Monthly Archives: September 2018
30 a
Vayalar award for K.V. Mohan Kumar’s ‘Ushnarashi’
K.V. Mohankumar’s novel Ushnarashi-Karappurathinte Ithihasam has been chosen for this year’s Vayalar Rama Varma Literary Prize. The novel has been chosen for the award by a three-member jury comprising of M.R. Thampan, M.S. Geetha and Bettymol Mathew.
The award, in its 42nd year, will be presented to Mr. Mohankumar at a function at the Nishagandhi auditorium here at 5.30 p.m. on October 27, the death anniversary of the late poet and lyricist Vayalar Rama Varma. It carries a cash prize of ₹1 lakh, a citation, and a statuette designed by sculptor Kanayi Kunhiraman.
Announcing the award, writer M.K. Sanoo, president, Vayalar Rama Varma Memorial Trust, said the jury had arrived at a unanimous decision in choosing the novel for the award.
The award was decided over three phases. In the first phase, the trust had asked 310 readers to choose five books. Out of this, 102 individuals responded, with 123 suggestions. From this, five works that had got the most points were sent to a 20-member committee of writers. The top three selections from this committee was submitted to the three-member judging committee.
“Ushnarashi is a work in which past, present and the future gel seamlessly. The book is set around the Punnapra-Vayalar struggle. But it looks at that time from the viewpoint of the present generation. The writer has approached it from a historian’s neutral viewpoint. The novel also touches upon the Paris Commune, the Bolshevik Revolution and Maoism. He brings a poetic touch to his writing, yet retains simplicity,” said Mr. Thampan.
Ms. Geetha said the novel handles an issue that was relevant now. Ms. Bettymol said it could be called a historic novel, but a novel with a historic background.
The Vayalar trust has completed the renovation of a smrithi mandapam near Rama Varma’s house ‘Raghavaparambu’. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the renovated mandapam, named ‘Chandrakalabham,’ in November.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by Staff Reporter / Thiruvananthapuram – September 29th, 2018
29 a
KSINC’s first cruise vessel to be put on display
It will be showcased during Kerala Travel Mart
Nefertiti, the State’s first seagoing cruise vessel owned by the Kerala Shipping and Inland Navigation Corporation (KSINC), has reached here.
The vessel, which was built in Goa in accordance with the Indian Registry of Shipping (IRS) specifications, will be showcased at the Samudrika Convention Centre near Willingdon island as part of the Kerala Travel Mart on September 29 and 30, according to an official communication.
The ₹16-crore vessel can carry up to 200 passengers. The three-deck vessel has a restaurant, auditorium, theatre, and a souvenir shop. It can venture up to 20 nautical miles (36 km) into the sea and can travel at a speed of up to 9 knots (15 km per hour).
The vessel has no sleeping cabins as it is not meant for overnight cruise. People can charter the fully air-conditioned vessel for hosting parties, events, and conferences. The corporation will offer custom-made packages based on requirements. The vessel has trained and professional crew for assistance.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kochi / by Special Correspondent / Kochi – September 27th, 2018
27
DEMU service to Harbour Terminus from tomorrow
Test run to be held today; services to be regularised on the basis of passenger patronage
The much-awaited Diesel Electric Multiple Unit (DEMU) service between Ernakulam Junction railway station and Cochin Harbour Terminus (CHTS) station in Willingdon Island will be launched on Wednesday.
The three-coach DEMU will conduct two services in the morning and two in the evening from Monday to Friday on an experimental basis for a month.
The train will have a stop at the Mattancherry Halt station in between, and the ticket rate will be ₹10. The train will be regularised based on passenger patronage.
A test run will be held along the eight-km line on Tuesday, to ensure coordination of signalling and telecommunication systems.
DEMU will start from CHTS at 8 a.m. on weekdays beginning Wednesday and reach Mattancherry Halt at 8.10 a.m. It will reach Ernakulam Junction at 8.40 a.m. In the return direction, the train will depart from Ernakulam Junction at 9 a.m., reach Mattancherry Halt at 9.14 a.m. and CHTS by 9.40 a.m.
In the evening, it will start from CHTS at 5 p.m., reach Mattancherry Halt at 5.10 p.m. and Ernakulam Junction by 5.40 p.m.
In the return direction, the train will leave Ernakulam Junction at 6.20 p.m., reach Mattancherry Halt at 6.34 p.m. and CHTS by 7 p.m.
The Harbour Terminus station was renovated over a year ago, while laying of new tracks and upgradation of signals and telecommunication systems were taken up later.
The demand for stoppage of the train at Perumanoor station in Thevara will be considered on the basis of a letter which is expected to be submitted by peoples representatives, a railway official said. For the record, a team led by Hibi Eden, MLA, had visited the station a week ago to inspect the amenities there. He also promised to allot money from his MLA fund to upgrade infrastructure at the station.
The 8-km journey takes 40 minutes since there are two level-crossings at Atlantis and Vathuruthy. There are also speed curbs all along the route.
DEMU will have to commute at 15 kmph speed on the Mattancherry Halt-CHTS stretch since it is a railway yard, a senior railway official said. A decision is awaited on the arrival of a steam locomotive to operate a heritage-train service from Harbour Terminus, he added.
Traffic snarl
In the meantime, there is concern about a possible traffic snarl on either side of Vathuruthy the level-crossing when the railway gate is closed four times during peak hours each weekday. While Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala (RBDCK) has readied a proposal for an overbridge, the Navy is yet to accord sanction for the plan since its airport is located close by. This has given impetus to the demand for a subway.
Train services from the city to CHTS was halted in 2004 after a dredger deployed by the Cochin Port Trust rammed the Venduruthy bridge built by the British. Both rail and road overbridges were rebuilt after the incident.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kochi / by Special Correspondent / Kochi – September 25th, 2018
IIM-K, MRPL join hands with start-ups
Start-ups with innovative solutions to be preferred
IIM-K LIVE (Laboratory for Innovation, Venturing and Entrepreneurship, the Business Incubator) and Entrepreneurship Development Centre of the Indian Institute of Management-Kozhikode (IIM-K) has inked a Memorandum of Understanding with the central public sector enterprise Mangalore Refineries and Petrochemicals Ltd. (MRPL) to support innovative start-up ventures.
Both the IIM-K and MRPL feel that the partnership would leverage individual strengths of these public sector organisations to contribute to entrepreneurial ecosystem in line with Start-up Mission of the Centre.
The MRPL has launched MRPL Start-up fund and in collaboration with IIM-K LIVE, to nurture and fund new business ideas while the IIM-K LIVE, set-up by IIM-Kozhikode in association with Department of Science Technology, already runs business incubation programme and would provide physical, intellectual and networking infrastructure to support start-up companies eligible for the MRPL grants. Prof. Debashis Chatterjee, Director, IIM-K welcomed MRPL to join the institute’s efforts in building entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystems.
Training
Apart from start-up support interventions, IIMK was also exploring wider relationship with MRPL in the areas of executive education and training, consulting, sector-specific research, conferences on issues of mutual interest to exchange the ideas, he said in a release.
MRPL senior executives in charge of start-up funding, including the Group General Manager, Vinayakumar and Chief General Manager (R&D), V. Nandakumar visited IIM-Kozhikode campus last week to finalise the partnership.
Entrepreneurial mindset
In collaboration with IIM-K and IIMK LIVE, MRPL intended to promote new business ideas relevant to MRPL’s start-up policy to create an entrepreneurial mindset and fresh thinking among employees, stakeholders and public for revitalising corporate culture, Mr. Vinayakumar said.
Steering committee with representatives from IIMK, IIMK LIVE and MRPL would be involved in the selection, monitoring and review of the funded start-ups, sources said.
Start-ups with innovative, high social impact solutions would be preferred.
Under the proposed initiative, to begin with, start-ups which are incubated or would be incubated at IIMK LIVE would be considered for seed grants in the form of soft loan convertible into equity capital.
In just over a year of its establishment, the IIMK LIVE has been drawing interest from partners from diverse industries who wish to contribute to the ecosystem.
With MRPL start-up funds available, the institute expect high potential, innovative start-ups to get added to its start-up portfolio, Prof. Keyoor Purani, Executive director, IIMK LIVE, said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by Special Correspondent / Kozhikode – September 24th, 2018