A 600 foot long cake made by bakers of Kozhikode Saturday made it to the Limca Book of Records (LBR) as the longest cake in the country.
The one and half foot cake, weighing 3,120 kg, was on display at the three-day long Bake Expo 2014 which began on October 30 at nearby Puzhakkal under the auspices of the Bakers Association, Kerala.
The cake was designed and baked by a team led by Kozhikode based baker P. Ramesh.
The Creative Head of the LBR, P. P. Peter handed over the certificate of record to Ramesh after cross-checking details submitted by the team.
About 700 images had been put up for display at the Expo including that of 112-year-old Kunjannam, who entered the LMR yesterday as the oldest woman in India, freedom fighters, social reformers, politicians and celebrities.
There were also images of the cultural heritage of Thrissur and the famous Thrissur Pooram.
Association’s President, P M Sankaran said that a cake was made in 1883 for the first time in India at Thalassery (Kannur), though baking was started there in 1880.
The Expo was organised in connection with the 131st anniversary of cake manufacturing in India, Sankaran said.
Earlier, the longest cake—353 feet long—was made at Thalassery in 2012 in connection with the 129th anniversary celebrations of cake making.
There were also an ornamental cakes making competition in which hundreds of bakers participated.
source: http://www.english.manoramaonline.com / Manorama Online / Home> News> Kerala / by Agencies / Sunday – November 02nd, 2014
Limca book of records representatives presenting the certificate to Kunjannamma at Amala Hospital in Thrissur | express
Thrissur :
Kunjannam, a 112-year-old spinster from the district has been recognised by the Limca Book of Records as the oldest living person in the country.
Kunjannam, who lives with her brother Jose at Parannoor in Thrissur, was born on May 5 in 1903 as per the baptism certificate issued by the vicar of Our Lady of Rosary Church at Eranelloor.
Peter, a representative of Limca Book of Records, presented the honour to her at a function held at Amala Hospital in Thrissur on Friday.
Kunjannam had received recognition for her astonishing longevity and a congratulatory letter from the officials of the Social Welfare Department and the district administration on the World Elders Day.
Asked about the secret of her longevity, Kunjannam said she used to walk a lot barefooted since childhood. She has limited quantity of food and prefers vegetarian cuisine. Kunjannam said she eats non-vegetarian meals only under unavoidable circumstances.
According to Jose, Kunjannam had to work as a maid servant in a nearby Brahmin household during her childhood, which made her a vegetarian. Jose also attributed her longevity to a ‘totally tension-free’ life since her childhood.
“Kunjannam never married as both our parents died in a gap of 41 days orphaning us,” said Jose. Kunjannam used to work as a maid-servant till five years ago.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Dhinesh Kallungal / November 01st, 2014
As the College of Engineering, Trivandrum (CET) celebrates its platinum jubilee, the author delves into the history of the college to discover how and when women managed to gain admission to the college
In 1939 when the College of Engineering, Trivandrum (CET) started there were no women either as teachers or as students. Today the Director of Technical Education is a woman and so is the Principal of the college. Many faculty members and B.Tech students in the college are women. The change in the gender picture is in tune with the times. A gender audit of the University of Kerala conducted early this year reveals that except for the higher echelons of power, the University has a huge majority of women as employees and students. Of the 200-plus doctorates awarded last year, more than 50 per cent went to women. In the University Post-Graduates Departments, nearly 75 per cent of students are women.
The entry of women into higher education institutions in the city was achieved much earlier than the establishment of the University of Travancore or CET. The College for Women was established in 1889, and gave women in the city representation in higher education. However, the story of CET was very different. There was nothing in the rules that prevented women from entering the portals of this college. However the decision of admission was entirely left to the Principal of the college. He could, without assigning any reason, accept or reject students in an interview and norms for the conduct of the interview were not codified and the Principal’s decision was final.
An Englishman Professor T.H. Mathewman was the first Principal of CET. His own country’s prestigious University of Cambridge gave entry to women as late as 1948. Women were allowed to study courses, sit for examinations, and have their results recorded from 1881, but they were not “admitted to the Degree of Bachelor of Arts”.
It was only in 1948 that women were made full members of the University of Cambridge, but women had to be in all-women colleges. All-men colleges in Cambridge began to admit women only between 1972 and 1988.
Devi Leela Bai was denied admission to College of Engineering, Trivandrum, because of her gender. / The Hindu
In the first year of the existence of CET, a woman from the city came forward to study engineering. She was Devi Leela Bai, who hailed from Poovalathu Veedu in Arasummoodu, a place close to the present campus of CET. She had completed her B.Sc in Mathematics. Admission to engineering required only an intermediate (current Plus Two) with physics, chemistry, and mathematics as subjects. So Leela Bai was actually over qualified. She walked into the engineering college office in the present PMG buildings to buy an application form for seeking admission. The clerk who sold the application form refused to issue a form to her as she was a woman and he was under instructions that no application forms were to be issued to women. The gates were shut before Leela Bai. She entered the government service and retired as a Deputy Collector in the Treasury Department.
Chellamma Jacob with her daughter Jaya Joseph. Photo: Achuthsankar S. Nair / The Hindu
A couples of decades later, things were not very different, if not worse. Chellamma Jacob who did her intermediate in physics, chemistry, and mathematics dreamt of being an engineer, after hearing about women from Travancore going to Madras [Chennai] and studying engineering and coming back into government service in Travancore.
Chellamma remembers that in school she was asked to write an essay on herself. She articulated her dream to emulate the women engineers of Travancore. In the Fifties, it was not only a meritorious pass in the intermediate alone that was required, but also an entrance examination for admission to engineering had to be passed and this involved questions in drawing and drafting. Even during those days, there were private agencies that coached students for the examination. Chellamma joined one of those private coaching centres and did well in the entrance examination. The interview had to be cleared, but with her good academic records and the pass in the entrance examination, Chellamma was confident of making it to CET. She did attend the interview and recalls that she did well, but in the end it did not make any difference, because the Principal M. V. Kesava Rao ended the interview by saying that everything was fine, but “you cannot be admitted as you are a woman”.
Keshava Rao was also a person who had worked in the United Kingdom but his exposure did not seem to have changed his attitude towards women. Chellamma went to the Government College for Women to study B.Sc. Mathematics and did her masters in English from the same college. She retired as the head of the Department of English in the University College.
K. Gomathi with her husband K. A. Muraleedharan. Photo: Achuthsankar S. Nair / The Hindu
During her stint as a teacher in Women’s College, Chellamma had a student called K. Gomathi who went on to earn the distinction of being the first woman student of CET. Chellamma still recalls her frustration when she was denied admission to CET. But in some way she feels compensated that her student entered the portals of the College. Chellamma’s daughter Jaya Joseph also graduated from CET in 1985.
In 1957, one of the first women students walked into CET (there were two students – K. Gomathi and Sumithra Ram Mohan, but it was Gomathi who graduated first from CET). The local newspapers carried the news that two women were admitted to CET. Around 400 students, all male, waited to receive them. Keshava Rao was still at the helm of affairs in CET.
First day in CET
Gomathi remembers her first day in the college, with almost all the students out on the verandahs in all floors of the building and greeting her with howls and whistles. She was scared, shaken and embarrassed, but braved it all. She sat in a corner of the class, alone on a bench.
She recalls that it was S. Krishnakumar (later an IAS officer and central minister), a senior, who first talked to her, to seek her vote for the student elections. Sumithra was married and did not regularly attend college due to her family commitments.
Gomathi has unpleasant memories of the first year in CET when she was denied a ladies’ waiting room or even a separate toilet. She wanted to do civil engineering, but switched to electrical engineering as the former required survey camp attendance in outstations, which lasted a few weeks, and with the gender insensitivity demonstrated by the college authorities, she feared it would be torturous.
Gomathi graduated in 1961 as the first woman engineering graduate from Kerala University (women from Kerala had earlier graduated from Guindy Engineering College in Chennai).
K.P.P. Pillai, one of her teachers in the final year, remembers that Gomathi was a hardworking student. Dr. Pillai who taught in CET for many years recalls that in the next batches there were seven students and thereafter the numbers started increasing.
K.A. Muraleedharan, a year senior to her in CET, became her life partner. Gomathi went on to become the first woman post-graduate in engineering and took her doctorate from Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur.
She became a lecturer in her alma matter itself and became head of the department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering and retired as joint director of technical education in 1994. She was not only a popular teacher, but a great mentor to her students.
In CET, her name is synonymous with IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering), the largest professional society of engineers in the world. She was the faculty counsellor for IEEE for almost two decades and was honoured by the society more than once, with international awards for her leadership in IEEE’s CET activities. The cash prizes she received were donated to the IEEE branch itself to enable it to buy the costly IEEE journals, which in those days were very difficult for her students to get.
Dr. Gomathi currently enjoys her retired life, running a unique school for tiny tots and is passionate about painting. Of her two daughters, Girija Muraleedharan graduated from CET, while Saradha Muraleedharan is an IAS officer.
Gomathi feels happy that CET is no longer a men’s enclave but a place where women have a just place too.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus> Society / by Achuthsankar S. Nair / Thursday – October 10th, 2014
Motor vehicle inspector Shefiq B.’s photograph of a leopard at the Parambikulam wildlife sanctuary won a prize at the State-level wildlife photography competition. Photo: K.K. Mustafah / The Hindu
A motor vehicle inspector’s commitment to wildlife photography
: His passion for photography almost cost him his life a decade ago when he was chased around by a herd of wild elephants in Thekkady. And that night in 2003, he stayed atop a tree to escape the wrath of the pachyderms.
For someone who took pictures with trembling hands and landed himself in trouble out of his ignorance about positioning, Shefiq B. has come a long way to grab the victor’s prize at the State-level wildlife photography conducted by the forest department.
A motor vehicle inspector by profession, Mr. Shefiq will receive the award from Forest Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan on Tuesday at the Periyar Tiger Reserve in Thekkady.
Motor vehicle inspector Shefiq B.’s photograph of a leopard at the Parambikulam wildlife sanctuary won a prize at the State-level wildlife photography competition. Photo: K.K. Mustafah / The Hindu
The picture of a leopard lying on a rock at the Parambikulam wildlife sanctuary won him the prize.
“Initially, the animal was behind a rock and was not fully visible before it stepped on to the rock. From its stomach I could gauge that the animal had had its prey just then and would be resting there for a while,” he said.
Photography became his passion after he took a five-year break from his job as a vehicle inspector.
During this time, he took up a job in the Middle East which gave him the opportunity to travel to the wildlife sanctuaries of Kenya, a photographer’s delight.
So much was he consumed by the passion that he didn’t think twice before taking a loan for purchasing a professional worth Rs. 2.5 lakh.
Since rejoining duty at the Aluva Regional Transport Office last year, Shefiq puts in extra hours at work, so that he can go exploring nature in the company of his camera on weekends .
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kochi / by M.P. Praveen / Kochi – October 07th, 2014
The match between Sita Bai of Tanjore and Kamala Bai of Malabar saw enthusiastic crowds but also led to controversy. / The Hindu Archives
The 1st all-woman boxing bout lasted only 3 rounds but ignited a fiery debate
Sunday was a fine day for Indian women’s boxing at the 17th Asian Games in Incheon. Olympic bronze-medallist M. C. Mary Kom, L. Sarita Devi and Pooja Rani entered the semi-finals, assuring medals for the nation. However, it was right here, in Madras city, that the first punches in women’s boxing in the country were thrown.
It was Saturday, the 15th of March, 1931, when two Indian women stepped into the ring for a bout of professional boxing at the famous White City Carnival held in the city. Looking fierce in knee-length shorts, sleeveless jerseys and gloved fists, the women appeared every bit combat-ready. Kamala Bai of Malabar and Sita Bai of Tanjore were trained boxers, touted to be in good form. Singapore’s English daily The Straits Times reported that this was arguably a first for India.
Visibly excited, The Hindu published an article five days prior to the event urging its readers to brace themselves to witness for the first time two ‘Indian ladies’ meeting in the boxing arena — until now the most exclusive preserve of men.
Large crowds, including a number of Europeans, assembled to watch history in the making. While the first two rounds saw the boxers on the defensive, the third round saw them packing a punch, exchanging double jabs, hard rights, hooks, and uppercuts. Disappointingly, by round three, the session drew to a close with referee V.E.J Brackstone of Messrs. Parry and Company declaring it a draw.
Despite their underwhelming performance, both Kamala Bai and Sita Bai stayed in the news — even making international headlines for days to come.
‘Shocked and pained’
The fact that two Hindu women dared to ‘invade’ the boxing ring also left many Indian men and women ‘shocked and pained’. Florida’s The Evening Independent published a report on March 16, 1931 titled ‘Women Boxers arouse India’. The story stated that ‘feminine India was up in arms’ with the female boxers facing ‘social ostracism and disgrace,’ having engaged in a boxing match in Madras.
For a country that had for centuries relegated their women to rigid domesticity, ‘ladies boxing’ became particularly hard to digest.
Mahatma Gandhi for instance found this to be especially problematic. He was quoted in Pennsylvania’sReading Eagle as saying women boxing was ‘degrading, disreputable and totally unbecoming of the finer instincts of Indian womanhood.’
Today, as the country celebrates the laurels of our women boxers, it seems only appropriate to pause and acknowledge the spirit of Kamala Bai and Sita Bai. For if not for them, we as a nation may have not dared to imagine the likes Mary Kom, L Sarita Devi and Pooja Rani fighting the good fight.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Nitya Menon / Chennai – September 30th, 2014
The young generation erupted in joy across the schools in the state as India made its tryst with Mars on Wednesday with the successful launch of Mangalyaan.Many schools across Kochi used the day to engage students in various activities based on the proud mission. “We want the memory of this historic achievement to be etched in their minds forever. So we are giving them various projects, such as devising the model of the orbiter craft, imagining pictorially its possible task on Mars,” said Jaideep Shenoi, a teacher who heads the Science Club of the TD High School, Mattancherry.
The club also collected available videos of various stages of the mission and played it for the high school students and also held a quiz programme. Earlier in the day, the students stood in assembly in the shape of the letters, M, A, R and S.Most of the schools wore a festive look, with giant screens displaying the event. “We distributed sweets and replayed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech. The students were very inspired,” said Dr Indira Rajan, chairperson, MET Public School, Perumbavoor.
The students of Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Kannamaly, wore red, representing the ‘Red Planet’. School head boy Gokul S Menon spoke on the mission at assembly.Schools, such as the Saraswathi Vidyaniketan and the cluster of Bhavan’s Vidya Mandirs, announced the ‘breaking news’ during their assemblies. The recorded video clips of the Mars Mission will be played to the various classes in the next two days. A victory march was conducted by the students of ACS English Medium School, Kaloor.
A large number of students attended the various programmes, organised by the Kerala State Science and Technology Museum in Thiruvananthapuram in association with Rajya Sabha TV, Vigyan Prasar and teh Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research. The historic mission was beamed live with the aid of state-of-the-art technology at the museum. Selected students from various schools were allowed to watch live Mangalyaan’s entry into Mars’s orbit at the museum.
A seminar on human space exploration and a quiz based on space exploration were some of the other events held. Students of Aakulam School were excited as they distributed toffees and sweets. Principal Mr Muraleedharan Nair explained to the students about the expedition and the future mission of Mangalyaan, recollecting his own memories as a student, rejoicing on the occasion of man reaching the moon. “This is an unforgettable moment in our history and it should always remain in the minds of students,” Mr Nair said.
Kendriya Vidyalaya, Pattom and St Mary’s Higher Secondary School also organised various programmes. Earlier, the students had a chance to interact with experts from the Indian Space Research Organisation and Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre.
Most of the schools in Kollam organised special assemblies and exhibitions. Siddhartha Central School in Pallimon organised a special assembly to convey to the students the importance prominence of the moment. The Mars mission was shown at the school, using projected displays. A special exhibition of photographs was held and people spoke.
The Oxford Senior Secondary School in Karavaloor also discussed India’s path to Mars by presenting special programmes in the assembly. The timeline of the Mars mission was also presented by students.
In Bright land Discovery English Medium School in Alappuzha, the assembly was devoted to the Mars mission while Maria Montessori Central School, Ambalapuzha, has decided to conduct a grand function on Thursday. “We have decided to put up a flex board, showing Mangalyaan’s entry and take a special class on the Mars mission. We cut short the celebration on Wednesday with a brief procession at school as exams are going on,” said the school staff.
The Letter Land School, Alappuzha, too has decided to hold a celebration on Friday, according to Asha Philip, school director. Schools in Thrissur and Palakkad too did not miss the mega event and organised science quiz and created a collage of the mission. Students of Devamatha Public School, Thrissur launched a picture of ISRO chairman Dr K Radhakrishnan and the Mars Mission into the air to celebrate the occasion.
Some of the schools in Kottayam district telecast the Mars mission on Wednesday itself while some others have recorded it and have decided to show it to the students in the coming days..The Cleemis School, Chingavanam, the SFS School, Ettumanur, and the AKM Public School, Changanacherry were not able not able to show the telecast live since their semester exams were on but plan to show it in the coming days.
Students of Lourdes Public School and the Junior College, Kottayam, wrote on their facebook accounts, “May this historic achievement rekindle in us the inspiration to go forward with a scientific aptitude….PROUD TO BE an Indian.”
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / Team DC / September 25th, 2014
The first medical check up camp organized by Malayala Manorama as part if its free heart surgery programme, Hridayapoorvam, for 100 needy persons began on Sunday.
The medical examination for people from districts of Thiruvananthapuram to Ernakulam is taking place at a specially arranged camp at Malayala Mnorama office premises here.
More than fifty children with heart-related ailments has already arrived for a check up organised by Malayala Manorama in association with Madras Medical Mission.
The medical camp is conducted by a team of doctors led by Dr. Ajith Mullassery, Director of cardiology department, Madras Medical Mission. Dr. K Shivakumar, head of pediatric cardiology division, Dr. V.M. Kurien, consultant, cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr. Sreeja Pavithran, Dr. Bharath and Dr. P. Balaji are other team members.
The check up is being conducted in a mobile diagnostic clinic (MDC) with complete diagnostic facilities.
source: http://www.beta.english.manoramaonline.com / Manorama Online / Home> News> Kerala / by Manorama’s Correspondent / Sunday – August 24th, 2014
Less than a week ago, gynaecologist Laila Beegum supervised the birthing of a set of identical twins to a couple from Kodinhi village, now known globally for the high number of multiple births. The twin babies born on August 7 this year took the total number of such deliveries witnessed by her to 452.
Though the total number of twins in the village has now crossed 500, the mystery behind the phenomenon is yet to be unravelled.
Located close to Tirurangadi town in Malappuram district, Kodinhi village, with its high twinning rate, garnered global media attention around six years ago. At Kodinhi, twins account for 42 per 1,000 live births while the global average of twinning is reportedly around six per 1,000.
Brazil’s Candido Godoi and Nigeria’s Igbo-Ora have witnessed similar birth phenomenon. Attempts by several scientists and organisations to find the secret behind the high twinning rate have failed to bear fruit.
Recently, Dr N K Sribiju, public health consultant, Taluk Hospital, Tirurangadi, approached the state government seeking permission to conduct a genetic study on the local populace.
“Surely, there would be a scientific reason behind the birth of a huge number of twins in such a small area. But, the secret can be revealed only through a detailed genetic and environment study. We are awaiting permission from the ethical committee of the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology at Thiruvananthapuram for the same,” said Dr Sribiju.
Significantly, more than 90 per cent of the couples from Kodinhi who reported twin births conceived normally. “Hence, IVF treatment cannot be considered as a reason for the high rate of twinning in Kodinhi,” Dr Biju said.
Dr Laila, who runs Laila’s Hospital, Chemmad, said multiple births are not just being reported by persons born and brought up here.
“Many women who came to Kodinhi after marrying someone here have also experienced twin birth. So, it could be due to some mysterious element of nature.
“Earlier, we conducted a water test but the results were not conclusive,” Dr Laila added.
Twins and Kins Association (TAKA) of Kodinhi believes that their village has the most density of twins in the world and is planning to approach officials of the Guinness Book to claim a record.
Get-together
“There are families having three pairs of twins and triplets at home. A 90-year-old man here is the eldest among the twins who are alive,” said Bhaskaran Pullani, president, Twins and Kins Association, which is planning to organise a get-together of all Kodinhi twins.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Santosh Christy / August 17th, 2014
P. Gopalakrishna Swamy has not heard of the Stockholm Convention on the Environment or about ‘Our Common Future’—a report of the World Commission on Environment and Development. The 78-year-old ascetic may not be well-read or travelled, but his work speaks volumes. He has converted a rocky hill top, 850 feet above sea level, at Thirichittapara, in Kerala, into a garden of rare species of trees.
“I purchased an acre from a Dalit family,” he says. “In return, I had to buy a piece of land and house for them at a nearby place.” To ensure that he has a regular supply of water, Gopalakrishna dug a twenty-feet deep pit on one side of the rock for rain harvesting. Thanks to Kerala’s healthy monsoon, the pit has enough water for watering the trees and other requirements.
As the rocky hill top was not suitable to grow plants he pressed down a layer of earth on the rock surface to allow the tree saplings to take root, and hold firm against the winds.
The rare trees and plants include koovalam (bael tree), sandalwood, red sandalwood, kunthirikkam (white dammer), pachotti (bodhi tree), neelakadampu, arassu, kallarassu, kattikodi (the plant which dilutes water), kallal, arayal (sacred fig), ithi (Indian laurel), neer maruthu (arjuna tree), and even alien plants such as the African cherry and rudrakasha.
Gopalakrishna lives alone on the hill top.
Some 16 years ago, he had set up a Lord Hanuman temple here. “I wanted to experience the bliss of solitude and meditate under the shade of rocks,” says Gopalakrishna, who retired as an employee of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation 23 years ago. “I rarely leave the hill to meet my friends and relatives.”
But the life of an ascetic is not easy, and he has a hard time meeting his expenses. “I have also not collected any money from anybody,” he says. “So far, I have used my retirement benefits.” To save more, he does manual labour along with the workers.
And he ensures that no pesticides are used in the garden. “I am planting saplings which are found in forests, so it does not need any extra nutrients or pesticides,” he explains.
Gopalakrishna is keen to pass on his knowledge about rare trees. Pointing towards a tree called ‘Punk’, he says sitting under it helps one live longer. He is ready to cut its branches, to hand them out to visitors.
“Even if my plants get destroyed, they will grow somewhere else,” he says, pointing at a dried-out Rudraksha tree. “So I don’t mind giving branches to the friendly visitors.”
But the local people are not so friendly towards him. One reason for their resentment is that Gopalakrishna has been unwilling to part with the control of the temple. The second reason is tragic. A few years ago, a child fell into the water pit and drowned.
“I had to face the anger of the people, although it was not my fault,” says Gopalakrishna. “My aim is to serve Mother Nature without making complaints or demands.”
Despite the difficulties, Gopalakrishna says the panaromic view from the hill top offers him solace. “Standing on the top of the rock, I can see the sunset with the left eye and the sunrise with the right one.”
Eden on a hill
The rare trees and plants include koovalam (bael tree), sandalwood, red sandalwood, kunthirikkam (white dammer), pachotti (bodhi tree), neelakadampu, arassu, kallarassu, kattikodi (the plant which dilutes water), kallal, arayal (sacred fig), ithi (Indian laurel), neer maruthu (arjuna tree) and even alien plants such as the African cherry and rudrakasha.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Magazine / by N. V. Ravindranathan Nair / August 10th, 2014
Jazeera along with her children protesting in front of the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram. Photo: Kaavya Pradeep Kumar / The Hindu
Jazeera is on a silent campaign, in defence of the Neerozhukkumchal beach in Kannur
The so-called sand mafia of a little taluk in Kannur rues the day Jazeera returned home. Dismissed as an insignificant voice of protest against the rampant exploitation of a stretch of shoreline near Pazhayangadi town, this woman has soon come to be known as a force to be reckoned with. All the way from the northern district of Kannur, she has brought her silent campaign to the State capital, as she sits in front of the Secretariat with her three children — protesting without loud sloganeering or politically coloured flags or leaflets.
Entering the fifth day, Jazeera’s protest has thus far been eclipsed by a far more populous Left protest.
Now that they have left, the presence of this family has become more conspicuous, leading the Chief Minister to meet them briefly on Monday afternoon on the issue of sand-mining in her hometown. For Jazeera, the cause is intensely personal, as the Neerozhukkumchal beach is the canvas all her childhood memories are painted upon.
She is an autorickshaw driver, a profession she has struggled to be part of, in a conservative society. She does not let herself to be affected by such taboos and continued working until after her marriage in 2004, when she moved to Kottayam with her husband.
She has found the new district far more accepting. It was only one and a half years ago, when she returned home during the final month of her third pregnancy, did she see to her shock the daylight robbery of a natural landscape.
Countless visits to the Kannur collectorate and police stations have proved futile.
And for the past one and a half years, her silent protest has involved a sit-in, along with her daughters Rizwana, Shifana and her son Mohammed. The two girls, aged 12 and 10, know everything about the case and have flanked their mother every step. Her husband, Abdul Salaam, is a teacher at a madrasa in Kochi.
While he has not been a visible part of Jazeera’s protest, his support, despite pressure various quarters, has been a huge boon for her.
She is clear about her objective despite the obstacles strewn before her in terms of muscle and money power. Even the police, she says, have pleaded with her to give up. “Their greed is despicable. In broad daylight they commit this heinous crime of emptying our lands, oblivious to the fact that there are so many creatures that depend on it. The sudden depth of water is dangerous as well,” she says.
She is glad to have met the Chief Minister personally and she said he assured her that he would ensure that the vehicles carting away the sand would be immediately dealt with.
She will leave once she obtains something in print promising a complete halt of the activities.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Kerala / by Kaavya Pradeep Kumar / Thiruvananthapuram – August 08th, 2013