Latha K, Chef Di Cuisine of Malabar Cafe, speaks about helming the cafe which recently won an award for the Best South Indian Restaurant
Kochi :
It is easy to take Latha K for an unassuming neighbourhood homemaker when she is not donning her professional garb. With her modest low bun and unpretentious round pottu, Latha does not really exude a hot-shot chef vibe at the outset. But with over three decades of experience in the culinary sphere, the Chef Di Cuisine of Malabar Cafe at Grand Hyatt Kochi Bolgatty has won the hotel the distinction of housing the Best South Indian Restaurant by Travel + Leisure India Magazine & South Asia’s Delicious Food Awards this year.
“This is the first national award the restaurant has won and it is a notable achievement,” says Latha. Her culinary ethos harps on serving authentic delicacies of Kerala for which she uses fresh spices ground by hand using mortar and pestle.
Born in a small village in Kozhikode, Latha’s resolve to become a chef developed early. She made her first dish, Kerala fish curry and rice, at age nine and was rewarded with compliments. Having honed her skills by observing her mother and grandmothers cooking in the kitchen, Latha took hotel management and that was where she came across her first hurdle. From being denied admission because she would be the only girl student in a batch of 27 boys to having to move to Chennai to complete her internship because no restaurant in Kozhikode would take her, Latha broke many glass ceilings to become Kerala’s first female chef.
“Women bring warmth and affection to the table, something that evokes nostalgia to the food we make. As the only south Indian live kitchen to have a sizeable number of women chefs, we are looking forward to adding more to the team,” says Latha, whose team of female chefs are piquantly referred to as the ‘spice girls’ at Hyatt. “In the last decade or so, a significant number of woman chefs have come to the forefront of the hospitality industry. Establishing oneself as a chef has become increasingly easier. This is a welcome development,” she adds.
Although well-versed in Thai, continental and middle-eastern cuisines, Latha says south Indian food is closest to her heart. “Kappad kaya curry, a chicken preparation, reminds me of my childhood. It is popular with fisherfolk and is prepared at the time of a festival. The dish is on the menu at Malabar Cafe and I relish cooking it,” says the chef.
Latha has gathered a treasure trove of more than 3,000 recipes over the years. She is currently working on a historical cookbook that will feature 350 traditional recipes from different parts of Kerala. “The book will also outline the cultural fabric Kerala cuisine is rooted in. The research for it has been expansive and exhaustive,” she concludes.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Kochi / by Swetha Kadiyala / Express News Service / October 26th, 2019
Why is the industry, known for its realistic movies, suddenly making a strong showing abroad? Local stories filtered through a ‘new-gen’ lens is just one of the reasons
A village chasing a water buffalo running amok in the high ranges of Kattappana, in Kerala’s Idduki district, forms the story of Lijo Jose Pellissery’s Jallikattu . In Geetu Mohandas’ Moothon , a bi-lingual in Hindi and Malayalam, a 10-year-old leaves Lakshadweep in search of his elder brother who’s gone to Mumbai to look for work. Meanwhile, Sanal Kumar Sasidharan’s Chola, a road movie, tracks the misadventures of two teenagers who elope.
All three films, part of a new wave in Malayalam cinema that is erasing the line between mainstream and arthouse conventions, are creating ripples of excitement. And all three are premièring at prestigious festivals abroad: Jallikattu and Moothon at the Toronto International Film Festival (September 5-15) and Chola at the Venice Film Festival (August 28 – September 9).
There is more. Bijukumar Damodaran will be in Singapore to participate in the competition section of the Singapore South Asian International Film Festival (August 30-September 7) with Veyilmarangal . The film, which follows a labourer who migrates to North India for work, had premièred at the 22nd Shanghai International Film Festival in June and won the Outstanding Artistic Achievement award. His previous film, Painting Life, is still doing the rounds at international film fêtes. Jayaraj — whose Bhayanakam won the best cinematography award at the 2019 Beijing International Film Festival in April — is heading to the Cairo International Film Festival (November 20-29) with his new film, Roudram. It is about an elderly couple trapped in their house during the 2018 Kerala floods). And Uyare, about an acid attack victim’s fight for justice, is part of the Indian International Film Festival in Boston (September 13-15) and the Washington DC South Asian Film Festival (September 20-22).
Geetu Mohandas with directors Anurag Kashyap and Lijo Jose Pellissery
“It has been a long time coming. Of late, most of the films being made in Malayalam are of international standard, whether it be Kumbalangi Nights, Uyare, Thamasha, Virus or Unda…We punctuate our films with the times we live in, the political and cultural issues we are facing,” says actor Parvathy Thiruvothu, talking about the strong showing at international platforms. She adds that the “new crop of directors is bold enough to make the kind of films they want, instead of following a formula. But this success has not been achieved overnight. Lijo has been at it since his first film, City of God, which was not a commercial hit, but he did not give up his distinctive vision”.
Mohandas agrees. She underlines that film directors and scenarists today are narrating stories that are realistic, yet captivating. Much like Moothon. “Although the theme has been with me for some time, I took about two years to write the script. I made no compromises in any department of my film. It has been exhausting but totally worth it,” says the director, who is excited that her film will be screened at a venue with greats like Pedro Almodóvar.
A still from Jallikattu
Local themes, global reach
Sub-titling, availability on streaming platforms, and the buzz created by festivals have helped the regional film industry make an impression and reach audiences beyond just the hardcore Malayali viewership. “Also, over the last four or five years, a talented bunch — which includes people like scenarist Syam Pushkaran and filmmakers Aashiq Abu, Dileesh Pothan and the like — have changed the profile of Malayalam cinema , ” says film critic Baradwaj Rangan. “The industry has always had a tradition of great arthouse cinema, and masters like the late Padmarajan and Bharathan made mainstream cinema with a lot of artistic flourishes. But what this lot is doing is filtering the same through a new-gen lens, and that is extremely interesting.”
The emphasis is on local themes with a global resonance. “I try to tell stories that are rooted in our soil. I know the people, the premise. I don’t think I’d be able to do the same in a different place and a different setting. This is my comfort space and I’m able to explore the kind of films I want to do,” says Pellissery, who is already ensconced deep in the hills, shooting his next film.
A still from Roudram
Credit to IFFK?
The conviction to narrate local stories for a global audience also comes from a democratisation in cinema in the last 10 years. “Now, anyone, anywhere can view the best of world cinema. That has changed our perspective,” explains Zakariya Mohammed, director of multi-award-winning Sudani from Nigeria(2018).
Moreover, the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) in Thiruvananthapuram has also been steadily exposing cinephiles to world cinema, and shaping the tastes and views of filmmakers. Many in the current crop of avant garde filmmakers, such as Sasidharan and Damodaran are self-taught, while Pellissery and Mohammed cut their teeth in the ad industry. “It is not a direct connection, but there is a correlation with the fact that the IFFK has sourced some of the best of world cinema and brought it to Kerala. I feel that the more experimental films are being watched and talked about, the better it is,” says Bina Paul, artistic director of IFFK, and a programmer for several prestigious fêtes, both in India and abroad. “It also gives our filmmakers an opportunity to network and that is so important. Right now, when it comes to cinema in India, Kerala is the most exciting place to be in.”
Is there a formula to ensure a film is chosen at a festival? “Not really,” she says, adding that filmmakers and producers have become smarter and know how to network and market their films. However, the length of some of our films do test the patience of international audiences, she observes.
Festivals on the mind
Directors dismiss the notion that their films are made specifically for festivals. According to Pellissery, of all his features, only Jallikattu, completed last December, was targeted at a festival — and only because of its concept. “It is not awards that motivate me,” he says. “And I don’t see them as just festivals; I see them more as places where you can exhibit your films to a different kind of audience, in a different part of the world. That gives me a high, I guess.” Meanwhile, Nivin Pauly, who stars in Moothon, believes that good movies need to be watched and discussed wherever possible. “I’ve always wanted to take our films to a wider audience and I’m glad it’s been done with Moothon.”
Script, front and centre
Malayalam cinema, especially arthouse cinema (a categorisation that many directors rightfully object to), has never had it so good since the 70s and the 80s, when auteurs like Adoor Gopalakrishnan, G Aravindan, Shaji N Karun, Bharathan and KP Kumaran wowed cinéastes with their content and narrative style. The resurgence, feels director Jayaraj, is because of a combination of things. “The script is the star of the marquee now. And producers (many of whom are from within the industry) are willing to bankroll projects that veer away from the mundane, the conventional,” he says.
But, most importantly, young actors today — with no hang-ups about screen time or image — are bringing in a new kind of subtlety to their roles. Stepping out from reel locations, these characters inhabit small towns and villages, shanties and slums, and speak in the voice and dialect of the common man. If Dileesh Pothan’s Maheshinte Prathikaram (2016) celebrated Idukki, Eeeda(2018) focussed on a love story in Kannur. Sudani… was a paean to Malappuram’s craze for football, while Ee.Ma.Yau (2018) was located in Chellanam, a small coastal village near Kochi.
Confidence — in the story, its execution — is also making a big difference. “We have the conviction to take up experimental narratives and trust that the content will reach viewers,” says Damodaran, who believes that, more than big budgets, content matters. “I’ve made films on both shoe-string and lavish budgets. But to impress curators, it is technical finesse, narratives and themes that matter,” he adds.
Actors like Thiruvothu are excited to be a part of this generation of Malayalam cinema. “When I started out, we had lost our game for a while, though movies like Salt N’ Pepper,Traffic and City of God were pointers. Some were commercial successes, but not all clicked. Lijo once told me there will be martyrs, but we have to keep pushing the envelope. We used to watch cult classics in the 80s. Now cult classics are being made for youngsters today. It is an exciting phase for all of us.”
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Entertainment> Movies / by Saraswathy Nagarajan / August 23rd, 2019
About 140 movies for children will be screened within a span of seven days.
Thiruvananthapuram :
‘The Witch Hunters’, ‘The Day My Father Became a Bush’, ‘A Horse on the Balcony’, ‘Long Way North’, ‘Mother I Love You’, ‘The Ugly Duckling’ and Indian feature films like ‘Kakka Muttai’, ‘Chor: The Bicycle’ and ‘Hamid’ will be among the movies screened at the Second International Children’s Film Festival of Kerala(ICFFK) in the capital. The exclusive film festival for kids above the age of five will kickstart on May 10. The registration for the fest has crossed 1,000 on Monday and the online booking is open and buzzing.
About 140 movies for children will be screened within a span of seven days. The platform is open for all children and entry can be availed online or through office registration with a nominal fee. ICFFK, which will conclude on May 10, is organised by Kerala State Council for Child Welfare in alliance with Kerala State Film Development Corporation, Kerala Institute of Children’s Literature and Kerala Sahithya Academy. Films will be screened from 9 am till 6 pm.
“Our intention is to open the world of cinema to children, especially the ones from the marginalised community, who do not have much knowledge about the film industry. While IFFK is for adults, ICFFK is for children to develop their skills in reviewing a movie and realise their expertise in theatre arts,” said V K Sashidharan, programme officer.
The fest will be held in five venues in the city; Kairali, Nila, Sree, Kalabhavan and Tagore. The movie will be followed by open forums and workshops wherein children will get a chance to interact with film personalities. The District Council for Child Welfare ensures the participation of children from the isolated parts of the State.
These children, mainly from the slums and tribal area will be provided transportation, food and registration charges by the State Council for Child Welfare. A public screening will be held in Nishagandhi auditorium on during the fest at 5 pm.Screening of movies, short films and documentaries written, directed and acted by children forms the central attraction of ICFFK 2019. Awards will be also given for the best actors, directors and scriptwriters.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Express News Service / April 30th, 2019
Long journey: Baiga, an export-oriented sea snail species, at a processing unit in Kollam.
The sea snail, a delicacy in Japan, Taiwan, and China, is claimed to be endemic to Kollam
Over 250 boats from Neendakara are currently busy harvesting ‘baiga’ and it will take you some time to figure out that the word fishers use so casually is the Japanese for sea snail.
An export-oriented gastropod mollusc, it is endemic to Kollam with a two-month season ending in May. “It’s a species of sea snail abundant in Neendakara. We cannot say it’s totally endemic as its sporadic presence is seen in other places too. But Neendakara is the only place where it’s available in huge volumes,” says Fisheries Deputy Director H. Salim.
The fishers say they take daily trips, though not too far from the coast considering the current weather conditions. “These two months we focus on baiga and since it has to be brought live to the shore, we take daily trips. Before taking it to the processing plant, we keep it in fresh seawater for around five hours to clean the flesh. This species has no local market, so the entire catch goes straight to processing plants. In Kerala ,Neendakara is the only region where you get this variety,” they say.
Priced up to ₹130, the fisherfolk consider it a good option just before trawling ban starts.
1,000 tonnes
According to exporters, Japan, Taiwan, and China are the main markets of the product where it is used in many traditional delicacies. “It’s a seasonal market operating hardly two months a year and an average of 1,000 tonnes is exported each time. In Kerala, all the export units get the product from Neendakara. Since it has to be cleaned live, it’s not possible to take it to faraway places for processing. It’s usually exported as a raw product without any value addition,” says Peter Austin of Capithan Exporting Company. He adds that Pakistan is a major competitor in the field as the country has a larger harvest window. “Karachi-based exporters ship the product for over six months.”
Mr. Salim says the Fisheries Department is trying for a Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification for the species. “Currently, the yellow clam (Paphia malabarica) from Ashtamudi Lake is the only product from India to get that recognition. In the case of baiga, it is a very short harvest and the rest of the year we leave the species to breed, which is a very sustainable practice. So we are really hopeful of getting the certification,” he adds.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kerala / by Navamy Sudhish / Kollam – April 20th, 2019
KV Seshadrinatha Sastrigal | Photo Credit: Special arrangementt
The multifaceted KV Seshadrinatha Sastrigal believes that learning of Sanskrit is important to understand the crux of the Vedas, Ayurveda and the best of Indian philosophy and culture
KV Seshadrinatha Sastrigal, 85, is a traditionalist, for whom tradition refers to customs and ceremonials by means of which the past speaks to the present. Traditions, for this scholar, relate allegiance to authority, storing up as they do the sedimented wisdom of earlier generations. But what makes Sastrigal different from a whole clutch of scholars in Sanskirt, Vedas and Sastras is his contemporary and radical perspective.
Sastrigal understands that Sanskrit, the language through which, for thousands of years, ancient traditions and knowledge were passed on from generation to generation, has been marginalised, diluted and reduced to a pitiable state. Yet, he refuses to believe that the language can be erased.
In an effort to establish, develop, propagate and bring out the need for retention of Indian culture through the ancient texts, he formed a Trust, Veda Samrakshana Nyasa, in 1984, while he was in Chennai. Now, he has formed a new team for developing this idea in Kerala. Sasthrigal has established a Veda Padasala in Kalady, Ernakulam district, where around 24 students are studying Yajur Veda and Sanskrit. In addition, many others visit him to seek wisdom in this ancient language and the texts of knowledge. Sastrigal was honoured with the ‘Mahamahopadhyaya’ title by the Government of India, the first scholar to receive this title after Independence.
Macaulay, whom we call the father of our modern Indian education system, in his historical speech in the British Parliament, clearly indicated that the ancient system of Indian education needed to be dismantled. This, he considered, was the backbone of the country, its spiritual and cultural heritage. And he achieved the goal of eliminating Sanskrit from being an essential part of the Indian education system.
“That is history. So many foreign powers came to our land and brought with them their languages. But Sanskrit was not attacked. When the Muslim rulers came to India, Sanskrit was allowed to flourish, the beliefs were not touched. But everything changed when the British came. English was injected into every Indian brain; Sanskrit was pushed out of our thinking, our intellect. Along with the language they uprooted out culture and threw it away,” says Sastrigal, a renowned Vedic, Sanskrit and Ayurveda scholar and former Principal of Madras Sanskrit College.
Sastrigal refuses to believe that Sanskrit is a ‘dead language’. “Unfortunately, many consider it to be a Hindu language and, therefore, not inclusive. Ninety-five per cent of Sanskrit literature has nothing to do with religion. You cannot kill this language, it is alive, the Vedas too.”
Learning of Sanskrit
There was a time in the past, says Sastrigal, when everyone, irrespective of caste and religion, studied Sanskrit. “Even girls studied the subject; I can point out so many instances recorded in our texts about this. Plays were written in Sanskrit and were they only for the Brahmins? No, because if there were no people to understand and appreciate these plays, they would not have been written and staged.”
Sastrigal also exhorts us to look at what happened towards the end of British rule and post-Independence in our country. The truth is that British scholars started learning Sanskrit, translated the ancient scriptures and documents into English even while they started a propaganda claiming that Sanskrit was a dying language. “At the same time through efforts of scholars like Max Mueller, Sanskrit was being introduced in almost all universities in Europe.”
Born in Kuzhalmandam, Palakkad, on June 20, 1934, Sasthrigal was a Vedic student at Nurani Vedasastra Patasala from 1944-1954. “Like so many landowning communities, my family was also forced to migrate following the enforcement of the land reforms act that abolished the tenancy system. We moved to Madras [Chennai] where I continued my studies and where I still live.” Sastrigal completed his graduation (Sahitya Shiromani) in 1959, winning the Presidency gold medal. He went on to complete Sahithya Vidwan course, passed the Vedanta Shiromani, Ayurveda Shiromani and Ayurveda Vidwan courses. He then did his research in Chithrameemamsa Vakyasudha under Dr V Raghavan, delving into the depths of Malsyapurana. For a while he was an Ayurveda medical practitioner, taught at the Venkitaramana Ayurveda College, Chennai, and was Principal of Madras Sanskrit College for 10 years.
“My association with Dr Raghavan opened new doors and helped changed my outlook towards these subjects. When I came first to Madras Presidency for Shiromani, he was pleasantly surprised. At that time I used to work for him at his house. He told me to join the university and begin my research. It was he who instilled in me that interest. He was a hard task master, made us work a lot but we enjoyed working. I was with him for nearly 10 years.”
Talking about his research subject, Malsyapurana, Sastrigal says that it was not just on the Puranas but more on the theory of evolution. “My only complaint is that people today ignore and discard the Vedas and Sastras even before trying to understand them. Can’t they at least listen, read and understand them before coming to a conclusion?”
A lot of scholars seek Sastrigal’s advice on Sanskrit, the Vedas, Ayurveda and even astrology, but though he swears by Ayurveda he considers astrology as a subject with no known source. “Ayurveda is an ancient system of medicine. It is a general philosophy of health and wellness. It talks about proper diet, exercise, sleep, hygiene, and, of course, the use of herbal preparations. Like most traditional medicine systems, Ayurveda was developed and refined over thousands of years, through observation and experience. The term itself means the science of life. But astrology is not a truth. There is no specific mention of astrology in the Vedas, only astronomy is mentioned. For me, astrology does not exist.”
It is important to understand, says Sastrigal, though the practices of astrology and astronomy have common roots, there is an important distinction. “Astronomy is the study of the universe and its contents outside of Earth’s atmosphere. Astronomers examine the positions, motions, and properties of celestial objects. I do that. Astrology attempts to study how those positions, motions, and properties affect people and events.”
New projects
Veda Samrakshana Nyasa in Kalady has ventured into many projects with the advice and leadership of Sastrigal. A website (www.vedanyasa.com) has been created that offers information about Indian culture and traditions, the Vedas and Dharma Sasthras. Digitalisation of various ancient books and treatises on Ayurveda, astronomy, Vedas, etc., which will be made available free of cost to any user, publication of vernacular versions of these works, training and counseling sessions on lifestyle, food habits etc are some of the other projects that the organisation has on its anvil.
“Sanskrit is the greatest language in the world. And if it is taken away from the life of the masses of this country, a light would be gone. The distinctive features of a rich culture will be lost. I have very little time left. My efforts are to educate the present generation not only on the Shodhasa Samskaras (Hindu traditions) but also the Dharmasastras, which can help them mould their life free from all sorrows, pains, difficulties and given them peace of mind,” says Sastrigal.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Society> History & Culture / by K. Pradeep / Kochi – April 18th, 2019
Maker Village is a venture of the Kerala government to incubate startups focused on electronics and hardware production.
Kochi :
Startups incubated by Kochi-based Maker Village are gaining the attention of defence establishments as a high-level team of officials from Defence Production has decided to visit the incubator facility in the coming days. The move will give a thrust for startups in Kochi and elsewhere enter the defence ecosystem. Maker Village is a venture of the Kerala government to incubate startups focused on electronics and hardware production.
Ajay Kumar, secretary, Defence Production, Government of India, who was in Kochi, held a discussion with Maker Village CEO Prasad Balakrishnan Nair on Saturday. The discussions took place on the sidelines of the second edition of Hardtech 2019, a National Deeptech Startup Conclave organised by Maker Village.
Assuring that he will open the doors for startups to defence production, Ajay Kumar said the visiting team will comprise officials from the Army, Navy and Air Force. Earlier, addressing the gathering at the meet, Kumar said his office has, for the first time, been keenly watching startups for solutions of various kinds. “Startups are going to be an important part of our defence ecosystem. Users like the Army and Air Force want them to identify problems and seek ways to resolve them,” he said.
He recalled a Defence India Startup Challenge the government launched last year received 520 outstanding proposals from new companies, much to the encouragement of the plan to leverage defence startups and connect them with the armed forces. “I want startups from Maker Village to feature in the list of next edition of the Defence India Startup Challenge,” he said.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Kochi / by Express News Service / April 03rd, 2019
The flexible road barrier with indicator developed by C.A. Vinayaram. | Photo Credit: Spl
Vinayaram’s device holds potential to save motorists’ lives
The patent holder of a ‘flexible road barrier with indicator’, which holds immense potential to save the lives of motorists, has sought the help of experts and the government to popularise it.
C.A. Vinayaram, who hails from Mattancherry near here, won the patent for the device in 2016. He was allegedly given the cold shoulder by road safety experts in Kerala for the device that he painstakingly developed a decade ago.
It was an accident that led Mr. Vinayaram to work on such a device. In 2003, a car in which he was travelling rammed an unlit median while it was overtaking a tanker lorry in Kannur. It was a narrow escape, he said.
Mr. Vinayaram expressed shock at the plight of unscientifically-built medians — most of them not having even a reflector to warn motorists, claiming the lives of hundreds of people each year in India.
A tourist guide by profession, he knocked at the doors of agencies such as Thiruvananthapuram-based National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (NATPAC) and the Indian Roads Congress (IRC) for support.
A senior official of NATPAC said the innovation was good and had the potential to prevent accidents, since each unit of the flexible median has electricity or solar-powered LED on top to warn motorists.
Lack of funds
“It can even lessen the impact of an accident, since it mainly comprises a spring and is hence flexible. Sadly, the agency does not have the funds for conducting a field study. Hence, we referred it to Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment, following which it was referred to a reputed government engineering college,” said the official.
The innovator is dejected that he is not in a position to manufacture the device in bulk, even when he is getting orders from many parts of India and abroad. “One of the agencies that I approached sought ₹10 lakh to do the field study, while another sought ₹2 lakh. I do not have that kind of money to spare. There are limits to what an individual can do. The government and road safety stakeholders must take steps to test and popularise such devices and also improvise on them if need be.”
Mr. Vinayaram said the idea was still in cold storage, though it was taken up with two Chief Ministers. In 2012, the late V.R. Krishna Iyer, who retired as judge of the Supreme Court, had written to the then Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court in this regard, urging that his letter be treated as a Public Interest Litigation since the device had the potential to save hundreds of lives each year.
Medians as deathtraps
Twenty persons died after an LPG tanker rammed an unscientific and ill-lit road median at Chala in Kannur in 2012.
The same year, a car in which actor Jagathy Sreekumar was travelling, hit a road median near Calicut University, in which he suffered serious injuries. Five powerlifters were killed and another critically injured after their car rammed a median on the Delhi-Haryana border in 2018.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kochi / by John L. Paul / Kochi – March 22nd, 2019
The starry dwarf frog, named after Wayanad’s Kurichiya tribe, is found outside protected areas
It is just 2 cm long and sports pale blue spots and brilliant orange thighs. The discovery of the starry dwarf frog, a nocturnal amphibian that lives under leaf litter on a mountaintop in Kerala’s Wayanad, has been published on March 13 in PeerJ, an international multidisciplinary journal.
It was in June 2010 that frog researcher Vijayakumar S.P. first laid his eyes on the odd-looking frog and picked it up from atop Wayanad’s Kurichiyarmala.
“I knew that it was a new species, it had many interesting morphological characters… shape and colour patterns that I haven’t seen in other Western Ghats frogs,” wrote Dr. Vijayakumar, from the Centre for Ecological Sciences at Bengaluru’s Indian Institute of Science, in an email to The Hindu.
Recently, Dr. Vijayakumar and his co-workers, including from the George Washington University in the U.S., studied its physical, skeletal and genetic characteristics. They also compared the frog with specimens of similar species in museum collections across the world. While scans of its skeletons showed it to be completely different from any other similar-sized frog seen in Wayanad, some of its physical characteristics (such as its triangular finger- and toe tips) closely resembled frogs in South America and Africa. Genetic studies, however, revealed a different story: its closest relatives are the Nycibatrachinae group of frogs that dwell in the streams of Western Ghats, and the Lankanectinae frogs of Sri Lanka.
The team named the new species the starry dwarf frog Astrobatrachus kurichiyana (genus Astrobatrachus after its starry spots and kurichiyana in honour of the Kurichiya tribal community who live in the area). It is not only a new species but different enough to be assigned to a new ‘subfamily’. Genetic analysis reveal that the species is at least 60 million years old.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Science / by Aathira Perinchery / Kochi – March 13th, 2019
Swapna Augustine, a differently-abled painter, handing over her work to KMRL during the Women’s Day observance in Kochi on Friday. | Photo Credit: jinson abraham / jinsonabraham.coo
KMRL felicitates 5 women who travelled the most in metro
Five women who travelled the most in Kochi metro since its inception in June 2017 were honoured as part of the International Women’s Day observance here on Friday.
Swapna Augustine, a differently-abled painter, who participated as the chief guest at the function, handed over a painting drawn by her to Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL). It will be kept at the Edappally metro station where the function was organised. KMRL chose Dr. Anusha George, a resident of Aluva, who made 1,880 trips in the metro as the ‘most travelled woman commuter’. It also honoured Golda Jose of Edappally, Reeba Suresh of Aluva, Shini Lukose Umesh of Aluva, and Jayasree T.R., a BSNL employee and native of Ambattukavu.
“The Kochi metro is the safest and best mode of transport in the Greater-Kochi area. The high number of trips undertaken by women of Kochi city denotes how safe the system of mass rapid transport is,” said Thiruman Archunan, director (projects), KMRL. He also delivered the Women’s Day message.
KMRL director (systems) D.K. Sinha handed over gift vouchers to the chosen commuters. Apart from metro officials, students of SCMS College and the general public attended the event.
Event at Custom House
A slew of programmes marked the International Women’s Day observance at Custom House here. Commissioner of Customs Sumit Kumar inaugurated a toilet complex at Government Higher Secondary School which was refurbished by the Custom House. He also handed over sanitary napkin vending machine, incinerator, books, and other school supplies to 10 students of the school.
The observance with the theme ‘Think equal, build smart and innovate for change’ was inaugurated by Pullela Nageswara Rao, Chief Commissioner of Central Tax, Excise and Customs. It was followed by a seminar for officials.
Customs Group dance team, which won the first prize at the All India Revenue Cultural Meet 2018-19 held in Kolkata, was felicitated, and a ladies rest room at Custom House was inaugurated by the senior-most lady officer, G. Susheela.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kochi / by Special Correspondent / Kochi – March 09th, 2019
Present in more than 45 countries, including India from 2018, ClimateLaunchpad is part of the entrepreneurship offerings of EIT Climate-KIC, a European knowledge and innovation community.
Thiruvananthapuram :
Providing an opportunity to budding entrepreneurs in the state, SUSTERA foundation, ATREE-CERC and Climate Studio are collaborating with ClimateLaunchpad to create a platform for green-tech innovators from Kerala.
ClimateLaunchpad is the world’s largest competition for green business ideas. Present in more than 45 countries, including India from 2018, ClimateLaunchpad is part of the entrepreneurship offerings of EIT Climate-KIC, a European knowledge and innovation community, working to accelerate the transition to a zero-carbon economy.
Climate change needs to be tackled by innovative solutions. The programme is for those with an idea that can have a fast scalable impact to a sustainable future. “This competition encourages green ideas as solutions towards climate change. We encourage change-makers in Kerala to participate in the programme. The best idea will be made into a reality,” said Sanju Soman, Global School ambassador, UNSDSN.
The competition will focus on innovations in renewable energy, energy efficiency, food and agriculture, water, transportation and industrial technology. The opportunity will provide fast-track mentorship and resources to make the idea viable. A network of climate/clean-tech mentors and entrepreneurs will coach the participants intensively, making sure they have a quality business pitch ready.It has been launched in 13 states across India to scout clean-tech talent and help them develop their sustainable ideas into global businesses.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Express News Service / March 07th, 2019
