Daily Archives: April 12, 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

Now, ‘Hamari Malayalam’ comes out in a new avatar

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Education
Launch of ‘Hamari Malayalam’ digital text book by Kerala Literacy Mision / Minister C Raveendranath releases digital version of the book

Thiruvananthapuram:

Kerala State Literacy Mission Authority has launched the digital version of ‘Hamari Malayalam’, the text book to teach Malayalam to migrant labourers.
The digital book was released by education minister C Raveendranath who handed over the CD to literacy mission director P S Sreekala at a function held here on Wednesday.

The digital book to be used at ‘Changathi’ (the particular project under the literacy mission) study centres and at junctions where migrant workers usually gather, by making maximum use of available electronic systems, will further popularize the project, said an official release from the Mission.

The digital book was prepared by animation and graphic design students of Aluva Marampally MES College, who were also the instructors of the model ‘Changathi’ project launched at Perumbavoor earlier, with the support of their teachers. The digital book comprises 10 lessons through which Malayalam is taught with the help of Malayalam and Hindi alphabets and words besides pictures.

The lessons are prepared based on the situations migrant workers might confront at their workplace and residential places. “Instead of going directly into alphabets and words, the students are made to learn Malayalam easily through life situations. The lessons are based on various sectors they interact continuously including food, health, travel and equipment,” the release said.

As many as 5,268 migrant workers in the state are now learning Malayalam under the project, which had begun at Perumabavoor with 432 students.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Thiruvananthapuram News / TNN / April 12th,2018