Daily Archives: April 22, 2018

Blown away by the biting Arctic charms

Amazing Feats, Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All, Science & Technology, Travel, World Opinion
Niyog traversed the Arctic with 19 adventurers from across the globe. | Photo Credit: HAND OUT

Niyog, the first Indian to take part in Fjällräven Polar, recounts the expedition’s high points

The extreme cold was expected. Niyog had prepared himself for it by spending some days in Manali, Himachal Pradesh, in winter. But, the 26-year-old from Punalur, the first Indian to take part in Fjällräven Polar, a dream expedition of adventure travellers, found that no preparation was good enough to face the wild Arctic wind. “The wind was such that we couldn’t stand on the ground. We had to build ice walls around our tents so that they wouldn’t be blown away. Breathing was tough at some point,” Niyog recalled his journey across the Arctic with 19 selected adventurers from all over the world.

Fjällräven Polar is an annual expedition being organised by the Swedish company Fjällräven since 1997. The participants, selected through an online poll, travelled 300 km in -30° Celsius through the Arctic wilderness in Norway and Sweden on sleighs pulled by six Siberian Husky dogs.

The participants had to adopt different methods to make fire as it was an integral part of survival in the Arctic. “We were provided stoves to cook food, that worked on Super Fuel. We used magnesium coils to make fire and then brought them to compressive mode. On another day we collected fibres from the bark of a tree to make fire,” Niyog said.

Danger in sweating

Cooking using melted ice for water and sleeping in a sleeping bag inside a trench, when the snow could bury them any time, were part of the adventure.

“We had to be careful about sweating, as sweat turning into ice could be very dangerous. The ice settled anywhere in 10 seconds and the wind made the situation worse,” he said.

Niyog found controlling the dogs easier than expected as the animals were trained to follow the well defined path. But he had a hard time balancing the sleigh in the unpredictable terrain and was thrown off many a time.

The trip over, Niyog cherishes watching the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) and enjoying the hospitality of the Sami tribe that served the adventurers with reindeer meat dishes. It took several baths alternatively in steam and ice cold water besides dipping in an ice hole to acclimatise. Now, back home, the young man who is always driven by adventure finds himself unfit for more — for at least a few weeks.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by Aabha Raveendran / Kozhikode – April 20th, 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