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07
In 4.5 acres, she nurtures a dense forest
Devaki Amma, who was presented the Nari Shakti Puraskar recently, began planting trees 35 years ago
President Ram Nath Kovind after presenting her the Nari Shakti Puraskar on March 8, 2019, wrote this on one of his social media accounts, “Her contribution towards the environment has been a driving force of change and has raised awareness and consciousness of people.”
At the age of 85, G. Devaki Amma, a native of Puthiyavila in Kandalloor panchayat, near Kayamkulam, is showing the way to safeguard biodiversity and secure our future. She has transformed 4.5 acres of her ancestral property into a thriving forest.
Close to the backwaters, Kollakal Thapovanam, which is intrinsically green, is an ecosystem teeming with life, a fruit of nearly four decades of relentless planting and nurturing by this nature lover.
3,000 trees
At a time when forests are fast disappearing, Devaki Amma’s forest has around 3,000 trees, including over 1,000 trees of common, rare, endangered and biologically important species that support a wide variety of organisms. Huge trees and chirping of birds on them make it a special place in the coastal district.
Devaki Amma says she turned to planting spree following a road accident. “I used to enthusiastically participate in paddy cultivation. But, following the accident I was bedridden for almost three years and was forced to abandon rice cultivation. But it led to something more important. Helped by the family members, I started planting saplings 35 years ago. I never thought at that time the place would become a forest,” she says.
Today, Krishnanal, musk trees, star trees, and mahogany, among others, grow in the sandy soil in natural environment. It is also home to a wide variety of medicinal plants, fruit-bearing trees and tuber crops. The forest has ponds and different species of birds like Paradise Flycatcher and Emerald Doves visit the place.
Family’s backing
Devaki Amma’s age and physical challenges have not deterred her from planting new saplings and taking care of the forest. “I get enormous support from my children, grandchildren and their children in conserving the forest.
They contribute in a big way and want to protect the forest in the best way possible,” she says.
Her daughter D. Thankamoney, former head of Environmental Engineering Division, College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram, says planting trees is the best way to reduce carbon footprint and fight climate change. “Our mother started planting trees when nature conservation was yet to gain momentum. We are committed to continuing her legacy,” she says.
The place receives a lot of people, including students and researchers, regularly.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by Sam Paul A / Kayamkuam (Alappuzha) – May 04th, 2019
05
Start, camera, action! ICFFK to kick off in Thiruvananthapuram
About 140 movies for children will be screened within a span of seven days.
Thiruvananthapuram :
‘The Witch Hunters’, ‘The Day My Father Became a Bush’, ‘A Horse on the Balcony’, ‘Long Way North’, ‘Mother I Love You’, ‘The Ugly Duckling’ and Indian feature films like ‘Kakka Muttai’, ‘Chor: The Bicycle’ and ‘Hamid’ will be among the movies screened at the Second International Children’s Film Festival of Kerala(ICFFK) in the capital. The exclusive film festival for kids above the age of five will kickstart on May 10. The registration for the fest has crossed 1,000 on Monday and the online booking is open and buzzing.
About 140 movies for children will be screened within a span of seven days. The platform is open for all children and entry can be availed online or through office registration with a nominal fee. ICFFK, which will conclude on May 10, is organised by Kerala State Council for Child Welfare in alliance with Kerala State Film Development Corporation, Kerala Institute of Children’s Literature and Kerala Sahithya Academy. Films will be screened from 9 am till 6 pm.
“Our intention is to open the world of cinema to children, especially the ones from the marginalised community, who do not have much knowledge about the film industry. While IFFK is for adults, ICFFK is for children to develop their skills in reviewing a movie and realise their expertise in theatre arts,” said V K Sashidharan, programme officer.
The fest will be held in five venues in the city; Kairali, Nila, Sree, Kalabhavan and Tagore. The movie will be followed by open forums and workshops wherein children will get a chance to interact with film personalities. The District Council for Child Welfare ensures the participation of children from the isolated parts of the State.
These children, mainly from the slums and tribal area will be provided transportation, food and registration charges by the State Council for Child Welfare. A public screening will be held in Nishagandhi auditorium on during the fest at 5 pm.Screening of movies, short films and documentaries written, directed and acted by children forms the central attraction of ICFFK 2019. Awards will be also given for the best actors, directors and scriptwriters.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Express News Service / April 30th, 2019
03 may
02 may
01 may
A windfall for mussel farmers of Valiyaparamba
It is harvesting time for aquaculture farmers doing raft cultures of green mussels in the Valiyaparamba backwaters, and they are happy that the yield this year is better than that of last two or three years.
The backwaters divide the Valiyaparamba strip and small islands and mainland, in Kannur and Kasaragod districts including Thrikkarippur and Padanna.
Mussel harvest
Farmers and their helpers start mussel harvest in April-May, by removing the mussel ropes suspended from rafts anchored to the backwaters.
They collect the mussel ropes, bring them to land in canoes, and segregate good mussels (with closed shells) and bad mussels (with open shells) before they are handed over to buyers who sell them to local vendors or those in neighbouring places.
“There are 1,949 green mussel cultivation units in the backwaters with each unit having 100 ropes,” said I.P. Athira, mussel culture district project coordinator under the Fisheries Department in the district.
They included 1,192 units under the Blue Revolution (BR) scheme for new farmers, and 757 units under the Janakeeya Matsyakrishi continuing scheme for existing mussel farmers.
Whereas individuals under the BR scheme could culture one unit each with a government subsidy of 40% of the cost (estimated at ₹15,000), self-help groups could cultivate up to four units with the same subsidy, she said.
Continuing farmers would get 20% of the operations cost, she added.
Increased production
While the harvest is still incomplete, initial yields show increased production.
Twelve tonnes of mussels was harvested in Padanna panchayat and eight tonnes was harvested in Thrikkarippur panchayat.
Valiyaparamba panchayat, having the highest number of mussel farmers, has so far harvested 10 tonnes, according to the Fisheries Department.
In November
The season of mussel culture starts in November when salinity is high in the backwaters.
“Yield this year is good and we are fetching ₹6,000-7,000 per sack containing 75-80 kg of mussels,” said P.V. Preetha, mussel culture farmer and promoter, who is tasked with recruiting more people into mussel farming.
Seeds were locally available this season, though some farmers had bought outside seeds which reached harvest stage early, she said.
There was no difficulty in marketing the product, she added.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States > Kerala / by Mohamed Nazeer & Special Correspondent / April 29th, 2019