Category Archives: Arts,Culture & Entertainment

Rural wares reach the urban space

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy
Wide array:Products on display at the IRDP Mela at the Manjalikulam SMV School grounds in Thiruvananthapuram.— Photo: C. Ratheesh Kumar / The Hindu
Wide array:Products on display at the IRDP Mela at the Manjalikulam SMV School grounds in Thiruvananthapuram.— Photo: C. Ratheesh Kumar / The Hindu

Products at Swarnajayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana (SGSY) mela range from food to décor to jewellery

Entrepreneurship with a warm and homely rural touch —that is what the Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP) and the Swarnajayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana (SGSY) Mela that began at the Manjalikulam SMV School grounds here on Monday is all about.

Organised by the Thiruvananthapuram district panchayat and the District Poverty Alleviation Unit, the event, inaugurated by Deputy Speaker N. Shaktan is slated to continue till September 5. The mela has rural products from 11 block panchayats of Thiruvananthapuram, mostly results of self-employment projects initiated via Kudumbasree. The products range from food to home décor and from garments to jewellery. Special focus was given to handlooms and handicrafts, the organisers said. “They may be the last generation to make such handicraft products. The handicrafts are on the way to extinction,” said George Jacob, Project Director, Poverty Alleviation Unit.

The food products include coconut oil, wine made from gooseberry and ginger, wild honey, sweet and sour chips made with jackfruit and garlic, various spices, tamarind, jaggery, tea powder, pickles, and boiled tapioca and fish curry.

The home décor and decorative items are mostly made of clay and steel with a variety of bamboo products too on display.

Bamboo jewellery

Jewellery made of paper and bamboo too are being sold at affordable prices.

The garments section has handloom saris from Balaramapuram and khadi shirts and dress material apart from a host of readymade dresses. Kitchen utensils, household items including cane and bamboo furniture, washing soaps, cleaning lotions, candles and incense sticks are also available.

Saplings, including those of medicinal plants, organic vegetables, a stall of the Department of Dairy Development where the quality of milk can be tested, a Prakriti Biotech stall where bio-pesticides and fertilizers are available, and a stall of the palliative care unit too are among those that are attracting visitors on day one. G. Mohan, an entrepreneur at the event, said he had found the mela a “profit making opportunity,” which was why he came every year.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Anasooya Sakthidharan / Thursday – September 02nd, 2014

‘Onakodi’ and the revival of Handloom sectors

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy
Sarees, woven of high quality yarn ensures superior comfort. File photo: Manorama
Sarees, woven of high quality yarn ensures superior comfort. File photo: Manorama

With Onam being just around the corner, a number of Co-operative societies are getting ready with their traditional weaves to meet the popular demand for variety Onakodis. The sarees and other handloom products of Chendamanagalam received the coveted Geographical Indication (GI) registration tag and the sale of the same usually happens between February and May. The sarees, woven of high quality yarn by employing traditional methods are also made, by taking into consideration the climatic changes during these months, thus ensuring superior comfort.

The Chendamangalam handloom weaves are expected to have a sale of above 3 Crores during this festival season. The Chendamangalam double Mundu is priced between Rs.475 – Rs. 1350, the handloom sarees can cost anywhere between Rs.800 and Rs.4000. While the traditional Mundu-Neriyathu comes in the range of Rs.800 – Rs. 2850. Handloom bedsheets are priced between Rs.415 – Rs. 770. Cotton shirt pieces sell at Rs.190 – Rs.220 per metre. The sale of Chendamangalam handloom happens through their exclusive outlets set up in major centres or through Onam exhibitions or sales. The production is mostly concentrated in areas like Chendamangalam, Kuriappilly, and Vypinkara. Major handloom centres in the state like Hantex and Hanveev started sourcing the weaves from the production places around two months back. These are again sold through various textile showrooms or through seasonal exhibitions.

All of the materials sold are of 100 percent cotton and of good quality. The sarees are sold at reasonable rates from Rs. 275 to Rs.1600. The Kasavu sarees of Hantex are priced between Rs.750 to Rs. 16,000. The Kasavu or the plain double Mundu can come up to Rs.400 to Rs.2000 and the shirt pieces are priced between Rs.120 to Rs.320. Bedsheets that come in cotton or satin can cost from Rs.750 – Rs.2080. The Balaramapuram white single Mundu priced from Rs.160 to Rs.200 are much in demand and cotton shirts and matching Mundu in the same pattern is a popular trend now.

The Khadi Gramudyog Bhavan in every Indian state showcases handloom sarees and other weaves from Kerala. The Khadi showrooms will also have textile exhibitions from across the country during Onam. There are sarees ranging from Rs.1000 to Rs.10,000, Mundu in the price range of Rs.500 to Rs.2000, and shirt materials costing from Rs. 120 to Rs.500 at such sales exhibitions. A great variety of silks and cottons are their speciality.

There are a collection of sarees like Sambalpuri, Kosa silk, Rose silk, Jute, Printed appliqué work. Sarees also happen to be the top selling item in fairs.

source: http://www.english.manoramaonline.com / OnManorama / Home> In-depth> Onam / by Manorama Correspondent / Monday – September 01st, 2014

Figuring out radio-controlled aircraft in Thiruvananthapuram

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Education, Science & Technology, Sports
Participants of a workshop on radio-controlled aircraft with the models made by them, in Thiruvananthapuram recently. Photo: Special Arrangement / The Hindu
Participants of a workshop on radio-controlled aircraft with the models made by them, in Thiruvananthapuram recently. Photo: Special Arrangement / The Hindu

Around 100 students and teachers were taken through the nuances of aircraft’s functioning and design, concepts and basics of aerodynamics with its applications.

A two-day workshop on radio-controlled (RC) aircraft turned out to be more than just a learning experience for the participants, bringing in fun and entertainment as well.

The event, held for students and the faculty from various colleges in the State and held at the Trinity College of Engineering here, was organised by Aerotrix, a division of Skyfi Education Labs, founded by the alumni of IIT, Kanpur. Around 100 students and teachers were taken through the nuances of aircraft’s functioning and design, concepts and basics of aerodynamics with its applications, mechanics of flight and structural configurations of a plane.

The participants were then given the opportunity to design, build and test their own RC aircraft from scratch through introduction to the design algorithm of an aircraft and hands-on experience on the electronic and electrical instrumentation of an RC aircraft. After the workshop, the participants-17 teams of students and three teams of faculty-developed 20 aircraft and tested them by flying them on the campus.

“We have been conducting similar workshops with the intention of improving skills and employability of engineering students. We use aero-modelling workshops as a means to deliver exciting and fun-based training to the students and to expose them to the multi-disciplinary demands of the industry,” Adarsh Hariprasad, faculty of Aerotrix, said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / Special Correspondent / Thiruvananthapuram – August 22nd, 2014

Old Railway Station Assured of Heritage Monument Status

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

Kochi :

Railway Minister Sadananda Gowda has assured K V Thomas MP that the old railway station in Ernakulam will be protected as a  heritage monument. The Union Minister communicated this to the MP at a meeting held to discuss the matters related to railway development in Ernakulam.

The MP, in a memorandum submitted to the Minister, demanded introduction of MEMU trains on Alappuzha, Kottayam, Thrissur routes during peak hours. He also demanded a train from Ernakulam to Thiruvananthapuram at 5.30 pm and 11.30 pm. The MP’s demands include, electrification of Ernakulam-Cochin Harbour Terminus, an automatic coach washing machine at Ernakulam Junction and a train to Madhura.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Kochi / by Express News Service / August 29th, 2014

Senior Journalist G Venugopal Passes Away in Kottayam

Arts,Culture & Entertainment

Kottayam :

Senior journalist G Venugopal died of heart attack today at a private hospital here, family sources said.

He was 59.

He was the former News Editor of Mangalm Malayalam daily.

He also served as the secretary of Kerala Union of Working Journalsits and President of Kottayam Press Club.

Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala condoled the death of Venugopal.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by PTI / September 14th, 2014

Ramesh Kanjilimadhom: The barefoot runner

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Sports, World Opinion

A three-time Boston Marathon veteran, this runner from Kochi is organizing his first marathon this year.

Ramesh Kanjilimadhom.
Ramesh Kanjilimadhom.

On The Run | Ramesh Kanjilimadhom 

Ramesh Kanjilimadhom, 45, ran his first marathon in 2006 at the age of 37; since then he has run 39 full marathons. The Kochi-based information technology professional is always either recovering from a marathon or training for one. A prolific runner, he has run the Boston Marathon thrice, and started the running group Soles of Cochin in July last year with friends. On 16 November, the group is organizing its inaugural Spice Coast Marathon. Kanjilimadhom doesn’t use shoes or music for running, and it seems to be working for him, for his personal record for a full marathon—set in Dubai in 2010—is 3:05:26. Edited excerpts from an email interview:

Why, when and how did you start running?

I started running in my early 30s. A subconscious reason for it may have been my brother getting diabetic at a young age.

Your favourite running gear and soundtrack.

Nature and my environment provide me the best soundtrack. I don’t use shoes much, but clotheswise, I run in a singlet and shorts. Brands don’t really matter much.

Describe your training regimen.

It typically involves five or six days of running a week, almost exclusively in the morning. I try to mix it up with tempo, Interval, long runs, recovery, etc.

Why and when did you take up barefoot running? 

I took up barefoot running in 2009 purely out of curiosity when a friend told me how liberating and strong she felt running that way. I enjoyed it and felt it worked well for me. Since then, I’ve been almost exclusively running barefoot except for some long runs and races.

How did you qualify for the Boston Marathon?

I had no idea what it meant to qualify for Boston, but when I finished my first full marathon in 3 hours, 47 minutes, other runners told me that a BQ (Boston Qualification) was within my reach. I failed a few times, but made the cut in January 2009 for the first time. I have done both high-quantity and high-quality miles training with similar results, so I guess both methods work for me. The most important thing is to remain injury-free and enjoy your runs.

How much difference does it make running barefoot?

It is certainly different. It brings out your natural stride and landing, uses the feedback mechanism from your feet and possibly lets your body make automatic adjustments/corrections. I haven’t had any aches or injuries running barefoot that I used to have when running in shoes. However, it may very well be that barefoot is not the best style for you. There’s only one way to find out; try both.

Is there some personal goal that you have set for yourself?

I’d like to run a sub-3-hour marathon some day. If I can transcend the pressure of performance for races and become a complete zen runner, I’d like that.

Your tips for runners on how to make it to the Boston Marathon.

First thing is to find out what works for you. For some it’s high-volume training; for some it’s high-quality training; for some others, it doesn’t matter. Once you identify the training plan, enslave yourself to it. It’s hard work, but that’s what marathon running is anyway. For high volume, I highly recommend Pfitzinger 18/70; for high quality, either Fuhrman’s FIRST or the Hansons plan. Custom plans from Runner’s World SmartCoach are also wonderful.

Your running group, Soles of Cochin, is organizing its first marathon this year. What can we expect from it?

Soles of Cochin has a fairly large crowd running regularly, training together for marathons and longer races and achieving great things in terms of race times, physical transformations and mental toughness. We felt that it was time for us to organize a full marathon in Kochi. We have named our race the Spice Coast Marathon and identified a flat and fast course that winds through the spice market, along the happening Arabian Sea coast and to a relatively calm port area. It is scheduled for 16 November, when the weather will be nice and mild. We are expecting pretty good crowd support as the runners enter the Fort Kochi area from the relatively quiet Willingdon Island. We also plan to highlight the centuries-old landmarks in the area that bring the character and heritage of the place in focus.

 On the Run is a monthly series that profiles the most enthusiastic Indian marathon runners.

source: http://www.livemint.com / Live Mint & The Wall Steet Journal / Home> Leisure / Shrenik Avlani / Monday – August 25th, 2014

Malayalam pallikoodam launched

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Education

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:

The crowded registration counter at the Orthodox Student centre is a proof that old ‘aasan pallikoodam’ is still a sought after education centre.

When film director Adoor Gopalakrishnan inaugurated ‘Malayalam Pallikoodam’ on Sunday it was a different beginning for the Malayalam New Year for the city. Addressing the crowd, Adoor said that the endeavour is a privilege to the young generation at a time where the culture and traditional values are fading out. He said the project will help the kids to get know the tradition of Malayalam language through the formulated learning pattern developed by poet V Madhusoodhanan Nair.

Adoor distributed wooden slates, which were used as props for one of his films, to nine students who enrolled first as students of Malayalam Pallikoodam.

Pallikoodam offers a package of grandma stories, poems, sand writing and word puzzles to learn the language. “The registration has exceeded the calculated limit of 50 students. Now we are planning to add more batches in the project considering the demand,” said Arun Varghese, programme co- coordinator. Kids aged between 4 and 6 got enrolled at the school.

The idea of “Malayalam Pallikoodam” was put forward by prominent poet and writer Prof. V.Madhusoodhanan Nair. The poet introduced the reincarnation of “Aashan Kalari” to the audience by point outing that the kid who plays by making his own toys will develop managing ability and will start learning things by him.

The “Malayalam Pallikoodam” draws the kids in the city to experience the culture and purity of the Malayalam language through different workshops, games and poems. The kids are provided a two-hour Malayalam learning class on every Sunday which is free from home works, baggage of books, exams etc. “The young generation should know the culture of Malayalam and must be good to pronounce his or her mother tongue clearly. We are now living in a ‘Manglish’ society. Through Malayalam Pallikoodam, we wish to make our young society develop love for the mother tongue and uphold its values,” says Jessy Narayan, Convenor of the project.

Students will be taught under Kolencheri Gopalakrishnan Aasan , who used to teach students in sand writing. The classes will be on every Sunday from 10am to 12pm with fees of Rs 500 per month. It functions at Orthodox Students Centre, opposite AKG Centre.

Renowned literary scholars and poets including Perumbadavam Sreedharan, Prabha Varma, Rose Mary, artist Narayana Bhattatiri also spoke to kids on the first day of Pallikkoodam.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City / by Jisha Surya, TNN / August 18th, 2014

A documentary beyond the byline

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Leaders
Minister for Culture K. C. Joseph with Babu Paul, and BRP Bhaskar during screening of the documentary on him in Thiruvananthapuram. Photo: S. Mahinsha / The Hindu
Minister for Culture K. C. Joseph with Babu Paul, and BRP Bhaskar during screening of the documentary on him in Thiruvananthapuram. Photo: S. Mahinsha / The Hindu

When documentary film-maker P.Y. Anilkumar asked veteran journalist B.R.P. Bhaskar’s permission to make a documentary on him, he initially refused to give it. Later, when the film-maker continued to persist, he put forward a condition – the film should not in any way glorify him.

The documentary ‘Byline by BRP’ traces a brief history of the changes in the field of journalism over the six decades that he has been active in it. It stays clear of giving too many details of the man, and tries instead to use him as a peg to document the larger picture.

It was screened at the Nila cinema here on Tuesday.

“BRP is one of the few who has been effective across all modes of journalism – print, television, and online. He managed to switch easily with the changing times. We started the shooting when he came for the Arippa land struggle last year, and it was a perfect place to start as it embodies his activism,” says Mr. Anil Kumar.

Mr. Anil Kumar spent close to 10 months in researching and shooting the documentary, which was scripted by Venu Muttacaud.

source:  http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / Thiruvananthapuram – August 20th, 2014

Vinodkumar Selected Melsanthi

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Leaders, Records, All

Sabarimala  :

In a historical first, the selection of the melsanthi of Lord Ganapathi and Lord Hanuman temple at Pampa was done by drawing of  lots on Friday.

V K Vinodkumar, 35, of Vellakkattu Madom at Changankulangara in Kollam, was selected from among five aspirants by drawing lots.

The lots were drawn in front of the Sreekovil of Lord Ganapathi temple at 7 am.M N Narayanan Nampoothiri, 49, melsanthi of Thrikodithanam Sree Krishna temple, will be the new melsanthi of Pampa Lord Hanuman temple. Narayanan Nampoothiri was selected from among two candidates.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States > Kerala  / by Express News Service / August 23rd, 2014

Viswadeepam Award Announced

Arts,Culture & Entertainment
Kottayam :
Dr Kurias Kumbalakkuzhi has been selected for this years Viswadeepam Award instituted by Puthencavu Mathan Tharakan Trust for the best literary works that uphold human values. According to the trust officials, Kurias will be getting the award for his work ‘Galilelinte Ethihasam’.

The award that consists of a cash prize of `10,000 and a citation, will be given away by Finance Minister K M Mani at a function which will be held at Thiruvanathapuram Press Club on August 27. Former Chief Secretary R Ramachandran Nair will deliver a commemoration speech on the occasion. Trust chairman Paul Manalil will preside over.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Express News Service / August 21st, 2014