Monthly Archives: August 2015

For the Chinese envoy, the past is here & now

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

Kochi :

The Chinese ambassador to India, Le Yucheng, on Sunday visited the Chinese fishing nets at Fort Kochi. He took part in casting the fishing nets and raised the hopes of several fishermen who are looking to the Chinese government to protect and preserve these nets.

However, the ambassador was non-committal. He said that the nets reminded him of the Chinese explorer, Zheng He, who is believed to have visited Kerala six times.

“I will surely promote tourist flow from China to Kerala. Wait for a few months, and I assure you that thousands of Chinese tourists will be heading your way,” said the ambassador. Last year, a Chinese embassy team that visited Kochi had offered help to restore the aged fishing nets that dot the shoreline of Kochi. However, the offer was declined by the Kochi corporation.

“With this visit, we hope that he would grant some funds for the restoration of nets as most of them are now being made from metal rather than traditional teak wood. Authorities also don’t seem to care about it any more,” said Hansel Joseph, a fisherman.

The Chinese fishing nets are facing a threat as authorities, including the Heritage Conservation Society, DTPC and Kochi corporation, have turned a blind eye to its plight. Many of them were removed recently.

On the second day of his official visit to Kerala, Le Yucheng visited other popular sites in Fort Kochi. “Kochi is rich with culture and heritage and I was told that it would be a shame not to visit these places,” he said.

The ambassador, who received an invitation to visit Kerala from chief secretary Jiji Thomson, arrived at Kumarakom on Friday along with a four-member team. His official tour of Fort Kochi began from the Dutch Palace and Jewish Synagogue in Mattancherry, following which he visited St Francis Church and the iconic Chinese fishing nets. He was also presented with a replica of the ‘cheenavala’.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Kochi / by TNN / August 10th, 2015

‘Oru Sankeerthanam Pole’ travels to Russia

Arts,Culture & Entertainment

Thiruvananthapuram  :

The 65th edition of the novel ‘Oru Sankeerthanam Pole’ by Perumbadavam Sreedharan was released at a function held at the residence of acclaimed writer Fyodor Dostoevsky at St Petersburg in Russia.

Roy Charitable Foundation chairman Cherian Eeppan handed over a copy of the book to Dostoevsky museum director Natalya Ashimbaeva, in the presence of Perumbadavam Sreedharan.

The residence of the famous Russian writer, who also forms the central character in the novel, is currently being preserved as a historical museum by the Russian government.

Kerala adopted the Russian writer through the novel, Ashimbaeva said while receiving the copy.

She added that the museum took pride in hosting such a function, particularly in the presence of the writer himself.

Sreedharan said that ever since he began reading, Dostoevsky had influenced him deeply and that it was a great honour to release the 65th edition of the novel at the residence of the world-acclaimed writer.

Eeppan said his organization planned to take up the task of translating the novel to Russian.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Thiruvananthapuram / TNN / August 07th, 2015

Kerala Urged to Explore Historic Links to Woo Chinese Tourists

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, Sports, Travel, World Opinion

Kochi :

In order to boost the prospects of Kerala’s tourism, which eyes the Chinese market, those at the helm should explore the potential historical links that connect the State with China, said Chinese Ambassador to India Le Yucheng.

He was speaking to mediapersons on the sidelines of an interaction with Chief Minister Oommen Chandy here on Monday.

“A range of topics were covered in the interaction with the CM. We have chalked out an in-depth plan to boost the tourism prospects of Kerala in China. Marketing strategies for the same have already been discussed with Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson when he visited China. In a short period of time, a high-level team from China will visit Kerala to look into the investment venues, including the tourism sector,” said Yucheng.

Stressing the need to explore the historical links, he said there were many links that connected Kerala with China. “Of them, the Chinese fishing net stands first. The snake-boat race and Kerala’s martial art ‘kalaripayattu’ have had their Chinese connections. The common factor lies in food also. My point is that these linkages have to be explored for the good, which will attract Chinese tourists to Kerala,” he said.

According to Yucheng, 5,000 Chinese tourists visited the State last year. “The goal is to raise the figure to 50,000, and then to 500,000. But, spirited efforts are needed to reach that goal,” Pointed out the Ambassador, adding that he had put forth certain suggestions before the CM for attracting Chinese tourists.

The suggestions include conduct of boat races, martial arts events, investment meets, entertainment programmes and conferences, among others.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Kochi / by Express News Service / August 11th, 2015

A glorious decade

Business & Economy, Leaders, Records, All
Proud winners:Chief Minister Oommen Chandy with students who cleared this year’s Civil Services examination, at a function organised by the Kerala State Civil Service Academy in the city on Thursday.— Photo: C. Ratheesh Kumar / The Hindu
Proud winners:Chief Minister Oommen Chandy with students who cleared this year’s Civil Services examination, at a function organised by the Kerala State Civil Service Academy in the city on Thursday.— Photo: C. Ratheesh Kumar / The Hindu

The Kerala State Civil Service Academy has churned out as many as 252 civil servants, including a top rank holder, since its inception in 2005.

The Kerala State Civil Service Academy, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary, can look back with pride as it had churned out as many as 252 civil servants, including a top rank holder, since its inception in 2005. So it is not surprising that the number of candidates enrolling for coaching at the academy is only growing.

In 2005, when it was established, only eight among a handful of candidates managed to enter the service. Now, in its tenth year, more than 400 aspirants have enrolled for various batches. Last year, 35 students cleared the examination.

“We are witnessing a steady rise in the number of students joining the academy. The examination is no more considered a hard nut to crack. Instead, students feel that with the right approach and perseverance, clearing the exam is not a hard task,” said P.M. Rajeev, course co-ordinator at the academy.

Taking into account the growing number of aspirants, the government has decided to construct a new building for the institute at Charachira, near Nanthancode. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy laid the foundation for the new building here on Thursday.

The three-storey building will have all modern facilities. The building, which will be constructed at a cost of Rs.3.43 crore, will also have a hostel for girl students.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu /  Home> National> Kerala / by Staff Reporter / August 07th, 2015

Blind youth develops mobile app for eye donation

Amazing Feats, Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All, Science & Technology

Kochi :

A new app called Netradaan enables users to sign up for eye donation through their mobile phones. What makes the app all the more special is the contributions by a visually challenged person in its making.

Muhammed Ramees was born with partial eyesight. When Sunil Mathew, founder of Sightica Solutions spotted him during an interview to train visually challenged persons in using computers, he realized that Ramees was too good to be just trained in basics. That was the beginning. Together the duo went on to develop a series of Android apps.

“One of the unique features of the app is t the recipient request through which a request for cornea can be made. This will go into the database of the association. The app has English and Hindi versions, Ramees said. The app encourages users to donate their eyes through an easy to fill-and-submit donor form. “We have partnered with the Eye Bank Association of India. The donor receives an eye donation card from the association,” said Sunil, who also runs Society for Rehabilitation of the Visually Challenged (SRVC), an NGO in Kochi.

Another app called Kuluk created by them enables the blind to call for help by shaking or tapping their phone “A visually challenged person can call for help by shaking the phone or tapping it just once keeping the app on. The users can customize the number of shakes upto three. A shake or a tap prompts a call or message to emergency numbers saved on their phones,” said Sunil. Another app called Mapseeker helps the elderly or visually challenged to find important places using google maps. “This is just like the GPS but with more user-friendly features for the blind,” Ramees added. ”

Netradaan app has won the m-inclusion Awards at the mBillionth Awards held in New Delhi last week. The award honours outstanding mobile content and apps from South Asia.

“We should spread awareness regarding eye donation. What pushed us to develop this app was the long waiting list for corneas. About 45,000 corneas are imported from Sri Lanka alone every year,” said Sunil. All the apps can be downloaded from Google Playstore.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Kochi / by Sudha Nambudiri, TNN / August 04th, 2015

This 30-yr-old battles disability through art

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

Kochi  :

Praveesh Chandran’s work ‘Resurrection, a man with art’, which is being displayed at Durbar Hall Art Gallery, revolves around two themes, nature and a celebration of disability.

The thirty-year-old, who hails from Thrissur, has been battling against muscular dystrophy, a disorder that weakens a person’s muscles over time. But it has not stopped him from pursuing his passion.

“I was diagnosed with the condition when I was around 5 years. By the time I was in Class X, it became painful for me to walk around, and my parents decided not to send me to school any more,” said Praveesh. The genetic disorder has left Praveesh confined to a wheelchair.

“My hands areweak and hurt me when I try to do anything. But painting is one of the few things that gives me great joy, apart from my wife and daughter,” said Praveesh.

One of the paintings that has caught visitors’ attention is that of a bird’s eye view of earth with a wheelchair facing it in outer space. “People ask me how I paint bearing the pain. This is my way of telling them that disabled or not, if one puts his/her mind to it, then sky is the limit. Look at Stephen Hawking, even with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, he continues his work as a theoretical physicist,” says Praveesh, who says that he will paint until he is completely incapacitated.

His paintings will be on display till Friday from 11am to 7pm.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India /  News Home> Kochi / by Rochelle DSouza, TNN / July 26th,  2015

Creating the Best Out of Waste

Agriculture, Green Initiatives & Environment, Nature
A man working at the paddyfield on the premises of the Brahmapuram waste treatment plant
A man working at the paddyfield on the premises of the Brahmapuram waste treatment plant

Brahmapuram  :

Several people, including  professionals, have recently turned farmers by starting their own gardens or by setting up organic farms at home.

Apart from the expenses incurred on setting up the vegetable garden, these farmers are spending large sums of money for buying the manure for the plants. The money they spend for purchasing manure ranges above Rs 30 per kg, and for the branded items, the price is over Rs 100 in the market. But a little-known fact is that the bio-manure generated from the Brahmapuram waste treatment plant is available at just Rs 6 per kilogram. The manure, named ‘City compost’, now a hit among the vegetable cultivators in the city, is also available at Rs 300 for a pack of 50 kg from Brahmapuram waste treatment plant.

“As it is generated from garbage waste, the manure has all the ingredients needed for the vegetables to grow. There is no need for adding  further ingredients as it has the contents of meat, blood, food waste and all types of other waste. The price, compared to the market rates, is also low. As we are not running it as a profit-generating enterprise, we haven’t opened any outlets in the city,” said A A Byju, who has been running the plant on contract basis for the last four years.

With organic farming become a trend in the state, the demand for the manure from the plant has skyrocketed. “Every day, on an average, around 40 tonnes of manure is made, of which 70-80 per cent is sold. Earlier, we could only sell around 10 tonnes per day and had to find space to keep it. But, from last year, there has been a huge demand from different places,” he added.

Interestingly, the demand for the manure is mainly from Tamil Nadu districts.

“Some are using the manure to prepare their product for the market. Most of them will mix the manure with their product as this is the cheapest and of the best quality. Several companies sellinng branded manure have also approached us for the item,” said Byju.

The contractor, along with his team, is also distributing the manure free of cost to some NGOs, schools, hospitals and government offices to support vegetable cultivation. The rest is also used in their farm set up at Brahmapuram plant.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Kochi / by Anil Kumar T / August 03rd, 2015

3-yr-old Anjana Becomes Youngest Donor in State

Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All

AnjanaKERALA03aug2015

Thiruvananthapuram  :

Three-year-old Anjana from the district, who was declared brain-dead on Saturday night after suffering from acute tumor, has become the youngest donor in the state.

Her family donated her liver, two kidneys and corneas to five-year-old Aninraj.

Anjana from Karakulam was admitted to the SAT hospital here in a critical condition on Thursday. She was declared brain-dead on Saturday morning. Soon after, her parents told the doctors at the SAT about donating the organs.

The doctors then contacted Mritasanjeevani, a government’s organ donation programme, and the officials at the organisation then contacted the parents of Aninraj, who was registered with them.

Soon after Anjana was declared brain-dead on Saturday, the harvesting of the organs began at 2 am in the night.

The retrieval surgery was over by 8 am on Sunday and the organs taken to KIMS hospital.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Express News Service / August 03rd, 2015

First ‘China ready’ hotel in Kochi

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Travel, World Opinion

The first “China Ready” hotel in God’s Own country to cater to the needs of Chinese tourists is getting ready at Kundanoor in Kochi.

As much as 80 per cent the work mandatory for Chinese accreditation is over at the 267-room five star deluxe Crowne Plaza belonging to Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG), Sanjay Kaushik, general manager of the property told The Hindu .

The hotel will have trained personnel who can communicate to the tourists in Chinese, UnionPay payment facility on the lines of RuPay, Mandarin speaking personnel on call 24×7.

Authentic Chinese breakfast, lunch and dinner will be offered in the restaurants attached to the hotel. The menu card will also be in Chinese language for the benefit of the guests. Television in the hotel rooms where the Chinese tourists will be put up will have access to Chinese channels.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Special Correspondent / Thiruvananthapuram – August 03rd, 2015