Category Archives: World Opinion

A historical canvas at Kannur station

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All, Travel, World Opinion

Artists with their relief mural works at the Kannur railway station on Tuesday. S.K. MOHAN   | Photo Credit: S K Mohan N

Payyannur-based organisation offers a glimpse of Railways’ history

Railway passengers can now experience the local history of Kannur and railway history now etched on the parapets of the entry and exit approaches of the Kannur railway station’s main concourse under a beautification project initiated by a Payyannur-based organisation promoting cultural conservation.

The relief murals sculpted on the parapet walls by a group of 14 artists, headed by K.R. Babu and curated by V. Jayaraj of Folkland, an organisation promoting conservation, reflect the tradition of the region and offer a glimpse of the history of Railways as expressed artistically.

Art works

The art works done by the artists occupy an area of 5,000 square feet depicting cultural landmarks, village life, activities inside the railway station and evolution of trains.

“This artistic and cultural initiative is meant to serve as an art gallery that can be a cultural experience to people reaching the railway station,” Mr. Jayaraj told The Hindu. The work depicting the heritage was done in collaboration with the corporate social responsibility fund of the Mumbai-based Dorf Ketal company, he added.

The cultural history visually narrated by the relief murals captures the Theyyam, Kalaripayattu, circus and bakery traditions of the district, as also art forms such as Oppana and Margamkali.

The works that deck the walls also include rural activities such as weaving, pottery, oil expeller work, goldsmiths and blacksmiths at work, among others. Railway vendors and porters, railway platforms, steam engines, diesel engines and electric engines are among the mural relief images done on the walls of the entry approach to the station.

Work in six stages

“The relief mural works have been done in six stages, the first stage being drawing on paper the ideas prepared by artist K.K. Marar, Mr. Jayaraj and myself,” said Mr. Babu, who had also done relief mural works in the Kannur international airport.

Golden paint

Those drawings were converted into 3D forms on the walls using cement and they were finally coated with golden paint, he said.

The relief murals, completed in less than two months, were opened to the public by Southern Railway General Manager R.K. Kulshrestha during his visit to the Kannur railway station on Tuesday.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by Mohamed Nazeer / Kannur – February 19th, 2019

Mrinal which powered space dreams turns 50 today

Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

VSSC to felicitate surviving members of Propellant Engineering Division team

February 21 marks the 50th anniversary of a landmark development in the history of the Indian space programme.

It was on this day in 1969 that the first composite solid rocket propellant developed by the fledgling Indian space establishment was flight-tested from Thumba, near here. An interesting element in what was otherwise a purely scientific enterprise was this: The propellant was christened ‘Mrinal’, reportedly after Mrinalini Sarabhai, the noted classical dancer and wife of Vikram Sarabhai, the father of the Indian space programme.

Mrinal was developed by a team at the Propellant Engineering Division (PED) of the Space Science and Technology Centre (SSTC), a precursor to the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC). At the time, the PED was headed by Vasant Gowarikar.

The VSSC plans to felicitate the surviving members of the PED team at a function on February 27.

Mrinal was significant in that it marked the space agency’s first major step in developing solid propellants, which are still used today in ISRO launch vehicles.

On February 21, 1969 the propellant was used to fly a Rohini series RH-75 sounding rocket, which was the designated Dynamic Test Vehicle (DTV), from Thumba.

Former members of the PED team which developed Mrinal such as K.N. Ninan and V.N. Krishnamoorthi remember that the February 21, 1969 test was a huge success.

“’It’s significance is that composite propellants form a class of propellants that are ideal for space launch vehicles. Mrinal was the first totally indigenous composite propellant manufactured using locally available raw materials,” Mr. Ninan, who retired as Deputy Director, VSSC, said. What was till then available were mostly double-base propellants suitable for missiles, Mr. Krishnamoorthi said.

Altogether, the DTV was test-flown thrice, but no records are available as to whether subsequent tests were carried out. Anyhow, the propellant itself was short-lived.

Mrinal did not find extensive use with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in later years due to scaling-up issues.

ISRO chairman K. Sivan is also scheduled to attend the February 27 function.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kerala / by Tiki Rajwi / Thiruvananthapuram – February 20th, 2019

Wayanad sanctuary yields a new spider

Agriculture, Green Initiatives & Environment, Nature, Records, All, World Opinion

Team from CATE spots a spider taxonomically related to an Australian species

A new species of spider has been discovered from the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, a major biodiversity hotspot in the State. The new species, Cocalus lacinia, spotted in the Kurichiad forest range of the sanctuary, is taxonomically related to an Australian species, described by arachnologist Fred Wanless in 1981.

A biodiversity investigation team, based at the Centre for Animal Taxonomy and Ecology (CATE), Christ College, Irinjalakuda, spotted the new species.

The head of the 8-mm-long male spider is brownish yellow and there are black lines along the sides of the hairy head region. Its eyebrows and forehead are white. The oval shaped abdomen is yellow and covered with black and white scales. The head of the 13-mm-long female is brownish and hairy. There is a V-shaped black mark on the upper surface of the head and red lines along the sides.

‘United biosphere’

“The nocturnal spider hides in the crevices of teak plants during day, and hunts at night for small insects. This discovery of a new species of spider from India and the presence of its close relative from Australia supports the theory that millions of years ago the biosphere was united and the present continents were formed by splitting a single big continent named Pangea,” says Sudhikumar A.V., Assistant Professor, Department of Zoology, Christ College, who led the team. Investigations are on with the help of genetic samples from the Australian species and Indian species to get more evidence for the theory of supercontinents. It may give more information on plate tectonics and the evolution of modern spiders, he said.

Sudhin P.P., Nafin K.S., and Sumesh N.V., research scholars of CATE, also took part in the study.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by Mini Muringatheri / Thrissur – February 15th, 2019

Rubik’s cube is just child’s play for her

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, Sports, World Opinion

Niah Sanjith  

Three-year-old Niah has set her sights on Guinness record

Come March 3, 2019, Niah Sanjith will be participating in a cubing competition organised by the World Cube Association in Thiruvananthapuram, where she hopes to do what she loves most — solving Rubik’s cube puzzle in record time. Niah, a 3-year-old cuber from Thathampally in Alappuzha can solve different variants of puzzle — 3×3, 2×2, and Pyraminx under two minutes. With her amazing skill to get uniform colours on all sides by spinning and rotating the cubes in a short time, the girl’s family is hoping to use the cubing competition to enter the Guinness World Records as the youngest cuber to solve three types of twisty puzzles/Rubik’s puzzle. “Niah is attentive and has a strong desire to learn things. She would watch older kids in our neighbourhood solving Rubik’s cube and play board games,” says her mother Tixy, a veterinary doctor. She can solve 2×2 and Pyraminx in under a minute, whereas she solves 3×3 variant in 1.45 minute. Dr. Tixy says that Niah has her own technique to solve the puzzles.

“Before Niah turned two, she used to bring the Rubik’s cube to me to solve it. I tried my best to teach her, but she couldn’t understand it. Later, she started to solve it by herself,” Dr. Tixy says.

Sensing the child genius, thecubicle.com, a leading online cube store has come forward to sponsor her. Niah is the first cuber from India to be sponsored by them. In a letter sent to Dr. Tixy, thecubicle.com noted this: “We are very excited to see Niah, having so much passion and interest in cubing. She is incredibly talented for her age, and we hope she can continue to solve puzzles and inspire young cubers.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by Sam Paul A / Alappuzha – February 12th, 2019

124th Maramon Convention begins at Pampa

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, Travel, World Opinion

The Metropolitan announced that the evening session at Maramon Convention was rescheduled to 5 pm to 6.30 pm instead of 6 pm to 7.30 pm with the participation of all the faithful.

Pathanamthitta :

The eight-day Maramon Convention, billed as the largest Christian gathering in Asia, began on the sand bed of the Pampa at Maramon near Kozhenchery on Sunday. Delivering the inaugural address, Mar Thoma Church supremo Joseph Mar Thoma Metropolitan called on the faithful to see Christ as the human face of God.

Joseph Mar Thoma urged the faithful to follow the path of God with the principle of compassion and unconditional love for fellow-beings.“True love and compassion to the needy should be without any pre-condition and vested interests,” the Metropolitan said, adding people should try to see others through the eyes of Christ.

The Metropolitan announced that the evening session at Maramon Convention was rescheduled to 5 pm to 6.30 pm instead of 6 pm to 7.30 pm with the participation of all the faithful. Joseph Mar Thoma said environment protection and conservation are needed for the very survival of human being and other living creatures. Development programmes should be implemented scientifically, with an eye on the environment, he said.

Euyakim Mar Coorlios, president of the Mar Thoma Evangelistic Association, which is organising the convention, presided over the meeting. York Archbishop John Tukker Mugabe Sentamu of the UK delivered the main speech.

Man-made flood

The Metropolitan said the mid-August flood was not natural. The disaster was due to the lapse on the part of the authorities concerned. He said the deluge caused destruction on all fronts and the river water-level even went up to six feet.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Express News Service / February 11th, 2019

Experts visit excavation site at Edayaranmula

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives & Environment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All, Travel, World Opinion

Heritage: Noted curator M. L. Johny, inspecting a terracotta figurine unearthed from the Pampa river banks at Edayaranmula during his visit to the temporary museum set up by the Archaeology Department at Aranmula on Friday.  

Inspect terracotta pieces, including male and female figurines

Noted curator M. L. Johny, accompanied by Antony Kaaral from the Government Fine Arts College in Thiruvananthapuram, visited the excavation site of the Archaeology Department on the banks of river Pampa at Edayaranmula on Friday.

They also visited the temporary museum set up by the Kerala State Archaeology Department at Aranmula where the terracotta figurines unearthed from Edyaranmula have been kept.

Excavation

The Archaeology Department had launched excavation on the banks of river Pampa at Edayaranmula near Aranmula in December last, exploring traces of a vibrant ancient Pampa Valley civilization in the area following the sighting of a few terracotta artefacts there, earlier, in September.

Rajeev Puliyoor, Malayalam teacher at the Mahatma Gandhi University B.Ed Centre at Elanthoor who has been doing research on the ‘Pampa Valley Civilization,’ and K.P. Sreeranganathan, photographer turned historian, also accompanied the two artistes.

The unearthed terracotta pieces include male and female figurines, snake heads, bust of a man and a twin female terracotta statue.

Mr. Puliyoor said renowned historians M.R.Raghava Warrier and M.G.S.Narayanan, were of the view that the terracotta artefacts unearthed from the banks of river Pampa appeared to be centuries old. Prof Warrier had visited the site twice, earlier, he said.

Mr Puliyoor stressed the need for an exhaustive study and excavation in the Pampa river basin in the wake of the unearthing of ancient terracotta artefacts from the river banks.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by Special Correspondent / Pathanathitta – February 08th, 2019

Manjanikkara church festival begins with flag hoisting

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Travel, World Opinion

CEREMONIAL START : The ceremonial flag being hoisted at the Omalloor Cross, near Manjanikkara, marking the beginning of the 87h feast of St. Elias-III, popularly known as Manjanikkara Perunaal, on Sunday.  

Archbishop of Sweden will be the Patriarchal delegate

The annual Manajanikkara church festival (Perunaal) and 87th feast of Syrian Patriarch St Elias-III began with the Kodiyettu ceremony at the Mor Ignatius Diara Church at Manjanikkara and at the Omalloor Cross at Omalloor, near here, on Sunday.

The Patriarchal Flag was hoisted on the diara premises and at all the churches attached to the Jacobite Syrian Church on Sunday.

Kuriakose Mar Savarios, Knanaya Archbishop, hoisted the Patriarchal Flag at the diara cathedral in the presence of diara chief Geevarghese Mar Athanaseus.

Archbishop of Sweden Mor Diascorus Benyamin Athas will be the Patriarchal delegate to this year’s Manjanikkara Perunal. The Patriarchal delegate and Catholicos Baselius Thomas-I will be the chief guests at the annual Church festival.

Mathews Mar Theodoseus Metropolitan of the Kollam diocese of the Jacobite Syrian Church will inaugurate the religious convention at 7 p.m. on Monday.

Public reception

A rousing reception would be accorded to all Manjanikkara-bound pilgrimage processions coming from different parts of the State on their arrival at Omalloor Cross on Friday afternoon.

The Patriarchal delegate will inaugurate a public meeting to be held on the diara premises in connection with the public reception to various pilgrimage processions to the saint’s tomb, later, at 6 p.m.

The Catholicos will preside over the meeting. All bishops attached to the Jacobite Syrian Church and various socio-political leaders will also address the meet.

The Patriarchal delegate will lead the holy Tri-mass to be held at the diara cathedral at 8.30 a.m. on Saturday.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by Special Correspondent / Pathanamthitta – February 04th, 2019

World’s oldest running steam loco to make heritage runs

Amazing Feats, Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All, Travel, World Opinion

Soon Keralites will get to see the world’s oldest running steam engine.


The 164-year-old EIR 21 steam loco will begin its herit age runs in the Thiruvananthapuram division from Thursday. The first runs will be from Nagercoil Junction to Kanyakumari and later on from Ernakulam Junction to Cochin Harbour Terminus

Kochi :

Soon Keralites will get to see the world’s oldest running steam engine. A sequence of heritage runs will be organised in the Thiruvananthapuram division from Thursday. The 164-year-old Express EIR 21 has been brought in from the Madurai division. According to Shirish Kumar Sinha, Divisional Railway Manager, Thiruvananthapuram Division, the inaugural run is charted from Nagercoil junction to Kanyakumari.

“It will make a few runs on the route and later on will be brought to Ernakulam. The runs will be made on Saturdays and Sundays. For the inaugural run, the train will chug out of Nagercoil Junction at 5 pm,” he said.

“The heritage runs in Ernakulam will happen from Ernakulam Junction to Cochin Harbour Terminus. However, only a few runs have been charted on this route. The timings are yet to be finalised but the days will be Saturday and Sunday,” he said.

According to him, the runs are being conducted as a part of the Southern Railway’s policy to acquaint people with the heritage of railways in India. “EIR 21 has only one coach and has been refurbished. The train will provide people with a chance to ride on it. The ticket rates are yet to be decided,” he said.

The name ‘EIR 21 Express’ was given to the loco by its creators, Kitson, Thompson & Hewitson of England, who built it in 1855. The loco was shipped to the Indian subcontinent to span high and low lands. It carried people and heavy cargo for over 55 years. It was refurbished in 2010. 

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Kochi / by Express News Service / February 07th, 2019

Engineering a change in toilet technology

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives & Environment, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Though advancements have been made in the field of technology, maintenance has always been a plaguing issue and the least addressed.


B P Deepu

Thiruvananthapuram :

 Though advancements have been made in the field of technology, maintenance has always been a plaguing issue and the least addressed. This is where the US-based Caltech and Thiruvananthapuram-based Eram Scientifc Solutions,  come in. The companies have collaborated with each other to bring out Seva, e-toilets which are able to self-clean and are self-reparable. The aim is to address the issue of water scarcity which is prevalent in many cities.

Clement Cid, the Senior Research Engineer in Environmental Science and Engineering at Caltech won the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Reinvent the Toilet Challenge in 2012. He was in the city as part of the project. According to him,  the biggest challenge was to create a cheap, safe and clean toilet for over 2 billion people across the globe.

He brought out a technology that uses electrochemical mechanisms to treat disinfected water. But his collaboration with Eram in 2013 paved the way for a revolution. “We met with Eram in a sanitation conference and with the support of Gates Foundation, we were able to make a prototype and were able to run it for a year. The result was positive,” he said.

 Clement believes the new e-toilet system will help in bringing a change in the Indian sanitation system. 


“Maintaining toilets is a big issue in cities where sewerage systems are haywire.  The self-sufficient toilets will help municipalities and cities which are facing these issues,” he said.

‘Toilet of the future’


The ‘Toilet of the future’ concept was introduced by Gates Foundation and the Caltech group led by Michael Hoffmann. Clement was among the team members. Using sophisticated solar-powered treatment units, the team thought of working on a sensor system that would help in minimising the use of skilled repairs. 

The same concept is used in Seva e-toilets. “The toilets will be equipped with sensors which can monitor leaks. Once the issue is detected, an operator is alerted who can easily come and fix it,” he said.        Clement also added the idea is to install the toilets in public places. Later this technology can be introduced in household units and e-toilets. Caltech has started trials of its system in different places in Kerala. The trial run of the Seva prototype will be tested in Coimbatore. “Once the trial is completed, it will be installed in several cities where there are no proper sewer lines,” Clement said.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Steni Simon / Express News Service / January 12th, 2019

History to chug into Kochi at full steam

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All, Travel, World Opinion

The locomotive EIR-21 used to transport troops during the Great Indian Mutiny of 1857.  

Country’s oldest working locomotive to ferry tourists via country’s second-largest overbridge

The country’s oldest working steam locomotive, one which was used to transport troops during the Great Indian Mutiny of 1857, is all set to chug into Kochi, to ferry heritage enthusiasts and tourists to Vallarpadam island.

EIR-21, the steam locomotive, dates back to 1855 and in Kochi it will, in all likelihood, traverse the country’s second-longest railway overbridge.

“A movement plan will be finalised within a week. The vintage loco is most likely to operate in the Edappally-Vallarpadam route, providing passengers a scenic view of the Vembanad backwaters. The view will especially be spectacular when the train passes through the 4.62-km bridge,” said Harikrishnan, Ernakulam station director and area manager of Southern Railway.

The bridge and the entire 9-km rail route to Vallarpadam are grossly underutilised and only two container-laden trains use the corridor every month.

The steam loco rake is currently operating in the Madurai Railway Division.

In 10 days

The rake will arrive in Kochi in about 10 days. A proposal to enter into tie-ups with operators of cruise ships that call at Kochi to enable high-end globetrotters to travel on the train is yet to materialise.

Railway sources said that a skilled loco pilot would accompany the locomotive and be based here till the rake left for another railway division in a few months.

The fare for the train is yet to be finalised.

“An alternative route for the heritage train is between the Cochin Harbour terminus, a heritage railway station on Wellington Island, and Ernakulam Junction, through the newly built Venduruthy railway overbridge, which too overlooks the backwaters. Though it will not halt at any station in either route, passengers can relish every moment of the journey,” Mr. Harikrishnan said.

Built by Kitson Thompson and Hewitson Leeds in London, the EIR 21 loco was shipped to India in 1855 for use by the erstwhile East Indian Railway.

EIR 21, along with her sister train Fairy Queen (EIR 22), was used for troop movement in 1857.

Back from museum

After over five decades in service, it was withdrawn from regular service and displayed at railway museums. It was later overhauled and retrofitted with modern gadgets at Perambur Loco Works in Chennai.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by John L. Paul / Kochi – January 07th, 2019