"Dream, Dream, Dream! Conduct these dreams into thoughts, and then transform them into action."

- Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

#Varghese

Star Citizens

Revolutionizing Sustainability: World's First Coconut Leaf Straws

Dr. Saji Varghese is a professor at Christ University in Bangalore, but what led him to establish a startup in Bangalore? His passion for the environment sparked an extraordinary journey that could combat plastic pollution while at the same time uplifting the lives of rural women.  The innovative venture pioneers the creation of the world's first straws made from dried coconut leaves, heralding a breakthrough in the battle against plastic pollution and rural unemployment. Fallen coconut leaves are collected from various parts of India. Rural women are employed to carefully extract the midribs, clean the leaves, and initiate the processing stages.  These leaves undergo a blend of manual and automated procedures, culminating in the production of eco-friendly straws. Dr Varghese has incorporated chemical free methods to harness the natural properties of coconut fronds.The leaves surface gets coated with wax when pressurized with steam.  The resulting straws boast a nine-month shelf life and can sustain in drinks for up to six hours. This makes them one of the best alternatives to plastic straws.Notably, a single coconut frond yields approximately 600 straws, ranging from 3 to 13 millimeters in diameter. In a conversation with The New Indian Express, Dr. Varghese elaborated on the production process and revealed global interest in these eco-straws. Samples were dispatched to ten countries and the response was very encouraging as they received orders for millions of straws. Available in two variants—a regular-use straw and a smaller version incorporating the midrib for easy piercing of tetra packs—these eco-conscious alternatives present a cost-effective solution produced on a significant scale, marking a significant step towards sustainable living.

21 Nov 2023
Star Citizens

From Tragedy to Triumph: This Indian Braveheart Achieves the Impossible, Breaking Guinness World Record

Sujith Varghese has achieved an incredible feat that has captured the hearts of thousands of viewers on Instagram. In just sixteen hours, Sujith created the largest GPS drawing, covering the streets of Dubai and passing by iconic landmarks such as the Burj Khalifa neighborhood and the Dubai Mall. His achievement has earned him a place in the Guinness World Records. He broke the previous record by traveling 8.71 kilometers in his wheelchair. Sujith's achievement is even more inspiring because he has been paralyzed since a bike accident in 2013 which rendered him confined to a wheelchair. Despite facing enormous challenges, Sujith's determination and perseverance allowed him to overcome his limitations and set a new world record. His achievement sends a powerful message to everyone that, with the right mindset, anything is possible. In an interview with Guinness World Records, Sujith explained that he was inspired by Dubai's commitment to promoting accessibility for people with disabilities. He saw this as an opportunity to demonstrate that athletes with perseverance can overcome any challenge. In the video, Sujith is seen using his wheelchair to trace out the icon of a wheelchair user, sending a powerful message of inclusivity and empowerment. Sujith's achievement is proof of the strength of the power of the human spirit and the importance of perseverance in the face of adversity. His story has inspired thousands of people worldwide to overcome their own challenges and pursue their dreams, regardless of the obstacles in their way.  Yasushi Takahashi of Japan held the previous record for the largest GPS drawing, which measured an impressive 7163.67 km in length. Mr. Takahashi created this image on June 9, 2010, with a unique purpose in mind. He wanted to propose to his girlfriend in a special and memorable way. The GPS drawing spelled out the words "Marry Me" across the entire length of Japan, with a heart shape covering the island of Hokkaido. Thankfully, his girlfriend said yes to his romantic proposal. 

21 Mar 2023
Star Citizens

Doctor Who Runs India’s Only Polio Ward Is Bill Gates’ Hero

Bill Gates recently named Dr. Mathew Varghese as one of the five persons in the world who he thinks is a real-life hero. Dr. Mathew Varghese is an orthopedic expert who runs  India’s only polio ward and he devotes all his time to the rehabilitation of men and women who have been afflicted with the disease. Dr. Varghese runs India's only polio ward at St Stephen's Hospital in old Delhi. Although polio was eliminated from India in 2011, thousands continue to suffer from the immobility that the disease brought. He has dedicated his life to the rehabilitation of the polio patients and hopes this recognition will inspire doctors and youth to take up the cause of polio patients.

27 Jan 2018
Star Citizens

Good News

How a Professor Found a Novel Way To Replace Plastic Straws

A day after Saji Varghese, an associate professor of English at Christ university in Bengaluru had a conversation with a guest from the Netherlands on the impact of single-use plastic, his eyes fell on a dried coconut leaf in the university campus and an idea struck him. As he reveals, it was like an epiphany moment for him. He believed it could be transformed into an environmentally beneficial substitute for plastic straws to have a "good impact" on the environment, something he had always considered. Saji then started his research with dried coconut leaflets. He observed a shine forming on the leaves' surface as he pressure-steamed the dried coconut leaves for his research. He found that naturally dried leaves had a natural wax that, when steamed, rose to the surface. Saji realized that the wax might give the suggested straws the anti-fungal and hydrophobic qualities that are essential in drinking straws. Saji finally established Sunbird Straws to produce drinking straws derived from naturally dried coconut leaves in 2020, three years after he had originally planned to. According to Saji, technological innovation has assisted the team in streamlining its production process. The team created a conveyor system that can produce one straw every 1.5 seconds as opposed to the previous requirement of 45 seconds for each straw. According to Saji, 86 women are engaged during both the pre-production and production phases, giving them yearlong income prospects. The company plans to increase manufacturing to 10 lakh straws each day and hire 1,000 women over the next three years. Additionally, it is looking at joint ventures abroad and developing other dried leaf products.

20 Dec 2022
Good News

Positive Reads

Do You Know Which Is the Longest Running Ad Campaign in the World?

You will be surprised to know that Amul, owned by 4 million milk farmers, is the largest milk cooperative in the world. Today, it is the long-standing FMCG giant in India with a revenue of Rs 61,000 in FY 22. Amul’s origin dates way back to the 1940s. Polson back then dominated the dairy sector and Polson butter was so popular that the name Polson was synonymous with butter. However, Polson purchased milk from farmers at a low price and sold it to customers at much higher prices. The farmers suffered as they did not get a fair price. The farmers then created their organization to supply milk to Mumbai directly. Thus Amul or Anand Milk Union Limited was formed. Soon, there arose the need for a strong brand identity to market their products. Dr. Varghese Kurien handed over the advertising to Sylvester Da Cunha. That’s when the idea for the iconic Amul girl and her slogan, "Utterly Butterly Delicious," emerged. The Polson mascot served as the model for the Amul girl. Cunha and his colleagues purposefully designed the Amul butter girl to be the exact opposite of the polished, soft girl that served as the Polson mascot. That is, a cheeky and amusing young child who made fun of the nation's recent happenings! Now, Amul's commercial and advertising success with less than 1% of revenue spent is almost unbelievable. How then did they accomplish this? Amul does not invest independently in building a brand for each of its goods. Instead, it emphasizes umbrella branding or family branding. Therefore, people recognize every product as coming from Amul because the name is synonymous with "Taste of India."  The iconic mascot is a huge hit among Indian consumers and can be seen in every household adorning the pack of butter.

17 Nov 2022
Positive Reads

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