The Ernakulam District Panchayat is set to establish the first super specialty veterinary hospital in the state at Puthencruz in the eastern part of the district with the support of the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (KVASU).
The hospital costing Rs 5 crore will be set up on an 83 acre plot and will have a sub-centre of the KVASU to give training to personnel. The district panchayat would mop up Rs 4 crore from various local self-government institutions including the Kochi Corporation and municipalities to set up the hospital while the KVASU would contribute Rs 1 crore for it, said Eldhose Kunnappilly, district panchayat president.
He said that the KVASU had been entrusted with the task of preparing the plan for the building of the hospital. “A team from the district panchayat will visit the Wayanad and Thrissur veterinary hospitals to study the facilities there by July end and I have already spoken to the KVASU Vice-Chancellor Dr B Ashok in this regard to proceed with the work which is expected to start in four months,” said Eldhose.
There will be an Intensive Care Unit (ICU), a newborn care centre, labour room and also wards to admit animals for treating them. The hospital will have an ambulance. An Animal Birth Control (ABC) wing also will function to bring stray animals and sterilize them and then return them to the place from where they were brought.
Eldhose said that an animal protection bhavan too would be opened at Maradu to co-ordinate animal protection activities of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty towards Animals (SPCA).
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / DC / Vinod Nedumundy / June 15th, 2014
A group of devotees have brought out a documentary on the lesser known rituals of Kottiyoor temple, where the annual Vaishaka festival will begin on Tuesday.
“Even those who come to participate in the festival do not know what actually transpires at the temple. So we thought of filming Kottiyoor Mahatmyam, a two-hour-long documentary,” said Vinod Manathana, a member of one of the Sthani families that control the temple. He has directed the documentary.
Legend has it that Kottiyoor in Kannur district is the place where Daksha yaga was conducted. “Later, Lord Parasuram started the Vaishakha festival. The fest was revived when a Kurichya tribal found a ‘swayambhoo siva linga’ while hunting in the forest, according to the legend,” Vinod said.
Thousands of people arrive for the 28-day festival held at the makeshift temple at Akkare Kottiyoor. “The rituals here are unique and can’t be seen anywhere in the country. Certain rituals are even held secretly as people are not allowed to watch them. Such rituals have been omitted from the documentary, but we have narrated such rituals through voiceover for the benefit of devotees who are keen to know about them,” he said.
The uniqueness of the temple is that all castes in the Hindu community have a role in the rituals. “People from as many as 64 Hindu castes participate in the rituals. Each ritual is assigned to a particular community ranging from Brahmins to tribals,” he said.
The team completed the documentary after extensive research and consultation with the Kottiyoor devaswom authorities. “The makeshift temple and the surroundings are a visual treat. Entry to Akkare Kottiyoor is limited to the festival days. Earlier, the entire makeshift temple used to be dismantled after the festival, but now only the ‘sree kovil’ where the siva lingam is kept is demolished,” he said.
The CD of the documentary was released at a function held here on June 7.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kozhikode / TNN / June 10th, 2014
The biodiversity-rich Western Ghats have sprung yet another botanical surprise. A two-member team of researchers from the Calicut University has discovered a rare flowering plant species belonging to the Araceae family from the Western Ghats.
Researchers, K M Manudev, a PhD student of the botany department and his guide Santhosh Nampy, came upon the plant belonging to the Arisaema genus (commonly known as Cobra Lilly for its flowers resembling snakes ready to strike) during their scientific expedition to Oosimala Top in Valparai on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border.
The work was undertaken as part of a three-year project on revision of Arisaema in India. They have named the new plant species ‘Arisaema madhuanum’ after their teacher and mentor, P V Madhusoodanan, former professor and head of the department and presently professor emeritus at the Malabar Botanical Garden, Kozhikode.
The plant was found in the margins of evergreen forests situated at an elevation of 1,300 metres above sea level. The discovery has been published in the latest issue of the Edinburgh Journal of Botany, published by the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh.
According to the report, Arisaema madhuanum, is a dioecious, perennial herb around 115cm tall. It differs from the other species in the same genus (Arisaema) in having a male spadix with subulate neuters, a wide-mouthed spathe tube and by the erect to arching limb with a narrow base.
The researchers found a cluster of 31 plants in the locality including two fruiting plants. The female plants were robust and larger than male plants. The flowering and fruiting has been observed during the onset of monsoon.
Manudev said that the plant like other Arisaema species has the potential to be developed as an ornamental plant due to its unique and intriguing flowers, with some varieties highly priced in European countries.
Nampy said that the discovery has once again highlighted the need for the protection and regeneration of the biological treasure trove of the Ghats. ”
The rare species found in undisturbed shola forests and that too above 1300 metres elevation could face habitat loss due to climate changes and human interference.
Of the total of 48 species of Arisaema found in India, 21 species are found only in the Western Ghats,” he said.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / K R Rajeev, TNN / June 18th, 2014
Eminent Malayalam scientist-turned-writer C Radhakrishnan has been selected for the prestigious Moortidevi Award for 2013 for his novel “Theekkadal Katanhu Thirumadhuram”.
The novel is a biographical account of Thunchat Ramaanujan Ezhuthachan, widely regarded as the father of Malayalam language.
The novel attempts to bring back to life the socio-cultural ambience of 15th century, according to a press release issued by Bharatiya Jnanpith which has instituted the award.
Radhakrishnan has also contributed to popular science and all branches of literature, mostly fiction.
Moortidevi Award carries a cash prize of Rs four lakh, a plaque and a statue of goddess Saraswati.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / PTI / June 13th, 2014
Profits from ‘Achani’ funded the Quilon public library, now a cultural hub
It is perhaps the only public library in the country which can boast a genesis linked to a movie. In July 1973, when the Malayalam movie Achani was released, the Kollam-based cashew industrialist K. Raveendranathan Nair who produced it declared that he would donate the entire profits from the venture to the construction of a public library in Kollam.
The movie was a box-office success, and Mr. Nair, who later earned the moniker ‘Achani Ravi,’ kept his word by donating his profit of nearly Rs.15 lakh (a big amount at that time) to the library.
It all began in early 1973 when the idea of a public library for Kollam city germinated in the minds of Mr. Nair, physician T. Kurien, and two journalists M.S. Sreedharan and Devanand. Together, they met the then District Collector M. Joseph, whose response was positive.
Society registered
Soon, an ad hoc conference was called by the Collector with all sections of people in Kollam. The discussion largely pertained to getting the government to allocate suitable land in the city to house the library. The meeting adjourned without identifying a property, but succeeded in registering a society, under the Travancore-Cochin Charitable Societies Act, named the Quilon Public Library and Research Centre (QPLRC).
The immediate task of the society was to identify land. Recalls Mr. Nair, “Fortunately at that time, Kollam had two dynamic ministers — T.K. Divakaran and Baby John — in the then C. Achutha Menon Cabinet. The society office-bearers met TK and put forth a suggestion for allocating some land from the Rest House complex at Chinnakada.”
Library complex
But the visionary that he was, “TK wanted the society leaders to think out of the box and plan a library that would go beyond mere lending of books and promoting reading.” His idea focussed on a library complex that would serve as a cultural hub to promote fine arts and performing arts. “I will discuss it with comrade Baby John,” he told them.
It was Baby John, Revenue and Excise Minister at that time, who suggested housing the library in the Excise Complex on YMCA Road, its current location. The complex was then a dumping space for material objects seized in connection with various excise-related offences.
But finding a suitable alternative accommodation for the Excise Complex was not an easy task. After a lot of effort, on New Year’s Day in 1975, as much as 2.5 acres of the Excise Complex was formally allocated by the government to the QPLRC. At a function held on April 23 that year, Baby John laid the foundation stone for the library building in the presence of Babu Divakaran.
Even as the construction was on, the QPLRC started functioning from a palm-frond-thatched shed in the compound on February 1, 1976.
The then Prime Minister Morarji Desai inaugurating the Kollam public library in January 1979. The then Governor Jyothi Venkatachalam, the then Chief Minister P.K. Vasudevan Nair, and the then Revenue Minister Baby John are also seen. / The Hindu
Building ready in 1978
The building was ready by November 1978, and on January 2, 1979, the QPLRC was inaugurated at a grand function by the then Prime Minister Morarji Desai, in the presence of the then Governor Jyothi Venkatachalam, Chief Minister P.K. Vasudevan Nair, and Baby John. Unfortunately, T.K. Divakaran had passed away in 1976.
Key resource
The QPLRC is today a treasure trove of information for all age groups. With a collection of more than one lakh books, the library is a key resource for undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, researchers, visitors, and the community at large.
It contains separate research and reference sections, apart from a spacious reading room where all newspapers and magazines are available to readers, irrespective of whether they are members or not. Browsing the shelves of the library for a good read or an answer to a question can turn up unexpected pleasures.
A view of the children’s wing of the library. / Photo: C. Suresh Kumar / The Hindu
Membership
The membership has touched 50,000, and over 10,000 are very active. The QPLRC, which operates as a self-financing institution, is also a University Grants Commission-sanctioned research centre for Malayalam and Islamic history. Its archives contain all copies of The Hindu from 1980, bound and preserved on a monthly basis for reference.
Other institutions of the library include the Sopanam Kala Kendram auditorium, the Saraswathi hall, the Library hall, the Sopanam Kala Kshethram, and a children’s library with a membership of 5,000.
These are managed by a 23-member staff. The complex functions as the cultural hub of the city, hosting film shows, book festivals, performing arts, lectures, exhibitions, plays, and concerts.
Since the library’s inception, Mr. Ravi continues to be unanimously chosen by the 40-member governing body as the honorary secretary. The District Collector is the ex officio chairman. Mr. Ravi enriches the library collection through generous contributions.
Staff members say that taking into consideration the services rendered by the library, the government should support it through some funding.
This article has been corrected for a factual error.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Kerala / by Ignatius Pereira / Kollam – June 11th, 2014
George Varghese celebrated his 90th birthday with the 15th edition of the Kaipattoor tournament. / Photo:S.Gopakumar / The Hindu
Golf is still a passion for George Varghese, the oldest member of Kowdiar Golf Club
The nine-hole course at the Golf Club in Kowdiar comes up short in containing George Varghese’s exuberance as he strides across the turf waving his slightly worn-out golf club in the air. After the game, as the 90-year-old man gave a little sprint for the camera, some of his much younger teammates smiled at each other, with a glint of envy in their eyes.
Mr. Varghese, the oldest member of the club here, celebrated his birthday in style on Saturday with the 15th edition of the Kaipattoor tournament, which he started in 2000 as a tribute to the ‘unknown village’ where he was born, Kaipattoor in Pathanamthitta district, in 1924.
All the 50 of them who gathered at the club were wearing the yellow t-shirts designed for the tournament. Mr. Varghese’s was a special one though, with the number 90 stitched at the back. Members, among them retired civil servants and defence personnel, vied with each other to get themselves photographed with the grand old man, whom they affectionately address as ‘uncle.’
“I have been a member of this club since 1986. Four of us have made a team and we play in the afternoons at least four times a week. I have got some great friends from this club,” says Mr. Varghese.
Golf has been a life-long passion for him, even during his stint as the manager of a private firm in Singapore for 40 years.
Since 1952“I became fascinated with golf way back in 1952, as the famed Island Country Club was near my apartment. There were at least 12 international golf clubs in that small city and I became a life-long fan there,” he says.
When he came back to the country in 1986 after retirement, his only consideration was to stay in a place where he could regularly play golf. And so, he settled in Thiruvananthapuram. The golf course here is peculiar in that there are no carts to ferry you to the spot for the next shot. Mr. Varghese walks all the distance, as fast as the younger ones.
“One of my memories of ‘uncle’ is of the day when we were playing at Ootty recently. The golf course is reached by a steep climb and we had ridden up on our cars. Only he was missing from the crowd. After some time we heard loud cheers from the crowd and saw him walking up after parking the car downhill,” says John Thomas, Captain of the club here.
A member of the Golf Addicts Society of Southern India, Mr. Varghese speaks softly but hits the ball with all the force he could muster.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by S. R. Praveen / Thiruvananthapuram – June 08th, 2014
Wood cuttings, lithography, and line drawings being prepared for printmaking at the College of Fine Arts on Wednesday. / Photo: S.R. Praveen / The Hindu
The textures on the faces and the depressions on the surreal landscapes depicted on miniature and square rectangle pieces of paper tell one that there is more than just human hand at work there.
Shining through these prints are the ages of the trees and the unpredictability of acids, which decides the final form of the work.
In the age of instagram when we are carpet-bombed with a million photographs on a daily basis, these prints which are made with the effort of more than the day harks back to a period when time literally stood still.
When the annual degree show of the College of Fine Arts opens on Thursday on the campus, one of the novelties will be the printmaking section, which will showcase the talent of the students in etching, lithography, and wood cutting.
This is probably the first time that an exhibition of such prints will be held in the city.
“The advantage of prints compared to the normal paintings is the subtle gradation of tones achieved in this. The printmaking itself is an intimate process which begins with tapping out the wood, applying the acid, and transferring it into paper. Though multiple impressions can be taken of the same work, each turns out unique,” says Melbin Thomas, a final year student.
In addition, there will be a display of the vintage printmaking machines.
The degree show is the culmination of four years of work put in by the students and is a platform for them to display their best works.
“The degree show is a kind of bridge for us to the general public, who are not very familiar with what is happening here. It is a way of letting them know what these students have become in these four years,” says M. Lekha, college Principal.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by S. R. Praveen / Thiruvananthapuram – June 05th, 2014
Living the life of an ascetic is not that easy. But for P Gopalakrishna Swami, who started the Jyothipeetom Ashram on the Thirichittapara hilltop at Thannimoodu near Nedumangadu, life has been a series of challenges for the last 33 years. One may not find anything to be excited about the ascetic in him but his hard work in developing the rocky hilltop into a garden of rare species of trees would leave anyone wonderstruck with admiration for the 78-year-old man.
The real wonder remains with his selection of rare species of trees and medicinal plants. ‘Athi’, ‘Ithi’, ‘Kunthirikkam’, ‘Veppu’, ‘Aryaveppu’, ‘Njara’, Bamboo, ‘Karpooram’, ‘Sampranimaram’, ‘Njaval’, ‘Elanji’, ‘Erukku’, ‘Plassu’, ‘Vellanochi’, ‘Kadukka’, ‘Nelli’, ‘Pulinchi’, ‘Garudakodi’, ‘Parpadakamaram’, ‘Nagagandhi’, ‘Punna’ are some of the exotic species forming the lush green cover on a major part of the rock. Sandalwood, red sandalwood, ‘Neelakadampu’, ‘Arassu’, ‘Kallarassu’, ‘Kattikodi’ (the plantwhich dilutes water), ‘Kallal’ and even foreign plants like African cherry and ‘Rudrakasha’ have been grown at the site. Scores of other medicinal and fruit trees offer food to the monkeys that inhabit the area and keep the tree-lover company. “I purchased one acre of land on the hilltop and a pond was made to store rainwater. Over 150 loads of rock were used to level one side of the terrain and two to five feet of earth was spread over the entire area to prepare the ground,” he recollects. Around 16 years ago, a Hanuman temple was also constructed at the site.
As the rocky hilltop was not conducive to growing even common garden plants, his effort was to develop a layer of earth on the rock surface to allow the tree saplings to sprout roots and hold firm against the whistling winds on the hilltop.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by N V Ravindranathan Nair / June 05th, 2014
S Sarma MLA inaugurating the land preparation machine suitable for Pokkali wetlands at a function organised by the Krishi Vigyan Kendra near Edavanakkad, Kochi, on Tuesday | express
Kochi :
The Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) of CMFRI here has launched a land preparation machine suitable for pokkali wetlands.
Inaugurating the launch ceremony near Edavanakkad on Tuesday, S Sharma MLA said that mechanisation of pokkali fields is the need of the hour for the existence of this traditional organic farming system.
According to the KVK, the machine will be great for sustainable pokkali farming, as skilled labourers are not available in many places and this will reduce the expense.
The field capacity of the mini tiller is 1.5 acres in eight hours at a cost of `2,500.
Whereas 15 labourers are required to cover this much area in the same time for a cost of `12,000.
A group of 15 Kudumbasree women from each block panchayat, where pokkali farming exists, will be trained and developed into mechanised pokkali task force.
The KVK has already received funding from the Mahila Kisan Sahshaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP) through district Kudumbasree Mission for this initiative.
The KVK had conducted extensive scientific studies on the performance of the machine, popularly known as garden tiller or mini tiller, earlier this month in different pokkali fields.
This 60 kg, 5.5 HP machine requires field dry to the extent that a person can walk over the field without sinking into it.
Most of the pokkali fields would get dry to this extent naturally if the previous shrimp farms are vacated in time to facilitate draining of water during the first week of May. However in certain fields, pumping out of water might be required to dry out the field.Programme coordinator Shinoj Subramanian introduced the machine to a group of pokkali farmers and Padasekhara Samiti office-bearers in the presence of grama panchayat ward member Sajith, technical experts from KVK Pushparaj Anjelo, P A Vikas and Agricultural Officer Serine Philip.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kochi / by Express News Service / June 04th, 2014
Zamorin Manavikraman Raja was under treatment following old age-related ailments. He breathed his last around 2.55pm.
Manavikraman Raja was annointed the Zamorin after the death of the then Zamorin P K S Raja in March 2013.
Born in Thiruvannur Puthiya Kovilakom as the son of Kuttimbatti Thamburatti and Paderi Shakran Namboodirippad on May 10, 1920, Manavikraman Raja had his education at the Zamorin’s School and took his BSc degree from Annamalai University. He started his career as a schoolteacher at Zamorin’s High School and later joined the Union ministry of commerce in 1947. He then moved to the ministry of foreign affairs and retired from service in 1980 as third secretary from the Indian Embassy in erstwhile Czechoslovakia. He had also served in Canada, Lebanon, Phillipines and many other countries.
As Zamorin, he was the trustee of a number of temples in Kozhikode, Malappuram and Palakkad and active in the social and cultural realms.
People from various walks of life paid tributes at the Thiruvannur Puthan Kovilakom where the body was kept. The last rites would be performed at Thiruvannur Kovilakam around 8am on Wednesday.
K C Unnianujan Raja of Kottakkal Kizhakke Kovilakom will succeed Manavikraman Raja as the next Zamorin.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kozhikode / TNN / April 30th, 2014
