Daily Archives: May 26, 2016

Hundreds take part in rare Vaishnavite ritual at Old Thirumala

Arts,Culture & Entertainment
Kashi Mutt chief Samyamindra Thirtha performing thapta mudra dharana ritual at Sri Venkatachalapathy temple, Old Thirumala, Alappuzha, on Wednesday | Express Photo Service
Kashi Mutt chief Samyamindra Thirtha performing thapta mudra dharana ritual at Sri Venkatachalapathy temple, Old Thirumala, Alappuzha, on Wednesday | Express Photo Service

 

Alappuzha  :

Kashi mutt chief Samyamindra Thirtha led the ‘thapta mudra dharana’, a rare ritual of the Vaishnavite sect of Brahmins, at Sri Venkatachalapathy temple, Old Thirumala, here, on Wednesday. The seer has reached the temple as part of a four-day camp organised by the Gowda Saraswath Brahmin community.

“Special Vedic hymns were chanted as part of the ritual, which is supposed to purify the body and soul of the participants and thus help them lead a pious life. Impressions of sacred symbols like ‘sankha’(sacred conch) and ‘chakra’ (sacred circle) were made on the bodies of devotees using heated ‘pancha loha’(made of 5 metals) mudras,” said a priest of the GSB Sabha.

Besides, ‘sahasradeepalankara seva’ (festival of thousand lights) was also held.  Sri Venkatachalapathy temple is the only place in the state which conducts this ritual. The seer also addressed the youths at a function organised by the Samyuktha Grama Sabha.  Prizes and study materials were distributed to those who have passed various examinations and competitions with flying colours.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Express News Service / May 26th, 2016

Thirunelly seed fete begins tomorrow

Agriculture

Thirunelly seed fete , a seed festival organised jointly by the Thirunelly grama panchayat, Save our Rice campaign, Thanal, Kudumbasree Mission, ATMA and NABARD, will be held at the weekly market of the Kudumbasree at Kattikulam on Friday and Saturday.

O.R. Kelu, MLA, will inaugurate the programme at 10 a. m. on Friday. The two-day programme is aimed at sensitizing the farming community to the significance of conserving traditional seeds of paddy, vegetables and tuber crops, the organisers said in a release here .

Various programmes, including a seminar on organic farming practices and on ground challenges, exhibition-cum-sharing of close to 200 varieties of paddy seeds, 60 varieties of vegetables and tuber crops and a food festival of the Kudumbasree Mission will also be held.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / HOme> National> Kerala / by Staff Reporter / Kalpetta – May 26th, 2016

Arya Premji no more

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

Thiruvananthapuram :

Arya Premji, wife of social reformer the late M P Bhattathiripad (Premji) was laid to rest here on Monday.

Arya Premji, 99, died at her son, senior journalist Neelan’s residence here on Sunday. Her body was cremated at the Santhikavadam on Monday evening.

Arya and Premji were part of the state’s renaissance history for being the second couple in the Namboodiri community to engage in widow marriage.

Arya was born to Neelakandan Namboodiri and Umadevi Antharjanam of Karuvattu Mana at Anthikkad in Thrissur in 1917.

She got married at the age of 14 but became a widow a year after. Premji married her when she was 27.

Premji, then a proof reader with ‘Desabhimani’ daily, had triggered a debate in the community by marrying a widow, which eventually resulted in the community ostracising them.

Arya Premji was elected to the Thrissur municipal council as a Communist party candidate in 1964.

She is survived by sons M P Neelakandan (Neelan), Hareendranathan, retired Colonel Induchoodan, daughter Sathi, in-laws Santha, Leela, Varada and Parvathy. Her son KPAC Premachandran had predeceased her.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Express News Service / May 24th, 2016

Chef Senthil Raj bags laurels

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Records, All

Kochi :

The three-day HotelTech, Kerala’s premier hospitality equipment exhibition, and Kerala Culinary Challenge, which witnessed over 3,200 footfalls, concluded at Samudrika Convention Centre, Willingdon Island.

Senthil Raj from Holiday Inn, Kochi, who bagged the award for the outstanding performer, will represent India at Hotel Asia, a premier event to be held in the Maldives in September that will feature 1,000 chefs vying for the honours.Hotel Leela bagged the award in the best culinary establishment category on the basis of the competitions held at the event. And competitions were organised for chefs from star hotels across the state. As many as 85 chefs from 30 star hotels participated in the competitions and the winners were chosen by a five-member panel. At the event, the chefs decided to launch Kerala Chefs’ Forum and provide free training to 100 students as part of the corporate social responsibility(CSR).

According to the organisers, it was decided to launch a forum for the chefs since no such forum existed at present, unlike in several other states where such forums exist. The forum will cater to the various needs of chefs and provide training to them. As for the decision to provide free training in the hospitality sector, 100 students from under-privileged families, who have passed Class X, will be selected and provided training through tie-up with various hotels in the state.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Express News Service / May 26th, 2016