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The Hindu
10-08-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Victorian botany alumni display petals of pride
The Government Victoria College's Botany department is celebrating a milestone - 75 years of nurturing green thumbs and scientific minds. The platinum jubilee bash was the perfect excuse for a reunion of the alumni who studied botany at Victoria over the past seven and a half decades. On Saturday, the Victorian Botany Alumni Association (VIBA) brought together a vibrant community of former students. As a testament to their dedication, VIBA has become an integral part of Victoria College's legacy, fostering a spirit of giving back and staying connected to the campus that shaped their academic journeys. 'Beyond just reconnecting and reliving old times, our true joy lies in giving back to the community, especially since we benefited from a government education funded by the people,' said K.K. Seethalakshmi, VIBA secretary. Dr. Seethalakshmi, a bamboo expert and an ex-Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI) scientist, has propelled VIBA to new heights. She currently works at the Integrated Rural Technology Centre (IRTC), Mundur. VIBA's vibrancy is evident in its numerous initiatives, including six annual endowment lectures, industrial visits and skill training programmes being offered to botany students. According to educationist Mohandas B. Menon, a VIBA patron, 'the skill training programmes are a rare advantage; our students are fortunate to have such a supportive alumni network, setting them apart from students on other campuses.' Besides, VIBA has set up a reception counter and seminar hall at the college with facility to stay for guest speakers. It has also installed QR-coded signages at Vatika, a botanical garden in Palakkad town maintained by the District Tourism Promotion Council. 'We have been regularly felicitating toppers and rank winners of our department,' said Jayakrishnan G. Menon, VIBA executive committee member. A souvenir featuring scholarly papers in tribute to former professor and plant taxonomist R. Vasudevan Nair has elevated VIBA's stature. 'There's no dearth of expert guests for the Botany department,' said Mr. Menon. The reunion drew several veteran alumni who studied and taught botany at Victoria College in the 1960s and 1970s. Susheela Haridas, a pioneering member of the 1970 first MSc batch, was among them. Film director Lal Jose was a guest in the afternoon. Ottapalam Subcollector Anjeet Singh inaugurated the reunion. Ravi Kumar K., Principal in charge, presided. Botany department head Rasmi A.R., and Government College, Tholanur, Principal Maya C. Menon were among those who spoke.
Rudaw Net
04-05-2025
- Business
- Rudaw Net
Turkmen MP urges end to Baghdad-Erbil trade restrictions, warns of empty markets
Also in Iraq Iraq apprehends two escaped prisoners Kirkuk Provincial Council has not sat for 3 months Iraq completes seismic surveys at Khanaqin oil field Baghdad moves to curb Iranian opposition groups in Kurdistan: Iran media A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A prominent Turkmen politician representing Kirkuk in the Iraqi parliament, Arshad al-Salihi, warned on Saturday that new federal trade restrictions on shipments from the Kurdistan Region could lead to empty markets in Kirkuk and Mosul. In a video message posted on his Facebook page, Salihi stated, 'Traders across Iraq in general and traders of Kirkuk and Mosul in part, are caught in the crosshairs of the dispute between the [Kurdistan] Regional Government (KRG) and the Federal Government [of Iraq].' Addressing Erbil and Baghdad, the lawmaker urged, 'Please sideline the ordinary citizen from your conflicts as they are the ones who lose the most,' adding, 'Enough disputes!' Head of advisors for the Federation of Iraqi Chambers of Commerce, Maysam Bolani, told Rudaw in early April that new regulations by Baghdad mandat that only trucks with QR-coded customs seals can enter federal Iraq. Shipments must remain sealed and be delivered within 72 hours between the Kurdistan Region's Duhok province and the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, she explained. This policy follows a March 11 directive from the Central Bank of Iraq and applies to shipments from Turkey and Iran via Kurdistan Region's border crossings, according to Bolani. Transit permits for trucks carrying goods from the Kurdistan Region to other parts of Iraq expired on April 15. Speaking to Rudaw in April, an advisor to the Erbil Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Salahuddin Ahmed, noted that the new regulations violate Article 24 of the Iraqi constitution, which guarantees the free movement of goods between the Kurdistan Region and federal Iraq. Around that time, the head of the Kurdistan Importers and Exporters Union, Mustafa Sheikh Abdulrahman, told Rudaw that this policy has led to the depletion of many warehouses in the Kurdistan Region. In April as well, an official from the Erbil Chamber of Commerce, who spoke to Rudaw on condition of anonymity, stated that the restrictions also apply to locally produced goods, further exacerbating the situation.
