Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw applauds Bengaluru professor who turned leaf into a straw: Know how it's now a global hit

— kiranshaw (@kiranshaw)
Who is this professor?
How did the idea come about?
Live Events
How did it help others?
What happened next?
Swadeshi Startup Award 2018 from IIT Delhi
Swiss Re Shine Entrepreneur Award
Climate Launchpad Award 2018 for social impact from Scotland
(You can now subscribe to our
(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel
Bengaluru-based billionaire Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw recently shared a video on social media that caught many people's attention. It featured a unique invention by an English professor who turned dry coconut leaves into eco-friendly straws . Her caption said it all: "Local ideas with global opportunities!"The man behind the innovation is Prof Saji Varghese , an English professor at Christ University Bengaluru . Though he holds a PhD in English, his work in sustainability has earned him praise both in India and abroad.It all began on October 3, 2017, when Prof Varghese was walking home after class and spotted a dry coconut leaf on the ground. He noticed that part of it had naturally curled into the shape of a straw. Curious, he took it to a lab and steamed it under high pressure. To his surprise, the heat brought out a shiny surface on the leaf, sparking the idea of making it a plastic alternative.He began experimenting with food-grade glue and different techniques. After months of trials, he developed a multi-layered straw in early 2018 that was strong, anti-fungal, and could stay firm in water for more than six hours. Even better, the straws had a shelf life of over 12 months.Prof Varghese didn't stop with just creating the straws. He set up small production units in villages across Madurai Tuticorin , and Kasargod, giving jobs to rural women. The straws were launched under the brand name SunBird, and soon, local food businesses started placing orders.The innovation gained popularity quickly. Within a year, Prof Varghese's straws were being exported to 25 countries, including the US, Australia, and several European nations.His work has not gone unnoticed. He has won several awards, including:Inputs from TOI

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

The Hindu

an hour ago

• The Hindu

New government arts and science college to offer five undergraduate courses

The new Government Arts and Science College in Thuraiyur will have a total intake of 270 students in five undergraduate courses. The college, which was inaugurated by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin through video conference from Chennai on Friday, will function temporarily from the Sengunthar Government Aided Higher Secondary School in Thuraiyur. The college offers undergraduate courses in B.A. in Political Science and Chemistry in Tamil medium and B.C.A., Computer Science and B. Com in English medium. The Naan Mudhalvan Scheme, which trains students to appear for competitive examinations, will be implemented in the college from this year itself. Twelve faculty posts and 14 non-faculty posts have been sanctioned for the college, an official press release said. Municipal Administration Minister and Collector M. Pradeep Kumar, elected representatives and officials were present during the inaugural ceremony on Friday.

NDTV

an hour ago

• NDTV

Pics: Nearby Sculptor Galaxy Revealed In Ultra-Detailed Galactic Image

Washington: The Sculptor galaxy is similar in many respects to our Milky Way. It is about the same size and mass, with a similar spiral structure. But while it is impossible to get a full view of the Milky Way from the vantage point of Earth because we are inside the galaxy, Sculptor is perfectly positioned for a good look. Astronomers have done just that, releasing an ultra-detailed image of the Sculptor galaxy on Wednesday obtained with 50 hours of observations using one of the world's biggest telescopes, the European Southern Observatory's Chile-based Very Large Telescope. The image shows Sculptor, also called NGC 253, in around 4,000 different colors, each corresponding to a specific wavelength in the optical spectrum. Because various galactic components emit light differently across the spectrum, the observations are providing information at unprecedented detail on the inner workings of an entire galaxy, from star formation to the motion of interstellar gas on large scales. Conventional images in astronomy offer only a handful of colors, providing less information. The researchers used the telescope's Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer, or MUSE, instrument. "NGC 253 is close enough that we can observe it in remarkable detail with MUSE, yet far enough that we can still see the entire galaxy in a single field of view," said astronomer Enrico Congiu, a fellow at the European Southern Observatory in Santiago, and lead author of research being published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. "In the Milky Way, we can achieve extremely high resolution, but we lack a global view since we're inside it. For more distant galaxies, we can get a global view, but not the fine detail. That's why NGC 253 is such a perfect target: it acts as a bridge between the ultra-detailed studies of the Milky Way and the large-scale studies of more distant galaxies. It gives us a rare opportunity to connect the small-scale physics with the big-picture view," Congiu said. Sculptor is about 11 million light-years from Earth, making it one of the closest big galaxies to the Milky Way. A light-year is the distance light travels in a year, 5.9 trillion miles (9.5 trillion km). Like the Milky Way, it is a barred spiral galaxy, meaning it has an elongated structure extending from its nucleus, with spiral arms extending from the ends of the bar. Its diameter of about 88,000 light-years is similar to the Milky Way's, as is its total mass. One major difference is Sculptor's rate of new star formation, estimated to be two to three times greater than that of the Milky Way. Nearly 30% of this star formation is happening near the galaxy's nucleus in what is called a starburst region, as revealed in colorful emissions shown in the new image. The observations have given information on a wide range of properties such as the motion, age and chemical composition of stars and the movement of interstellar gas, an important component of any galaxy. "Since the light from stars is typically bluer if the stars are young or redder if the stars are old, having thousands of colors lets us learn a lot about what stars and populations of stars exist in the galaxy," said astronomer Kathryn Kreckel of Heidelberg University in Germany, a study co-author. "Similarly for the gas, it glows in specific bright emission lines at very specific colors, and tells us about the different elements that exist in the gas, and what is causing it to glow," Kreckel said. The initial research being published from the observations involves planetary nebulae, which are luminous clouds of gas and dust expelled by certain dying stars. Despite their name, they have nothing to do with planets. These nebulae can help astronomers measure the precise distances of faraway galaxies. The researchers marveled at the scientific and aesthetic value of the new view of Sculptor. "I personally find these images amazing," Congiu said. "What amazes me the most is that every time I look at them, I notice something new - another nebula, a splash of unexpected color or some subtle structure that hints at the incredible physics behind it all."

Mint

2 hours ago

• Mint

Fighter jet maker Hindustan Aeronautics Limited bags transfer of technology of SSLV from ISRO for ₹511 crore

In a significant milestone, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) was on Friday declared the winner of the bid for the transfer of technology of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV), the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) rocket to place satellites up to 500 kg in low-earth orbit, edging out two consortia. According to a PTI report, fighter jet manufacturer HAL was the standalone bidder for the coveted contract to build the ISRO-designed rocket and was pitted against the two consortia – one led by Alpha Design Technologies, backed by the Adani Group, and the other led by Hyderabad-based Bharat Dynamics Limited. In a message on X, HAL said that it will be responsible for absorbing, manufacturing and commercialising SSLV technology. 'HAL's selection for the SSLV ToT will enable indigenous production and further development of small satellite launch capabilities, opening up new partnerships with domestic and international satellite operators,' Dr DK Sunil, Chairman and Managing Director of HAL, said. HAL presented the winning bid of ₹ 511 crore to emerge as the sole manufacturer of the SSLV after the completion of the process of transfer of technology that is expected to take place over the next two years, the PTI report said. "Under this technology-transfer agreement, HAL will have the capability to independently build, own and commercialise SSLV launches," Pawan Kumar Goenka, chairman, Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (INSPACe), told a press conference in New Delhi. HAL will be the third company to build rockets after space sector start-ups Skyroot Aerospace and Agnikul Cosmos, the report added. Goenka said nine companies had evinced interest in the transfer of technology of the SSLV, of which three were rejected. Of the remaining six, three chose not to apply. "The SSLV technology transfer marks a pivotal moment in India's transformative commercial space segment, as this is one of the first instances of a space agency transferring complete launch vehicle technology to a company," he said. Goenka said that ISRO will handhold HAL and assist it in building two prototype rockets over the next two years. After that, the state-owned company is expected to independently produce six to 10 SSLVs every year, depending on the demand. "HAL will be free to improve on the design and select its own vendors from the third rocket after the two-year period," Goenka said. According to HAL, SSLV is a compact, cost-effective, and highly flexible launch vehicle developed by ISRO to address the rapidly growing demand for launching small satellites into Low Earth Orbit. The SSLV was developed by the ISRO to launch small satellites into low-earth orbit at a shorter notice, a capability required by the defence forces in times of emergencies. "This collaboration marks a significant step towards strengthening India's commercial satellite-launch capabilities and more specifically, in enabling Indian industry in realising this SSLV," Radhakrishnan Durairaj, Chairman and Managing Director of New Space India Limited (NSIL), said. According to the PTI report, the move is part of efforts to allow the ISRO to focus more on research and hive off the routine activities of launching satellites, using proven launch vehicles to the industry. "We are looking forward to working closely under the ISRO and IN-SPACe's guidance to progress in phases and realise the end objectives. We are confident of steering a cohesive ecosystem that enables more small satellite launches from India's ports," DK Sunil, CMD, HAL, said. The technology-transfer agreement will be signed among HAL, NSIL, ISRO and IN-SPACe. The agreement encompasses extensive training and handholding of HAL personnel by ISRO teams, both at ISRO and HAL facilities, for the realisation and launch of two SSLVs in the next two years, the report said.