It is not the athletes alone who are going for gold in this year’s National Games. Around 200 women working for Kudumbashree are also there to win the hearts, not on the track and field, but from within the kitchen through their culinary skills.
In their greatest achievement so far, Kudumbashree has been vested with the contract of catering food for Games officials, media persons and spectators at 15 venues in Thiruvananthapuram district.
“This work is said to their greatest achievement so far, owing to the budget of the work undertaken,” said district collector Biju Prabhakar, who also heads the district organising committee of the games. The budget of the work undertaken is nearly Rs 1 crore. Out of this, the district administration has already released a fund of Rs 90 lakh, said Biju Prabhakar.
“We will also be opening food courts at all venues so that spectators can avail the Kudumbashree food,” he said, adding that only games officials were catered the food on the first day of the event.
Members of as many as 30 Kudumbashree from all districts in the state are here as part of the work. “We have set up four messes in the district, at Attingal, Pirappancode, Vellayani and Ambalamukku considering the proximity to venues,” said Sheejo Philip, coordinator of Cafe Kudumbashree, a restaurant brand of Kudumbashree. The women start work from as early as 2am onwards as they have to deliver food from 7 am onwards at the venues. They are providing three meals a day besides tea and snacks in the morning and evening. The menu mainly includes various ethnic recipes across the state such as dosa, idli, idiyappam, appam and even Thalassery Dum Biriyani.
According to Biju Prabhakar, many officials in the Games committee were doubtful on giving the contract to the Kudumbashree, but he managed to gain their trust. “The risk that I took has already started paying result as we are getting positive responses from people,” he said. Besides, the food is very cheap. While a day’s entire meals catered at other districts cost around Rs 1,250, our food costs only around Rs 350, he said.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Thiruvananthapuram / by Rejith Balakrishnan, TNN / February 02nd, 2015
Indo-Tibetan Border Police jawan Jomon P G of Cherthala is among 56 people approved for the conferment of Jeevan Raksha Padak series of awards, 2014. President Pranab Mukherjee approved the awards on the eve of Republic Day.
Besides Jomon, six others, including four children from the state, too, have been selected for the awards.
Of the 56 awards, 27, including that of Jomon’s, are posthumous. Jomon was killed in a helicopter crash near Gaurikund during a rescue operation in flood-hit Uttarakhand in June 2013. He has been selected for Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak.
Subin Mathew, Akhil Biju, Yadhukrishnan V S, and Rahul T L are the children who will be awarded Jeevan Raksha Padak along with K C Mathew and Shaju P P from the state.
Jeevan Raksha Padak series of awards are given to a person for meritorious act of human nature in saving the life of a person.
“Though two years has passed since the departure of our son, we are still being honoured. We are proud of our son and now we also feel great as our son won this award posthumously,” said 66-year-old Georgekutty, Jomon’s father.
Jomon was selected into the border police force in 2010 as a constable, while he was working as supervisor of a construction company in Thiruvanthapuram. The villagers constructed a memorial and a road in his name. They have also started charitable activites in his name.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kozhikode / TNN / January 26th, 2015
P.T.A. Rahim, MLA, handing over papers of the pension benefits to Iyyamkunnath Devi during a function at the GHSS Peringolam in Kozhikode.
After 30 years of service as a noon-meal worker at the Government Higher Secondary School at Peringolam in Kozhikode, Iyyamkunnath Devi called it a day a few months ago.
Being a daily-wage worker at the mercy of the school management, she couldn’t have expected any retirement benefits from the government as she leaves. Calmly, the elderly widow, in her late 60s, went home to spend rest of her life with her only son’s widow and children.
Ms. Devi’s empty-handed retreat from the school at the end of a prolonged spell of service, however, had left a lingering soreness with her co-workers, teachers and the students, whom she had been feeding all these years. Led by a teacher-in-charge of the noon meal committee P. Bavakutty, they sat one day to discuss the possibility of offering “some help” to Ms. Devi, whom they fondly called Deviyedathi .
Under the initiative of the Parents and Teachers Association (PTA) they decided to collect an amount to be given to the retiring member. Teachers, students, and the public, all responded overwhelmingly to the call. A sum of Rs.1, 25,000 was raised at the end, with which a pension scheme was opened forDeviyedathi. “We had never imagined that people would respond in such an overwhelming manner to this,” said Mr. Bavakutty.
From the amount, Rs.1 lakh was deposited in a pension scheme in her name with the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) while the rest, (Rs.25,000) was given to her as a gratuity during a public function organised at the school recently. “A pension scheme for a daily-wage worker under the initiative of a school PTA would probably be the first of its kind anywhere in the State,” said Sasidharan Pullangotte, the PTA president.
“We believe that the Rs.750, though small, that would reach her as pension every month, would at least make a small difference to Deviyedathi’s life,” said the PTA president.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kozhikode / by Jabir Mushthari / Kozhikode – January 13th, 2015
Infosys co-founder Kris Gopalakrishnan has been named the most generous person from Kerala according to the Hurun India Philanthropy list 2014.
The IT behemoth’s executive vice chairman who is ranked 8th in the list donated Rs 255 crore mainly in healthcare charities.
The list prepared by Hurun Report, a media group based out of Shanghai, states that region-wise, South Indians were the most generous, donating Rs 13,300 crore, five-times that of the amount given in charity by North Indians.
Ravi Pillai of RP Group is ranked nine in the list with a contribution of Rs 145 crore, mainly in healthcare. As many as seven persons from Kerala have found a place in the list of 49. They together donated Rs 609 crore for charity. Keralites in the list include Azad Moopen (Rs 100 cr), S D Shibulal (Rs 48 cr), P N C Menon (Rs 26 cr), M A Yusuf Ali (Rs 18 cr) and Sunny Varkey (Rs 17 cr).
“It is heartening to see that Indian businessmen are contributing more to philanthropy. This will create a more equitable society. Business is necessary for economic progress and with philanthropy business is also good for overall development of society. I feel proud to see this,” Kris Gopalakrishnan told Express.
The list has Wipro Chairman Azim Premji who gave away Rs 12,316 crore on top.
In September Hurun Report had published a Kerala Rich List topped by Emke Group Chairman M A Yusuf Ali who has a net worth of Rs 11,400 crore. RP Group’s Ravi Pillai came second with Rs 9,600 crore followed by Sunny Varkey, founder and executive chairman of Dubai-centered Gems Education with Rs 9,000 crore.
The India Philanthropy List, which highlights charity contributions made by India’s most generous measured by the value of their cash or cash equivalent donations, debuted in 2013. Donations made by a corporation in which an individual has more than 50 pc holding were recognised as being part of that individual’s personal donation. The period of calculation was from April 1, 2013, to October 31, 2014.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Express News Service / December 30th, 2014
Manju Shahul-Hameed, a native of Thiruvananthapuram, is the Mayor of Croydon in London.
When she left for Britain to join her husband Raffi in 1996, little did Manju Shahul-Hameed, a native of Thiruvananthapuram, dream of becoming anything more than a homemaker over there. Today, she is the Mayor of London Borough Croydon in South London.
She had left Kerala after completing her degree studies at the Sree Narayana College, Chempazhanthy. Having studied in local Malayalam medium schools, she could not even speak in English. “It was through my involvement in the community and voluntary organisations and my desire to make a difference in people’s lives that I entered politics. So I came into politics not as a political leader but as a community leader,” she said.
Her mother did not want her to be a mere homemaker after marriage. So Ms. Shahul-Hameed enrolled for Masters in Scientific and Engineering Software Technology at the University of Greenwich and joined the Labour Party in 1998. In 2000, she started working as a software engineer but continued her involvement in community building and volunteering. Her appeal in the community led to her election as a councillor in 2006 and her recent election as a Mayor from among 70 councillors of the council.
As a Mayor, she seeks to “celebrate the diversity and culture of Croydon and make it a great place to raise a family.” She also supports two charities — Age UK and Macmillan Cancer Support as part of her Mayoral duties.
Talking about her plans to open a charity to encourage home makers to volunteer, she said the spirit of volunteering in business and community organisations, needed to pick up in Kerala which was a great way of gaining experience. On how she overcame the language barrier, she said all that one needed to make a positive change was to have faith in one self.”
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Kerala / by A Correspondent / Thiruvananthapuram – December 25th, 2014
SunTec Business Solutions, a provider of revenue management and business assurance solutions, has launched a seed funding initiative, Xelerator, to encourage entrepreneurship among college students in the country.
Through this programme, the company will provide advice, support and funding to young entrepreneurs to help them convert their idea into a viable business.
“We are on the lookout for extraordinary ideas that can be developed into interesting business opportunities, and for this we will provide them with infrastructure, financial and mentoring support,” said Nanda Kumar, chief executive officer of SunTec.
The company plans to visit 30 major engineering campuses across south India, and students can propose their ideas to an expert panel. Shortlisted candidates will be offered to attend an entrepreneur workshop at Thiruvananthapuram in which selected teams will be given an opportunity to present their business ideas in detail.
The winning teams will be funded by SunTec to develop their idea into a functional product in the market. The company will also be making some job offers to the participants.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kochi / TNN / November 10th, 2014
A scene from an exhibition-cum-sale of handicraft products by differently abled children at Town Hall in Kozhikode on Tuesday.
Seminar for teachers of special schools, competitions for students held
Rahmania School for Mentally Handicapped in association with the Association for the Welfare of Handicapped, the Parents Association of Intellectually Disabled, and a host of other organisations organised a quiz for mentally challenged students and a seminar for teachers of special schools here on Tuesday as part of the National Day for the Mentally Retarded observance.
As many as 52 teams from 26 schools across north Kerala took part in the quiz. The team from Emma’s Villa, Wayanad, consisting of Nimisha Banu and Sanil, emerged the winners.
Winners
The team from Love shore, Pannikkode, comprising Mohammed Mubarak and Faseela, and team from Pratheeksha, Mampatta, represented by Vipin and Adarsh, won the second and third prizes respectively.
The team from Manovikas School, Edarikkode, Malappuram, represented by Kabeer and Faisal, bagged the fourth prize.
Media person Y. Irshad was the quizmaster.
The seminar for special school teachers was inaugurated by Deputy Director of Education, Kozhikode, Gireesh Cholayil.
State Secretary of the National Convention of the Educators of Deaf, Kerala, V.K. Abdul Kareem, and Director of the Institute of Research in Learning Disability of Mahatma Gandhi University K. Muhammed Mustafa spoke on the subject ‘Effective Educational Practices in mental retardation.’
Exhibition
An exhibition of handicraft products made by the students of the Rahmania school was organised.
Various events, including painting and work experience competitions for students, were held on December 4 as part of National Day for the Mentally Retarded, which is observed on December 8.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kozhikode / by Staff Reporter / Kozhikode – December 10th, 2014
From left, Goldsberry’s children Margaret, Alison and Joanne with family. Inset on top: J.C. Goldsberry
Munnar:
Iravikulam national park has managed to preserve its natural beauty even as the face of Munnar has changed rapidly. Margaret, Joanne and Alison could not hide their glee at that. The three are the children of J.C. Goldsberry, the British planter who worked hard to make Iravikulam a national park. Goldsberry, a nature lover stayed in Munnar for 29 years, and left the place in December 1976.
Iravikulam was earlier part of a tea plantation. The forest department took over the place in 1972 after the Wildlife Act came into force. Goldsberry, who was the company manager at that time, started efforts to make it a national park when it became clear that the company would lose its lands following the enactment of the Land Reforms Act in the state.
It was declared a national park in 1975, and Goldsberry came to be known as its father. Although tea shrubs were planted till Pettimudi in Munnar, Goldsberry had taken care to keep Iravikulam’s beauty intact by avoiding plantations at the 8,841 feet high Anamudi and its surroundings. He never rode his bike over the grasslands as he believed that would disturb the wild animals.
Goldsberry died at the age of 87 in England in 2007. His wife Elizabeth had died in 1997.
The eight-member group that visited Munnar, comprised Goldsberry’s daughters, sons-in-law and grandchildren. They were here to see the national park that Goldsberry had helped make, and to share their childhood experiences. Margaret, Joanne and Alison are the fourth generation descendants of J.C.Abbot who came to Munnar in 1918 as a planter. Margaret’s husband Hamish Aldridge had also worked here as an assistant manager.
The group was given a warm welcome by Kannan Devan tea company and the Highrange Wildlife and Environmental Preservation Association (HRWEA). The tribal people from Lakkam and Kundala settlements also interacted with the group at the function held at KDH club.
National park
Iravikulam National Park extends between Vaguvarai and Nayamakkad tea estates on the Munnar-Marayoor route. Visitors are not allowed into the 92 square kilometer park, but the forest department has made arrangements to view the Nilgiri Tahrs at Rajamalai. Ninety-five percent of Iravikulam national park is grasslands and the rest are chola forests.
source: http://www.english.manoramaonline.com / OnManorama / Home> News> Kerala / by Manorama Correspondent / Sunday – November 16th, 2014
Samuthirakani in a still from Vasanthathinte Kanal Vazhikalil, a biopic on P. Krishna Pillai.
Anil V. Nagendran’s film ‘Vasanthathinte Kanal Vazhikalil’ is on the life and times of P. Krishna Pillai who fought against injustice all his life.
Period films have a niche audience in Kerala. So Anil V. Nagendran was always puzzled why no filmmaker had seen it fit to make biopics on the early firebrand leaders of Kerala; political activists who had jumped into the struggle for freedom and human dignity without a thought for their future as individuals or politicians. Anil decided to make amends by making a series of After tasting success with a series of audio biographies on the stalwarts of the Left movement in Kerala, eminent leaders such as EMS, AKG and P. Krishna Pillai. With people like the late actor Murali and composers like P. Bhaskaran participating in his venture, Anil’s audio biographies were a run-away success. That gave him the confidence to turn director with a biopic on the eventful life of P. Krishna Pillai, Vasanthathinte Kanal Vazhikalil. The film is on the life and times of this indomitable organiser and activist who dedicated his life to fight against injustice.
The movie, starring Samuthirakani in the lead role of Krishna Pillai, reaches theatres today. Excerpts from an interview with Anil, the director, scriptwriter and producer of the film.
Anil V. Nagendran with P.K Medhin and Samuthhirakani. / by Special Arrangement
What was the motivation for making a film of this genre?
I did a lot of reading for my audio production on the late leader. During my research, I spoke to a number of senior leaders who worked with him and had interacted with this pioneer of the Communist movement in Kerala. It was a journey of discovery to learn about this relentless fighter and audacious activist who did not seem to have known the meaning of fear. While there were several films on doughty political activists from other countries, there was almost nothing on this brave Malayali who had lived all his life for the downtrodden.
What is the focus of your film?
Although I touch upon the socio-political background of the Kerala in the thirties, the film focusses on the major events in the forties in Kerala. Here was a man who had held the tricolour and kept it flying during a protest when Congress men defied the salt law in Malabar and braved the blows of the British police. Ringing in the changes that were to transform Kerala, he became the first non-Brahmin to ring the bell inside Guruvayur temple. He was also at the forefront of the Vaikom Satyagraha. This Gandhian and staunch Congressman went on to sow the seeds of the Left movement in Kerala. Later on, he became immersed in battling for the rights of the oppressed and labouring classes. When he died of snakebite at the age of 42, he was a hero of the working class in Kerala. My aim was to highlight the valour, determination and personality of this freedom fighter from Kerala. There is nothing overtly political about the film and I must admit that the film was shot with the help of people owing allegiance to different political parties. Their politics differed but not their admiration for the man who dreamt of a free and equal society.
The film was in the making for a long time
I was adamant that we would not make any comprises while making this film. Under the leadership of art director K. Krishnankutty, a set that we made in Kollam covered an area of six km. Since it was a period film, we had to ensure that there were no electric line, poles, lamp posts and so on. Effort and imagination were necessary to recreate the times in which I have told my story. Some of the events are fiction, which was necessary to aid the narrative. But the movie has not deviated from his life. We have used real footage of some of the milestones of the struggle for Independence. Since we were handling a slice of history, I wanted to spare no effort to get the facts right.
What is special about the 3,000 actors in the film is that many of them are actually labourers who we chose and trained to act in the film. KPAC Lalitha, Siddique, Mukesh, Devan, Sudheesh, V.K. Baiju, Shari, Surabhi, Bheeman Raghu, Rithesh and Tamil actor Bharani are some of the actors. Sudheesh plays EMS while Baiju acts as AKG. The star attraction, I feel, is octogenarian P.K. Medhini, who has acted, composed and sang in the film. It was an honour to work with this stalwart of the progressive movement in Kerala. This is award-wining cinematographer Kaviyarasu’s first work in Malayalam.
Another interesting aspect about the film is its music. Eight composers have scored the songs and this film happened to be the last work of Dakshinamoorthy Swami. M.K. Arjunan, Medhini, Perumbavoor Ravindranath, C.J. Kuttappan, James Vasanthan, A.R. Rehana and Anchal Udayakumar are the other composers. Twenty singers have sung the nine songs.
Why is it being released again after its first release in April this year?
The movie was released in March, when the State was on the eve of going to the polls. A complaint was filed with the Election Commission that the movie was to campaign for the Left. Since there was no intention like that, I decided to withdraw the film from theatres.
But please remember that this film is not about political parties and partisan politics. This movie is a tribute to a brave son of Kerala.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> Friday Review / by Saraswathy Nagarajan / Thiruvananthapuram – November 13th, 2014
Wolfgang Theuerkauf / by Special Arrangement / The Hindu
Wolfgang Theuerkauf, a German who dedicated over 30 years of his life to the conservation of plants of southern India, passed away in Wayanad on Thursday. He was 66.
Affectionately called Swamy by his loved ones, Mr. Theuerkauf established the Gurukula Botanical Sanctuary at Alattil, near Periya, in north Wayanad, where he nurtured hundreds of thousands of plants endemic to the Western Ghats for over three decades without any external support. He is survived by his wife Leela and two children, a son and a daughter.
Mr. Theuerkauf was suffering from liver cirrhosis and was bedridden for the last couple of weeks. He breathed his last on Thursday night at the sanctuary. The last rites were performed on Friday at the sanctuary.
A German by birth, Mr. Theuerkauf decided to settle down in India in the late seventies when he was attracted by the teachings of Sree Narayana Guru. He was a disciple of Nataraja Guru, the successor of the spiritual leader. He was also closely associated with Guru Nitya Chaitanya Yati.
Mr. Theuerkauf established a small ashram at Alattil and created the sanctuary as a Noah’s Ark for endemic plants on 50 five acres in 1981. The botanist was known for his works related to rainforest restoration activities, especially in the Mukkuruti forest in Karnataka.
He pioneered the cause of conserving endangered plants, organic farming and alternative energy mechanisms. In 1981, Mr. Theuerkauf became an Indian citizen and married Leela, a Malayali woman from Periya.
A treasure trove
The sanctuary is a treasure trove for scholars, nature photographers and botanists across the globe.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature has named the Gurukula as one of the 25 global centres of biodiversity. In 2006, he won the Whitley Award, the highest environment honour in the U.K., for the most effective conservation effort across the world.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by E.M. Manoj – T. NandaKumar / Kalpetta , Thiruvananthapuram – November 08th, 2014
