EDITORIAL

Dear Brethren MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE 2013-14

Prof. Dr. R. Chandra Sekaran
Mobile: 98407 54012 E-mail: chandras54@gmail.com PRESIDENT

My hearty Navarathiri wishes to you all. I thank you one and all for the overwhelming response to our club day. On behalf of our management committee I thank our Vice-Chancellor Dr.M.Rajaram for taking part in our celebration and sparing his valuable time with us. The wards of our brethren enlightened us with their talent show. Our Engineer cum Magician Mr.Sriram was at his best providing non-stop fun. The catering committee planned everything so well that even at 11.00 p.m. cool jigir thanda and hot egg dosas were available. Our euphoric in-house karaoke team added some more spice to the events late in the evening. At last our library has become online and the portal was inaugurated by our Vice-Chancellor on club day. Please refer to the library news in this edition to know more about the online module. The Tamil book exhibition was organised to take suggestions from our members while adding new collections to our library. So please do mail your inputs to cc.dote@gmail.com / acau@ ymail.com in this regard. Members are requested to register their feed backs and suggestions in the complaints & suggestions book available in our office and not through any other mode. Lets all be good and be in touch... Kanakaraj.R Editor Bits & Bytes

Prof. Dr. D. Arivuoli

Mobile: 98412 96097 E-mail: arivuoli@annauniv.edu

VICE PRESIDENT

Er. E. Sivakumar
Mobile: 98840 51331 E-mail: esivakumar57@gmail.com

SECRETARY

Er. J. Sriram
Mobile: 93800 23696 E-mail: jsriram2k5@gmail.com

TREASURER

COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Prof. Dr. S. Selladurai
Mobile: 94441 40138 E-mail: ssdurai@yahoo.com ENTERTAINMENT

Er. M. A. Murugan
Mobile: 98400 56355 E-mail: mam@formprint.in

CATERING

Er. M. P. Premkumar
Mobile: 99401 24668 E-mail: mp_prem_kumar@yahoo.co.in HOUSE KEEPING

SPORTS

Er. P. Sairam

Mobile: 98407 19713 e-mail: perusai@sify.com LIBRARY & NEWSLETTER

NEWS AT A GLANCE 2nd November 2013 - Deepavali Celebrations Movie at Lawn Raja Rani Cracker Show at Interval

Er. R. Kanakaraj

Mobile: 94440 58463 e-mail: cc.dote@gmail.com

ANNA UNIVERSITY NOMINEES

Prof. Dr. M. Sekar
Mobile: 97899 96247 e-mail: vimunasekar@gmail.com

Prof. Dr. L. Karunamoorthy

Mobile: 94441 18628 e-mail: karun.anna@gmail.com

ALUMNI CLUB - ANNA UNIVERSITY No.1 Boat Club Road, R.A.Puram,Chennai 600 028 Phone No: 044-2432 2195, 044-2432 1233 Guest Room: 044-24351449 E-Mail: acau@ymail.com | Website: www.alumniclubau.com
Good behaviour can cover the lack of beauty but beauty never cover the lack of good behaviour.

2 | OCT 2013

MEMBER REPORTS

Cycle
with my
When most of my sexagenarian batch mates have retired and are playing with their grandchildren, I am here to attempt a herculean 600 kilometers non-stop cycling. With the following facts about me, I plan to ride on the saddle of a racing cycle for about 40 hrs to get a Super Randonneur status. I am 63 years with 77 kgs and a resting heart rate of 69BPM. My average speed for the 200, 300 and 400 km rides is 17-20 kmph. I have no sugar, BP, cholesterol or heart problem and am on a progressive eye wear. Preparation tips for 600km Not more than 2 punctures allowed as each tube change takes 20mts.

600

kms of

R.Sundararajan, M.No.1481

does not match your speed. Mental readiness to be awake for 35 hrs. Cycle I preferred my reliable Colnago ACE road bike since its very light and the compact gear ratios. I increased the handlebar height 2 inches more with a stem raiser to get the upright position. Tyres/ liners/ Puncture- Any flat will delay your journey by 20 mts. If you are not alert to remove the debris/metal piece/thorn and continue riding, a second flat is definite. So, inspect thoroughly the tyre surface and locate the debris. I carried a spare foldable tyre for emergency. Continental Gatorskin 700x23c tyres with Tuffy puncture liners are the
OCT 2013 | 3

Overall rest allowed is only 2 hrs. Which includes food, sleep, wash and communication. Do not ride with anyone who

Avoid comparing yourself with anyone. Remember that it is who we are, not what we do that is important

safe bet. I did not get any puncture. Carried 4 spare tubes and two folding tyres. (one with the bike and the other in the drop bag). Giro helmets are lighter in weight (only 220 gms) and does not stink after a 600 km humidity. Also 21nos of perforation allows your head to breathe more. Added advantage of more holes is you can scratch your head with your little finger any where). Handlebar Tape: Brooks leather handle bar tape so that I can avoid the gloves whenever I want to and feel cool. And I threw the soiled gloves away after 450 kms and road bare hand. Yoga and Cycling: Pranayama increases the oxygen to the cells
4 | OCT 2013

and balances the nadis. Meditation helped me in keeping composed. Paschimostasana (forward bend), padhahasta asana, Dhanur asana, hal asana and half spinal twist keep the full body stretched and keep the spine very flexible and soft. Surya namaskara (sun salutations) helps in energising the chakras. shavasana (corpse pose) with auto suggestion brings you back to normal,physically and mentally.

Some observations: Too many tea breaks/stops and wasting time at Control points will throw you away from the BREVET. Allot extra time for locating Unknown ATMs Caffine gives instant energy. Riding in a group at night is better than solo. Between 12 midnight to 5 am you will not get food on NH. Better to carry. Last 20 kms should be steady and slow cooling zone if you have time.

By plucking her petals, you do not gather the beauty of the flower. - Rabindranath Tagore.

OCTOBER 2013

Day
Friday Saturday Wednesday Friday Saturday Friday Saturday

Date
11.10.2013 12.10.2013 16.10.2013 18.10.2013 19.10.2013 25.10.2013 26.10.2013

Event
Technical session Tapping Solar Energy Tamil movie Desingu Raja Technical session Natural Pearls off Thoothukudi coast DVD Movie Papillon Tamil Movie Varuthapadatha Valibar Sangam DVD Movie Jaws New Tamil Movie (will be announced later)

Any change in programs will be notified by SMS and Email. Kindly update.
If a man can control his mind he can find the way of Enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him. - Gautama Buddha

OCT 2013 | 5

LIBRARY NEWS
Dear Members Latest books and DVDs are added to our library under the category Premium Collections. Members can search and borrow books and DVDs from home using the on-line facility available in our website. This facility was inaugurated on 28-09-2013. Members may enter into this module by clicking online library in our website home page. Intially members may use your membership number as your user ID and password. Change password option is made available to protect your transaction. Any book from Premium collection can be borrowed on-line at a nominal charge of `10 and may be retained for a period of 30 days. Autogenerated voucher for `10 will be issued and member must sign the voucher while taking delivery of the book. After 30 days first renewal will be automatically activated for another 10 days at an additional cost of `5 Three such auto renewals are permitted at the above rate and after 60 days access to this portal will be automatically denied if the book is not returned. Member shall return the book to gain further access in to the portal. The same procedure has to be followed to borrow DVDs. The charges for DVD are `10 for first 15 days and `5 for a renewal period of 5 days with a maximum of three such renewals. Members are requested to take note that no manual lending procedure will be adopted for books under Premium Collections and DVDs. Er.R.Kanakaraj Member Library & Newsletter
6 | OCT 2013

CONGRATULATIONS

We congratulate Mr. V.M. Muralidharan (Mike), M.No. 476, who has been elected as the Chairman of the Ethiraj College Trust which manages the renowned Ethiraj College for Women, Chennai & Ethiraj Matriculation School, Vellore. Both campuses together house close to 10,000 students. Muralidharan, great grand nephew of the Trusts Founder Thiru. V. L. Ethiraj, is the youngest & the first person from the Founders family to be elected the Chairman of the Trust. Earlier, he was the Financial Trustee of the Trust. At present, he is the Global Chief Operating Officer of Bahwan CyberTek Group (BCT), USD 125+ Million, 2000+ staff, global software services organization. In his role, he spearheads the global operations and steers the business of BCT across various geos. Muralidharan completed his Bachelors in Electronics & Communication Engineering (Honors) in 1983 from the College of Engineering, Guindy. This is a proud moment for our Alumni and we wish Muralidharan, better known as Mike by all, the very best!!

The mind is like a white cloth. Dip it in red dye, it turns red dip it in green, it turns green. Put it out in the sun for long, it loses its colour. The mind truly is the Self itself, with no colour.

BOOK REVIEW
Once again Frederick forsyth has created something most of us would not have thought about. The book takes us through the heart of spy network and manhunt that goes behind the screen. It is truly a roller coaster ride with ample information that takes us through USA, UK, Pakistan, Somalia and Israel. The author writes about usage of Drones in Military operations and is really interesting. Some plots and incidents may seem fictional but are necessary to connect story. This is a perfect sequence to The Afghan... Thoroughly enjoyed.

TAMIL BOOK EXHIBITION

Tamil books from 32 different publishers were exhibited in a stall for our members on the club day. Plans are afoot to include some of the popular tamil novels in our library. Members may suggest list of books of their choice to be purchased for our library.

The jewels of the soul is priceless, and yet it is being squandered like this , in exchange for a mere shell. - Sri Guru Granth Sahib

OCT 2013 | 7

TECHNICAL SESSION ART DIRECTION

by Thangavel MuthuRaj
People call me I am a perfectionist, but Im not. Im a rightist. I do something until its right and then I move on to the next thing James Cameron.

T. MuthuRaj explaining typical situations

A set design for Ponnar Sankar

A view of the Audience

Er. Ramachandran handing over Memento

Have you seen the Ranganathan Street in the movie ANGADI THERU? The entire Cowboy Village in IRUMBU KOTTAI MURATTU SINGAM? Recreation of 17th Century surrounds in PAZHASIRAJA? Well, the man behind these REAL creations IN SETS was the Speaker of Honour Art Director Thangavel MuthuRaj. Our members were ushered into the wonderful tinsel world of Art Direction and to the myriads of on the shooting spot solution fixers by none other than the genius MuthuRaj. An hour and odd journey brought to light the different phases of Art Direction and how it is intertwined with various departments of Cinema Production. He explained how certain critical situations which might mar entire shooting schedules were tide over by out of box thinking and SAMAYOJITHAM. He also witnessed and offered suggestions to the Short Film AANDHAI (OWL) directed by our former staff Mr. Vijaya Bhaskar.
8 | OCT 2013

Art Director MuthuRaj, a graduate of Fine Arts, a film production designer since 1991,has started his career as first assistant to noted Art Director Sabu Cyril. His big break came in 1997 in the Mohan Lal starrer Malayalam movie GURU which bagged him BEST ART DIRECTOR award from Government of Kerala. Many awards such as Padma Rajan Award, Film Fraternity Award, Mathru Boomi Award, Edison Award, Film Critics Award etc., bestowed on him. He is currently working in Director Shankars I, Raja Rani , ORU KANNIYUM MOONU KALAVANIYUM and many other language films. His Art Direction has been widely appreciated in Shankars NANBHAN,AVAN IVAN, Kalaingarin PONNER SANKAR, PAZHASI RAJA, GURU, ANGADI THERU, SOLLA MARANTHA KATHAI and many other films. He is busy apart from films into Theme Park Designing, Sculpting, Miniature making and Interior Designing. He is happily married to Padmapriya and has a son Muthu Vignesh.
CLUB NEWS CONTINUES ON PG NO 33

Good behaviour can cover the lack of beauty but beauty never cover the lack of good behaviour.

SPORTS CORNER
BRIDGE The monthly TTK Open Bridge tournament was conducted on 11th September which saw good participation from the bridge fraternity. Lakshmi Chari & T.T. Chari topped in North-South pairs and Rajesh & Uma topped in East West pairs. Alumni teams - D.V. Ravi and NRK came 3rd in North South and T.K. Mani and Jayakumar came second in East-West. In the IMP Pairs Intra tournament held on 8th September CMK and Subarao came first and Shankar and Ranjit came second. Alumni Club Bridge team participated in the SZ Trophy in Kumarakom.

From L to R. NRK, C.Mohan Krishna, Sadashiv, Adhi, Shankar, Vasu, Prof. Natarajan, Kannan. SNOOKER The annual intra-club handicap tournament is all set to begin on October 6th. Prior to that both the tables are in the process of being refurbished with new cloth. We can expect some riveting action in the Snooker room in the month of October. Expecting some heated matches two air-conditioners have been replaced. Be sure to catch all the drama of Singles and Doubles. A HOTSHOT FROM CHENNAI V. Kanthi , daughter of our member Mrs. Valli Valliappan (M. No. 1567 )talks about her experiences at the recent IBL, being chosen for the Hyderabad Hotshots, and her hopes for the upcoming Senior Nationals. Even as she talks to me at the Alumni Club in Chennai before her practice session with an up-andcoming mens player, V. Kanthi is busy with her mobile phone. Though weeks have passed since the Indian Badminton League concluded in Mumbai, with the Hyderabad Hotshots (HH) emerging triumphant, V. Kanthi, a member of the Hyderabad team, is still to get over the IBL hangover. We still miss each others company, says the 18-year-old
Avoid comparing yourself with anyone. Remember that it is who we are, not what we do that is important

OCT 2013 | 33

confidence. It has taught me to stay focused, she says. Kanthi believes the defeat at the hands of Delhi Smashers in Lucknow was a wake-up call for the team. That loss, she says, inspired us to work harder. We were a bit complacent in that match. The loss came at the right time. The Tamil Nadu numero uno womens player initially didnt believe it when her friends told her about her being chosen for HH. I was in Malaysia at that time. I didnt expect to be in IBL because I had injured my back after the senior Nationals, and was training in Kuala Lumpur to get back into shape. Somebody sent me a message saying, You are part of the team. I didnt believe it. Again somebody texted me saying, You have been auctioned. Go and check. Only then did I start collecting information about IBL, says Kanthi, whose auction price was $3000. According to Kanthi, the spectator turn-out for every match of HH was something she didnt expect. The crowd was more than expected. Every match had full attendance. In Hyderabad alone, there was a big demand for tickets. The stands were almost full. Many spectators brought drums which they beat vociferously, as they enjoyed every moment of IBL, says Kanthi, who is all praise for HH owner PVP Group and HHs support staff. What irks Kanthi is the lack of courts for players to practice and a proper system in Chennai. We had to beg for courts. All the coaches are dedicated, but where are the courts? Almost every State has got an academy/court with a coach, physio and fitness trainer. There might be good coaches in Chennai, but they are losing interest due to lack of courts. There are a number of talented players, but nobody to guide them, she says. Kanthi has been training in Kuala Lumpur under the watchful eyes of chief coach Yogendran at New Vision Badminton Academy. It has been fruitful experience so far. They have done a lot to correct my strokes, she says. Having missed many All-India tournaments last year, Kanthi is keen to take part in as many tournaments as possible this season. Besides she wants to perform to her full potential in the forthcoming Senior Nationals to be held in New Delhi. I want to do really well there, she says. Source: The Hindu, September 25, 2013

badminton player from Chennai even as she texts her friends from Hyderabad Hotshots. As the second womens singles player, after Saina Nehwal, for the Hyderabad franchise, Kanthi did not get to play a match, but enjoyed the atmosphere thoroughly. IBL, says Kanthi, was first of all fun. I made quite a few friends. Spoke to Aparna (Balan) and Ashwini (Ponappa) and others. Sitting on the sidelines, Kanthi says was a great learning experience, especially watching how senior players practice before and after a match, how they handle themselves, and how they interact with fans and media. I learnt a lot though I didnt play. I learnt a lot from senior players such as Saina (Nehwal) and Taufiq (Hidayat). And Taufiq was more than a player. He taught us a lot. Pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from MOP Vaishnav College for Women, Kanthi realises what the IBL has done to badminton. It has popularised the sport. Earlier in India, cricket was the most popular sport and nothing after that. Now badminton is catching up. All badminton players are happy about it, she says. With no proper system in Chennai, it was a struggle for Kanthi to find a place to practice, shuttling between Kuala Lumpur and Chennai. Now after the IBL exposure, her belief in herself has grown manifold. Before IBL, I was not sure where I was. It has given me a lot more
34 | OCT 2013

Time is free, but it is priceless. You cant own it, but you can use it. You cant keep it, but you can spend it. Once youve lost it you can never get it back. - Harvey Mackay.

CELEBRATION PANORAMIC VIEW OF CLUB DAY CELEBRATIONS

One should be cautious not to speak anything that hurts others. Such king of speech never helps but always brings destruction. - Rig Veda

OCT 2013 | 35

36 | OCT 2013

Happiness is like a butterfly, The more you chase it, the more it eludes you. But if you turn your attention to other things, It comes and sits softly on your shoulder. - Henry David Thoreau.

The appearance of things change according to the emotions and thus we see magic and beauty in them, while the magic and beauty really are in ourselves. - Kahlil Gibran

OCT 2013 | 37

38 | OCT 2013

When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.

INAUGURATION of ONLINE LIBRARY FACILITY by VICE CHANCELLOR

Online Library Facility was inaugurated by the Vice Chancellor on the Club day. From home you can log in to ONLINE LIBRARY link http://acaulibrary.com in our website www.alumniclubau.com and book your favorite books and DVDs. Enter your Membership number for USER NAME as well as PASSWORD for the first time. You can change your Password after gaining access. As you would have observed lot of NEW additions are added to our Library. Kindly provide your suggestions for the improvement of Library Collections and for increasing the footfalls to editorbitsandbytes@gmail. com OR cc.dote@gmail.com

If a man can control his mind he can find the way of Enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him. - Gautama Buddha

OCT 2013 | 39

ENTOURAGE TO OUR CLUB FACILITIES

Vice Chancellor evinced keen interest to know in detail of various club facilities available for Members and Guests. He was taken around the premises starting from Boat House to Sports Complex to Restaurants, Conference Hall and to the Modernised Kitchen. He was awestruck to know that these well maintained facilities have come up in such a short period. He congratulated the efforts of all Members, their Family and especially the various Committee Members for their selfless contribution. He expressed his desire to come frequently and use the facilities.