Category Archives: Nri’s / Pio’s

‘Chenda’ Teaching Takes off Online

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Education, Nri's / Pio's, Uncategorized

 

Manoj Warrier, a non-resident Keralite living in Singapore, learning ‘chenda’ through Skype
Manoj Warrier, a non-resident Keralite living in Singapore, learning ‘chenda’ through Skype

Thiruvananthapuram :

It was a rare beginning to the learning of a traditional art. Taking the first ‘beats’ of the percussion instrument ‘chenda’ through Skype, though sounding off the track when announced, turned into a reality on Sunday.

‘Chenda’ exponent Prakasan Pazhampalacode launched the online class, his new venture to teach the instrument to non-resident Malayalis, by coaching Manoj Warrier, an army officer in Singapore.

“Everything worked well. I felt no inconvenience in teaching  online. The only difficulty was that I couldn’t punish him when he made mistakes,” said Prakasan with a smile.

Prakasan has fixed the time table for continuing the programme in the coming days. On Mondays, there will be two classes of one hour each for two students living in New York and two classes for those in Canada. On Tuesdays, there will be a class for Russia, two classes each for  Keralites living in Delhi and Mumbai. Fridays are given for Gulf countries like Dubai, Qatar, Muscat, Kuwait and Riyadh. On Saturdays, there will  be three classes for the pupils in Australia. Singapore and London find the place in the time table for Sundays. Four classes will be given for those in Singapore and two classes for those in London.

It was those Malayalis eager to learn to play the instrument who inspired Prakasan to start the online classes. The teaching is through Skype,  a freemium voice-over-IP service and instant messaging client. Prakasan will visit the countries every four months to assess the progress of the studies, the expense of which will be borne by those who learn. The students are those who were unable to learn it, though they had a deep passion, owing to circumstances.

Prakasan, a 48-year-old, is a known figure in teaching the instrument. The artiste, who has given several memorable performances, taught chenda to the inmates of Central Prisons of Viyyur and Poojappura. He also taught chenda to the girls of Sri Chitra Poor Home and the students of the Government School for Visually Impaired at Vazhuthacaud.  He is conducting the classes for the jail inmates and school students without charging any fee.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Express News Service / May 26th, 2014

Cinderella story makes govt girls school envy of Kerala

Education, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Nri's / Pio's

SUMMARY

The PRISM concept was shared with Prof Saji Gopinath of IIM-Kozhikode.
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A government girls school in Kerala,patronised mostly by students from poor families seeking free education,has established excellent standards and become the envy of other institutions in the state,thanks to an unlikely group of benefactors — a CPM MLA,a Dubai-based NRI businessman,IIM-Kozhikode,ISRO and Infosys.

From the days of weather-beaten buildings and less than a dozen toilets for 2,300 girls,the Government Vocational Higher Secondary School in Nadakkavu in Kozhikode has seen its student strength rise and is aiming to become one of the 10 best schools in the country while several government schools in Kerala have either closed down or been categorised unviable after students preferred private institutions.

The transformation has its roots in a programme called Promote Regional Schools to International Standards through Multiple Intervention (PRISM) launched by Kozhikode’s CPM MLA Pradeep Kumar.

“Since I became a legislator in 2006,parents in my constituency were seeking my recommendation for their children’s admission in leading private schools in the city. This forced me to think about improving facilities at government schools,which have the best teachers recruited on merit basis. If IIMs and IITs are the best in their categories,why can’t a government school excel,’’ Kumar said.

While the MLA has given the school Rs 5.5 crore from his local area development fund since 2008,Dubai-based businessman K E Faizal,through his Faizal and Shabana Foundation,has donated Rs 15 crore to modernise infrastructure.

Together,the funds helped develop state-of-the-art school buildings – including a new block built under the guidance of Scottish architect William Cooper – an indoor stadium with three basketball courts,hockey ground with astro turf,football and badminton courts,a dining hall with 2,000 seating capacity,atrium,gymnasium,heritage zone,science lab and a library with 25,000 books.

The PRISM concept was shared with Prof Saji Gopinath of IIM-Kozhikode,who roped in a social service group of the institute to prepare a project report. Subsequently,the state education department recognised PRISM as a model project for the overall development of government schools.

ISRO was approached for support when Madhavan Nair was its chairman. It constructed four science labs which are on par with any college. Infosys pitched in with 150 computers.

The academic and infrastructure developments have attracted more students,with student strength jumping to 2,300 from 1,800 from classes 5 to 12 this academic year.

“Ninety-five per cent students hail from the most backward families in the city. There are students who are subjected to torture by their drunken fathers. They do not have a peaceful atmosphere to study at home. Some don’t have basic furniture to do home work. We have even thought about constructing a dormitory so that these deprived girls can stay in school during their exams,” said principal Been Philip.

The PRISM project has boosted the confidence of teacher and students. We are looking for cent per cent result in school exams,” he added.

Although the school is expected to face a rush for admission in the next academic year,MLA Kumar said it has been decided to give preference to students from government lower primary schools over those from unaided private schools.

source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> News-Archive> Web / by Shaju Philip / Thiruvananthapuram / December 31st, 2014

Keen sense of smell not a ‘gift,’ says research team

Nri's / Pio's, Science & Technology, World Opinion

With training performance of olfactory system can be improved, as per the findings of a team which includes a researcher from Thrissur

The findings of a team of researchers at the University of Geneva, which includes a neuroscientist who hails from Thrissur, are shedding new light on olfactory perception abilities of human beings.

A team of international neuroscientists, comprising Nixon M. Abraham (India), Roberto Vincis (Italy), Samuel Lagier (France) and Ivan Rodrigues (Switzerland), working at Prof. Alan Carleton’s Lab, Department of Basic Neuroscience, University of Geneva, has found that long-lasting plasticity occurred at the sensory periphery because of olfactory learning.

The olfactory perception abilities of common perfumers or winemakers are, thus, not a special gift, but a result of sensory drive.

On March 18, the findings were published in the reputed online journal e-Life (http://elife.elifesciences.org/content/3/e02109), edited by Randy Schekman, a Nobel Prize-winning U.S. cell biologist.

“Mammalian brain retains a significant degree of plasticity throughout life. The ability of brain remodelling allows adults to learn new things and adapt to new environment. The plasticity helps brain to recover lost functions after brain injuries,” said Dr. Abraham.

To facilitate new learning, information from the environment must be detected and encoded by sensory systems.

“Fragrant molecules, for example, activate specific receptors in the nose, which in turn, sends information to the anatomical structures — glomeruli — in a region of the brain called the olfactory bulb,” he said.

To determine how learning alters the representation of odours, the scientists used two groups of adult mice: one, trained to distinguish odours of banana, kiwi or clove, while the second was exposed to odours passively. When these two groups were tested with the same odours, the learned group of mice showed more activated glomeruli.

“In human beings, who have a very similar sensory system, this would mean that training may improve the performance of the olfactory system. Our noses are indeed powerful,” he added.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kochi / by K. Santosh / Thrissur – May 19th, 2014

Whiff of an Arabian spread

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Nri's / Pio's, Travel

 

‘Instant’ kabsah kits are in much demand in Kozhikode. / The Hindu
‘Instant’ kabsah kits are in much demand in Kozhikode. / The Hindu

Shawarma, Shawaya, and Khubuz came to Kerala crossing the Arabian seas several years ago. They were served in wayside eateries and fast-food outlets, initially started by the Gulf-returned cafeteria employees.

These dishes, however, did not make their way to the Malayali kitchen even in the Malabar region, where most of the households have at least one member employed in the Middle East.

Of late, a few Arabian dishes such as Mandi, Kabsah, and Majboos, which figure on the main course menu of Arabian countries have become popular in Malabar. These rice-meat combination dishes are not only cooked in the kitchens of the region, but are also served as “prestige” dishes on occasions such as weddings.

Some places like Koduvally, with a huge expatriate population, also have exclusive Mandi and Kabsah eateries. “I know many who come from the city just to eat these dishes,” says P. Abid, a native of Koduvally.

Author and sociologist Hafiz Mohammed says this is only a continuation of the culinary influence Arabia has cast on Kerala for the past 30 years. “The close socio-cultural association between the two countries has paved the way for these dishes’ smooth entry into our society,” says Dr. Mohammed. Ready-to-cook kits of these dishes, including Majboos, the regional variant of Kabsah, are available in shops and supermarkets here now. Dealers of these kits also provide cooking instructions in regional languages on their cover. “I prepare them at home quite often,” says A.K. Ali, who returned from Saudi Arabia a few years ago and is settled at Kalanthode in Kozhikode.

The dishes are much in demand for weddings and parties in the region. Local chefs, with some experience in eateries in the Gulf, have started advertising their skills here, says Mr. Ali.

Dr. Mohammed sees ‘status symbol’ in play here. “Many affluent families in Malabar serve these Arabian dishes during wedding parties for this reason,” he says.

The trend is here to stay for some time at least. “My father, who was in the Gulf for several years, prepared Kabsah at home a couple of years ago during his vacation. All of us liked it. Now I too can prepare the dish,” says Sayed Junaid, from Ayencheri near Vadakara in Kozhikode.

source: http://www.thehindu.com /  The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kozhikode / by Jabir Mushthari / Kozhikode – May 10th, 2014