Month: May 2021

** How the Cold War in Germany played a small yet significant part in establishing IIT Madras

A recently-published research paper unearths an oft-forgotten chapter in the establishment of IIT-Madras and its connection with the Cold War in Germany, which resulted in the formation of the now-revered institution.

One of the “largest and most successful educational projects” that emerged out of Indo-German relations during the Cold War, was the establishment of the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) in 1959, which, when seen from the perspective of FDR, was largely driven by the Cold War foreign policy it shared with India.

** This Chennai girl used Tinder to help with a blood donation drive

WhatsApp. Riya Gupta

Her Instagram page, Blood Donor Connect, helps amplify the message. “It takes about 30-60 minutes each to find a donor after we get the initial request. We now do around 10 successful cases a day,” she adds.

** Data consultant launches website to ease plasma donation process

Divya Jain, who had been amplifying requirements of oxygen and plasma on social media, roped in a tech-savvy friend and created the website fightagainstcovid19.org after buying a domain.

“I was getting a lot of requests for oxygen, plasma, hospital and medicines and I thought I have a good social media presence so should put it to good use.

I thought of doing it on small scale but then it grew to a seven-member team,” she said, adding that all the members are her colleagues and friends.

** Times Group chairperson Indu Jain dies

Indu Jain was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, the third highest civilian honour in the country, in 2016.

She set up The Times Foundation in 2000, with sustainable development and transformational change as its key goals. One of India’s most respected non-profits, it provides community services and runs the Times Relief Fund to offer assistance during cyclones, earthquakes, floods, epidemics and other crises.

She was the founder president of FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO), established in 1983 to promote entrepreneurship and professional excellence among women in India. From 1999, she also served as chairperson of Bharatiya Jnanpith Trust, founded in 1944 by Sahu Shanti Prasad Jain, her father-in-law, to promote literature in Indian languages.

** Forum of Telugu NRI doctors joins fight against COVID-19

Besides donating essential equipment, it offers virtual guidance in critical cases

A U.S.-based forum of Telugu NRIs – Telugu Covid Task Force – USA (TCTF-USA) – has come forward to donate essential equipment such as pulse oxymeters, sanitisers, gloves, facemasks, PPE kits, and medicines for the COVID Care Centres (CCCs), besides adopting some of the mandals in Andhra Pradesh.

** Nehru Planetarium director is dead

Director of the Nehru Planetarium N. Rathnasree passed away on Sunday, the Culture Ministry said on Tuesday.

In a statement on Twitter and Facebook, the Ministry, under which the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) and planetarium function, said: “Extremely saddened to learn about the unfortunate demise of Dr. N. Rathnasree, Director of Nehru Planetarium under @_NMML_ passed away on Sunday

** India-born Ivy League alumni and students come together to raise funds to fight COVID-19

Make a donation to a cause fighting COVID-19 and get a one-on-one counselling session with industry professionals and alumni of top institutions across the world

Rather than feel helpless when the second wave of COVID-19 hit the country, US-based Princeton alumni Shreyas Lakhtakia and Julu Beth Katticaran turned “the negative emotion of being away from India into a positive one by offering help”. This eventually led to the formation of Students Fight COVID (studentsfightcovid.in), a fund-raiser for COVID-hit in India.

** Using tyres, this Indian architect has built 250-plus playgrounds across the country

Pooja Rai’s NGO, Anthill Creations, builds sustainable playgrounds for kids

Two little boys were engrossed in a game of badminton: their slippers served as racquets. Nearby, two other kids played atop broken sewer pipes. This sight made Pooja Rai think: “Playgrounds should not be a luxury. It is something every child should have access to for free.”

And that is when the then 23-year-old student of architecture in IIT-Kharagpur made her first playground for children within her institution’s campus, using colourful tyres from cars and two wheelers re-purposed as play equipment.