Daily Archives: March 29, 2015

Hundreds of Christians observe Palm Sunday

Believers taking out procession on Palm Sunday in Kannur. Manorama/Vidhuraj MT
Believers taking out procession on Palm Sunday in Kannur. Manorama/Vidhuraj MT

Kottayam:

Waving palm leaves, hundreds of Christians across the state took out processions to commemorate the Palm Sunday, the day Jesus Christ entered Jerusalem as a King.

The children were chanting verses from the Bible and sang hymns.

Churches in the state had made elaborate arrangements for Palm Sunday celebrations. Special church services were held in the local churches to mark the day, five days before the crucifixion of Christ.

Starting today, the Christians will observe the next seven days with lots of religious fervour and will celebrate Easter on April 5.

Christians form nearly a quarter of Kerala’s 33 million people and churches across the state was overflowing with the laity turning up in good numbers to take part in the Palm Sunday mass.

“The mass got delayed because our church was overflowing with people and it took a long time to distribute the leaves. These leaves are taken home and displayed in the best part of the home and on the coming Christmas eve it’s returned to the church to be part of the bonfire,” said Mini Antony, a housewife in Kottayam.

source: http://www.english.manoramaonline.com / OnManorama / Home> News> Kerala / by Manorama Correspondent / Sunday – March 29th, 2015

Exploring Theyyam: ‘God’s Own Dance’

Kannur :

It was in 2012 that Portugal-based Russian painter Madina Ziganshina got to witness a couple of theyyam performances in Kannur. Its colour and religious fervor literally mesmerized her that the artist decided to do a series of paintings capturing the spirit of theyyam, which she likes to describe ‘God’s Own Dance’.

A series of 15 paintings are on display at Brushman’s Art Gallery here till March 10. These watercolours are, in a sense, an outsider’s curious impressions of a ritualistic performance, its vibrance and unearthly ambience.

“When I saw the performance where the theyyam jumped into the fire, I was astonished and even wanted to jump and perform along with him,” said the painter, who was enthralled by the transformation of man into god.

There were lots of researches involved before embarking on the mission, including watching theyyam performances over the last couple of months in various kavus here, said Ziganshina. “The light, the dynamism of movement and the mesmerizing environment in the night air literally ignited my creative spirit which was later translated into these compositions.”

“Though I was influenced by legends and Russian folklore as a child, which later influenced my works too, those experiences were all through books while here, I got the chance to come face to face with the God’s own dance,” said the artist, who is here on an invitation by Travel Kannur, a firm promoting cultural tourism.

Though Ziganshina’s works is a merger of different styles including impressionism, abstraction and hyper realism, here she prefers to stick to realistic figuration to express a ‘magically realistic’ performance.

But rather than the momentum and vigour of theyyam, it is a stillness that is reflected in most of these works. Some of them appear like the frames seen through the viewfinder of a camera.

Still, there is a beauty of craftsmanship in these compositions that are narratives of a colorful ritual with a soul of fire.

Ziganshina, who has exhibited her works in many countries including the US, France, Germany, Italy, Holland, Sweden, and Dubai, plans to take ‘God’s Own Dance’ to other towns in Kerala in the coming days.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kozhikode / by P. Sudhakaran, TNN / March 07th, 2015

Tracing an eventful journey

might of letters:Poet Sugathakumari releasing O.N.V. Kurup’s ‘Pokkuveyil Mannilezhuthiyathu’ by handing over a copy to poet V. Madhusoodanan Nair in the city on Thursday. —Photo: S. Gopakumar
might of letters:Poet Sugathakumari releasing O.N.V. Kurup’s ‘Pokkuveyil Mannilezhuthiyathu’ by handing over a copy to poet V. Madhusoodanan Nair in the city on Thursday. —Photo: S. Gopakumar

Memoir of O.N.V. Kurup released

Pokkuveyil Mannilezhuthiyathu , a memoir by poet and Jnanpith laureate O.N.V. Kurup, was released by poet-activist Sugathakumari at a function held here on Thursday.

The memoir, which was released simultaneously in Kollam, Kochi, and Kozhikode, traces the author’s childhood days, his stint as a teacher, his political journey, association with socio-cultural movements, and the world of letters, theatre, and movies.

The first copy of the book was received by poet V. Madhusoodanan Nair in the presence of T.N. Seema, MP, Communist Party of India (Marxist) district secretary Kadakampally Surendran, and writer Ezhacherry Ramachandran .

Ms. Sugathakumari said that the poet, in his inimitable style, presents a factual account of his journey as a human being, without criticising or praising anything. His language had all along been “love,” she said. The poet might have his ideological moorings but his indebtedness was to the “mother earth.”

V.K. Joseph of Chintha Publications, which brought out the memoir, highlighted an incident in the book where the poet saw a group of youngsters celebrating Gandhiji’s assassination by distributing sweets at Thampanoor. “ONV thought they were distributing sweets without knowing about the assassination. He was taken aback when they said they were celebrating it,” Mr. Joseph said.

The account was relevant today when there was a clamour for a temple in the name of Gandhiji’s assassin, he said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Staff Reporter / Thiruvananthapuram – March 27th, 2015