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By:

Rajendra Joshi

3 December 2024 at 3:50:26 am

Proud moment for Shivaji University researchers

Indian patent for portable sound absorption testing device Kolhapur: Researchers from Shivaji University, Kolhapur, have developed a portable sound absorption testing device that can scientifically assess whether an installed sound system and its acoustic treatment are functioning effectively. The innovation has been granted an Indian patent, marking a first-of-its-kind development in this field, the university said on Thursday. The patented device, named the Portable Sound Absorption Tester,...

Proud moment for Shivaji University researchers

Indian patent for portable sound absorption testing device Kolhapur: Researchers from Shivaji University, Kolhapur, have developed a portable sound absorption testing device that can scientifically assess whether an installed sound system and its acoustic treatment are functioning effectively. The innovation has been granted an Indian patent, marking a first-of-its-kind development in this field, the university said on Thursday. The patented device, named the Portable Sound Absorption Tester, has been developed by senior chemist Dr Kalyanrao Garadkar of Shivaji University, along with Dr Sandeep Sable and Dr Rohant Dhabbe of Jaysingpur College, and Dr Chandrala Jatkar of the D K T E Society’s Textile and Engineering Institute, Ichalkaranji. The device is designed to test the sound absorption capacity of professional acoustic systems used in recording studios, theatres, auditoriums and soundproof chambers. Until now, the effectiveness of such sound-absorbing installations has largely been assessed through experience and trial-and-error after installation. The newly developed portable tester allows for immediate and scientific evaluation of sound absorption performance once the system is installed. Sound-absorbing sheets and panels are widely used in theatres, studios and vocal recording rooms to absorb echo around microphones and create a controlled acoustic environment, enabling cleaner and more professional audio output. The new device can be used to evaluate a wide range of absorbers, including perforated foam, fibre, fabric, membranes, panels and resonant absorbers, helping improve the quality and effectiveness of acoustic materials. Explaining the working of the device, Dr Garadkar said that the human audible frequency range extends from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. The device generates sound waves within this spectrum and projects them onto the acoustic material under test. The sound waves that are not absorbed are detected by a microphone and displayed on the screen in the form of current or voltage readings. This enables users to instantly determine whether the sound absorption system is functioning as intended and make corrective interventions if required. The researchers said the device would also be useful for those engaged in acoustic fabrication and sound absorption research. Apart from being portable and easy to transport, the device is also cost-effective, making it suitable for field applications. The team expressed confidence that it would prove highly useful in the sound system testing sector. Shivaji University’s in-charge Vice-Chancellor Dr Suresh Gosavi and in-charge Pro Vice-Chancellor Dr Jyoti Jadhav congratulated the research team on securing the patent.

The Prime of Dame Maggie Smith

Updated: Oct 22, 2024

Maggie Smith

It seems almost a curse that the obituaries of great British and Irish thespians—whether Richard Harris, John Hurt, Alan Rickman, or Michael Gambon—are inevitably bound to their roles in the ‘Harry Potter’ franchise, reducing their extraordinary careers to a single chapter in a vast and diverse body of work.

Dame Maggie Smith, who has died aged 89, appears to be the latest inheritor of that curse. While she leaves behind a legacy that transcends the stage, to 21st century masses, she was ‘Professor Minerva McGonagall’ in the ‘Harry Potter’ franchise. To legions of television viewers, she was the acerbic Dowager Countess of Grantham in ‘Downton Abbey’ with her barbed witticisms and regal bearing.

These roles, whilst undeniably popular, are far removed from her finest work, hardly measuring up to her luminous performances in a magnificent seven-decade-long stage and film career.

Smith’s cinematic legacy will be indelibly defined by her electrifying portrayal of Miss Jean Brodie in the 1969 film version of Muriel Spark’s classic novel ‘The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie,’ which secured her an Academy Award for ‘Best Actress.’

As the eccentric and self-assured teacher at an all-girls school in Edinburgh during the 1930s, Smith was magnetic. Convinced that she is in her “prime” (a phrase Jean repeats throughout the film, believing herself to be at the height of her intellectual and cultural powers), Miss Brodie’s character is marked by her strong, unorthodox views.

She rejects the traditional curriculum, instead teaching students about art, politics, and life through her own subjective lens. Brodie idolizes figures like Mussolini and Franco, and her political sympathies lean disturbingly toward fascism and while she encourages her students to live boldly and unconventionally, she subtly exerts control over their personal and romantic choices.

It was an incredible feat of acting, with Smith stunning as the non-conformist exerting a near-messianic influence on her young charges. With razor-sharp diction and a haughty, almost feverish idealism, she made Miss Brodie terrifyingly real - a woman blinded by her own certainties.

Her second Oscar, for Neil Simon’s ‘California Suite’ (1978), showcased her mastery of comedy. As a neurotic, aging British actress, Smith brought vulnerability and wit to what might have been a throwaway part. Her ability to oscillate between self-deprecating humour and deep emotional resonance was masterful, and her duelling with Michael Caine, who plays a closet homosexual, was the film’s high point.

Smith was born in Essex in 1934, a doctor’s daughter who found her way to the Oxford Playhouse in her early twenties. The theatre became her true home, and the early promise she showed blossomed under the tutelage of Laurence Olivier. Her Shakespearean career highlights include a stunning Lady Macbeth to a heart-wrenching Desdemona in the film version of Othello (1965), for which she received an Oscar nomination playing opposite Olivier as the Moor in blackface.

More memorable cinematic performances followed in ‘Travels with My Aunt’ (1972), another Oscar-nominated turn adapted from Graham Greene wacky novel. Smith was perfect as ‘Aunt Augusta’, bringing a wry exuberance and mischievous charm to her character.

Whether in comedy or tragedy, her performances were marked by a rare combination of intellectual precision and emotional depth. She played every moment as if it were a chess move, each word and glance a deliberate choice in service of character.

Her long and fruitful association with the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company yielded some of the most lauded performances in modern theatre. Yet, unlike many of her contemporaries who eventually faded into genteel retirement, Smith continued to work well into her eighties, a tireless figure whose love for her craft never dimmed.

She was a paradox: at once the Grande Dame of British theatre and film, and a fixture in popular culture.

As Dame Maggie Smith takes her final curtain, her legacy will be felt most keenly not as a pop-culture icon, but as a master of her craft. For those who witnessed her brilliance on stage and screen, she will be remembered not just for her roles, but for how completely she embodied them. The Prime of Dame Maggie Smith was not fleeting. It was eternal!

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