Category Archives: Arts,Culture & Entertainment

Uncorking bottled art

Arts,Culture & Entertainment

Lincy Mathew Thengummoottil’s with her collection of decorated bottles | Photo Credit: S. Mahinsha

Lincy Mathew Thengummootil gives an artistic finish to old bottles and gives them a new lease of life

Lincy Mathew Thengummootil’s tryst with colours is not merely a brush with art. She revels in the colourful works she creates in different media and the proof of her revelry is on the walls and tables and shelves of her beautifully done up apartment in the city.

Her latest creations prove that there is no glass ceiling for imagination or creativity. Glass bottles, so difficult to dispose off now, have been turned into works of art. Tall, short, stout and slender glass bottles, all destined for the scrap heap, have been given a new touch of life by Lincy. Jute thread, wool, small mirrors, bead and artificial flowers and even bits and pieces of lace and ribbons have been aesthetically used to create beautiful stand-alone pieces.

Glittering like dew drops on a lawn, the tiny mirrors catch the light and break it into a thousand rainbows; coils of brown jute thread imitate branches of a tree hiding a white flower in its bosom; a saucy read sash can transform any dress and, for that matter, a bottle too!

Pointing to a familiar looking bottle, all decked up in black with silver beads, she says that was the first one she crafted and so she has kept it aside for sentimental reasons. “That was a bottle of tomato sauce that I recycled. Then I tried on another one and then there was no stopping me,” she says with a dimpled smile. “I paint and I shop for accessories to design my saris. I tried using some of the paints and threads on the bottles and I really liked the look of the recycled bottles,” she adds.

Pretty, coloured bottles of different drinks were sourced from friends and family members and given a stylish makeover by Lincy. Moreover, even cracked and chipped glasses are given a second lease of life with the help of some clever designs. Showing a wine glass in jute and wool, she explains, “This was a little chipped but I just did not have the heart to throw it away. So I gave it a makeover and now it is one of my favourite pieces. I think the height of creativity is when you can unmask that beauty hidden in almost everything around us. I dislike the use-and-throw culture and that is why I try to reuse and recycle most of the things that we buy.”

When her friends saw some of her creations, all of them wanted some of her works of art and so she gave them away. “That is when I realised that there might be a market for these creations of mine. Initially, I did not think people would pay for these bottles. But now I know that there is a market,” she says.

For the last three to four months Lincy has been working hard to build up her collection. She plans to hold a sale sometime in December and also register on Amazon to sell her products online. An article on her decorated bottles has won her many orders. “There were some who wanted a few customised for their resorts,” she says. And now she is dreaming big.

Sitting prettily in her home, she recalls how she felt her passion for art was all bottled up when her parents persuaded her to opt for science for her graduation. Marriage and motherhood followed soon after she completed her post-graduation in social work and she had no time to nurture her talent. However, her husband encouraged her to hone her innate skills and so she learnt painting, composition and colour combinations from an art tutor Apukuttan Nair for more than 10-12 years. “He taught me the basis of art, paints, technique and compositions. Thanks to my husband, I was able to immerse myself in colours and shapes,” she says.

Her passion for colours splashed on to canvases and her paintings filled her apartment. That is when she started using her eye for colours and designs to make her own saris and Lincy made quite a name for herself for her designer saris. “But then, I got bored when every other person started cutting and tailoring saris. I moved on to other things and that is when bottles caught my eye. I am sure, I will move on to something once I am done with bottles,” she asserts. Till then the glass bottles will continue to reflect her sense of colours and designs.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Entertainment> Art / by Saraswathy Nagarajan / Thiruvananthapuram – August 16th, 2017

Kochi gets a comic library

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Education, Records, All

Kochi :

Deep within a by-lane on the Civil Line near Vazhakkala exists probably the only Xanadu for comic book fans in the city , Comic Collective , the city’s first comic book library , boasts of a selection of over 1,000 comic books .

Comic books, unlike novels, are hard to find and buy and almost unavailable in Kochi.

The two key people involved in putting together this large collection of comic books, Tony Davis and San Ramshankar, travelled to multiple book fairs and flea markets across the country in search of books for the library that opened in August.

“You will not find specific comic books that are popular in flea markets because nobody would want to sell them, so those we had to buy online,” said Tony , the library founder.

San, a software engineer who used to review comic books on his Facebook page, Kerala Comic Brotherhood, used to collect them to augment his personal collection.

Later he met Tony , who had been collecting comics to set up a library in the city , on Kerala Comic Brotherhood.

Currently , Comic Collective has stocked popular series from the major western comic book publishers such as Marvel, DC, Vertigo, Image and Dark Horse.

They also have a selection of Japanese comics (manga) apart from those brought out by Indian publishers, illustrators, and writers Bobby Creasman, an American who moved to Kochi for work and is now of member of Comic Collective, said: “I think it’s fantastic that there is a comic book library in Kochi. My kids had borrowed two Flash comics. I borrowed Ramayan 3392 AD, which is the story of Ramayan in a post-apocalyptic setting.”

The house, converted into a library , offers wide seating space. The walls are decorated with art works made by comic fans.

“Comic book fans always tend to artistically recreate what they see in comic books, where two forms of art -writing, and illustration -converge,” said San who is also an active cosplayer (someone who engages in comic book costume play). His cosplay work is also on display at the library .

The library is yet to catch the fancy of comic bo ok fans but Tony believes there is huge potential.

“Last year, we organized a Batman Day gathering and we expected around 50 people. But around 250 people showed up and they were all fans of either the cartoon, the movie or the comic.We even had a quiz and some people answered all the questions. So this year, we are planning to organize Batman Day at our premises on September 23. Hopefully , it will serve a launching pad for the library ,” said Tony , adding that it is difficult to get a sponsor to support comic book events as people consider them childish.

“Some people come asking whether we have Balarama and Tinkle but that’s not the type of comics we deal with. Comics are not just for kids, some of them have great stories, ideas and art.But explaining it is too hard, so we don’t. We’d rather have an organic growth rather than forcing it on people,” said San.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> City News> Kochi News / by Vikram Vinod, TNN / September 21st, 2017

How Gundert saved Malayalam

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

Herman Gundert

Thiruvananthapuram:

Some of the rare books in Malayalam language would have been lost if Herman Gundert, the German missionary, had not taken the trouble to transport them to his home town Calw. The documents preserved by Gundert, who was also a scholar credited with the first Malayalam-English dictionary, included nearly 80 manuscripts and 150 printed works. Some of the available palm leaf manuscripts run into 42,000 pages. These books have been archived in the Gundert archive of Tubingen University which has also taken steps to digitise the documents. The Thunchath Ezhuthachan Malayalam University, Tirur, established in 2012 to promote Malayalam language, has received access to the documents through an MoU signed with the Tubingen University.

Mr M. Sreenathan, professor of language at the university, told Deccan Chronicle that it all started with Dr Scaria Zacharia, a Malayalam professor who visited Germany in connection with the meeting of the World Malayali Council, visiting the archives of the university in 1986. He published books like Pazhassi Rekhakal, Payyanoor Pattu and Thalasserry Rekhakal from the university. Some of the other books that were discovered from Tubingen included Nalacharitham Manipravalam and Sheelavathy written by Mannan. The first version of the Mahabharatham Killipattu, Krishnagatha, Thulalkadha, Panchathantram and Ekadeshi were brought to the state from the archives. The copy of Meenakshi written by Chathu Nair and published in 1890 was also discovered from Tubingen, Mr Sreenathan said.

Another finding was Keralopakari, an illustrated weekly published in 1870. There has not been much reference about this weekly earlier. A copy of Krishi Pattu was also preserved at Tubingen. The specialty of the copy of Krishi Pattu, an agriculture verse popularly known as Krishi Geetha in the state, is that it was published from Kozhikode before the advent of Chandrakala in Malayalam. Another significant discovery was Kerala Natakam. This book republished by the university was released recently. Many people, including historian M.G.S. Narayanan, have said that they have seen the book. However, the book was not available anywhere in the state. It was also received from the archives of Gundert. Many literary historians, including Ulloor Parameswara Iyer, have mentioned about this work. There are differences among the historians about who wrote the book.

Some believed that this was written by Thunchath Ezhuthachan. However, Ezhuthachan had not written anything other than poetry. The book was published by Basel Mission. Ulloor had disagreed with the theory that it was written by Ezhuthachan. The book was in the handwriting of Gundert himself. The language of the book proved that it was not written by Ezhuthachan. However, it has many similarities with another work of the period named Keralolpathi. But there is one major change. This is in the chapter Kulakrama Vivaranam which in Keralolpathi was based on Sankaracharya’s Kulakrama Vivaranam. However, the Kulakrama Vivaranam chapter in Kerala Nadakam dealing with the origin of caste was more in the nature of folklore, Mr Sreenathan said.

The documents in the collection of Gundert can be classified into three: printed books; books that had been transcript by Gundert himself or using the service of a scribe; and books in Thaliyola. Many books related to subjects like Manthravatham and on Christianity, including Puthiyaniyamathile Lekhanangal and Sathyaveda Ethihasam, are at the archives. The university is the only one in Europe that teaches Malayalam as an optional. It has also set up a Gundert chair. “I visit Tubingen as a faculty of the university and Mr Scaria Zacharia goes there as an outside academic. The Malayalam and Tubingen universities also have student exchange programmes,” Mr Sreenathan said. He will visit Tubingen soon to identify the original version of the works of Ezhuthachan, including Adhyadhama Ramayanam. Mr Scaria Zacharia said that the access to Gundert archives had begun in 1986. Many books like Pazhassi Rekhakal, Payyanoor Pattu, Thacholli Pattu and Thalassery Rekhakal were published from the archives. However, it was only recently the efforts were noticed in the state, Mr Zacharia said.

Christian missionary turned linguist

Herman Gundert, who left Germany at the age of 23 for missionary work, had planned to go to Calcutta and gained working knowledge in Bengali, Hindustani and Telugu even while travelling by sea. However, he landed in Madras in 1836 instead of in Calcutta. Gundert learnt Tamil while working in Chittoor, Andhra, and Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu. During his work in Mangalore, he had a chance trip to Thiruvananthapuram where he had an audience with Swathi Thirunal, the ruler of Travancore who himself was a scholar. Gundert was attracted to Malayalam and became a scholar in the language in a short span of time.

Born in 1814, Gundert is the grandfather of 20th century Nobel prize winning novelist Hermann Hesse. Gundert had studied theology and Sanskrit in Tübingen University before completing his doctorate in theology in 1835 and joining the Bassel Mission in which he worked in Thalassery from 1938. Apart from authoring the first Malayalam-English dictionary, he translated the New Testament into Malayalam. He left India in 1859 due to illness. Most of his Malayalam books, including his Malayalam-English dictionary and hymn book, were written when he was in the south western German town of Calw.

He worked primarily from Thalassery where he compiled a Malayalam grammar book, ‘Malayalabhaasha Vyakaranam,’ published in 1859. He lived at Illikkunnu near Thalassery for 20 years spreading the gospel among the natives and writing 13 books and a translation of the Old Testament from Hebrew and New Testament from Greek. He attempted a systematic grammar of the language based on non-Sanskrit-based approaches to Indic grammar as he considered Malayalam as a branch of Proto-Tamil-Malayalam, or Proto-Dravidian. It was Gundert who used punctuation marks like full stop, comma, colon and semicolon for the first time in Malayalam. In recognition of his contribution to Malayalam, a statue of Gundert has been erected at Thalassery.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation, In other news / by Sabloo Thomas, Deccan Chronicle / July 05th, 2017

It’s jubilee bells for Ponnurunni library

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Records, All

The Ponnurunni Grameena Vayanasala will launch programmes for children and the elderly soon, says its president.

Grameena Vayanasala looks for ways to expand

At 70, the Ponnurunni Grameena Vayanasala is looking for more space. It is a measure of its success that the office-bearers of the library are trying hard to find more space in the two-storied structure that has stood as a tower of light and entry into the world of letters for hundreds of people in the locality.

President of the library and a former government official M.K. Saseendran says the library has a stock of 17,000 books and more than 250 steady members, who turn up at the library regularly. More books mean more space, he says, a little perplexed about finding a way to add some more space.

The number of activities is being expanded. Not only does the library now offer books, newspapers and periodicals. It will soon launch programmes for children and the elderly, says Mr. Saseendran.

A visit to the library on Sunday showed how involved the library is in the lives of the local people. A group of students, who came out in flying colours during the last public examinations, are being felicitated. Hardly 40 people can sit in the hall, says library secretary K.K. Gopi Nair to highlight the need to find more space for future activities.

Mr. Saseendran says the Ponnurunni library is more than 85 years old, given the oral tradition related to it. It started with a table and a few chairs and operated out of rented one-room facilities. It is possible that registers and other records could have been lost during frequent shifting of the library until a permanent building was acquired. It was later registered in 1946, and it received 1.5 cents of land against a payment of ₹50 in 1967. The year also saw people making contributions to have a tile-roofed building for the library. Since then the library has steadily grown in popularity and stature.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kochi / by Special Correspondent /  Kochi – June 11th, 2017

Environmental activist P.S. Panicker dead

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Education, Green Initiatives & Environment, Leaders, Nature

A former professor, he was part of many human rights movements

Environmental activist P.S. Panicker, who took up the cause of victims of groundwater exploitation in Plachimada by Coca Cola and campaigned relentlessly for the protection of Bharathapuzha, died late on Tuesday. He was 75.

A former college professor, Mr. Panicker hailed from Arookkutti near Cherthala and had worked in the Political Science departments of NSS colleges at Pandalam, Changanassery, Ottappalam, Mattannur, and Cherthala. He retired from NSS College, Nenmara.

He then settled at Sekharipuram in Palakkad to actively engage with various civil society movements. A long-time associate of the late environmentalist Indyanur Gopi, Mr. Panicker was the coordinator of National Green Corps and president of Bharathapuzha Samrakshana Samithy.

He was also president of the human rights organisation Janajagratha and chairperson of Plachimada Struggle Solidarity Committee.

He is survived by wife B. Saraswathi, daughter Sudha, and son Rajkamal. Cremation was held on Wednesday evening.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by Special Correspondent / Palakkad – June 07th, 2017

A royal procession to Sasthamangalam

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

Sree Chithira Tirunal Balarama Varma starting from the Fort for the Sasthamangalam procession | Photo Credit: Sharat Sunder Rajeev

In the days of the monarchy, a royal procession used to make its way to a Siva temple in Sasthamangalam

‘Radhapura Kunnu Lane’, a nondescript signage near Sasthamangalam junction may have caught your attention as you travel along Vellayambalam-Sasthamangalam road. However, if you are planning to explore the lane hoping to find the ‘Radhapura’ or at least the remains of an old chariot house, you will be disappointed. The lane now leads to a well-laid out residential area with no trace of any built structure to substantiate the name of the lane.

Radhapura Lane was in olden times known as Radhapura Kunnu, a hill that gradually descends to the banks of the Killi River. Senior citizens from Vellayambalam and Sasthamangalam regions still remember vivid images of a state procession that linked the region with a royal past. When the city cherishes the Arattu procession and related rituals, of the area recall the state processions that once came to Sasthamangalam.

Sasthamangalam Ezhunnalathu, a regal procession to Sasthamangalam, culminated at the ancient Sasthamangalam Mahadeva temple, where the sovereigns offered prayers and rested in the ‘palace’, a double-storied structure located near the western gateway of the temple. According to popular history, it was customary of the Travancore rulers to visit ‘Sasthamangalathu Madhom’, the abode of Koopakkara Pottis, and the Siva temple soon after the Tirunal (royal birthday) celebrations. Even though the origin of this practice remains unknown to this day, some historians are of the opinion that the practice could be dated to the eighteenth century, to the turbulent days of Anizham Tirunal Marthanda Varma.

It is said that the Koopakkara Potti had helped the King on one occasion and in gratitude the King and, later his successors, made it a custom to pay their respect, once in a year, to the Koopakkara family at their residence.

V Narasimhan Thampi presents a vivid portrayal of the procession to Sasthamangalam: “… the Maharaja rides to Sasthamangalam in his golden chariot, drawn by six white horses and behind him follow a train of horse drawn carriages of the royals and the various officials. The Elayarajas, Koil Thampurans, and the Chief Justice can be seen riding in carriages drawn by two horses, whereas the other officers ride in simple carriages. The state procession starts from the Fort at four in the evening and proceeds to Sasthamangalam via Pazhavangadi, Puttenchandai, Palayam, and Vazhuthacaud. At Sasthamangalam, the King worships at the temple and visits the Potti at his residence and returns to the Fort by six O’clock.”

On the way to Sasthamangalam, the procession first halted at Vellayambalam, from where the King went to the temple with a few select attendants and high officials. The royal chariot was stationed at Radhapura Kunnu and the royal party walked down to Pipinmoodu to the temple premises.

The temple, located between Sasthamangalam hill and the nearby elevated Oolampara region, claims antique origins. Old records mention ‘Thiru-chatta-mangalam’ (later Sasthamangalam) and the temple there. Old timers believe that the temple has its origins from a small sacred grove on the banks of the Killi River. A small fragment of the grove can still be seen right in front of the eastern gateway to the temple.

With the end of monarchy, the age-old custom of the Sasthamangalam procession passed into the annals of history, but the temple remains popular among the city dwellers.

(The writer is a conservation architect and history buff)

source:  http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Society> History & Culture / by Sharat Sunder Rajeev  / Thiruvananthapuram – May 05th, 2017

Noted cinematographer C Ramachandra Menon passes away

Arts,Culture & Entertainment

Kozhikode :

Noted cinematographer C Ramachandra Menon  who had worked in several Malayalam and Tamil films passed away here on Tuesday. He was 88.

Family members said that he had been under treatment at a private hospital for last several days following old- age related ailments.

Ramachandra Menon had worked in more than 150 Malayalam films including hits like Ummachu, the film adaptation of Uroob’s novel directed by P Bhaskaran, Muthassi, Othenente Makan directed and produced by Kunchacko, Thoppil Bhasi’s Ningalenne Communistakki, IV Sasi’s films like Eetta, Akale Aakaasham, among many others.

He had also associated with noted directors like Hariharan, Sasikumar and Sreekumaran Thambi for several of their films in the 70’s and 80’s.

Born in 1929 as son of P K M Raja of Tiruvannur Kovilakam and Chengalath Janaki Amma in Kozhikode, Ramachandra Menon began his career as assistant cameraman at Vauhini Studios under noted director of photography Marcus Bartley. He went to Singapore in 1956 and joined the Shaw Brothers studios where he worked for six years and later joined the Cathy Studios is Singapore.

He returned to Kerala in 1970 and got associated with Udaya Studios where he did cinematography for four of their films. Later he moved to Chennai where he worked with several famous directors.

Ramachandra Menon has been leading a retired life in Kozhikode since 2000. He is survived by daughter Maya Harigovind and son Dr. Goutham Menon. Ramachandra Menon’s wife Malathi Ramachandran  had died some years back.

The funeral would be held at the Mavoor Road  crematorium on Wednesday.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Kozhikode News / by K R Rajeev / TNN / May 09th, 2017

Cartoonist B.G. Varma dead

Arts,Culture & Entertainment

B. G. Varma, noted cartoonist, died at his residence in Thripunitura on Tuesday. He was 75.

Mr. Varma had worked with renowned cartoonist Shankar in the famed Shankar’s Weekly as a cartoonist-caricaturist.

Brought up in Karachi where his father worked as an engineer, Mr. Varma secured a job at the ST Reddiar Press in Ernakulam after studying art in Mavelikkara and Hyderabad. A cartoon strip he did for Manorama earned him the job at Shankar’s Weekly.

From political cartooning, he went on to be the choicest caricaturist drawing “The Man of The Week” caricature for the weekly. After the closure of the weekly, he worked for the Children’s Book Trust (CBT). Mr. Varma has also designed commemorative stamps for the Central government, on blood donation and on the 1976 Montreal Olympics.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kochi / by Special Correspondent / Kochi – May 09th, 2017

On the right moves

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Sports

Veteran players pens book on chess

Chess is the most intellectual of all sports. But, Kerala, which has always prided on its intellect, hadn’t produced any major chess talent for decades.

Except for N.R. Anil Kumar, who played for India at the Chess Olympiad in 1982, Kerala’s presence in India’s chess scene was minimal for decades. There was also A. Sasidharan, an immensely gifted young man — capable of playing brilliantly spectacular games — who committed suicide, reportedly because he was unable to get a job.

But, times have changed. Many players in Kerala have found employment on the basis of their achievements on the chessboard. The State has now two Grandmasters, several international players as well as a little world champion in Nihal Sarin.

So the release of veteran chess-player-turned-author P.V.N. Namboothiripad’s book, Chessinoru Patapusthakam, could not have been timed better.

Running into more than 800 pages, it could well be the most exhaustive book on chess ever written in Malayalam. “The book is the result of my work over the last 10 years,” Mr. Namboothiripad told The Hindu on Saturday. “I always felt that there was a need for such a book in Malayalam. We haven’t too many books that look deeply into chess.”

The book, published by Kerala Bhasha Institute, discusses various technical aspects of chess and features an exhaustive collection of games with diagrams. This is the third book on chess by the Kochi-based author, who turned 80 this year.

source:  http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by P.K.  Ajith / Kozhikode – May 06th, 2017

Sugathakumari bags first ONV Literary Award

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Records, All

Thiruvananthapuram :

Poet B Sugathakumari  has bagged the first ONV Literary Award instituted by ONV Cultural Academy. The award carries a cash prize of Rs 3 lakh, statuette and citation. The award will be given on May 27 on the occasion of the birth anniversary of ONV Kurup .

According to the panel of judges comprising M Leelavathy, C Radhakrishnan and Prabhavarma, Sugathakumari was selected for her poem “Kanneerinte Vishuddhi”.

“The award distribution and similar activities from the academy will help in preserving and handing over the ideas that ONV has put forward through his poems to the coming generations,” said film director Adoor Gopalakrishnan, chairman of the academy.

ONV Youth Literary Awards will be given to Arya Gopi and Sumesh Krishna for their poems “Avasaanathe manushyan” and “Rudraaksham”, respectively.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Thiruvananthapuram News / TNN /May 03rd, 2017