Category Archives: Arts,Culture & Entertainment

When a lensman’s passion takes the driver’s seat

Amazing Feats, Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives & Environment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Nature, Records, All, Travel, World Opinion
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
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
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

A One-of-a-Kind College Magazine

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Education
Students and faculty of St Thomas Teachers’ Training College holding ‘Mayoorika’
Students and faculty of St Thomas Teachers’ Training College holding ‘Mayoorika’

Thiruvananthapuram  :

Following Yesudas’s controversial comment on jeans, a college magazine has come out with a survey on whether jeans is a good choice. But that is not the only reason why the magazine put together by the BEd (Social Science) students of St Thomas Teachers’ Training College is making waves. The magazine is a piano-fold which would open into a 2.2-metre-long sheet which needs at least 10  people to hold it.

The magazine, named ‘Mayoorika’, was made by sticking 113 pages, and has 25 articles all written in the hand of its editor, Sunitha Mohan. Work on the magazine continued till the dawn of its release. “We began the groundwork for the magazine around two months ago. But towards September end, we had our viva exams. On November 5 our exams start. The college faculty supported by writing messages the moment we asked them to. Still, finding the time was highly challenging,” says Sunitha.

The ten-women-crew, who worked on the articles, conducted the ‘jeans survey’ just last week. The sample size was 100. The verdict: 83 per cent of the men, 89 per cent of the women and 63 per cent senior citizens are in favour of wearing jeans. They have also provided the views of Usha Uthup against Yesudas’s comment as well as the statement of Aswathi Thirunal Gowri Lakshmi Bayi supporting the singer.

The magazine is vibrant and colourful but not noisy. Some of the headlines have been made of words neatly cut out from various magazines. What might seem like one image could be composed of several photographs taken from numerous sources.

There are poems and opinion pieces by students. One of the students, Latha, has written a travel memoir on Nagaland. In it she says that the climb to Phek district in Nagaland is not easy as the winding roads are sandwiched between enormous mountains and frightening gorges. “However, once you reach there, you don’t feel like coming back,” she says in her memoir.

The idea of the magazine was kept a secret until the last day. Principal Anila Chacko said: “When I saw a long array of benches and desks, I had no clue that it were to hold this long a magazine,” on Wednesday, releasing the book.

The book was received by Helen Hepsy, Social Science faculty at the college. She said: “The name ‘Mayoorika’ means memories. No one in the college is going to forget this magazine, ever. Moreover. ‘mayoor’ means peacock. The magazine with its colourful content is like a dancing peacock.”

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Archana Ravi / October 09th, 2014

Synagogues on Makeover Mode as Govt Charms Israel

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, Travel, World Opinion
The Thekkumbhagam Synagogue in Kochi
The Thekkumbhagam Synagogue in Kochi

New Delhi :

The synagogues in Israel may be caught in cross-firing, but those in India are going to be spruced up soon, courtesy the Modi-led BJP government. The files started moving with speed within the Culture Ministry when the Palestine issue got worse — signifying the BJP government’s political stance in the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Though the move to protect the synagogues was initiated during the UPA rule, the Manmohan Singh government developed cold feet later as Israel and Palestine has always been a volatile subject in our country. “Our team had visited the synagogues in Kolkata and had even finalised the sketches way back in 2010. But the project did not go beyond that, as there was some terse communication to go slow,” said an ASI source.

The Archaeological Survey of India is busy moving the files and renovation is expected to start soon. Sources admit that the renovation of synagogues is a political decision. “Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj are planning to visit Israel towards the year end and there are enough reasons to believe the renovation is closely connected to the visits,’’ said a government source.

There are around 35 synagogues in India—most of them in Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Ahmedabad. “The synagogues in our country represent a rich cultural and religious tradition. The ASI is actively thinking of renovating the synagogues across the country. Most of them have been encroached upon by private parties and some, even by governments,’’ said a source in the Ministry of Culture.

The source added that the renovation work will start initially in Kochi’s Thekkumbhagam Synagogue and the Beth El Synagogue and the Maghen David Synagogue in Kolkata. The government is also planning to start a “Jewish tourism circuit” connecting all synagogues in the country, the source added. Though the government gave in following pressure and even vouched its support to the ‘‘Palestinian cause’’, it is an open secret that many BJP leaders, including PM Modi, have a close affiliation with Israel. Modi visited Tel Aviv as the CM of Gujarat, a state which has old diamond trade ties with Israel.

Transport and rural development minister Nitin Gadkari, too, visited Israel three years ago when he was the BJP chief while Sushma Swaraj is a self-declared “fan” of Israel. She, as the chief of India-Israeli Parliamentary Friendship Forum in the past, visited Israel last year.

“Both countries are victims of the growing religious fundamentalism and it is natural that they grow closer. It also helps that both share unique ethnic and religious aspects,’’ said a Culture Ministry official, who is part of the renovation project.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> The Sunday Standard / September 28th, 2014

Malayalam’s first super star

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Records, All
Left, writer-actor Fareed, Thikkurissi Sukumaran Nair and Kottarakara Sreedharan Nair / The Hindu
Left, writer-actor Fareed, Thikkurissi Sukumaran Nair and Kottarakara Sreedharan Nair / The Hindu

Rajesh Khanna was Indian cinema’s first ‘official’ superstar. The actor’s fans and admirers, along with film journos gave him this title. Of course, Rajesh Khanna in the 1970s was the most popular Hindi actor with an unbelievable series of super hits. The superstar tag stuck. Soon, similar claims were made by frontrunners in Tamil and Telugu cinema. Interestingly, no one in the Malayalam film industry staked a claim to this status during this period. Sathyan, Prem Nazir and Madhu certainly had their admirers but none of them were eager to latch on to this new found status in cinema.

Surprisingly, one man in the Malayalam industry thought he deserved this title. And he did not hide his intentions. Thikkurissi Sukumaran Nair firmly believed that he was the most deserving individual for the superstar status. He often made this claim in private conversations.

Thikkurissi observed closely how Rajesh Khanna and his Tamil contemporaries achieved this title. He came to the conclusion that their claims were backed by the media and of course, their admirers. Unfortunately here neither the media nor fans showed any interest in elevating him or anyone in the Malayalam film industry to such a position. So, Thikkurissi decided to do all the promotion by himself.

Waiting for the right opportunity to launch himself as a superstar Thikkurissi got such a chance in 1982. A group of film lovers and certain film organisation got together to organise a function in honour of veteran film stars. The venue was the Town Hall in Ernakulam. The venue was packed much before time. All the big names in cinema and literature were there. The meeting started. Thikkurissi, who was a special invitee, was a notable absentee. The organisers were a bit disappointed.

A few minutes into the meeting Thikkurissi made his appearance. He was dressed in a dark blue T-shirt and black pants. On his T-shirt embroidered in silver were the words Super Star Thikkurissi with a prominent star on the back of the T-shirt. He had also dyed his hair and moustache black.

It was certain what Thikkurissi was up to, he saw to it that he would be noticed. To reinforce this he walked up to the dais and wished each one seated there before sitting next to Kottarakara Sreedharan Nair.

It is said that Kottarakara made fun of Thikkurissi asking him why he had dressed up like this and whether he was not ashamed to do so. Thikkurissi listened to all this not uttering a word in reply. But when his turn to speak came Thikkurissi unleashed a severe tirade against Kottarakara. He said that Kottarakara was jealous over his young, handsome looks and had even tried to imitate him but failed. He claimed that he was the superstar.

The audience thought there was a running rivalry between the two. But after the meeting both of them hugged each other, went to a nearby hotel and even had a drink together. Thikkurissi’s claim to the title of superstar was perhaps not considered seriously though a few journalists did subsequently refer to him as Malayalam’s first superstar. It was only in the 1990s that the Malayalam film industry got its first superstar.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Saju Chelangad / October 05th, 2014

Massive Contingent to Attend Canonisation Ceremony

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Leaders, World Opinion

Kochi:

With just a month left for the canonisation  of Fr Kuriakose Elias Chavara and Sr Euphrasia, the number of people who have registered for the travel package to attend the canonisation ceremony in Rome has crossed around 200. This includes around 80 priests also.

“This is the number of people registered via Chavara Cultural Centre (CCC) alone. People from other cities and Malayalees living in various countries are also expected to attend the function in Vatican on November 23,” said CCC authorities.

A cell has been functioning at the CCC to coordinate and assist the faithful who wish to attend the historic event to participate in the ceremony. Chavara Cultural Centre, which has tied up with tour operator Oasis Holidays offers two packages – a five-day package (Nov 21-26) at `81,500 per person and a seven-day package (Nov 19-26) for `98,500 per person. “Chavara Cultural Centre’s target was to send 300 persons for the ceremony through the special package.

Two other Kochi-based tour operators have also announced special travel packages in connection with the canonisation ceremony. Besides private  pilgrims, the Kerala Catholic Bishops Council has urged the state and Union Governments to send an official delegation to the function.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Express News Service / October 04th, 2014

Asif Ali starts his own restaurant

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy

Actor Asif Ali is stepping into entrepreneurship with a food outlet, called Waffle Street. 

AsifAliRestaurantMPOs04oct2014

Located in Panampilly Nagar, Kochi, Waffle Street will serve Waffles, Crepes, Donuts and more. Asif, along with two friends are behind the venture which launched on Monday evening.

Actor Prithviraj inaugurated the outlet officially.

Asif told media that he always wanted to start an exclusive food outlet and felt that Waffles was a good option.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Entertainment> Malayalam> Movies / by Asha Prakash, TNN / August 26th, 2014

A Go-To Guide for Ancient Wisdom

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Leaders
K G Paulose at work | Melton Antony
K G Paulose at work | Melton Antony

It was a bolt from the blue for K G Paulose, 68, when Ravi Deecee, the Managing Director of DC Books, a reputed book publisher in Kerala, approached him four years ago with a unique project: to bring out the 18 volumes of the Puranas in a single edition.

Initially, Paulose was unsure about taking it up, considering the magnitude of the project. Though he had robust knowledge and passion for Sanskrit, he was never obsessed with the Puranas. Later, he realised that it was a ‘divine assignment’.

The 18 Puranas extend to over 18,000 pages, with each Purana varying in size and content. This historical work in Malayalam will be four times bigger than the Mahabharata in terms of the number of verses used.

“It is the first time that anyone is trying to compile the Puranas into a comprehensive, holistic, single edition,” says Paulose. “Sanskrit is the golden key to unlock any treasure of Indian history.”

At his house in Tripunithura, Paulose is busy working on the final pages which would soon be sent to the publisher. Titled 18 Puranangal, the book will be released on the auspicious day of Vidyarambham, which falls on October 3 this year.

Paulose knew he could not do the work single-handedly. So he divided it among his colleagues and associates. There were fifteen people or “fifteen think-tanks”, as Paulose calls them, including his wife T K Sarala.

One such think-tank is M V Gopalakrishnan, 67, a retired professor from the Maharaja’s College in Kochi. “I was assigned the task of composing Vishnupurana, one of the prominent Puranas and one half of Agnipurana,” he says. “It took me two years to complete Vishnupurana, as it was a difficult job to translate and simplify the complex Sanskrit verses. I would spend 18 hours a day for the research and writing.”

The team used to meet every week at Paulose’s house to review everyone’s work. “There were several give and takes, disputes and suggestions,” says Gopalakrishnan. “It was a discussion forum in which doubts got cleared and we were able to give birth to a clean and accessible edition.”

Paulose was the first Vice Chancellor of Kerala Kalamandalam, a deemed university for Art and Culture. He has also been the registrar of Sree Sankaracharya University, Kalady, chief editor, publications of Aryavaidyasala Kottakkal, and the principal of Government Sanskrit College, Tripunithura.

Ravi says it has been a stupendous effort by Paulose and team to make this venture a reality. “It was my father D C Kizhakkemuri who first came up with the idea in 1997,” says Ravi. “He approached a handful of scholars, but the project was shelved mid-way owing to lack of research.” However, in 2009, Ravi met Paulose and asked him to take up the project. “His expertise was a necessity,” says Ravi. “Since the project also needed a team of scholars, we were lucky to get the right people at the right time.”

The book cover will have mural paintings depicting each of the Puranas created by a Thiruvananthapuram-based painter Athira Sajith.

“We will have a first print-run of 20,000 copies,” says Ravi. “They are all pre-booked.” The selling price is Rs 10,000, but as a pre-publication offer, it will be sold at Rs 4,999.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> LifeStyle> Books / by Krishnachand K / September 28th, 2014

When a duo punched above their weight

Amazing Feats, Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All, Sports, World Opinion
The match between Sita Bai of Tanjore and Kamala Bai of Malabar saw enthusiastic crowds but also led to controversy. / The Hindu Archives
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

Industrialist P.K. Mohamed dead

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Leaders
P.K. Mohamed
P.K. Mohamed

People from all walks of life paid tributes to industrialist P.K. Mohamed, 73, who died here on Monday. He was the managing director (MD) of Western India Plywoods Ltd. (WIP).

He had been recuperating at his residence at Thana here after a recent cardiac surgery. The body was taken to Thalassery for burial at Elangol Juma Masjid, Chettamkunnu.

Early years

He followed his father, A.K. Kaderkutty, into the industry. After college education in Chennai, Mohamed went to Germany for extensive training in wood technology.

He joined WIP as production manager in 1962. He was made MD in 1993.

He was involved in the modernisation and diversification of the company.

He had functioned as office-bearer of the North Malabar Chamber of Commerce and was a sports organiser. He was a member of various industry organisations and was actively involved in the social sphere.

He is survived by wife and four sons. Political leaders including Rural Development Minister K.C. Joseph and E. Ahamed paid their last respects.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Kerala / by Special Correspondent / Kannur – October 01st, 2014

British guilty of many acts worse than Wagon Tragedy: historian

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

The British resorted to many crueller acts during the Malabar Rebellion of 1921 than the Wagon Tragedy and it was because of the martial law clamped in Malabar that the world did not know about them, historian M. Gangadharan has said.

Delivering the keynote address at a seminar on Wagon Tragedy at Tirur on Tuesday, Dr. Gangadharan said the tragedy was not the cruellest act of British oppression during the Malabar Rebellion.

“We used to believe that the Wagon Tragedy, in which 67 of the 90-odd Mapilas packed in a goods wagon from Tirur to Podanur suffocated to death, was the worst and cruellest incident of the Malabar Rebellion. But it was not,” Dr. Gangadharan told a packed audience.

He argued that the world learned about the Wagon Tragedy as there was no martial law in Podanur and, therefore, the incident was reported by major newspapers of the world.

“The dastardly act of the British came to light when the goods wagon was opened at Podanur. Had it occurred anywhere in Malabar, where the martial law prevented publishing of sensitive information, it would have gone unreported,” he said.

Dr. Gangadharan said that as many as 215 Mapila youngsters were pulled out of their homes and massacred in front of their families. “It happened on October 25, 1921. The Wagon Tragedy wasn’t as cruel as the killing of those adult Mapilas in front of their family,” Dr. Gangadharan said.

MES Central School, Tirur, organised the seminar as part of the golden jubilee celebrations of the Muslim Educational Society.

source:  http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Kerala / by Staff Reporter / Mallapuram  – October 01st, 2014