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Ernakulam District Tourism Promotion Council to bring out online directory of artisans, doyens

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

The Ernakulam District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) will launch an exclusive initiative to collate data on skilled artisans, dancers and other artists as part of a project.

Kochi :

The Ernakulam District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) will launch an exclusive initiative to collate data on skilled artisans, dancers and other artists as part of a project under the Responsible Tourism (RT) Mission. To promote experimental tourism, an online directory having details regarding artists, including their name, coordinates, biodata and details of stage performances, will be brought out.

The initiative, which will help people from across the globe access the state’s traditional art forms, handicraft products and artisans, will be launched by the end of this month. The online directory will provide an opportunity for academics, travellers and event organisers reach them directly. The Tourism Department has been working towards promoting experiential tourism wherein travellers get a chance to familiarise with exotic locales by connecting with the history of the region, its culture and people.

S Vijayakumar, secretary, DTPC Ernakulam, said a secure method will be introduced to verify the skills of artists. “It will revive old and fading art forms of the region, while providing support to the artists. Kerala has immense potential for MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) tourism. And, we believe this initiative will enable artisans to showcase traditional art forms to a global audience, thereby promoting the cultural heritage of the state,” he said.

Meanwhile, the DTPC has planned to entrust Kudumbashree volunteers with tasks such as cleaning and operating parking lots in tourist centres and beaches.  In this way, the members of the women’s self-help group (SHG) will be stakeholders in managing the locales and ensuring cleanliness.  Also, they will manage the food kiosks, while focusing on the implementation of the green protocol.

Under the Responsible Tourism (RT) Mission, the endeavour will support the regional community economically with sustainable living and employment generation in a major way.Owing to the easy air connectivity, Ernakulam owns the privilege of being one of the most-visited places by foreign travellers. In 2017, Ernakulam hosted 32,85,088 vacationers, an increase of 12.4 per cent as compared to 4,07,653 travellers in 2016. Luxury hotels and heritage sites such as Muziris and Fort Kochi are some of the major attractions of this place.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Kochi / by Express News Service / June 26th, 2018

Book on oldest known love story in Mangaluru released

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All, Travel, World Opinion

‘L affaire,’ a literary work based on a love story which is known to have taken place in Mangaluru during 12th century AD, was released at St Aloysius College Auditorium in the city on Tuesday.

The book, written by Yenepoya Deemed-to-be-University Dean Dr G Shreekumar Menon, depicts the life of Jewish trader Abraham Ben Yiju, who had his origin in Tunisia and a Nair woman Aashu from Kannur in Malabar region.

Speaking about the work, Dr Menon said that Yiju landed in Mangaluru in 1132 AD for spice trade. He came across Aashu, who was a slave at a household in Mangaluru during the rule of Alupa ruler Alupendra.

Yiju released Aashu by paying money to her owner and freed her from slavery by marrying her. Yiju also set up a brass factory in the region. They were blessed with three children. Among them, two passed away.

Following clashes in Tunisia, Yiju was forced to leave Mangaluru, to his hometown. Whereabouts of Aashu after this incident are not known properly. Yiju passed away on August 11, 1156, he explained.

Letters by Yiju were preserved by his daughter. The letters were found in Cairo Genizah, the Egyptian Synagogue attic. They were kept intact as Yiju had written the letters with a mention of God.

According to Jewish tradition, any work that has God’s name inscribed in it, should not be torn away. The marriage certificate of Yiju and Aashu is among these letters.

The documents are now preserved in Russia.

Authors like Rabbi Mark Glickman and Amitav Ghosh have authored books based on the available documents, Dr Menon said.

Menon stated that the marriage of Yiju and Aashu completes 888 years in 2020 and requested the mayor to build a memorial for the couple.

Mayor Bhaskar K presided over the programme. Dean Dr B H Shripathi Rao, St Aloysius College Principal Fr Pravin Martis, Author Bharathi Shevgoor and actor Sahil Rai were present.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> States> Mangaluru / DHNS News Service, Mangaluru / June 26th, 2018

The Dalawa gets a documentary

Arts,Culture & Entertainment
A scene from ‘The Sword of Liberty,’ a documentary on Veluthampi Dalawa

The Sword of Liberty speaks through art forms like Villadichan Pattu

For a filmmaker setting out to do a documentary on famous personalities who lived centuries back, information can be the first roadblock. It becomes quite a task, sifting facts from myths, which might have got blended over a period of time. Shiny Jacob Benjamin also had a similar dilemma when she set out to do a documentary on Veluthampi Dalawa.

A few months ago, R.C. Suresh, believed to be a descendant of the Dalawa, approached her with the idea of a film on him. The first thing which came to her mind was the Villadichan Pattu in southern Travancore, which included stories of the Dalawa. These were again myths, so she went looking for historical records.

“Visually too, I had a challenge, as there were only the sword of the Dalawa, now kept in the Napier Museum, and the statue in front of the Secretariat to show,” she says.

The documentary The Sword of Liberty, which was premiered in the city on Monday, shows Devaki, a descendant of the Dalawa and a researcher, going back in time, in search of the Dalawa’s story. The story is told through various art forms – Villadichan Pattu, Tholpavakoothu, and Thullal.

“We approached the Tholpavakoothu artistes with the stories and images of the Dalawa. The performance was specially composed for the film, as they did not have anything based on Dalawa yet,” says Shiny.

A haunting question

The documentary chalks out his early days, the quick rise as a leader and his fight against those who were a negative influence on the ruler, and later against the British. “A question which bothered me was how such a brave man could commit suicide. But then, there are many versions of how his end came about. Whether he committed suicide or whether he was murdered is still not clear,” she says.

The documentary film won the National Award for the Best Historical Film and Best Music in the non-features category this year.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Staff Reporter / Thiruvananthapuram – June 19th, 2018