An innocuous Auto-rickshaw and its owner seen at Triplicane during Bhogi purappadu is the subject matter of this post !!
Silambam is an old Indian martial art originating in Tamil Nadu that finds mention in Tamil Sangam literature. In old movies, especially MG Ramachandran movies, hero would exhibit his talent in silambam fight. Read that MGR learnt this this martial art from Master Madurai Maadakulam Ravi and some of his movies featuring silambam include Thaikkupin Tharam, Periya Idathu Penn, Mugaraasi and Thanipiravi.
For modern day cine watchers – ‘Vettupuli’ and his school of martial arts is hilariously famous. Vettupuli characterized by a big moustache has an army of people under him including – Pei, Thimingalam, Mandaikashayam – his instruction to the three on moving ‘paruthi moottai’ is eternal content for meme creators ‘adhukku antha paruthi moottai – godownleye irunthirukkalame !’
Solar power works by converting energy from the Sun into power. There are two forms of energy generated from the sun for our use – electricity and heat. Both are generated through the use of solar panels, which range in size from residential rooftops to 'solar farms' stretching over acres of rural land. Solar PV is based on the photovoltaic effect, by which a photon (the basic unit of light) impacts a semi-conductor surface like silicon and generates the release of an electron.
In our School days (9th Std Science) remember reading about ‘Combustion” used in vehicles. An internal combustion engine (ICE or IC engine) is a heat engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer (usually air) in a combustion chamber that is an integral part of the working fluid flow circuit. There are two types - a 4-stroke engine and a 2-stroke engine. By name, a 4-stroke engine goes through four stages, or two complete revolutions, to complete one power stroke, while a 2-stroke engine goes through 2 stages, or one complete revolution, to complete one power stroke. Four-stroke engines are fuel-efficient and operate in four steps: Intake, Compression, Power & exhaust.
In recent times, there has been so much said about Electric vehicles – there are many varied manufacturers and we do see many Electric cars and two-wheelers on road – there have been many attempts to push up the sales, threatening that sooner vehicles would not roll out with petrol / diesel engines. !!
An electric vehicle (EV) primarily is a vehicle whose propulsion is powered fully or mostly by electricity. Early electric vehicles first came into existence in the late 19th century, when the Second Industrial Revolution brought forth electrification and mass utilization of DC and AC electric motors. Internal combustion engines (both gasoline and diesel engines) were the dominant propulsion mechanisms for cars and trucks for about 100 years, but electricity-powered locomotion remained commonplace in other vehicle types, such as overhead line-powered mass transit vehicles like electric trains, trams, monorails and trolley buses, as well as various small, low-speed, short-range battery-powered personal vehicles such as mobility scooters.
Hybrid electric vehicles, where electric motors are used as a supplementary propulsion to internal combustion engines, became more widespread in the late 1990s. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, where electric motors can be used as the predominant propulsion rather than a supplement, did not see any mass production until the late 2000s, and battery electric cars did not become practical options for the consumer market until the 2010s. In Jan 1990, General Motors President introduced its EV concept two-seater, the "Impact", at the Los Angeles Auto Show
Now many Companies are into mass production of EVs. All-electric vehicles, also referred to as battery electric vehicles (BEVs), have an electric motor instead of an internal combustion engine. The vehicle uses a large traction battery pack to power the electric motor and must be plugged in to a wall outlet or charging equipment, also called electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE). Because it runs on electricity, the vehicle emits no exhaust from a tailpipe and does not contain the typical liquid fuel components, such as a fuel pump, fuel line, or fuel tank. Learn more about electric vehicles.
‘Vettupuli’ mentioned at the start was Santhanam in movie Kalakalappu, directed by Sundar C, starring Vimal, Shiva, Santhanam, Anjali, Oviya. It was a good comedy film.
That auto-rickshaw seen at Triplicane was dual powered – had a battery that had to be charged for running and a solar panel on top of the vehicle, which too would produce current / charge the battery !! The man seen standing at the start, its owner & driver is a silambam master.
Interesting !
Regards – S Sampathkumar
14.1.2024