Category Archives: Amazing Feats

Braille guide, video brochure for Thenmala in Kerala

Amazing Feats, Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All, Science & Technology, Travel, World Opinion

Barrier-free access for hearing and visually challenged to country’s first planned ecotourism destination

Visually challenged people reaching Thenmala, the country’s first planned ecotourism destination, will be provided with a visitor’s guide in Braille, the tactile writing system, from March.

For the aurally challenged, a video brochure with sign language has been incorporated as a separate corner in www.thenmalaecotourism. com, the official website of the Thenmala Ecotourism Promotion Society (TEPS) that manages the destination.

Mobile app

A mobile application, a guiding app that will briefly narrate the attractions of the destination, is also on the anvil. The 16-page Braille brochure has all information needed for a traveller.

The initiative is part of the efforts to encourage people with visual and hearing impairement to visit Thenmala.

It is also part of the barrier-free tourism project launched last year to make tourist destinations accessible to all visitors.

“This is the first time a Braille tourism brochure is being made available at a tourist destination in the State. The brochures will be provided to the visually challenged from the TEPS office,” Ecotourism Director and CEO of TEPS P.P. Pramod told The Hindu.

Students of Government School for the Blind, Vazhuthacaud, is behind the Braille brochure.

It is the outcome of a day trip organised for students as part of a CSR initiative. “We realised the constraints faced and requested them for solutions. The Braille brochure was the outcome,” he said. Students of Government VHSS for Deaf, Jagathy, came up with the video brochure with sign language after their visit.

For using the mobile application being launched on trial basis, the QR code will come in handy if the visitor does not have data connection. After getting the feedback, a complete version of the app will be rolled out by TEPS in IOS platform.

Along with this, Buddha Mayoori, which has been declared as the State butterfly, has got a special corner in the butterfly park.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by S. Anil Radhakrishnan / Thiruvananthapuram – February 27th, 2019

Bishop Jerome declared Servant of God as prelude to beatification

Amazing Feats, Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Leaders, Records, All, World Opinion

Canonisation : Kollam Bishop Paul Antony Mullassery declaring Bishop Jerome as Servant of God during the holy mass at Thangassery on Sunday.   | Photo Credit: C Suresh Kumar R

Bishop Jerome, the first native bishop of Kollam diocese of the Catholic Church, has been declared Servant of God, initiating the process of his beatification and canonisation.

Kollam Bishop Paul Antony Mullassery made the declaration during the holy mass held at Infant Jesus Cathedral, Thangassery, here on Sunday. He also unveiled a portrait of the late bishop, who would be now called the Servant of God.

Archbishop M. Soosapakiam was the chief celebrant who led the pontifical mass while the co-celebrants included Changanassery Arch Bishop Joseph Perunthottam, former Kollam Boshop Stanley Roman, Neyyattinkara Bishop Vincent Samuel, Punalur Bishop Selvister Ponnumuthan, Alappuzha Bishop Stephan Athipozhiyil, Mavelikkara Bishop Joshua Mar Ignathios and Pathanamthitta Bishop Samuel Irenios.

First step

Declaring the late bishop Servant of God is the first step towards recognising him as a saint.

Former Kollam Bishop Stanley Roman had started the proceedings for the same and a delegation from Kollam had visited Vatican last year to hand over the report on the completion of the initialisation. Bishop Jerome, who was ordained as the first native Bishop of Kollam in 1937 and led the diocese till 1978, will be bestowed the title of ‘venerable’ in the next stage followed by beatification and canonisation.

Kollam diocese had organised programmes to mark the occasion including workshops on the life of the late bishop and processions.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> State> Kerala / by Staff Reporter / Kollam – February 25th, 2019

World’s oldest running steam loco to make heritage runs

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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

A woman bids to conquer the Agasthyarkoodam hill for the first time

Amazing Feats, Records, All, Sports, Travel

The first batch of trekkers about to climb the Agasthyarkoodam peak on Monday. The first woman ever to undertake the trek can be seen.  

K. Dhanya Sanal, 38, a spokesperson of the Defence Ministry in Thiruvananthapuram, created a record of sorts on Monday when she became the first woman trekker to commence a testing hike up the 1,868-metre Agasthyarkoodam hill, following the recent lifting of a ban that prevented women from trekking beyond Athirumala.

Ms. Dhanya, an avid trekker, said it was her dream to go on the 26-km steep trek up the forest. “I’ve gone on treks across the country, but this remained an unfulfilled wish. When the court lifted the ban, I decided to apply for a pass,” she told mediapersons, adding that she respected the custom of the Kani tribe and did not intend to disturb their practices.

It was after a three-year-long legal battle that the High Court ruled in favour of women’s groups campaigning for gender equality. In its order, the court observed that the rights of the tribes or the traditional forest dwellers cannot work against the fundamental rights of the petitioners and other women to participate in the trek.

Earlier attempt

An attempt made by 51 women and transgenders to scale the peak with the permission of the Forest Department in 2017 proved futile since the Adivasi Mahasabha, an umbrella organisation of tribal groups, moved the High Court and obtained a stay order. In the wake of the recent verdict, 100 women are among the 4,700 people who have registered to undertake the trek during the 47-day season that will culminate on March 1.

The second highest peak in Kerala ,  Agasthyarkoodam is believed to be the resting abode of sage Agasthya Muni, a celibate, as the legend goes. While the Kani tribe has proclaimed that they will adhere to the court verdict, over 100 people who represent the 27 settlements in the region staged a protest near the forest picket station at Bonacaud, from where the trekkers commenced their journey on Monday. They sang folk songs and offered prayers during the ‘Agasthyarkooda Gothra Achara Samrakshana Yajnam’ to preserve tribal custom.

Tribes’ version

Adivasi Mahasabha State president Mohanan Triveni, also the president of the Agasthyarkoodam Temple Kanikkar Trust, which has been spearheading the cause of the tribespeople in the region, said they would seek a legal recourse. “We have documents to prove that the erstwhile royal family had given possession over the land that has come to be known as the Agasthyamala reserve to the Kani tribe,” he said.

He also lamented that opening up the region to trekkers would harm the ecologically fragile region, a part of the UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by Sarath Babu George / Thiruvananthapuram – January 15th, 2019

Burial urn of Megalithic era unearthed

Amazing Feats, Education, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All, Travel, World Opinion

A burial urn unearthed at Hydermettu, near Nedumkandam in Idukki district, is believed to be the largest one found in the region.

Largest urn unearthed so far is indicator of a culturally-oriented society

A huge burial urn dating back to the Megalithic era that was unearthed while clearing a private road to a house at Hydermettu, near Nedumkandam, recently is believed to be one of the major findings that would shed light on life in the pre-historic era on the western side of the Western Ghats.

The urn is said to be the largest one unearthed from the region so far. It is 3-ft wide at its mouth and its shape is a variant of other ones explorated in the district. Moreover, there are art works on it — a pointer to the cultural awareness of a society that belonged to the pre-historic period.

A large number of burial urns have been unearthed from Ramakkalmedu, Mundieruma and Puzhpakandam nearby in the recent past. However, they were comparatively small in size and do not have notable decorative works, said V.M. Safeer, Head, Department of History, MES College, Nedumkandam.

Mr. Safeer said the burial urns unearthed from the region belonged to 1,00 BCE and 500 BCE. Some of the urns have remains of iron weapons and pieces of bones. “Their period can be known only through carbon dating,” he said adding that some might be aged only a few hundred years.

Valuable evidence

The importance is that the findings in the hinterland of the erstwhile Muziris port is valuable evidence of a culturally-oriented society. The new finding is on the hill area bordering Tamil Nadu and believed to be linked to a settled life there. Burial urns, dolmen and hero stones are spread over a large area on the western side of the Western Ghats

Though individual studies were conducted in the past, specific studies and research are needed to throw light on the importance of these historical remains, he added.

Kerala Council for Historical Research chairman P.K. Michael Tharakan told The Hindu on Sunday that small-sized burial urns were unearthed from different areas in the State. However, it needed a study connected to the other ones unearthed in the region. It pointed to the need for a surface exploration there. On the basis of the evidence, further explorations could be taken up and it may lead to valuable conclusions with regard to the lengthy history of human habitation in the district. The Archaeological Department was undertaking excavations at historically important sites, he said adding that the district, especially the Anchunadu valley, was a treasure trove for historical studies.

At present, the KCHR was on a project to explore the historic importance of Kottappuram, he said adding that the High Range area on the Western Ghats needs a comprehensive exploration of its past. It was also the hinterland for moving hill produce to Muziris port and had a civilised society from the early period.

source:  http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by Giji K. Raman / Idukki – November 11th, 2018

Samakalika Malayalam Vaarika award for environmentalist T P Padmanabhan

Amazing Feats, Green Initiatives & Environment, Nature, Records, All

Kochi :

Environmentalist T P Padmanabhan (Photo | Samakalika Malayalam)

T P Padmanabhan, environmentalist and director of  Payyannur-based Society for Environmental Education in Kerala (SEEK), an organisation spearheading environment protection campaigns and agitations, has won this year’s Social Service Award of Samakalika Malayalam Vaarika, a sister publication of The New Indian Express.

The award carries a plaque, citation and a purse of Rs 1 lakh. This year’s winner was selected by a jury comprising environmentalist M K Prasad, writer N Sasidharan and literary critic G Madhusudanan.

Samakalika Malayalam Vaarika had instituted the award in 2013 to honour persons who dedicate their lives to social service. Sixty-eight-year-old Padmanabhan has been working relentlessly for environment protection for the past several decades. He became the director of SEEK from 1987 and also the editor of the organisation’s mouth piece ‘Soochi Mukhi’.

He was the key person who led various agitations in Kerala seeking protection of the environment which included the famous Silent Valley movement that set the stage for environmental activism in the state.

The previous winners of the award are V P Suhara, social worker from Kozhikode: Raziya Banu, a social worker from Palakkad; V C Raju of Murikkasseri, Idukki; Krishnan Pallam of Pattambi, who runs the destitute home ‘Abhayam’; and Sajini Mathews, who founded Snehabhavan at Muttam, Melukavu.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Express News Service /  November 09th, 2018

Ponkuzhi forests throw a surprise

Agriculture, Amazing Feats, Green Initiatives & Environment, Nature, Records, All, Travel, World Opinion

Liparis tschangii belongs to Orchidaceae family.

Discovery of Liparis tschangii published in Indian Forester

Liparis tschangii, a plant that belongs to the Orchidaceae family, has been discovered in the Ponkuzhi forests in Wayanad district, a major biodiversity hotspot on the Nilgiri biosphere reserve.

The tuberous species was discovered by a team of researchers led by V. Balakrishnan, former Director of Community Agrobiodiversity Centre of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) at Puthoorvayal here during an expedition recently. The discovery has been published in the recent edition of the science journal Indian Forester.

Liparis tschangii is mainly found in China and Vietnam, but this was the first time that the distributional record of the plant was reported from India, Dr. Balakrishnan told The Hindu.

“The leaves of the plant resemble the structure of the human heart and have white rhizome and green flower bunches,” Salim Pichan, botanist, MSSRF, and a member of the team said.

Very rare

“The plant is very rare in this locality and may need conservation priority,” Mr. Pichan added.

Jose Mathew, assistant professor, Department of Botany, S D College, Alappuzha; P. Dhanesh Kumar, former Divisional Forest Officer, South Wayanad forest division; Jayesh P. Joseph and M. Jithin, scientists of MSSRF, are the other members of the team.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by E.M. Manoj / Kalpeta – October 26th, 2018

Flood hero Jaisal gets a rescue boat

Amazing Feats, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All

Minister for Higher Education K.T. Jaleel handing over a rescue boat by giving a symbolic oar to K.P. Jaisal at Tanur on Tuesday.

The fibre speed boat is presented by Carnival Group

K.P. Jaisal, a fisherman from Tanur who turned himself into a footstep for a few women to board a rescue boat during the floods of August, has been given a fibre speed boat by multinational Carnival Group.

Minister for Higher Education K.T. Jaleel handed over the boat to Mr. Jaisal at a function held at Tanur on Monday.

The Minister said the rescue boat would remain a symbol of the people’s response to the humanitarian act of Mr. Jaisal.

Mr. Jaisal had won international attention when he bent himself in knee-deep water to help some women board an inflated dinghy during a rescue operation.

source – below: www.youtube.com / ManoramaOnline

Visuals go viral

The visuals showing the women boarding the boat by stepping on Mr. Jaisal’s back had gone viral, turning him an instant hero of the floods rescue.

The rescue boat will be available for service under the trauma care unit of Tanur, of which Mr. Jaisal is an active member.

Mr. Jaleel praised the humanitarian deeds of Mr. Jaisal and the trauma care unit.

The Minister said the floods had taught us a lesson that we would overcome any difficulty by upholding the spirit of humanity.

Tanur municipal chairperson C.K. Subaida presided. She too offered to support the rescue efforts being conducted by the trauma care unit of Tanur. Carnival Group representative R. Gopikrishnan delivered the keynote address. Group director K.S. Sasikumar gave away kits of stationery and study materials to poor students.

Trauma care unit members, personnel of the police, Fire and Rescue Services, Kerala State Electricity Board and Revenue Department were felicitated on the occasion.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by Staff Reporter / Malappuram – October 23rd, 2018

An island sets an example in sustainable living

Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives & Environment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All

An exhibition organised as part of the inauguration of the Rural Science and Technology Centre at Thuruthikkara in the district on Sunday.

Thuruthikkara is the first village to be declared free of plastic and e-waste

Thuruthikkara in Mulanthuruthy panchayat has several firsts to its name. Among other things, it was declared the first village to be totally free of incandescent bulbs, plastic and e-waste. The village also has the status of having scientifically tested water in all its drinking water wells.

The village has taken up initiatives to go easy on the environment. By getting rid of incandescent bulbs and introducing LED lighting systems, it has been able to save energy. Thuruthikkara also has the distinction of having launched LED clinics for the first time in the State, where LED lighting systems are assembled and repaired. “We were able to sell LED lighting systems for as low as ₹100 and ₹110 apiece,” said an office-bearer of Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Praishad, which had initiated the “Oorja, Nirmala, Haritha Gramam” project in Thuruthikkara, which forms the 10th ward of Mulanthuruthy panchayat. The villagers have also taken to recharging drinking water wells with rainwater.

Technology centre

On Sunday, a Rural Science and Technology Centre was inaugurated in the village. Parishad president T. Gangadharan inaugurated the centre, which will act as a regional centre of the Integrated Rural Technology Centre at Mundoor in Palakkad. Pro Vice Chancellor of Cochin University of Science and Technology P.G. Shankaran delivered the keynote address at the event.

“The aim of the centre is to make people aware of new technologies in various fields, including farming, and to create awareness about new breakthroughs,” said the Parishad official. He said that the initiatives included introduction of bio-bins and kitchen bins in the village whereby all kitchen waste could be turned into fertiliser used for homestead farming.

Every home has been able to generate about 12 kg of bio-fertiliser every month. Distribution of vegetable saplings helped families prepare areas of cultivation to cater for their own requirements. There are a total of 349 families. All the families as well as 25 organisations and institutions have partnered with the Parishad in making the programme a success.

The move to get rid of plastic waste began with the distribution of cloth bags to all households. Plastic is meticulously collected and disposed of. Introduction of aquaponics is another step that has been taken to achieve self-sufficiency and sustainability.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kochi / by Special Correspondent / Kochi – October 21st, 2018

A trip to remember for space buffs

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Nearly 4000 people, including school children, visited the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) to watch the RH-200 series rocket rise into the leaden skies over Thiruvananthapuram.

A large crowd gathered on Monday to watch the sounding rocket lift off from Thumba on Monday

Thiruvananthapuram :

Inclement weather did not prevent space buffs from lining up to watch a sounding rocket lift off from Thumba on Monday morning.

Nearly 4000 people, including school children, visited the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) to watch the RH-200 series rocket rise into the leaden skies over Thiruvananthapuram, according to VSSC officials. The launch – the first of three planned this week – was part of an Open House at the VSSC held to mark the World Space Week (WSW) celebrations organised jointly by the ISRO units in the state capital.

VSSC frequently flies small rockets fitted with instruments to study the dynamics of the upper atmosphere. In fact, it was an American Nike-Apache sounding rocket that lifted off from Thumba in 1963 that marked the beginning of India’s space exploration programmes.

As part of WSW, VSSC is planning two more launches for the public this week – one each on Tuesday and Wednesday at 11.45 am. The RH 200 series of rockets can carry a ten kg payload and rise up to a height of 80 kms.

WSW is celebrated from October 4 to 10 every year to mark the anniversaries of two events that changed space exploration: the launch of Russia’s Sputnik 1, the first man-made satellite, on October 4, 1957, and the signing of the ‘Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies,’ on October 10, 1967. The public also received an opportunity to visit the space museum as part of the open house programme.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Express News Service / October 09th, 2018