മഴനൂലുകള്‍ ‍/ Mazhanoolukal

ചില സൗഹ്യദങ്ങള്‍ എങ്ങനെ ഉണ്ടാകുന്നുവന്നോ, ആ സൗഹ്യദങ്ങളുടെ മാനങ്ങള്‍ എന്തന്നോ ചിലപ്പോള്‍ നമുക്ക് നിര്‍‌വ്വചിക്കാനാവില്ല. അവര്‍ നമ്മുടെ ജീവിതത്തിലേക്ക് എവിടെ നിന്ന്, എപ്പോള്‍ എന്നറിയാതെ കടന്നു വരുന്നു. നാമറിയാതെ ഹൃദയത്തില്‍ ഒരു കൈയ്യൊപ്പിട്ട് എന്നും ഹ്യദയത്തോട് ചേര്‍ന്ന് നില്‍ക്കും. അത്തരം സൗഹ്യദങ്ങള്‍ക്ക് പലപ്പോഴും വ്യക്തമായ തുടക്കമോ, ഒടുക്കമോ ഉണ്ടാകില്ല. ഭാഷയോ, ദേശമോ, ദൂരമോ ഒന്നും അറിയാതെ സമാന്തരങ്ങളില്‍, സമാനതകളില്‍ അന്യോന്യം നിശബ്ദമായി സംസാരിച്ചുകൊണ്ട് എത്ര അകലെയാണങ്കിലും എന്നും ഓര്‍മ്മകളില്‍ തെളിഞ്ഞു നില്‍ക്കും. അത്തരം ഒരു ബന്ധമാണ് ഞാനും വസീദ് അലി എന്ന ബംഗാളി സുഹ്യത്തും തമ്മില്‍. വോയിസ് ചാറ്റുവഴിയും ഫോണ്‍കോളുകള്‍ വഴിയും വിദൂരതയിലാണങ്കിലും ഇന്നും വളരെ അടുത്തുതന്നെ ഉണ്ടന്നു തോന്നുന്ന ഒരു സൗഹ്യദം.

International Fellowship PhD student, Wazed Ali, has joined the University of Bolton for a year as part of his three-year research project, working to develop a wide range of antimicrobial textiles that will be resistant to bacteria, such as MRSA.

Wazad, who has been based for two years at the prestigious Indian university, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Delhi, is sponsored by the University of Bolton for the duration of the project.

He is the University of Bolton's first International Fellowship recipient, an award launched in 2005 to further knowledge exchange with newly industrialised countries.

Within his research programme, Development of Natural Product Based Antimicrobial Textile Products for Healthcare and Hygiene Applications, Wazad's aim is to harness the properties of natural materials.

The goal is to create antimicrobial textiles using biodegradable and environmentally-friendly natural products such as aloe vera and neem extracts. The neem tree, common on the Indian subcontinent, is a rich source of medicinal compounds. It is known to have insect control, antimicrobial and medicinal properties. In India, neem has been in use since ancient times as a traditional medicine against various human ailments, such as eczema. The developed materials would be used in hospitals.

Currently, antimicrobial textiles are only effective against a small number of bacteria and no textile available provides a complete shield against a range of pathogenic bacteria, whichare highly contagious and can be transmitted through contact with infected textiles, such as hospital pillowcases.

Wazad is supervised at Bolton by Dr Subbiyan Rajendran and is based within the Centre for Materials Research and Innovation (CMRI). His supervisor at IIT, a university ranked among the world's top 50, has been Dr Mangala Joshi, from its Department of Textiles Technology.

Said Dr Rajendran: 'We are delighted to welcome Wazad to Bolton and see how well his research work is developing.

'We look forward to working with him over the next 12 months. We are grateful to the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK for funding his travel and living expenses.

'This project has been a first for CMRI and has proved to be a great stride forward in developing our research relationship with IIT.'

Wazad has received two grants, the University of Bolton International Fellowship award and a Commonwealth Scholarship Commission grant to help cover expenses, including tuition fees and travel costs. Together they total almost £27,000.

ബോള്‍ട്ടന്‍ യൂണിവേഴ്സിറ്റിയുടെ വെബ്‌സൈറ്റില്‍ ഇവിടെ