Monthly Archives: February 2015

HIDDEN HISTORIES : Engineering change through education

Education, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All
Group photograph showing the students and the faculty members of the Certificate Course, 1941-42 Batch. Photo: Sharat Sunder Rajeev / The Hindu
Group photograph showing the students and the faculty members of the Certificate Course, 1941-42 Batch. Photo: Sharat Sunder Rajeev / The Hindu

Many village artisans sought education and transformed themselves into government employees

Chittatinkara, a village on the banks of Killi River, was once the abode of ancient craft guilds closely associated with the construction of many famed buildings in Thiruvananthapuram. These guilds boast several talented ivory artisans and skilled artistes, who once shone brightly in the artistic realm of the capital city. A mapping of the history of these guilds reveal that the craftsmen, during the late 19th century, gradually shifted from their position as ‘village artisans’ to the role of ‘government employees’, mostly employed at the Survey Department, Public Works Department and the School of Arts.

P. Vasudevan Achari. / The Hindu
P. Vasudevan Achari. / The Hindu

“The transition from village artisans to government employees was not easy, for education played a key role in the process,” says 98-year-old Vasudevan Achari, a member of the Chittatinkara guild. “Then, there were few members from our guild who had the privilege of getting formal schooling, and in most cases the patriarchs were not willing to ‘spoil’ their children with Western education,” Achari adds. Vasudevan was amongst the fortunate few, for he successfully completed his schooling from the government English medium school at Killipalam. “My uncle used to call me ‘Sayippu’, for I was the first from my clan to learn the language of the British.” After completing his schooling in 1941, Vasudevan Achari and his relative Ramayyan Achari enrolled for the Certificate Course at the College of Engineering, Trivandrum, established in 1939. “In those days the college was housed in the former office and bungalow of the chief engineer (the present PMG Office). T.H. Mathewman, a Britisher, was the Principal,” Achari recounts.

The PMG Building where the College of Engineering, Trivandrum was first housed. Photo: Sharat Sunder Rajeev / The Hindu
The PMG Building where the College of Engineering, Trivandrum was first housed. Photo: Sharat Sunder Rajeev / The Hindu

Vasudevan still recalls his first meeting with Mathewman. “I got a letter from the College, asking me to appear before the Principal.” As soon as Vasudevan entered the room, Mathewman offered him a cigar. “I was stunned for a moment, and did not know what to do. Finally I gathered courage and told him: ‘Sir, I am a non-smoker, so is my father’. I saw a smile on Mathewman’s face. Next, he asked me whether I would be able to complete the course. I answered that I would complete the course successfully. The next question was whether I was married. I told him that I was a bachelor. That was my interview!”remembers Achari. Soon, Vasudevan got a memo, asking him to join the college. Mathewman, a soft-spoken man, was popular with the students. He visited the classrooms every day and when informed of the students’ progress, every time he would smile and say “Very Good.” Soon the students gave Mathewman the nickname ‘Very Good Sir’. J.C. Alexander, Chellayya, and D.L. Deshpandae who taught machine drawing were the other teachers.

“After the course, we were sent to the PWD for a one-year apprenticeship and in 1942 I was employed under the War Technical Trainee Scheme,” recalls Achari. Later, Achari worked at the ITI and retired in 1972 as group instructor. “Looking back, I consider myself lucky, for though I turned my back on the profession of my forefathers, Western education did aid me in leading a better life,” says Vasudevan Achari.

(This write-up is based on an interview with P. Vasudevan Achari).

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Sharat Sunder Rajeev / January 30th, 2015

Weightlifting: Fajru Nasik Grabs Silver

Records, All, Sports

Fajru-NasikMPOs04feb2015

Thrissur :

Kerala weightlifter Fajru Nazik won the silver medal in the men’s 85kg category at the National Games being held here on Tuesday. The gold was clinched by Vikas Thakkur of Services with a total lift of 339 kg.  The 21-year-old Vikas, last Commonwealth Games silver medallist in the same category, lifted a total of 153 kg in snatch and 186 in clean and jerk. He also set new national meet records in both snatch and clean and jerk categories.

Fajru, son of Muhammed and Fathima of Chittakathu Varikkottil, Thirunavayain Malappuram, lifted a total weight of 301 kg.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Express News Service / February 04th, 2015

Supermom Adds Honey to the Rowers’ Victory

Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Sports

Alappuzha :

The long tradition of oarsmanship inherited from her father Antony Joseph, has made 20-year-old Honey Joseph the glittering mom in the Kerala rowing team. A day after she helped the state to a gold in the 2000-metre coxless fours event at the Vembanad Lake for the National Games, Honey, the mother of two-year-old Ayin, has staked claimed for further acclaim after the hosts moved into the semifinals of the 500m coxless pairs and coxless fours events on Tuesday.

Antony, an oarsman with UBC Kainakari the prestigious boat club which won the Nehru Trophy Boat race several times, is the true inspiration behind Honey.

Honey Joseph with her daughter Ayin | Suresh Nampoothiri
Honey Joseph with her daughter Ayin | Suresh Nampoothiri

 For Honey, Vembanad lake is a familiar turf ever since her childhood. “My father had participated in the Nehru Trophy boat race 14 times and the team had lifted the coveted  trophy nine times. That inspired me to join the rowing team at the age of 14,” she said.

A gold medalist in various state and national competitions, Honey had to take a break from her sporting career in 2010 after she entered into wedlock with Vishnu Prasad who runs houseboat business in Alappuzha.

After giving birth of Ayin, she again evinced interest to join the rowing team. In 2014 Incheon Asian Games, she was back with a bang clinching silver in the coxless pair category and three bronze medals for the nation.

The Sports Authority of India Rowing Centre at Punnamada here has helped her to groom again. In the 2,000-metre rowing her team included Nithya Joseph, Chippy Kurian and M T Nimmy won gold in coxless fours category. In coxless pairs category, the team comprising Honey and Nimmy won silver.“The sad part is that though my daughter fetched many gold and silver for the state and nation, she is yet to get a placement in the government service,” Antony said.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Biju E. Paul / February 04th, 2015

Kudumbashree women win hearts with their cuisines

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Sports

Thiruvananthapuram  :

It is not the athletes alone who are going for gold in this year’s National Games. Around 200 women working for Kudumbashree are also there to win the hearts, not on the track and field, but from within the kitchen through their culinary skills.

In their greatest achievement so far, Kudumbashree has been vested with the contract of catering food for Games officials, media persons and spectators at 15 venues in Thiruvananthapuram district.

“This work is said to their greatest achievement so far, owing to the budget of the work undertaken,” said district collector Biju Prabhakar, who also heads the district organising committee of the games. The budget of the work undertaken is nearly Rs 1 crore. Out of this, the district administration has already released a fund of Rs 90 lakh, said Biju Prabhakar.

“We will also be opening food courts at all venues so that spectators can avail the Kudumbashree food,” he said, adding that only games officials were catered the food on the first day of the event.

Members of as many as 30 Kudumbashree from all districts in the state are here as part of the work. “We have set up four messes in the district, at Attingal, Pirappancode, Vellayani and Ambalamukku considering the proximity to venues,” said Sheejo Philip, coordinator of Cafe Kudumbashree, a restaurant brand of Kudumbashree. The women start work from as early as 2am onwards as they have to deliver food from 7 am onwards at the venues. They are providing three meals a day besides tea and snacks in the morning and evening. The menu mainly includes various ethnic recipes across the state such as dosa, idli, idiyappam, appam and even Thalassery Dum Biriyani.

According to Biju Prabhakar, many officials in the Games committee were doubtful on giving the contract to the Kudumbashree, but he managed to gain their trust. “The risk that I took has already started paying result as we are getting positive responses from people,” he said. Besides, the food is very cheap. While a day’s entire meals catered at other districts cost around Rs 1,250, our food costs only around Rs 350, he said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Thiruvananthapuram / by Rejith Balakrishnan, TNN / February 02nd, 2015

The tale of the idli

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

If I say the idli was brought to southern India by Arab settlers, it could raise hackles, especially among South Indians. But the truth cannot be suppressed. References to the modern way of making the idli appear in Indian works only after 1250 CE.

K.T. Acharya, the food historian, speculates that the modern idli might have originated in the region that is now Indonesia, which has had a long tradition of fermented food. According to him, cooks employed by the Hindu kings of the local kingdom may have invented the steamed idli there, and brought the recipe to India during the period 800-1200 CE. But this theory is being questioned by modern food historians such as Lizzie Collingham, Kristen Gremillion, Raymond Grew, Makhdoom Al-Salaqi (Syria), Zahiruddin Afiyaab (Lebanon). References available at the Al-Azhar University Library in Cairo also suggest that Arab traders in the southern belt brought in the idli when they married and settled down in those parts. Now the question is: how did that happen? It is known that Arab traders used to come to the southern coast for trade, and that pre-dated even the advent of Islam. The first mosque outside the Arab peninsula was erected by Arab settlers who came here as traders.

The Arab settlers were strict in their dietary preferences; many of them came here when Mohammed was still alive and they were neo-converts to Islam from Paganism. They insisted on halaal food, and Indian food was quite alien to their palate. To avoid all such confusion regarding what is halaal orharaam in food, they began to make rice balls as it was easy to make and was the safest option available. After making the rice balls, they would slightly flatten them and eat with bland coconut paste (Encyclopaedia of Food History, edited by Collingham and Gordon Ramsay of Britain, Oxford University Press, and Seed to Civilisation, The Story of Food, by Heiser Charles B, Harvard University Press, 1990). Later it was improved upon, and from the 8th century onwards, the idli in its modernavatar came into existence.

sumitmaclean@hotmail.com

source: http://www.thehindu.com  / The Hindu / Home> Opinion> Open Page / by Sumit Paul / February 01st, 2015