to generation.

Later, the shawls were offered to the personalities of KAP and Sundararaman sir by the

doctors of Satyamangalam IMA. I was very much grateful and my pride saw great heights when

I too received a shawl for the campering.

After that, I gave a short talk on Organic Agriculture. I defined Organic Farming as an

agricultural method that doesn’t makes use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. I demanded

that it was introduced by Sir Albert Howard, recognized as the Father of Organic Farming,

who wanted to evolve a more eco-friendly way of agriculture. I cited that role of organic

agriculture, whether in farming, processing, distribution, or consumption, is to sustain and

enhance the health of ecosystems and organisms from the smallest in the soil to human beings. I

declared that Organic Agriculture is now effectively practiced in more than 120 countries [

among them, India holds the 33rd position ]. I said that although, Organic Farming is an

inevitable phenomenon, the production from this type of farming cannot feed the entire

population. I insisted that it needs a lot more land for cultivation and suitable conditions for

their effective growth. I also told that the Government has launched the National Programme

for Organic Farming and has also started the National Institute for Organic Farming which

are landmark achievements in the arena of Organic Farming. I concluded by telling that :

Let’s join hands to make our India , ‘ORGANIC INDIA’ ! ! !

Then, Jinolin from Maroon team proposed a theme talk on the same topic Organic Agriculture in

Tamil. She mentioned that our ancestors had been getting food from Organic Agriculture alone,

but with the emergence of the modern generation, the ancient and organic methods of

agriculture got drowned away. She demanded that by means of Organic Agriculture, there are a

lot of advantages like :

• Since it is scientifically approved, it may increase the quality of the products

• Increases the soil fertility

• Ensures proper water feed when irrigated since the soil is healthy

• Increases the water holding capacity of the soil and makes the soil loose

• Gives the needed nutrients to the soil and makes the soil healthy

• Ensures an eco – friendly, green environment as it doesn’t use any sort of

chemical fertilizers and pesticides

She insisted that it is the soul duty of each citizen of this country to save our soil to ensure a

good future for the earth. She mentioned that one of the most important step that has to be

taken care of while practicing agriculture is soil testing. She even stated the different methods

and processes involved in soil testing. She mentioned the various constituents of the soil with

respect to their percentage ratio. She alluded that since organic agriculture uses organic

fertilizers and other organic products [ like neem cake, neem oil etc . . ], the soil becomes loose

and the soil increases its nutritional value and gives all sort of necessary requirements to the

plant in the right proportions. She also said that a place named Rishikesh had turned towards

organic agriculture because of the effective awareness given to the public. She concluded by

specifically mentioning to a book named “ One Star Revolution ” authored by Mr. Feucako on

Organic Agriculture and its benefits.

Later, it was the most awaited talk by Sundararaman sir. He began with few good words : “

Agriculture is a way of living ”. He said that to ensure a future with lots of greeneries in this

world, we have to give up and sacrifice a lot. He also quoted that : “ We are supposed to be frank

to ourselves and our society ”. He specified a school in Krishangiri district where the students

have themselves indulged in agricultural practices within the school premises. He stated that

childhood experiences are those that could never leave our soul and also said that we expect and

work according to our needs and limitations. He acknowledged that : ” Nature can satisfy wishes

but not our greed ”. He cited that if agriculture is done with sincerity and love towards the

plants, then the plants will provide us what we need. He affirmed that the generation gap is a

great problem and that the situations when he was a student is extremely different from that

of today’s which will also affect the lifestyle of a person. I felt ashamed to hear from a fact

that the people of today’s generation has gone against it rather than being with it. He gave a

sobriquet to the underground water table as “ A SAVING BANK ”. He declared that for the soil

to be converted from a completely inorganic one to an organic one, it has to undergo 3 years of

complete organic care. He beautifully quoted that ( in tamil ): “Arasan Evalli, Makkal Avalli ”.

Though, I am Malayali, his words were so clear that I could understand the meaning of this

wonderful quote.

Later we had a short break by having a tender coconut which was an extremely different

experience for us. In the later session, he mentioned that one thing that both types of

agriculture [ inorganic and organic ] commonly need is the sunlight – the source of light. He

stated that soil is a living substance and added that if it had been non – living, then how it could

give rise to living organisms like plants. He announced that one of the most exciting odours of

the world is the smell of the soil which gets spread when a drop of water falls on a completely

dry surface like that of a land suffering from drought. He mentioned the types of micro

organisms like :

• Aerobic micro organisms

• Anaerobic micro organisms

He said that if agriculture has to develop, then the farmers must learn to live independently and

he must be self – sustainable and kind – hearted. He denoted that a coward is a person with no

power and eligibility to question. He demanded that we must change the mode of using our brain

to visualize and understand things. He mentioned that the depth of the soil upto which we can

find living organisms is about 9 ft. He mentioned the different types of worms [ classified on

the basis of the burrowing nature ] found at this depth like :

• Top layer worms [ possesses non – burrowing character ]

• Middle layer worms [ found at depths of 6-8 inches ]

• Bottom layer worms

He mentioned that a simple mixture of dry leaves and water forms a source of good manure to

the soil and the plants. He mentioned that we must never talk about a subject unless we have a

thorough knowledge on it. He again quoted that : “One’s talent is the source of the food for the

other”. He mentioned that they also practice the domestication of animals in their farms. He

asked us the three main products of a cow. We answered that :

1. Milk

2. Urine

3. Dung

Immediately, he said that a farmer would say it in another order like :

1. Dung

2. Urine

3. Milk

I was totally amazed at the way he transferred ideas to us. He also affirmed that the way we

set out our goals is also equally important to achieve success. He stated that micro – organisms

are responsible for the amount of nutrients in cow dung. He specified a valuable point that

vermin-compost consists of micro organisms and not earthworms. He declared that soil becomes

benefitted by the compost only if the compost has been consumed by micro organisms and if

their excreta are used. He said that for a better quality of compost, care should be given to the

source of the plant waste used. He mentioned that if 1 acre of land is supplied with 10 tonnes of

compost, then only 3 acres would be necessary if the excreta obtained after the compost had

been consumed by the earthworms and microorganisms is used. He denoted that the system of

working of the farmers should be changed i.e. the daily work should be increased as they start

practicing methods involving the application of compost, while the annual work would

comparatively decrease and the productivity would increase hugely. If we move to organic

agriculture, then we will be supposed to us only one third of the usage of Urea and DAP that we

use now. He stated that an organic farmer would give the first preference to biological

processes for farming while an inorganic farmer would give first preference to the chemical and

physical processes. He avowed that the manure that we are actually providing to the plants is

being utilized by the micro organisms.

Later, we had a tea break and during the break, Balakrishnan sir took us to the area where

tobacco was being cultivated around there.

In the next session, he explained us about the process of formation of the organic carbon

content in the soil [ the food for the micro organisms ] and said that the evaporation of the

carbon content should be reduced to ensure security of the soil. He strongly stated that the use

of Inorganic fertilizers would deteriorate the quality of land. He mentioned that the Pune

university is working to develop an eco – farm and thus save the bio – diversity of the nature. He

mentioned the names of some constituents of organic matter as well as some organic farm

products like sunhemp, danejack, ragi, thattapayaru (in Tamil) etc . . . . He specified that multi

variety seeds are sown to the soil to increase its fertility and also to increase its nutritional

value with the help of a rotavated tractor. He also gave us an activity to produce a completely

organic soil / compost with the most fertility to raise any type of crop. The steps involved in

doing the activity are as follows :

1. Take a bucket and fill it with soil / mud

2. Add organic components like perumpayaru ( in tamil ), cherumpayaru ( in tamil

), Uzhunnu ( in tamil ), thuvarai ( in tamil ), ellu ( in tamil ) etc . . . . and mix it

well with the soil

3. As they sprout, cut the plant and again mix it with the soil. Follow the process

repeatedly

4. Mixture has to be treated with water

5. Put the seeds of maize into the bucket and watch it sprout as a healthy plant.

6. Now have the yield and mix the rest of the cereal with the soil and add water

to the soil.

7. A bucket full of organic soil is ready now . . . . .

He said that according to the Organic Federation of Australia, 1% of Organic Carbon Content is

equivalent to 10 tonnes of Organic manure in terms of nutrition and productivity of the plants.

He specified that the home of micro – organisms is the soil and all sort of its reproduction takes

place within the soil itself.

He then mentioned 5kg of cow dung contains a lot of Potash in the form of K2O and Phosphorous

in the form of P2O5. He visualized certain organic manures and components to us like:

• Amutha karaisal – 1kg of cow dung and 1l of cow urine

• Panchakavya – mixture of five products of cow

- rich source of macro and micro nutrients

• Pseudomonas – effective for treating wilt diseases

- enables effective disease resistance

• Mor karaisal – mixture of lactic acid with micro – organisms

- enables disease resistance

- mixture of Aloevera leaves, thulsi leaves, neem

leaves, custard apple leaves etc . . .

- lactic acid bacteria enhances microbial activity

- initiates effective pest control

He stated that by following conventional farming methods, the number of beneficial fungi is

decreasing while the number of non – beneficial fungi is increasing. He elaborated the techniques

of partial aerobic and anaerobic methods of digestion. He mentioned the various types of insects

like :

• Vegetarian insects

• Non – vegetarian insects

He cited that insects are attracted by the odour of the plants and they suck the sap of the

leaves and even make scars or cuts on the leaves which may reduce its disease compatibility. He

mentioned few examples of non vegetarian insects like :

• Egg eating caterpillar

• Larval parasites

• Pupal parasites

Etc . . . .

He concluded with few words that motivated us to move towards organic methods of farming in

the future. His talk was really an energetic one and we were all amazed by the way he conveyed

the message of Organic Agriculture to us. When I said that he was eligible to receive the

Padmashree award, he said that he would refuse to get it if it was proposed to him. This made

my admiration towards him even stronger.

Later, feedbacks were proposed by one member of each team. The meeting was then dispersed

for the lunch. The lunch had a combination of a variety of dishes that had an appetizing taste

and which watered all our mouths. I was indeed very much happy since the session organized by

the Maroon team was completed successfully.

Yellow team :

Soon after the lunch, Sudararaman sir visualized the process of frothing [ under specific

conditions ] where in we could see the action of bacteria in a medium of cow dung and cow urine.

The rest of the time was allotted for the field visit. He shown to us the compost which is the

mixture of plant and animal waste and which can give nutrition to the plants. He also mentioned

the process of its formation as to :

1. Dry leaves are accumulated under a length of 1ft and a breadth of 4ft.

2. Water the accumulated matter

3. Mix the accumulation with cow dung and cow urine

4. If possible, add a layer of green leaves over the earlier one

5. The process is done repeatedly till it rises to a height of 4ft.

6. It would be better if done in shade

He mentioned that shade, water and aeration are the components necessary for the formation

of a healthy compost. He stated that Earthworm rearing should go hand in hand with the

formation of vermin compost as the compost is being consumed by the worms to produce a

nutritional and a vigorous excreta which is the actual manure added to the plants for its healthy

propagation. He mentioned the names of the worms that are reared by them :

• Endrulus Euganae African - American species. They do not

• Eisnea Foetida help the farmers to plough the field.

The earthworms that help the farmers become active only in the morning and also soften the

field. We saw the area where the earth worms were cultured. He demanded that it needs a lot

of care. He verbalized some of its components like:

• Outer skin of coconut – maintains wetness of the area

• Predators like cats to kill the pests [ owls which are considered as a symbol

of bad luck are actually an icon of good luck to earthworm rearers as it

chases out the pests ]

• Sprinklers – to make the area wet.

Etc . . . .

He indicated that even the roots require proper air circulation and as the soil becomes healthy

of various elements, it becomes easier for the water to penetrate deep into the soil as holes are

formed on the soil surface due to the presence of the elements [ mentioned earlier ] like:

• Phosphorous

• Potash

• Nitrogen

He then showed us a pit where a mixture of organic material was mixed with the water to make

it healthier when supplied to the plant roots. The structure of the pit was in such a way that the

depth of the hole in the middle is a bit deep and the other pits having the organic matter and

the earthworm sack are connected to the main hole by means of holes layered with gravel to get

only the water content so as to ensure that the essence of the organic matter reaches the roots

of the plant when the water from the middle hole is pumped out. He signified that to avoid

mosquito breeding, solid waste management is done by an NGO.

Later, we visited a 4 acre long caseurina cultivation and we came to know from him that these

trees were used for paper making and for painting purposes. He stated that the trees grow to a

height of25 -30 ft. We were surprised to hear from him that a tree named Simorobo grew

between the caseurina plantations only due to the droppings of the birds. He said that an

average yield of the caseurina would be around Rs.2200 per ton.

After that, we saw the sugarcane cultivations where mulching was practiced so as to ensure the

growth of bio diversity.

We became aware that sugarcanes can hold water for a pretty long period. He explained us

about the reasons of the colour difference between its types. He explained that it is the amount

of sucrose in the plant that decides the sweetness of sugarcane.

Finally, the vote of thanks was proposed by Fathima to Ramakrishnan sir [ son of Sudararaman

sir ] for having explained about their various cultivations throughout the field visit. We were

surprised to have watermelons as the food during the tea break. We were all satisfied with the

food offered on that day.

Then we had a short session by Ramakrishnan sir. He stated that a lot of changes had been

caused by the modern technologies to the nature. He mentioned the four R’s namely :

• R - Refuse

• R – Reduce

• R – Reuse

• R - Recycle

I posted a comment that according to the recent information, one more R has been added to the

existing ones i.e. R – Replenish. He said that we must limit the

usage of nature thereby not exploiting the various resources.

He said that we should encourage the policy of reusing various

materials. He concluded by telling that nature is giving us

various good articles but we are misbehaving to it by giving

undesirable products to nature.

Finally, we bid goodbye to Sundararaman sir and his family. As

a token of appreciation we were offered one segment of a sugarcane each. It was so tasty and

we were lucky to have tasted the organic food products in this era where everyone is dependent

upon inorganic products.

Nextly, we went to the Kasturi Ba Niketan where they preserved the ashes of Mahatma Gandhi –

the father of the nation. It had an inbuilt school and an orphanage too. We were surprised to

hear from him that the organization was started by Late . Kamarajar , the then chief minister of

Tamilnadu and now it is being managed by them. The lady who offered us the facilities there was

Mrs. Lalitha Govindharajan. She shown us the steam boiler which is being used there for cooking

as well as for heating the water. We also got the chance for visiting the Orphanage and Old age

home which were also part of the Kasturi Ba Niketan. She mentioned that the former prime

minister, Jawahar Lal Nehru had visited the place. Again, one Vinobhaji had been in the

Ashram which proclaimed its importance in those days. We had an interaction with the old people

residing in the Old Age home. They stated that they were very much happy to have been there

and they were being offered all sort of free facilities and treatment. She also stated that the

Old Age home was inaugurated by our chief minister, Mrs. Jayalalitha. She also demanded that

presently, the orphanage had around 100 orphans and the old age home had around 25 old people.

The vote of thanks was proposed by Sooraj and as I suugested earlier, he did mention an

appreciation to them for having been doing such a social service to them.

Later, we had a visit to a temple to draw in the presence of his blessings throughout our travel

back home. By around 5:00 pm, we reached the Bhavanisagar dam. The dam was built during the

period “ 1948 – 1955 ”. I was surprised to see people enquiring about KAP to the Young

Scientists. They were really curious to know about KAP. We also saw the Hydroelectric Power

Station there. We also saw tanks having stagnant water and those tanks were also serving as

breeding grounds for the Young Scientists.

The next meeting was supposed to be organized by the IMA Sathyamangalam and it was the

concluding session of the programme. Fathima proposed the welcome address and also gave a

short introduction about KAP.

Later, the Young Scientists, one from each team was called to propose the theme address. First

of all, it was Steffy who gave the talk. She shared her information about the modern irrigation

techniques and about GMO’s with us. She also gave us some information about hydroponics and

aeroponics.

The next talk was given by Sooraj of green team. He began his talk with a proverb: “ Necessity

is the mother of Invention ”. He mentioned that if the present situations continues, then the

future would be even more worse. He also specified that the over consumption of chocolates, ice

–creams etc . . . . can lead to obese conditions. He said that the future is in our hands and we

must save it.

The next talk was given by me. I mentioned the food production and consumption trends in the

three periods that India is divided into namely :

• Ancient – trends were dependent upon the Mughal and Delhi dynasties and

moreover, the trends were also influenced by the Hindu and Muslim customs

• Medieval – food preservation techniques were brought in, food was stored to

be used in times of starvation

• Modern – new technologies like the hydroponics and aeroponics took birth but

self sustainability was lost.

I mentioned that to feed the millions of the poor, we had to move a lot and also demanded that

it is the sole duty of the Young Scientists to look forward a bright future in agriculture. I

concluded by telling that we must be ready to find solutions to most of our problems.

The next talk was given by Dharan. He mentioned that the land utilized for agriculture is

comparatively very less and also declared that various other problems are responsible for the

decline of agriculture like :

• Population growth

• Climate change

• Water scarcity

• Limited land spread used for agriculture

He concluded by telling that in our nation, every 3.6 seconds, a child is dying [ primarily

due to malnutrition ] and insisted us to save India from this pitiable condition.

Lastly, the theme talk was proposed by Abishek. He mentioned that food processing is the way

of changing the raw materials into cooked ones or simply changing the form of food from one

form to another. He mentioned an example as to milk being changed into butter, yoghurt etc . . . .

He also mentioned certain ways to preserve agriculture in the future. He concluded by telling

that we must find methods of processing food without losing its nutritional value.

Later, Jinolin gave a summary of the talk she spoke during the session in the Sundaramraman’s

farm. Anjali was then called to read out the report of the whole programme. She also used the

opportunity to express her gratitude to KAP and IMA.

After that, Dr. Thangavel gave a short talk. He said that the talks given by the Young Scientists

had the maturity of the talk given by a scientist in reality. He said that our performances had

been recorded to view it at different schools around Satyamangalam so as to improve the self –

confidence of the students of Satyamangalam.

Later, a talk was given by Dr. Subramaniam. He said that he had a bit of inferiority complex to

see the Young Scientists speak so boldly in front of such a large gathering. He mentioned that

he was very much happy to see us and wished us all the best in the coming days.

Later, we were awarded a bottle of protein powder as a token of appreciation.

Then, we had an interactive session. He asked us to

indulge in agricultural methods at this young age itself. By

being a part of the interactive session, we were able to

know that Rajnikanth once suffered from kidney failure

and also came to know that pappad and pickle are the two

products that a diabetic patient is prohibited to consume.

He said that non – vegetarian products can be a source of

protein and also told that we must develop more effective

medicines for poison attacks, heart attacks, cancer, allergies etc . . . .

Before the national anthem, a doctor representing the IMA Satyamangalam delivered the vote

of thanks.

Finally the formal vote of thanks was proposed by Velaian sir with respect to the whole

programme. He suggested the IMA Satyamangalam to take care of the Kasturi Ba Niketan

where they preserved the ashes of Mahatma Gandhi with further improvements development.

Before the meeting was dispersed we sang the National Anthem with the satisfaction of having

completed a programme successfully. It was really a wonderful moment to see that the doctors

themselves were serving the food. After having our dinner and bid Good bye to the doctors of

IMA Satyamangalam we left the IMA hall. On our journey back home, we couldn’t sleep as our

thoughts were filled with the happy moments that we experienced during the two days.

The moment I heard about the greatness of Sukumar sir, I had the eagerness of knowing more

about Blood donation and the Blood bank. As soon as I reached home, I began my research with

the guidance of Velaian sir. The result of my research and the information I gained :

� Universal blood donor – O+ve

� Universal blood recipient – AB-ve

� Various tests like the Hepatitis B test, HIV test, Hepatitis C test, HIV 1 and HIV 2 tests

were introduced and came into existence so as to ensure that the donor blood is of the

best quality

� These tests were later modernized with improvised technologies. The WHO has

recommended the following four tests for the donated blood :

• Hepatitis B Surface Antigen

• Antibody to Hepatitis C

• Antibody to HIV, usually subtypes 1 and 2

• Serologic tests for Syphilus

� Who can donate blood ?

• Age : between 19 to 60 yrs

• Weight : above 45 kgs

• Normal blood pressure and body temperature

• Blood can be donated once in three months or in four months

� Site for drawing the blood :

• The site is washed with soap

• Cleaned with a sterile cloth

• Blood is drawn usually from a large arm vein lying close to the skin

• A large needle is inserted that damages the RBC’s as they flow through the

needle

• A tourniquet is tied in the upper arm to increase the blood pressure and thus

increase the speed of the process

� Recovery :

• Donor should not get up for 5 minutes

• They are given juice and little refreshments

• There is no equipment complication as disposable needles are being used

� How much blood can be taken ?

5.5 litres of blood is in our body. During blood donation, 350 – 450 CC is taken depending

upon the weight of the donor. The haemoglobin and the cell components are restored in

two months. So, it is safe to donate blood once in three or four months and not less than

this.

As a conclusion to my research , I jumped to my feet when I saw that the IMA Satyamangalam

has itself started a new blood bank along with the Rotary club recently.

My appreciations to IMA Satyamangalam . . . .

I wish to record my gratitude and thanks to IMA Erode and its members especially, .

Dr.Sukumar, Dr. Abul Hassan Dr.Chinnayappan and also Dr. Kanaka Selva Raj . IMA

Satyamangalm and its members (Dr. Subramanian , Dr. Thangavelu Dr. Selvakumar, Dr.

Subramanium,, Dr. Muthukumar) for their encouragement and support and sparing their

valuable time with us even though their work schedule

normally never permit them to do so. Let their noble

deeds spread to other part of India too with a sound

message of serving the poor with concern and love.. Mr.

Sundararaman, the living Gandhian and is not just a farmer

but a legend and scientist in organic farming a mentor,

true custodian, follower and protector of nature.

We bow our head to Dr. Vijyakumar, President, IMA ,

India for his effort and help. Also we extend our heartfelt thanks to , Dr. Thiraviam Mohan, Dr.

A. Kabeer and Dr. T. Thiarviam from IMA Nagercoil for their support for the successful

completion of the study tour.

“Try not to become a man of success. Rather become a man of value.”

This is what I learned since the day I became a part of KAP . . . .

My heartfelt thanks to KAP ! !

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