After the long demands made by the admirers of Ayurveda and the Hortus Malabaricus Trust, the state Archeology Department has declared the remains of the famous Ayurveda physician Itty Achuthan, coauthor of Hortus Malabaricus, a protected monument. The department issued government order to protect the monument. The ‘kuriala’, a small wooden room used by the scholar; a botanical garden; the ‘narayam’, wooden pen using to write; palm leaf writings; a basket made of cane; the silk and bangle gifted by the erstwhile King of Kochi are in the kuriala.
Itty Achuthan
According to Archeology Department Director G Premkumar, the 8.5 cent land owned by the Kollattu family in the Kadakarapally panchayat in Alappuzha was handed over to the Department. The Department had published preliminary gazette on July 2013 to make it a protected monument. Some of the family members raised protest, but the government negotiated with them and declared the monument a protected one this month, he said. Premkumar said they have plans to construct the monument in the land and to protect the ‘Kuriala’ intact. The Department directed the engineer to prepare a project. The fund for the protection will be allocated in the next financial year, he said.
The Archaeological Department started initiatives to take over the land a few years ago, but the land was pledged by the present owners in a Co-operative Bank. Later, the state government released the 8.5 cent land from the bank burden and published gazette. Itty Achuthan had participated in the compilation work of Hortus Malabaricus, a book on the flora of Kerala in the mid 17 century. The Dutch Malabar governor Hendrik Van Rheede had written the book and it was published in the second half of 17 century at Amsterdam.
The property is now owned by a fourth generation member of Itty Achuthan’s family in Kadakarapally panchayat near Cherthala. The land owner pledged the land in two cooperative banks and have taken lakhs as loan. After the death of the land owner his wife and children are living in the house.While the Kuriala is situated in 66 cent land and the botanical garden grown by Itty Achuthan is in 26 cents, the Archeology Department has taken over only 8.5 cents of land from the entire property to protect the monument and botanical garden.Hortus Malabaricus Trust secretary A N Chidambaran said that the trust had been working to protect the monument for more than two decades. The Trust has submitted proposals to construct an ayurvedic museum and a research centre about ayurvedic medicine, he said.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Biju E. Paul / October 23rd, 2014
Poet and playwright Kavalam Narayana Panicker at the screening of a documentary on his works directed by Shivamohan Thampi in Kochi on Thursday. PHOTO: K.K. MUSTAFAH / The Hindu
‘Spatial Rhythm’, a documentary on poet and doyen of theatre Kavalam Narayana Panicker directed by Sivamohan Thampi, was screened by Cochin Film Society in the city on Thursday.
Prior to the event, Kavalam spent sometime at the Nanappa Art Gallery at the invite of artist T. Kaladharan where he spoke on the documentary, his works and recited a few poems. “It is a good documentary,” he said. “Thampi has known me for quite sometime, but fortunately our closeness hasn’t influenced him to train the camera on me. The film is about my works,” said the dapper playwright.
“I have always looked at things from my outlook as a villager and fundamental to my art is my conscience bestowed by a value-based world surrounding the village,” he said and recited, at the request of Mr. Kaladharan and the audience a few poems, including ‘Yathrachirakil’ on life’s passage to the infinity of death. “While on that journey as a community, can’t we work towards ending strife in the name of religion, caste and belief?”
As is typical of his work, suffused as they are with a deep sense of rhythm characteristic of rustic living, a poem that sounded like a rustic limerick rich in colloquial expressions and folk tenets was also rendered by him.
Theatre personality Prof. Chandradasan was present.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu/ Home> News> Cities> Kochi / by Special Correspondent / Kochi – October 24th, 2014
Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) has developed a ‘lime applicator’ system to apply lime on the sprawling paddy fields of the state, to ameliorate the acidity of soil, before agriculture activities. This machine has come out as a boost for kole land farmers as they were facing acute problems with lime application ahead of every farming season.
The R&D team of the Food Security Arm (FSA) under the University has developed a system of protocols to use the equipment ‘fertilizer broadcaster’ as lime applicator.
After field trials at ARS Mannuthy, applicator was successfully demonstrated at Ponnamutha Kole padavu, before the farmers, and was found very successful. It will apply lime at the rate of 600kg/ha.
According to ARS head U Jaikumaran the kole lands of Malappuram and Thrissur districts, stretching over 30,000 acres, is inherently faced with high acidity problem.
Here high acidity interferes with soil fertility and hinders the uptake of nutrients by the paddy crop thereby reduces rice production up to 60-90 per cent, unless neutralised by lime application.
The farmers in this area were demanding the development of a suitable machinery, over the years, for lime application in kole lands, at the prescribed rate. This demand was projected in ‘Operation Ponnamutha 300/5’ project and since then Agricultural Research Station, Mannuthy, was trying to development of a lime applicator feasible to kole lands, Jaikumaran said.
This led to the development of two lime applicators. Both these functions through PTO operated tractor and mounted on three point linkage. Its hopper is conical in shape and can hold nearly 450 kg of lime material. The PTO operates a central spin situated on the bottom opening of the hopper, which scatters lime material dropping through the hopper.
When manual workers claim nearly `3-5/ kg for lime application, using this machine can reduce the cost by `1/kg. The equipment can also be hydraulically lifted.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Express News Service / October 22nd, 2014
The eggless cake will be prepared by a team of 30 cake experts on October 30. Representational image
Thiruvananthapuram:
In a first, the Kerala Bakers Association (KBA) is planning to bake a 600-feet-long cake to mark the 131st anniversary of cake-making in the country.
The association is planning to bake the cake at a convention centre in Thrissur on October 30 to showcase the legacy of ‘plum cakes’ in the country.
According to local historians, the first cake in the country was baked by an Indian in the historic town of Thalassery in north Kerala over a century ago.
Taking cue from the European settlers in the Malabar region of Kerala, Mampally Bappu, a local entrepreneur, is said to have baked the first cake using local ingredients in the coastal town in 1883, they said.
To mark the occasion, the KBA has roped in scores of its members to prepare and exhibit the massive cake.
The event is being organised not just to commemorate the legacy of bakers in Kerala but to create awareness about the significance of baking industry in the economy, the association said.
“Kerala may be the only place in the world which has such a large number of bakeries. So we thought it is our responsibility to create awareness about its glorious past,” P M Sankaran, state president of KBA told PTI.
Mampally Bappu, who lived in Thalassery, was a visionary who introduced the exclusive taste of cakes to Indian foodies, he said. “Though there was a bakery set up in Bengal in 1880 to cater exclusively to the British, Indians could not savour the delicacies prepared there. Bappu made the first cake in his Royal Biscuit Factory in 1883,” he said.
Bappu had made the cake based on a sample brought by a European planter who lived in Thalassery then, he said.
Though Bappu’s descendants have been celebrating the legacy of cake-making as a family affair for many decades, the association decided to mark the occasion on a larger scale this year.
M P Ramesh, the owner of Cochin Bakery and a fourth generation member of Bappu’s family, is taking the initiative of making the giant cake, weighing over 3000 kilograms.
“The eggless cake will be prepared by a team of 30 cake experts on October 30. It will be exhibited for the next two days,” Ramesh told PTI. A 353.5 feet-long cake, showcasing significant features of Thalassery, was prepared by the association to mark the 129th anniversary of cake making in 2012, which gained entry into the Limca Book of Records, he said.
Besides the display of the giant cake, several other programmes and cultural events have been planned as part of anniversary this year, association members said.
source: http://www.english.manoramaonline.com / On Manorama / Home> News> Kerala / by Agencies / Saturday – October 18th, 2014
Johny Lukos, news director, Manorama News channel bagged the Madhyamasree Award instituted by India Press Club of North America (IPCNA). M.G. Radhakrishnan, Editor, Asianet News has also won the award.
The award has been conferred in view of his outstanding contribution to contemporary journalism. The award will be presented on November 8 at a ceremony to be held in New York, India Press Club president Taj Mathew informed.
The awardees will share a cash prize of Rs 1.5 lakh among them. The winners were announced after the shortlisted candidates were evaluated by Malayalam film actor, Mohanlal.
source: http://www.english.manoramaonline.com / On Manorama / by The Correspondent / Saturday – October 18th, 2014
The ‘My Tree Challenge’ campaign, launched by actor Mammootty recently for planting trees, has crossed the oceans and reached other continents, with an Australian mayor accepting the challenge.
Stuart Slade, Mayor of the Glenorchy City Council, has planted a gumtree at the Tolosa park in the capital of Tasmania, an island city in Australia.
The mayor, who named the tree ‘Gandhi’ as an honour to Mahatma Gandhi, has also challenged the mayors of Melbourne, New York, Paris and London to plant trees.
Slade thanked Mammootty for the concept, while acknowledging it as a solace to the planet that is fast becoming polluted. He also invited Mammootty to Tasmania, and urged him to pay respect to the Gandhi tree.
The Mayor, who is an enthusiast of India and the country’s development, came to know about the My Tree Challenge from Sajini Sumar, chairperson of the Multi-cultural Women’s Council of Tasmanaia.
The My Tree Challenge, a campaign involving planting of saplings and challenging others to do so, was launched by Mammootty on August 30 – inspired by the ‘Ice Bucket Challenge’. He had asked Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan and Tamil actors Vijay and Suriya to take up the challenge.
Mammootty had also planted a tamarind tree on the premises of Grand Hyatt Hotel, Dubai.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Express News Service / October 21st, 2014
The second annual conference of the Society for Heart Failure and Transplantation (SHFT), an association of cardiologists, cardiovascular surgeons and cardiac anaesthesiologists, begins here on Saturday. Governor P. Sathasivam will inaugurate the conference organised by the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology. Some 300 experts in the field of heart failure will take part.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Special Correspondent / Thiruvananthapuram – October 18th, 2014
The Department of Ports is gearing up to make Vizhinjam a bunkering port to tap the potential of the business in view of proximity to the international sea routes and the East-West Shipping Axis.
The procedures to extend bunkering services from the existing wharf at Vizhinjam had started, Director of Ports P.I. Sheik Pareeth told The Hindu here.
The services of multiple agencies were needed and the modalities were being worked out with the stakeholders. The department was trying to exploit the strategic and unbeatable inherent advantages of the location, he said.
The port was just 10-12 nautical miles away from the busy Persian Gulf- Malacca shipping lines which carried almost a third of the world’s maritime traffic. Piracy issues had prompted vessels on the Red Sea – far east route to take a relatively northerly route and steam closer to west India. This would turn advantageous to Vizhinjam and Kochi, sources said.
The aim was to make available from the port food, water, and other things needed for the vessels that moved along the outer channel.
Besides generating revenue, bunkering business would bring in a sea change to the harbour and generate employment in the supply and logistics industry.
More maritime services could be generated in the port area. A supply hub could be developed and the increased utilisation of hotels and flights was possible, Mr. Pareeth said.
The preference shown by shipping lines towards Kochi and the government’s steps to promote it prompted the department to think of Vizhinjam as a bunkering port.
The service delivery would be as per Customs procedures governing the supply of fuel, ship stores, provisions, and fresh water to vessels on foreign run, round-the-clock, he said.
The government had reduced value-added tax (VAT) on bunkers being sold to foreign-going vessels. This had given a boost to bunker sales. Kochi and Colombo were the nearest bunkering ports. The annual bunkering market in India was estimated to be over 12 lakh tonnes, sources said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News. Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by S. Anil Radhakrishnan / Thiruvananthapuram – October 16th, 2014
A worker at the loom in Tasara Kozhikode. Photo: K. Ragesh / The Hindu
Twenty five years on, Tasara continues to bring imagination, aesthetics and exclusivity to weaving
There are no signboards in sight. Tasara, Centre for Creative Weaving, is lost in the small streets of Naduvattom near Beypore, and the lack of signage is deliberate. V. Vasudevan, its chief architect, only wants the curious and the committed to reach. Yet, in the past 25 years, a steady trickle of enthusiasts has landed here from across the world to learn and take back an aging craft woven with new colours.
At Tasara Kozhikode. Photo: K. Ragesh / The Hindu
The first international workshop at Tasara happened in 1989. Tell Vasudevan that makes this their 25th year surviving on creative weaving, he is blasé. Milestones do not matter. Tasara is a philosophy of life for him and family. And they are believers in quiet work. On November 1 begins a month-long residential workshop, a bi-annual feature on the centre’s calendar. “We have eight candidates coming from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa and Costa Rica. Every time there would be couple of them who are brilliant. The person from Costa Rica is a textile teacher,” says Vasudevan.
The double-decker residential complex — a large house — is readying for the workshop. Vasudevan, his brother and artist Balakrishnan – the man behind the engaging tapestries, sister Santha and a few more family and a handful of non-family members make up Tasara. The aim is a community where everyone pitches in for everything. Panchali who is scrubbing floors could be found at the loom moments later. Inside, Vasudevan shows his latest piece of work. A running spread of silvery grey coarse material is taking birth on the loom. “Carpet?” I ask. “No, sofa furnishing,” he says. Weaving with wild silk sourced from Chhattisgarh is tough, says the weaver. But it is for a customised order from Scotland, he adds.
A tapestry at Tasara Kozhikode. Photo: K. Ragesh / The Hindu
Tasara’s biggest tapestry at 13 metres height and two-and-a-half metre width was done for The Paul Hotel, Bangalore. “It took seven of us four months to weave. But that is the only one we did for hotels .”
A slow game
At the hallway at Tasara are piles of hand-woven material. There are large tapestries , stacks of wild silk stoles, woven table mats, elaborate floor mats, yoga mats, hand-woven shirts and bed spreads — all from the loom. The space embraces art and mundane together. “Once in a while someone comes to buy. But it will all be sold slowly,” says Vasudevan.
‘Small’ is a big word here. Growing in terms of quantity is not the focus. “It is about doing things with dignity. Everything you do is part of your personality,” he says.
Remaining small and exclusive has let Tasara live. Their creations have been exhibited in Sweden, Switzerland, Holland, Germany and the United States. “I can say that there not many countries in the world that does not have a small thing of ours,” says Vasudevan.
Handloom can survive not by mass production, but by scaling down. This was a lesson Vasudevan learnt quickly. He began like many others in the 1970s of Kozhikode with Spider Weavers when weaving went bullish. “There was an enormous market for cotton crepe in the U.S. and U.K. and production was not matching up to the demand. The weaving hub was Kannur, but it spilled over to Kozhikode and many units came up.” Weaving was simple to learn and many came to make a quick buck. The bull ride though lost steam quickly.
“When crepe cotton went out, we wove satin bed sheets with viscous fibre. It went to Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai. When washing machines took over lives, these 90-inch bed spreads woven by 12 over a day and a half, was pushed out. A machine could wash only a bed spread at a time.”
The Hindu
Experimentation, adaptation and innovation proved the only way. There were enough reasons to shut down, few ways to survive. “Slow production is the weak point of handloom, but it has to be converted into our strength. Limited supply will always have demand.” The way forward was in being creative and creating custom-made, exclusive products. “I realised the significance of a counter experience. Handicraft would be valued only if it is exclusive. Secondly, it has to be more aesthetic. I tried to bring in the texture of a painting onto woven textiles,” says Vasudevan.
A random mention of his weaving enterprise to a German friend in Chennai led to an order for curtains at the Max Mueller Bhavan there. The weavers experimented and the order became their statement. Handloom bordered on art and drew attention. The curtains at Max Mueller led to an offer to collaborate for an exhibition by the Alliance Francaise in Chennai. It was the metamorphosis of the commercial enterprise Spider Weavers into the cultural Tasara. Collaborating with a French artist, the men and women of Tasara created tapestries what were soon given the name “woven art.”
Max Mueller Bhavan followed suit with the proposal for an international workshop. Painters came from within and beyond to create and execute ideas. Many artists have stayed and worked here — Adimoolam, Achuthan Kudallur, Jayapala Panicker, Surya Prakash and others. Ever since, international workshops have been an annual feature at Tasara. “When creative people come together something is bound to happen,” says Vasudevan.
Workshops are Tasara’s means to never stop learning. As enthusiasts come in from world over — from an IT guy to textile academicians — new techniques and ideas emerge. “At the last workshop, we were introduced to eco printing by a participant. Teaching is the best way to be updated,” says Vasudevan. They also allow an apprenticeship of six months free of cost for those interesting in weaving. Learning continues and Tasara lives. Sustenance is through workshops and small sales. “We have happily survived; importantly work does not feel like work.”
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus> Fashion / Kozhikode – October 10th, 2014
NRKs planning to invest in agriculture back home now have a golden opportunity to do so and to understand how to go about it. The Agriculture Department is planning a two-day investors’ meet in Doha, Qatar, on Thursday and Friday to attract investment and to generate awareness regarding the scope. The meet will also feature a ‘single window clearance’ mechanism for potential investments, Agriculture officials said. This is the first time that the Agriculture Department is organising a workshop outside the country, Agriculture Minister K P Mohanan said here on Tuesday.
“The meet is aimed at potential NRK investors in this sector. But it will also help to boost the possibilities of the meet which will be held in Kochi in November this year,” he said. The Global Agro Meet is to be held on November 6 and 7 and aims at showcasing Kerala’s own agro products. This list includes indigenous rice varieties, other produces such as Vazhakkulam Pineapple and spices like Malabar Pepper.
The November expo is also intended to acquaint farmers here with the latest trends and possibilities on offer in the international market. The meet also proposes to discuss ways and means to strengthen marketing and supply chain infrastructure for farm products in the state.The Biofach India 2014 trade fair also will be held alongside the Global Agro Meet.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Express News Service / October 15th, 2014
