Latest news with #Rajagopal
New Indian Express
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
In a first, Kattaikuttu Sangam launches a diploma programme, details
Art in full bloom Founded by P Rajagopal in 1990, the organisation began with just 17 performers. 'It was a very modest beginning. Over time, it grew gradually, like how a tree grows from a small plant,' says Rajagopal. Today, the Sangam is a democratically run collective with over 250 members — artistes, musicians, playwrights — united by their dedication to keeping Koothu alive. And it is alive. Not just in rural temple festivals that stretch across the Tamil calendar, but also in new scripts, urban collaborations, and training programmes. 'Every year, from the Tamil month of Thai, until Sivaratri, there are performances happening, nonstop. People in Chennai may not see it, so they assume it doesn't exist. But they need to come and see for themselves,' says Rajagopal. For those who do, the Sangam's annual festivals are an eye-opener. The most recent one, bridged the urban-rural divide, ran every weekend from November to January and drew audiences from both the city and countryside. Performances ranged from Kattaikkuttu to Sufi music, Carnatic-Koothu collaborations, and urban theatre from Chennai. 'It was a way to challenge the misconception. And it worked. People came from Bengaluru, Chennai, and beyond,' says Swathi.
The Hindu
06-06-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Textile mills urged to use Kasturi cotton
More number of spinning mills should use Kasturi cotton, said Siddhartha Rajagopal, Executive Director of the Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council (Texprocil). Mr. Rajagopal told The Hindu on Friday that the government is targeting 10% of Indian cotton production to be tested and certified as Kasturi cotton in five years. It will also support this through the mini mission on cotton. In the 2024-2025 cotton season, 1.12 lakh bales of cotton will be certified as Kasturi cotton. Of this, majority is with the Cotton Corporation of India. The Texprocil is talking to international brands to use Kasturi cotton as it has traceability and quality assurance. Some of the textile manufacturers in India have made shirts and towels using Kasturi cotton. 'It is recognised as a pivot for quality cotton,' he said. The brand commands a premium and there are standards for extra long staple cotton too. Textile mills that have cotton can go for testing and certification if they have details of the ginners and farmers from whom the cotton was sourced. At a meeting organised by the Texprocil for members of the textile associations here, chairman of the Southern India Mills' Association S.K. Sundararaman said the usage by the textile mills will increase when they see demonstration of value for the cotton. Nishant Asher, secretary of the Indian Cotton Federation, said the pull should come from the garment and made up brands. The participants also suggested improvement of best practices by farmers so that the traceability starts from the farmers and reduction in short fibres in the cotton to be certified as Kasturi.
The Hindu
04-06-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
IIT-Madras launches School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship to boost startup ecosystem
The Indian Institute of Technology–Madras (IIT-M) has launched a School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship to provide structured academic support for the creation of startups. 'Our goal is to emerge as the leading school for innovation and entrepreneurship in the next five years and put IITM on the map of entrepreneurial universities across the world,' Prabhu Rajagopal, Head, School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship told The Hindu. 'The goal is primarily to provide an academic footprint to the entrepreneurial activities that are going on inside the campus,' he added. According to Mr. Rajagopal, who is a serial faculty-entrepreneur and a faculty member of the Mechanical Engineering Department, the school will offer a wide range of academic and non-academic programs, cutting-edge research in innovation and entrepreneurship, and a distinctive lab-to-startup pathway through the MS in Entrepreneurship (to be offered from the July-November 2025 semester). 'We will bring all the innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives on campus under this school. For example, the Centre for Innovation (CFI) and Nirmaan will now come under the school,' he added. Plans are on anvil to create IITM-specific funding mechanisms at the initiation and scale-up stages for startups, to be housed under the banner of this school. Practice-led degrees at undergraduate and master's levels are also being envisaged. 'We are also looking at an 'Innovation Doctorate,'' Mr. Rajagopal said. 'Last year, IIT-M Director set an ambitious target of incubating 100 startups every year. And we have achieved it. But it can't be a one-time wonder – We need to be doing it on a regular basis every time. And that's why we need to provide academic support for entrepreneurship on campus,' he added. During the financial year 2024–25, IIT Madras Incubation Cell (IITMIC) incubated 104 new startups. Over 50% of these startups were founded by IIT Madras members, including faculty, staff, students, and alumni, while 48% were founded by external entrepreneurs. Over the last 12 years, IITMIC has incubated a total of 457 deep-tech startups, collectively valued at over ₹50,000 crore.
The Sun
31-05-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Cklamovski's impact on Harimau Malaya still too early to call
FORMER national football team head coach Datuk K. Rajagopal feels that it is still too early to evaluate current coach Peter Cklamovski's impact on Harimau Malaya. Rajagopal, however, believes that the team showed an improved performance in their 1-1 draw in the friendly against Cape Verde at the Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium in Cheras on Thursday (May 29). Although he was quick to point out that the Harimau Malaya squad still need to work hard to continue to improve, he also expressed confidence in Cklamovski, saying 'he (Cklamovski) knows what he is doing'. 'Every coach has his plans. We can see from his second game in charge (against Cape Verde), there is an improvement, although they still have room for improvement. Cklamovski knows which team they will be facing and the players he will field against Vietnam (in the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers on June 10) 'I can't give an evaluation now. Usually, it will take about 10 matches before one can assess if there has been an improvement or not,' he told reporters during the media conference to launch his book titled 'Inilah Saya K. Rajagobal' (This is me, K. Rajagobal) at the Kuala Lumpur International Book Festival here today. In the May 29 friendly, world number 131 Malaysia needed a 79th-minute Paulo Josue equaliser to hold world number 72 Cape Verde to a 1-1 draw. The national team will take on Cape Verde a second time, in a closed-door friendly, at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Tuesday (June 3). The friendlies against Cape Verde are part of Malaysia's preparations for the crucial games against Vietnam in their second Group F match of the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers at the National Stadium on June 10. Meanwhile, Rajagopal, who guided Malaysia to the gold medal in the 2009 Laos SEA Games and the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup triumph, described his book as an effort to inspire the younger generation and serve as a medium for him to share his coaching experiences with future generations. 'The inspiration for writing this book came from my eldest son. Many legends never wrote or documented their life journeys for reference... not just my own story, but those of other legends as well. This is my opportunity to share that struggle with the younger generation. 'I have stories about how I faced challenges and hardships that I want to share not only with sports fans but with all Malaysians. I felt that I had to write this to contribute something meaningful to the sports arena in the country,' said Rajagopal, who also used to coach Brunei.
New Indian Express
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Rajagopal: The real thrill of Neethi lies in the discovery
After the success of Ayyanna Mane—the first-ever Kannada web series to clock over 100 million streaming minutes—Kushee Ravi is back in the spotlight with her latest project, Neethi, an emotional suspense thriller. The makers are confident that audiences will be on the edge of their seats. We caught up with debutant director Rajagopal, who makes his long-awaited entry into direction with Neethi, produced by Gautham Manivannan's Director's Cut Productions. Having previously worked alongside some of the industry's noted filmmakers, Rajagopal shares, 'Neethi is a deeply personal story. It explores loneliness, unexpected connections, and the haunting consequences of secrets. I wanted to create a film that keeps the viewer guessing while connecting with them emotionally.'
