Monthly Archives: March 2015

For women, by women

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Education, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All
Some of the young residents of S.M.S.S. Hindu Mahila Mandiram Photo: Nita Sathyendran / The Hindu
Some of the young residents of S.M.S.S. Hindu Mahila Mandiram Photo: Nita Sathyendran / The Hindu

Women of all ages get a new lease of life at the S.M.S.S. Hindu Mahila Mandiram, which kicks off preparations for its centenary celebrations on Saturday

School’s over for the day, but Aparna and Shilpa, both of them students of class nine of Chinnamma Memorial Girls High School and long-time residents of S.M.S.S. Hindu Mahila Mandiram at Poojapura, which runs the school, have a lot of revising to do for an upcoming maths exam. Oblivious to the ruckus, as happy youngsters in this 95-year-old home for indigent girls and women make the most of play time, the duo are bent over their notebooks, working out complex geometry equations, helped by a couple of home tutors.

“We want to be computer engineers and we are determined to work hard for it,” says Aparna, brimming with confidence. Sprightly Aishwarya, meanwhile, a student of class 11 and one of the home’s star pupils, wants to become an architect. She is busy prepping for her role as the compere for an upcoming event at the Mandiram. Like these three precocious youngsters, every one of the 96 girls, ages ranging five to 19, who call the Mahila Mandiram their home, want to make something of themselves. Guiding their dreams to fruition is M. Sreekumari, the organisation’s long-time honorary secretary, and her merry band of dedicated volunteers and staff members.

Mahila Mandiram was established in 1918 and registered as a charitable organisation in 1920 by K. Chinnamma and centres its activities on the ‘care, education, empowerment and rehabilitation’ of orphans and women and children from impoverished backgrounds. “We’ve tried to carry forward the legacy and social commitment of our founder. Our aim is not only to bring the girls up well and get them married off, but to also make each one of them stand on their own two feet, be empowered, self-sufficient and, above all, have self-respect,” says 71-year-old Sreekumari, who has been running the organisation for some 34 years now.

M. Sreekumari, honorary secretary (left), and Radha Lakshmi, president, SMSS Hindu Mahila Mandiram Photo: Nita Sathyendran / The Hindu
M. Sreekumari, honorary secretary (left), and Radha Lakshmi, president, SMSS Hindu Mahila Mandiram Photo: Nita Sathyendran / The Hindu

“Social work is in my very genes; I come from a family which has always been into social work. I am in awe of Chinnamma who thought so far ahead for women and children of the land, at a time when they were relegated to being second class citizens. Chinnamma hailed from an ordinary family in Attingal but was determined to get an education. Encouraged by her kunjamma [maternal aunt] who worked at the palace, she was one of the first female students of the Fort High School. She completed graduation after marriage and rose to become an inspector of schools in erstwhile Travancore and became a pioneer in social work. Chinnamma died at 47, 12 years after she established the organisation, the seeds for which must have been sown in her early teens itself,” adds Sreekumari, as she shows us around the well-kept home that includes spacious living quarters and a library, among other facilities.

“We are all one big family here,” she says, responding with a smile or a small wave as the youngsters call out greetings – in near reverence – to their ‘Amma.’

Apart from the home and the high school, Mahila Mandiram runs a Government-aided lower primary school, a working women’s hostel, an old age home for impoverished women at Azhoor, Chirayinkeezh, Panchavadi, ‘a holistic community development project, benefitting both children and the elderly’ at Vellanad, and a vocational training centre, the Mahima complex (currently under renovation).

They started out by giving young women training in handloom weaving and changed to “more feasible trades” as times changed.

Today Mahima complex houses a stitching and embroidery unit, a book binding unit, an offset press, and a computer centre that not only trains young women from the locality but provides employment opportunities too. In fact, for its efforts, the organisation won the national award for child welfare in 2013.

“Apart from fundraising, one challenge is actually finding committed personnel to help run the organisation. Because we can’t afford to pay exorbitant salaries, most of those who come for work here view it as a stop-gap arrangement. This also means that we are not savvy enough to attract the kind of corporate sponsorship that is available nowadays. Then again, the biggest challenge is raising the children – two at home is difficult, imagine a 100!

“Each child is a challenge, more so when the child in question has come to us after suffering emotional/physical trauma. We try to give them as much individual care as possible but it’s not always easy and we’ll never measure up to their mothers, who they would have left behind. The key is to persevere come what may and get them on the path to success,” says Sreekumari.

For a cause

On Saturday, March 21, 5 p.m., the organisation kicks off the first event in its master plan for its centenary celebrations – a fundraising event for Puthen Mandiram, the old age home at Azhoor, established in 2002. “We want to celebrate our centenary by bringing more women and children under our umbrella,” says Radha Lakshmi, president of the organisation. Having started functioning with just four residents, Puthen Mandiram [the land and heritage home was donated by one of the organisation’s member T. Madhavi Amma] now accommodates 15 women. “The present accommodation falls short of the comforts the residents require. By 2020 we want to expand the facility to a two-storey building to accommodate at least 25 elderly women, and make it more age-friendly, besides starting several outreach programmes such as a day care centre, assisted living facilities and an ambulance service,” adds Sreekumari. Contact: 0471 2351243

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Nita Sathyendran  / Thiruvananthapuram – March 19th, 2015

Kerala students steam up world’s longest puttu

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Education, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All, Uncategorized, World Opinion
The twelve final year students of Oriental School of Hotel Management in Kerala who made the longest puttu.
The twelve final year students of Oriental School of Hotel Management in Kerala who made the longest puttu.

A world record was achieved by making the longest puttu in the world of 18.2 feet, by twelve final year students of Oriental School of Hotel Management, Lakkidi, Wayanad, Kerala. It was held on March 16th, 2015 at 3.00 pm in the campus of the institution. The longest puttuwas made as per the guidelines and specifications of the Guinness World Records.

Students standing next to their creation, the longest puttu in the history of puttu in Kerala.
Students standing next to their creation, the longest puttu in the history of puttu in Kerala.

The twelve final year students who etched their names in the World Record attempt are Ms. Syama. M, Ms. Kavya Varghese, Mr. Akhil. B, Mr. Sivajith. S, Mr. Akshay Jain, Mr. Nithin George, Mr. Yadav Gurunathan, Mr. Jobu Ebin, Mr. Ebin Albert, Mr. Umesh. R. Nair, Mr. Jishnu. P. R and Mr. Mohammed Saif, all final year Hospitality Management students under the able guidance of Mr. K. C. Robbins, Principal of Oriental School of Hotel Management.

Puttu is an authentic Kerala breakfast dish of steamed cylinders of ground rice layered and blended with grated coconut. The ingredients for making the longest Puttu were 20 kg of ground rice flour, 15 grated coconuts, 15lts of water, salt, and a special equipment mould of aluminum was meticulously designed by the institution to prepare the longest puttu for the record breaking event. The longest puttu weighted 31.87kg.

Twelve final year students of Oriental School of Hotel Management in Kerala have managed to set a new Guinness World Record by steaming up the longest puttu.
Twelve final year students of Oriental School of Hotel Management in Kerala have managed to set a new Guinness World Record by steaming up the longest puttu.

 The students took an hour and 15 minutes to prepare the world’s longest puttu and this is the result of days of relentless hard work and detailed planning. The Oriental School of Hotel Management is managed and owned by Malabar Hotel Management and Catering Promotion Trust—a charitable Institution founded by the visionary and social icon—Dr. N. K. Mohammed, the guiding force and inspiration behind the challenging event.

Earlier in 2006, the students of this institution had made a ten feet long puttu by using 10 coconuts and 26 kg of powdered rice in a specially designed 12-foot-long aluminum mould which took one-and-a-half hours to be cooked. (Refer: Wikipedia- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puttu).

The world's longest puttu being examined at the Oriental School of Hotel Management in Kerala.
The world’s longest puttu being examined at the Oriental School of Hotel Management in Kerala.

The world record attempt by the students of the institution has surpassed their own previous record, and will be appropriately certified and documented by the Guinness World Records. All the documents and supporting evidence have been sent to the Guinness World Records for appropriate verification and certification.

source: http://www.food.manoramaonline.com / On Manorama / by Correspondent, On Manorama / Home> Food> Foodie / Monday – March 16th, 2015

Tribal rhythms on bamboo pieces

Amazing Feats, Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives & Environment, Nature

Thiruvananthapuram :

Any attempt to find a connection between Kerala’s popular percussion instrument chenda and pieces of bamboo may sound bizarre. But in the hands of a set of tribal artists from Kasaragod, bamboo pieces chatter in a voice similar to that of chenda.

Named as mulam chenda (bamboo drum), the instrument is made of one-meter long bamboo pieces, end of which are tied with long ropes. The instrument with long narrow slits on the middle part of the bamboo pieces has tonal resemblance with chenda when hit with specially designed sticks.

According to Ananthan M V and his troupe of nine other percussionists hailing from ‘Mavilar’ tribal community from Kasaragod, the instrument is a symbol of their indigenous culture and music, which is now a part of their livelihood. The group was in the city as part of the ‘Thala Maholsavam’ organized by Vylopilly Samskrithi Bhavan that began on Saturday.With the support of Kerala Institute for Research Training and Development Studies (Kirtads) and other government-registered organizations the team has performed in more than 350 venues across the country.

The group often uses mulam chenda as an accompaniment to the tribal songs composed by them in Malayalam and Tulu. “As per the custom, the actual duration of the performance is one day with intervals, but when performing outside we have to do it in a stipulated time and we prepare the songs and rhythms accordingly,” Ananthan said.

Mulam chendas are classified into two, the ‘veek chenda’ or the bass drum and ‘mani chenda’ or the melody drum. The instrument was used for ritual customs to please the presiding deity of the tribe, marriage rituals and to scare off birds and animals from agricultural fields. To make mulam chendas one has to select the suitable pieces from the bamboo variety ‘aringadom mula’, which should be done on a new moon day that too according to the moopan’s (tribe leader) guidelines.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Thiruvananthapuram / TNN / March 16th, 2015

A role model for rural women

Agriculture, Green Initiatives & Environment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features
Beena Sahadevan in her organic vegetable garden.
Beena Sahadevan in her organic vegetable garden.

Nirupama, the much acclaimed character portrayed by actor Manju Warrier in her comeback movieHow Old Are You , has been an inspiration for many women. Here is a real life heroine, who has proved that with hard work and willpower one can face any difficult challenge.

On International Women’s Day, the Krishi Vigyan Kendra-Thrissur (KVK), with the support of Mathilakom panchayat will honour Beena Sahadevan, who has become a role model for rural women.

Beena is being honoured for her efforts and determination with which she has beaten numerous odds in her life and reaped success in farming.

She took up farming five years ago after her husband, who was working in the Middle East, fell sick. The family had no source of income. She started growing organic vegetables in her 33-cent plot, in addition to homesteads of five neighbours. She has now three cows, about 50 goats, more than 150 poultry birds, including 50 ducks and fishes in three ponds of neighbours.

Now, she makes enough income to take care of her husband and for other expenses, including the education of her daughters. She also makes garments besides taking up occasional catering assignments.

Officials of the Agriculture Department and the Thrissur Krishi Vigyan Kendra have supported her efforts. She also got training in seedling production, quality seed production and other planting material production from Dr. Jalaja S. Menon of Krishi Vigyan Kendra.

The programme to be held at Mathilakam block panchayat auditorium will be inaugurated by V.S. Sunilkumar, MLA. More than 300 women, who are involved in farming in the nearby panchayats, will attend the function.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Kerala / by Mini Muringatheri / Thrissur – March 08th, 2015

Books of Authors to Make a Library

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Education, Uncategorized
The library to be opened at MAM UP School, Parambil Kadavu t p sooraj
The library to be opened at MAM UP School, Parambil Kadavu t p sooraj

Thiruvananthapuram  :

In book shelves arranged on branches and the trunk of a tree’s statue, ‘Aksharakoodaram,’ a library to be opened at MAM Upper Primary School, Parambil Kadavu, Kozhikode will feature books from the personal collections of major writers in Malayalam like M T Vasudevan Nair, Sugatha Kumari, P Valsala, etc. And with these appealing features, the school library is being set up for a unique cause – to develop a reading culture among the families by taking the parents, besides the children, to the world of books. Apart from the teachers and students, each of the parents will be the members of the library, which will be opened by writer M T Vasudevan Nair on March 19.

Aimed at instilling better interest in reading among the children, the library club of the school had organised a programme to introduce the writers, along with their books, by conducting visits to their homes, and the books for the library was a result of that.

“The collection of books for the library began on the last reading day when the students interacted with M P Veerendra Kumar, who donated his 18 books to the library. Later, they had an interaction with M T Vasudevan Nair during Onam and then with writers like U A Khader, Satchidanandan, etc., who donated their own as well as other books in their collections for the library,” points out library convener Simi Z A.

“We actually aimed at offering an opportunity to the children to interact with the writers and they offered their books after knowing about our project,” points out Rajeesh Kumar, who led the programme.

“After making the parents the members of the library, we will be organising book discussions during the class PTA meetings with an aim to develop a reading culture among them, which will have a great influence on the children. It will further give a boost to the academic activities of the children, who will be encouraged at home to get into the reading habit beyond their academic syllabus. The majority of the parents often show reluctance towards children reading books other than their textbooks and creating interest in reading among the parents will bring in a change to it,” points out school headmaster Devanandan K C.

Apart from the writers’ collections, publishers like Lipi, Chinta, DC Books, Olive, etc. and the students and alumni members have also contributed books to the library, around 1,500 of them, and the school authorities aim to increase the number of books to 5,000 this year. All other accessories in the library and reading room, including the table, fan, tiles, shelves, computer, etc have been donated by the alumni members. An amount of Rs 1.5 lakh has also been raised from the teachers, students and alumni members. Moreover, the library will also be fully digitised with a software developed by an alumni member.

“What attracts me is that it’s not the library and its facilities, but the opportunity it provides to select books according to our taste,” says Anagha Krishna S J, a class VII student.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Anila Backer / March 12th, 2015

She Autos an instant hit in Pathanamthitta

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All, Travel
Many takers:Municipal chairman A. Sureshkumar with She Auto drivers in Pathanamthitta town.— Photo: Leju Kamal
Many takers:Municipal chairman A. Sureshkumar with She Auto drivers in Pathanamthitta town.— Photo: Leju Kamal

Five pink autorickshaws ply on Pathanamthitta roads

Pathanamthitta is becoming a model in gender support, with the Pathanamthitta municipality pioneering She Auto service in the town limits.

Taking a cue from the Shetaxi scheme of the Social Welfare Department, the civic body here has introduced the State’s maiden She Auto scheme a month ago. Painted in pink, the She Autos are fast getting popular in the town, says A. Sureshkumar, municipal chairman, who is the brain behind the women empowerment programme.

The municipality has sanctioned 12 She Autos and the first allotment of five autorikshaws hit the road a month ago. The other seven beneficiaries are undergoing driving classes and vehicles will be allotted to them as soon as they qualify the driving test, says the civic body chief.

The municipality has provided subsidy to the tune of Rs.60,000 each to the beneficiaries belonging to Scheduled Castes sections and Rs.40,000 to those in the general category. The civic body has also arranged vehicle loan to all the 12 beneficiaries through UCO Bank.

“A majority of our customers are women and we earn a profit of Rs.650 to Rs.750 a day,” say Sindhu, Lonamma and Sathi Muraleedharan, She Auto drivers. Suchitra and Rajalakshmi are the other two She Auto drivers in the town.

However, the autorickshaw drivers at the autorickshaw stand near the private bus stand are up in arms against allotting a separate stand for She Autos in front of the private bus stand. District Collector S. Harikishore has intervened in the issue and an amicable settlement is expected soon, says Mr. Sureshkumar.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Kerala / by Radhakrishnan Kuttoor / Pathanamthitta – March 09th, 2015

Broccoli Cultivation Fast Catching up among Farmers in Idukki District

Agriculture, Business & Economy
A broccoli farm in Idukki
A broccoli farm in Idukki

Idukki :

‘Anti-cancer’ vegetable Broccoli is being cultivated in West Kodikulam, a sleepy village  near Thodupuzha, by a small-time farmer named Jose.

The news of Jose Vattakkadu becoming the first farmer to successfully cultivate the crop in the district has thrilled people in the neighbourhood. “People are thronging my 15-cent farm in large numbers to have a glimpse of it,” Jose told ‘Express.’

“Broccoli is a great source of indole-3-carbinol, which boosts DNA repair in cells, and blocks the growth of cancer cells. The vegetable grows only between the months of October and March, and at least two crops can be cultivated during this period,” he said.

Jose has successfully cultivated 100 broccolis, each weighing over one kg. However, some of them wilted away. “The vegetable costs about Rs 200 per kg in supermarkets. As I was thrilled about growing it, I distributed them among neighbours and relatives,” he said.

Another farmer, 70-year-old Jose Cheruparambil who lives in West Kodikulam, said he was planning to start broccoli farming in October this year.

“At present, I have only 50 cents of land, in which I am already growing beans, cauliflower, cabbage and other vegetables. I am looking for land on lease so that I can take up broccoli farming in a big way. It is said to be costing about Rs 250 per kg in metros. If I get Rs 100 per kg in Thodupuzha it will be a good price,” he said.

The Vegetable and Fruit Promotion Council Kerala  (VFPCK) had made an unsuccessful attempt to cultivate broccoli at Erattayar near Kattappana. Jose, who cultivates vegetables, tapioca and plantain on his 50-cent land and 75 cents of leased land, is planning to continue with broccoli farming provided he gets seeds from the government. “Ten grams of seeds cost `2,000, which is too much. Using ten grams of seeds, about 2000 broccolis could be grown,” Jose, who is a member of VFPCK, said. “Once harvested, the crop sprouts from the roots of the earlier plant. Therefore, there is no need to sow seeds every time. My experience has encouraged others to take up broccoli farming. But, the government should come forward to provide the seeds free,” he said, adding that many people were not aware of the medicinal value of broccoli and its role in fighting cancer. Once awareness is created in this regard, there would be tremendous demand for the product.

VFPCK assistant manager Litty Thomas, who has been assigned to proliferate broccoli farming in the district, said that it was encouraging that broccoli could be grown in Idukki. “The VFPCK will hold discussions with regard to  extending help to more farmers in the district for growing broccoli,” she said.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by P .B. Jaysankar / March 09th, 2015

Call to exploit commercial, medicinal potential of njavara rice

Agriculture, Business & Economy, Nature, Science & Technology
The need for proper branding and planning of marketing strategies has been highlighted by the speakers at the State level workshop on “Prospects and possibilities of njavara rice farming”.
The need for proper branding and planning of marketing strategies has been highlighted by the speakers at the State level workshop on “Prospects and possibilities of njavara rice farming”.

Expert moots branding unique variety of Kerala rice

The need for proper branding and planning of marketing strategies has been highlighted by the speakers at the State level workshop on “Prospects and possibilities of njavara rice farming”.

The workshop organised by the Centre for IP Protection under the Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) took note of the mismatch between the high demand for quality njavara rice on one hand and the difficulty faced by genuine njavara farmers in selling their produce on the other.

KAU Registrar P.V. Balachandran, in his inaugural address, stressed the need to validate scientific data on the medicinal value of njavara to convince the international society. “Even though njavara has been traditionally used for treatment of multiple maladies and there are reports on its capability to thwart cancer, it has to be validated with scientific data. Medicinal rice is the unique product of Kerala. Ensuring universal acceptance, proper marketing strategies and product diversification are the best options for sustaining njavara rice farming,” he said. T.R. Gopalakrishnan, Director of Research, in his presidential address, called for collaboration between the KAU and the Ayurvedic research institutions to identify the genetic elements responsible for the medicinal properties of native varieties like njavara and pokkali.

“An action plan to encourage cultivation of these varieties and spread awareness of their qualitative superiority and value should be evolved,” he said.

Dr. Ramankutty Warrier, chief medical officer, Vydyarathnam Ayurveda Foundation, Thycattussery, explained the medical applications of njavara rice.

Dr.Warrier detailed the different treatments using njavara and the properties of which were exploited in dealing with different diseases. Njavara should always be grown organically, he said.

Technical sessions on “GI status of njavara”, “Cultivation practices of njavara” and “Marketing possibilities of njavara” were held as part of the workshop. It was attended by farmers, traders and industrialists from different parts of the State.

source: http://www.thehindu.com  / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Kerala / by Staff Reporter / Thrissur – March 12th, 2015

Now, a women’s sport too

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Sports
Women, who participated in the kite flying training programme on Sunday on Kozhikode beach, trying to control a kite.— Photo: K. Ragesh
Women, who participated in the kite flying training programme on Sunday on Kozhikode beach, trying to control a kite.— Photo: K. Ragesh

It takes eight to 10 men to control the 1,000-kg circular kite of the One India Kite team. Founder of the team Abdulla Maliyekkal was quite apprehensive when he gave the reins of the kite to a group of women . His apprehension was not misplaced considering how the women struggled with it initially, but it gave way to happiness watching the first professional all-women kite team in the country take form.

The team named ‘Incredible India’ was launched on the Kozhikode beach on Sunday, on the occasion of International Women’s Day.

Training in style

Supported by their parent group One India Kite Team, the women who have undergone training in the nuances of kite flying, took off in style flying the Circular kite and the Kathakali kite amidst the curious Sunday crowd on the beach. “This is the most relaxing experience I have ever had. Controlling a kite is not child’s play. It takes great coordination and team work. Hence while flying the kites, we forget everything else,” said Mini Nair, team captain.

The team now plans to take part in kite festivals across the country and abroad where they plan to present some kites of their own.

As part of the launch of the women’s team, the One India Kite Team, in association with the women’s wing of Junior Chamber International, Calicut, had organised a kite-flying training programme for women, which was attended by 25 women. “The training was given by expert kite flyers Abdulla Maliyekkal, Hashim Kadakkalakam and Shyam Padman.

source: http:// www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Kerala / by Aabha Anoop / March 09th, 2015

Creative Smart Waste Bin Fetches her Accolades

Education, Green Initiatives & Environment, Records, All, Science & Technology

Kochi :

Rakshanya Sekar, a confident youngster,is on cloud nine. The student of KV Pattom is the only one from the state to receive the Bio Asia Young Minds award 2015.

The class XII student got the award for her science project, ‘Smart disposal bin’, which she presented at the Bio Asia 2015, a national convention held recently at Hyderabad. The award comprises a cash prize of Rs. 50,000 and a citation.

Rakshanya presented a basic working model of the bin at the Bio Asia conference.

RakshanyaKERALA07mar2015

With enthusiasm, the teen elaborates on the working of her ‘Smart Disposal’ apparatus. She says,“The bin is divided into two compartments- the plastic waste unit and the food disposal unit. The food waste unit consists of a food dehydrator, hot air blower and a wire mesh through which the waste reaches the bottom chamber of the food unit. The dehydrator and the hot air blower helps to take out the moisture content from the waste, which can then be used as manure or even animal fodder.”

The empty plastic bottles put in the other unit are crushed and shredded into small pellets by horizontal blades present in the compartment. “These horizontal concave blades work alternatively, and the plastic pellets are collected in the bottom chamber of the unit.”

The 16-year-old sees it as a solution for the waste disposal problem faced by the Railways. She said, “Managing waste, especially plastic, is a huge problem, with plastic bottles lying on the tracks.

The Smart Disposal Bin helps by reducing the volume of the bottle, making it easier to transport. One can utilise the plastic collected in this way, for using in innovative projects.”

The biotechnology student used zinc sheets to make the body of the model, which also has additional boxes to collect powdered waste. Rakshanya,who is passionate about science, says, “I like innovating and coming up with new ideas, and wish to contribute to society through science.” She will be representing KV from her region, along with a few other students in the upcoming Jawaharlal Nehru National Science Exhibition.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Kochi / by Varsha Mohan / March 07th, 2015