Monthly Archives: April 2018

Creating a culture of growing their own food

Agriculture, Green Initiatives & Environment, Nature
Harvesting of vegetables at an organic farm at Prakkadavu in Ernakulam district.

There are now 48 organic cultivation groups at Prakkadavu

The people of Prakkadavu in Ernakulam have taken it upon themselves to create a culture of cultivating their own food, including rice, vegetables and fish as part of a major campaign to eat ‘poison-free’ food using the land available to them.

The agriculture and food production initiative has been taken under the aegis of the Prakkadavu Service Cooperative Bank. Because of the initiative, a land that had been lying fallow for about 25 years has now come under cultivation.

The bank’s major step was to help people produce their own food.

It included production of rice, vegetables, dairy items as well as poultry meat and eggs, said a press release from the Public Relations Department. Parakkadavu has been blessed with an abundant water resource as it lies close to the Chalakkudy river and people have used this resource fully to realise their dream of cultivating and producing their own food.

The initiative started about four years ago with the cultivation of vegetables in growbags.

It has now spread far and wide. With the cultivation of vegetables in growbags on terraces and small areas, the bank decided to form farmers’ groups to spread cultivation into wider areas gradually.

There are now a total of 48 organic cultivation groups comprising 800 homesteads. There are 10 to 15 members in each of the groups engaged in cultivation of various items. Diary and poultry activities too have been taken up along with vegetable and rice cultivation.

The Kurumassery Karukappadam, which had been lying idle for the past 25 years, has been brought under cultivation. A total of 12 acres was brought under vegetable cultivation.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kochi / by Special Correspondent / Kochi – April 18th, 2018

MGS hands over his library to varsity

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Education, Records, All

Historian M.G.S. Narayanan has donated the reference documents in his possession to the history department of the University of Calicut. The History Library at the university will now have an ‘MGS Collection’ comprising the Kozhikode-based historian’s entire collection.

The reference documents were collected by Mr. Narayanan during his historical pursuit stretched over five decades.

Pivotal role

He had played a pivotal role in the setting up of the university’s history department in 1963 at the Zamorin’s Guruvayoorappan College, Kozhikode.

When Calicut University was formed in 1968, the department was further expanded.

Reference section

A large number of documents on ancient Indian history, archaeology and Kerala  history are part of the reference section donated by Mr. Narayanan.

Among them are historical records of great value such as Travancore Archaeological Series, Ramavarma Research Bulletin, Indian History Congress papers, documents collected by historians of Japan, China and Europe, and compilations of T.V. Mahalingam and Noboru Karashima.

Mr. Narayanan also handed over several records of the British government throwing light on modern history and several reports of the Indian National Congress meetings.

A team of historians from Calicut University led by head of the history department P. Sivadasan accepted the collections from Mr. Narayanan at his house in Kozhikode.

Dr. Sivadasan said that the MGS Collection would be a great motivation for potential researchers in history.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by Staff Reporter / Malappuram – April 18th, 2018

Suffragan Metropolitan Athanaseus passes away

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Leaders, Records, All, World Opinion

Funeral to be held in Thiruvalla on Friday

Suffragan Metropolitan of the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar Geevarghese Mar Athanaseus passed away at a private hospital in Kochi at 4.40 a.m. on Wednesday. He was 74.

The Suffragan Metropolitan was keeping indifferent health for some time and was undergoing treatment for liver and kidney ailments at the Kochi hospital for the past two weeks.

The mortal remains of Mar Athanaseus were brought to the Church headquarters at the Syrian Christian Seminary Hills in Thiruvalla in the afternoon, after being kept at the Elamkulam Mar Thoma Church in Kochi till 11 a.m. for the public to pay tributes to the departed bishop.

He joined the services of the Church as a deacon in 1969 and served as vicar at various parishes, including those of Palakkad, Nelliampathy, Attappady, Kuzhalmandom, Mumbai, Dadar, Toronto (Canada), Venmony, Kottayam-Jerusalem, and Chennai-Chettodu. He became an Episcopa (bishop) in 1989 and first served as Episcopa of the Mumbai-Delhi diocese of the Church.

He was the Episcopa of the Kottayam-Kochi diocese during 1993-2001. He had been serving as head of the Ranni-Nilackal diocese since 2001.

Elevated in 2015

Mar Athanaseus was elevated to the post of Suffragan Metropolitan on October 2, 2015.

His mortal remains will be kept at the Church headquarters for the public to pay homage till Friday and the funeral will be held at the SC Seminary Hills the same day, according to sources.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by Special Correspondent / Pathanamthitta , April 19th, 2018

Kannur native has a ‘brush’ with stardom

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives & Environment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Nature, Nri's / Pio's, World Opinion

Kannur :

Nostalgia. That sentimental longing for his homeland made Sijesh Poyil pack his bags and come back to Kannur. From Dubai. Five years ago. Nostalgia again played its part in turning him into a successful entrepreneur fortunate enough to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On April 11, Sijesh became an overnight hero as a tweet from the PMO named him and mentioned his achievement as an entrepreneur.

The PMO’s tweet said, “Mr P Sijesh from Kannur in Kerala is running a successful unit where herbal tooth powder is made. He presented his product to the Prime Minister during the interaction with various Mudra beneficiaries.”

An excited Sijesh said over phone from New Delhi: “I just cannot believe my luck. How can an ordinary man like me from a village in Kannur think about meeting the Prime Minister and spending around two-and-a-half hours with him?”

The meeting held at the PM’s residence was arranged to felicitate around 100 beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana who have shown extraordinary commitment in scripting successful stories of entrepreneurship. Of the 110 people selected for the meeting, only four were from Kerala. The other three were Sreelal from Koyilandy, Vinod of Kozhikode and Venu of Wayanad. Sijesh had expanded his tooth powder after receiving a Mudra loan of Rs 8.5 lakh.

The financial situation at home having forced him to try his luck in Dubai, where he worked for three years as a security officer with Emirates Airlines, Sijesh flew back home in 2013.“The modern world and its added facilities have never been my priority in life,” said the 32-year-old.“My heart ached for the things I had left at home. The rain, rivers, temple festivals… I realised  I’m not made for a life outside my place.”

Like every Gulf returnee, Sijesh too wanted to start a of his own. Though he had continued with his pharmacy job, which he had left before going to Dubai, he was looking for something new.

“I used to clean my teeth with rice husk ash (Umikkari). But what was available in the market was not up to standards. So I decided to make a product of my own. After researching on it for sometime, I developed it and distributed it among my family members and friends. As they all appreciated the quality of the product, I decided to move ahead,” he said.

As the stuff he made with husk ash, clove, pepper and salt received appreciation, he had decided to produce it on a large scale. At this stage, the Positive Commune Entrepreneurship Club (PC) — a WhatsApp group for young entrepreneurs — stepped in. The association with PC changed Sijesh’s fortunes, for the people at PC helped him redesign the brand logo.

Armed with the group’s valuable inputs and the experience received by participating in the ‘Vijayi Bhava’ training camp conducted by Kochouseph Chittilappilly, Sijesh was out to reap more from his . By that time, he had given a name to his product — Shanthiz husk ash — which he had earlier sold without a name in a plain bottle.“Shanthi is the name of my mother-in-law,” he chuckled.

With a designer look and a brand name, Shanthiz husk ash has become a much sought after product. From a nameless, label-less product, Shanthiz now sells around 5,000-6,000 bottles in Kannur district alone. The price per 25 gm bottle is Rs 30 and Sijesh is keen on expanding to other districts as well.

Along with his family members, especially brother Dhanesh, sister Dhanya and wife Sajina, there are five women helping Sijesh make Shanthiz. He has a three-year old son, Sreehari.
Two years after the first bottle was produced, Shanthiz has now reached the hands of the Prime Minister too. Because Sijesh presented 10 bottles of Shanthiz to him during the interaction.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by M.A. Rajeev Kumar / Express News Service / April 13th, 2018

A record most melodious for this singing legend

Amazing Feats, Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Leaders, Records, All

Yesudas is getting national acclaim after 24 years, at the age of 78

In the list of the national film awards, announced in New Delhi on Friday, there were quite a few familiar names.

Like K.J. Yesudas.

It was after a long gap of 24 years that he was returning to the winners list, at the age of 78. And it was a record eighth national award for the best playback singer for him.

The latest one was for his song Poyimaranja kaalam… (Viswasapoorvam Mansoor). It was composed by Ramesh Narayan.

“I am delighted that I tuned the song that fetched Yesudas a national award after a gap of so many years,” Ramesh told The Hindu.

“He had sounded very happy when he spoke to me after the awards were announced on Friday; and it proved a day of double delight for me, as I had won the national award for music in the non-feature section.”

Ramesh was only a student of music when Yesudas won his first national award, way back in 1973. That was for the song Manushyan mathangale srishtichu... (Achanum Bappayum).

It was composed by G. Devarajan and the lyrics were by Vayalar Ramavarma.

The lines of that timeless song – about the meaninglessness of religious strife – would sound truer than ever in the present time.

His second national award came the following year, for the film Gayathri(Padmatheerthame unaroo…).

That classic song was also created by the Vayalar-Devarajan combine.

Yesudas’s third award, which he won four years later, though was for a Hindi song written and composed by Ravindra Jain. Gori tera gaon bada… (Chitchor) was a phenomenal hit and made him popular beyond the southern States.

His fourth award, which he won in 1982, too was in another language – Telugu.

The film was Meghasandesam and the composer Ramesh Naidu.

All his other national awards have been for the songs he sung in Malayalam – Unnikale Oru Katha Parayam (1988), Bharatham (1992) and Sopanam (1994).

Ramesh said when he came up with the tune for Poyimaranja…, he was convinced that only Yesudas could sing it.

“Nobody else could have done justice to it,” he said.

“He has sung about 15 songs for me. And it is the song Oru narupushpamaayi… (Meghamalhar) that established me as a composer.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by P.K. Ajith Kumar / Kozhikode – April 14th, 2018

Conclave may help Kerala startups get more support

Business & Economy, World Opinion

Thiruvananthapuram  :

After the recent #Huddle conclave, startups in Kerala are expecting more support from Startup India and Swacch Bharat Mission.

The three state-based startups—Zenrobotic, SectorQube and Perfectfit Fashion had obtained the initial support from Unicorn India Ventures. They expect further backing to take the ventures forward. A startup based in Jaipur also plans to set up a unit in Kerala buoyed by the massive response received at the conclave organized by the Kerala Startup Mission and Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI).

Zenrobotics, which was in the news for creating the world’s first manhole cleaning robot ‘Bandicoot’ here on an experimental basis in February this year is now in the forefront. “In all we plan to roll out 50 sewer cleaning robots in Kerala alone. We are also taking orders from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. For massive production, we expect support from Sharjah government government and Indian government,” said Genrobotics co-founder Rashid Bin Abdulla.

SectorQube which has devised smart kitchen appliances and working on next generation roti makers looks forward for international expansion. “We had the initial capital support from Unicorn Ventures and now expect further support to expand our operations,” said Nibu Alias, CEO and co-founder of SectorQube.

Perfectfit Fashion, a Kochi-based startup that specializes in 3D body scanning systems for fashion and healthcare industry also expects further support from investors. “We are looking for investors to support the new development centre and for R&D to create more value-addition,” said Eobin George, co-founder, Perfectfit. Jaipur-based startup with its innovative product Spiqi, a healthcare electronic device to prevent spondylosis is planning to set up an unit in Kerala.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City News> Thiruvananthapuram News / by Laxmi Prasanna / TNN / April 15th, 2018

KMA national meet begins in city today

Business & Economy

The Kerala Management Association’s (KMA) annual national management convention will begin here on Thursday.

Around 2,000 delegates from within and outside the State are expected to participate in the two-day meet at Le Meridien Hotel convention centre.

The convention, organised by the All India Management Association (AIMA) and KMA in its 60th year, will have 25 prominent speakers from various fields of expertise. State Finance Minister Thomas Isaac will inaugurate the meet at 9.30 a.m. Noted speaker Mahatria Ra, founder of Infinitheism, will deliver the keynote speech at the inaugural session.

T.V. Mohandas Pai, president of AIMA and chairman of Manipal Group of institutions, will also speak.

Nokia India managing director Ajey Mehta; KPMG Global director Richard Rekhy; Bengaluru IIM Professor Vasanthi Sreenivasan; NITI Ayog’s Atal Innovation Mission director Ramanan Ramanathan; South Indian Bank managing director and chief executive officer V.G. Mathew; State IT Secretary M. Sivasankar; Kochi Metro managing director A. P. M. Mohammed Haneesh; and AIMA secretary-general Rekha Sethi; are among those who will participate in the meeting.

On Friday, at the valedictory session, Suresh Prabhu, Union Minister for Commerce and Trade, will address the gathering through video conferencing. K.V. Thomas, MP, and Chief secretary Paul Antony will be the chief guests at the session.

KMA president Vivek Krishna Govind and secretary R. Madhav Chandran said in a statement that this was the first time that KMA was providing a platform for a mega convention of this scale.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kochi / by Staff Reporter / Kochi – April 12th, 2018

Rich haul for Malayalam cinema

Amazing Feats, Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Records, All

Bags 15 honours at the 65th National Film Awards

Malayalam cinema had one of its richest hauls ever at the 65th National Film Awards, sweeping 15 awards, including major awards for direction and acting. The awards, which do not include the big names of the industry, are a recognition for the new crop who have defined a fresh aesthetic over the past few years.

Jury Chairman Shekhar Kapur acknowledged the big strides that regional cinema, especially Malayalam cinema, has made in recent times when he said, “Bollywood films cannot compete with these regional films, not at the state in which they are”. Although he made a few light-hearted complaints about the unpronouncable titles like Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum, which the jury members used to call ‘Chain Snatcher’, that did not spoil the chances of the films.

That film, directed by Dileesh Pothen, one of the high points of Malayalam cinema in recent times, fetched the best original screenplay award for Sajeev Pazhoor and the best supporting actor award for Fahadh Faasil. Mr. Kapur praised the film as an ‘unusual’ one with a brilliant screenplay.

After a disappointing decade at the beginning of the millennium, the industry here slowly began to veer away from the tried and tested route of formulaic masala films and super hero-centric subjects, with a set of films that came to be termed ‘new generation’. But many of these films were criticised for being shallow in their outlook, and for being metro, upper class-centric.

But the movement matured over the past four years, pushing the boundaries in all aspects, with realistic portrayals of the struggles of normal people. The National Award this year for production design, which Santosh Raman won for Takeoff is a sign of the strides even in the technical arena that the industry had taken. He had convincingly recreated war-ravaged Iraq in that film, which also fetched Parvathy a special mention in acting.

Indrans, once typecast as a comedian, started getting roles that challenged the actor in him, with the wave of change sweeping the industry. The jury on Friday took his name, saying that he lost out the best actor award by a whisker for Aalorukkam. The film, directed by debutant V.C. Abhilash, won the award for best film on social issues.

Director Jayaraj, who has moved effortlessly for years between mainstream and parallel cinema, won the best director award for Bhayanakam, part of his Navarasa series. The film, on the men from Kuttanad who went to fight in the Second World War, won the best cinematography award for Nikhil.S. Praveen. K.J. Yesudas won the best playback singer (male) award for his song from Vishwasapoorvam Mansoor.

Malayalam also had reasons to cheer for in the non-film category, with Aneez K. Mappila winning the award for the best documentary for The Slave Genesis, and Shiny Jacob Benjamin winning for best biographical reconstruction for Sword of Liberty. Nithin. R won award for best anthropological film for Name, Place, Animal, Thing.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / Staff Reporter / April 14th, 2018

Canonisation process of Mary Celine begins

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

The canonisation process of Mother Mary Celine, former Superior General of the Congregation of the Mother of Carmel headquartered at Thaikkattukara, has been initiated.

She experienced the depth and holiness of God experience, said Cardinal George Alencherry, Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church here at the ceremonies organised to declare Mother Mary Celine Servant of God.

Members of the tribunal, which will work on the process of declaring her a saint, took their oaths at the ceremony here on Monday.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kochi / by Special Correspondent / April 10th, 2018

Happy chimes for bell metal craft

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Records, All
A bell metal artisan at work at Kunhimangalam, near Payyannur, in Kannur.

Artisans of Kunhimangalam form a cluster, ready major plans with govt. support

The neighbourhood of Kunhimangalam, near Payyannur here, harbours nearly a hundred families of bell metal artisans. But today, only 15 artisans are involved in the craft.

The craftsmen, belonging to the Moosari community, have now come together for an initiative, supported by the State and Union governments, to introduce the craft to the next generation, thereby keeping it alive.

If their plans materialise, the Moosari Kovval neighbourhood at Kunhimangalam will be a bell metal heritage village, which will showcase their craftsmanship and attract tourists, thereby expanding the market for their products.

They have formed a cluster, Kunhimangalam Bell Metal Heritage Private Ltd. (KBMHPL), with a grant of ₹1.40 crore, 70% of which has been sanctioned by the Union government and the rest by the State government.

Design workshop

The cluster, inaugurated by Industries Minister A.C. Moideen on April 8, will set up a common facility centre (CFC) with machinery and workplace for artisans.

“The cluster will soon organise a design workshop which will be attended by experts from the National Institute of Design. Experienced artisans and newcomers will be introduced to the new trends in design,” KBMHPL Managing Director P. Valsan told The Hindu.

As many traditional products made of bell metal such as kindi (water container with a nozzle), uruli (shallow cooking vessel), charcoal iron to press clothes, or spittoons are no longer in use, many artisans of Kunhimangalam chose other vocations.

‘Youth not interested’

“Youngsters are not drawn to this craft because there is no demand for the products,” said Ramachandran Kunhimangalam, chairman of the Kunhimangalam Bell Metal Heritage Protection, Study and Research Centre, a trust formed a few years ago to revive the tradition.

A heritage museum to showcase the craftsmanship is also in the pipeline. The project is being supported by the Commissioner of Development Handicrafts under the Union government and Handicrafts Development Corporation of the State government. The latter will give a tool kit valued at ₹10,000 to each bell metal artisan in the village.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Mohamed Nazeer / Kannur – April 10th, 2018