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Sister Rani declared Blessed by Vatican

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, World Opinion
Bishops attend a ceremony for beatification of Sister Rani Maria in Indore on Saturday. | Photo Credit: PTI

She was stabbed to death in Madhya Pradesh in 1995

Kerala-born nun Rani Maria Vattalil, who was stabbed to death in Madhya Pradesh in 1995, was declared Blessed, a sacred title in the Roman Catholic Church order, on Saturday.

Vatican’s head of the Department for Cause of Saints Cardinal Angelo Amato declared the nun, popularly known as Sister Rani, Blessed, a stage below sainthood. Cardinal Amato read out the Apostolic (Pope’s) letter declaring her Blessed in Latin at a Holy Mass at St. Paul Higher Secondary School’s ground at Indore. The nun’s killer also attended the ceremony.

Cardinal George Alencherry read out the letter of Pope Francis in English, while Cardinal Telesphore Toppo did so in Hindi.

Selmy, sister of the slain nun, said she was “overwhelmed” by the declaration. “The Blessed title is considered a prelude to sainthood as was the case with Mother Teresa,” Public Relations Officer of Madhya Pradesh Catholic Church Fr. Maria Stephen said. But for sainthood, a miracle is required, he said.

All the four cardinals of India, Mar Baselios Cleemis (president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India), Mar George Alencherry (of the Syro-Malabar Church), Oswald Gracias (Archdiocese of Bombay) and Telephore Toppo (Archdiocese of Ranchi), attended the ceremony.

Sister Rani, then 41, was stabbed about 50 times on board a bus in Madhya Pradesh’s Dewas district on February 25, 1995, Fr. Stephen said. She was a member of the Syro-Malabar Franciscan Clarist congregation.

Her attacker Samunder Singh was hired to kill the nun as a few landlords in Indore were upset with her work for the uplift of landless people, he said. Singh was sentenced to life in prison. His sentence was commuted because of his good conduct in prison, Fr. Stephen said. He was pardoned by Sister Rani’s family. At the ceremony, Singh recalled his brutal act. “Then, I was in the grip of evil spirits. My life has changed,” he said.

The then Indore Bishop George Anathil initiated the process for Sister Rani’s canonisation process of the Blessed in 2001. Two months ago, the Vatican cleared the canonisation process to promulgate the ‘Decree of the Blessed’ on Sister Rani.

Sister Rani was born to Paili and Elisha on January 29, 1954 at Pulluvazhi in Kerala.   She took her first vows in 1974 and was then assigned to Bijnor for mission Apostolate. After serving in Bijnor, she was transferred to Satna and later in 1992 to Udainagar, the MP Catholic Church said. She was a champion for the poor, it said.

In Madhya Pradesh, the nun organised people exploited by moneylenders. She was threatened several times, but she refused to be cowed down.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States > Kerala / PTI / Bhopal-Indore, November 04th, 2017

Mega project on the lives of Travancore Kings

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Leaders, Records, All

Seems like the Malayalam industry is all set to scale new heights, in terms of budget in 2018.  Joining the bandwagon of big-budget projects is director K Madhu, known for directing Sethurama Iyer CBI series.

A portrait of the king of Travancore | Wikimedia commons

He has announced a mega project on the lives of two Travancore kings who ruled from 1700 AD to 1800 AD.  The movie will be made in two parts, the director said.

The first part of the movie has been titled Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma- King of Travancore.  It will trace the life of Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma, the only Indian king who trounced a foreign power in India when he won the battle against the Dutch at Colachel. The second part will be on the Karthika Thirunal Marthanda Varma, who went on to be known as the Dharmaraja. This part is also said to deal with the Karthika Thirunal’s fight against Tipu Sultan too.

“This will be a project on a massive scale. Scriptwriter Robin Thirumala and I have been researching intensively for the last three years. We have finalised the script and signed the crew, that includes big names. We plan to go on the floors by next August,” says K Madhu, who adds that this is his ambitious project.

He says: “We have prominent actors from Malayalam and other industry. While we have fixed a superstar for the first part, the leading actor for the second is yet to be ascertained. We will announce the names and the production banner soon.”  K Madhu adds that the movies will boast of big names from Indian cinema. “We plan to make it in five languages,” he adds.  The director says he has signed the technical crew, that includes Peter Hein for action and Resul Pookutty for sound design. R Madhi will crank the camera. Keeravani, who composed the tunes for Baahubali, will be the music director.

This will be a project on a massive scale.

Scriptwriter Robin Thirumala and I have been researching intensively for the last three years. We have finalised the script and signed the crew
– K Madhu, director

48-hour free care for accident victims

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All, Travel

Thiruvananthapuram :

The state government has decided to launch a trauma care project to provide immediate treatment for accident victims.

At a high-level meeting convened by chief minister Pinrayi Vijayan , it has been decided to provide free treatment to accident victims for the first 48 hours.

Once the project kicks off, the hospitals would be asked not to demand any kind of payment from the patient or their bystanders. The government has decided to provide necessary funds for providing all kinds of treatment, including emergency surgeries, in all government hospitals.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Thiruvananthapuram News / TNN / November 03rd, 2017

It’s a story of rice to riches for Kerala farmer

Agriculture, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives & Environment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features
Against the grain: Praseed Kumar with his children in his progressive farm at Sulthan Bathery.

When others moved to cash crops to cut losses, he brought Gujarat and Punjab varieties to Wayanad

India’s traditional rice diversity has brought riches to a farmer in northern Kerala .

Praseed Kumar from Thayyil at Sulthan Bathery went against the tide, when his peers in the loss-hit farming community in Wayanad switched to cash crops such as plantain and arecanut a few years ago.

The 43-year-old progressive farmer got a small packet of rice seeds from a friend in Gujarat, which stood out with its violet-coloured chaff. He decided to propagate this variety. Initially, it was on just one cent of land, but later, it was expanded to one hectare.

Mr. Kumar has been conserving the ‘Krishna Kamod’, a basmati rice variety from Gujarat known for its taste, colour and aroma on one hectare for the past seven years.

Last year, he harvested nearly 2,500 kg of this paddy and sold it as seeds to farmers at ₹ 200 a kg, rather than in the open market.

“While farmers procure the rare rice variety as seed, others buy it as a gift, or keep it in their pooja rooms and offer it to temples,” Mr. Kumar said.

Fights drought, pests

He spent ₹ 85,000 as costs and earned ₹ 5 lakh. The Agriculture Department, which finds the rice attractive, chipped in with ₹18,000 as incentive.

“It seems quite suitable for Kerala and its pest and drought resistance are plus points,” said M.K. Mariyumma, Agricultural Officer, Krishi Bhavan, Nenmeni. Many farmers coming under Krishi Bhavan are eager to cultivate it.

The farmer has become famous for growing 15 varieties of rice. These include Mahamaya, a hybrid with an average yield of 4.3 tonnes an acre, Ramli, a traditional Punjab rice, Navara and Rakthashali, with medicinal properties, Black Jasmine, a violet medicinal Assamese type, two basmati variants from Jammu and Kashmir, besides Valichoori and Adukkan, both indigenous varieties.

Mr. Kumar is looking at rented land now, to grow even more.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by E.M. Manoj / Kalpetta – October 31st, 2017

Kerala’s top literary award for K. Satchidanandan

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Records, All
K. Satchidanan

A pioneer of modernism in Malayalam poetry Satchidanandan’s works have been translated into several languages.

The State government has decided to confer the prestigious Ezhuthachan Puraskaram, the top literary award of the Government of Kerala,   on poet-critic K. Satchidanandan.

A pioneer of modernism in Malayalam poetry, a bilingual literary critic, former Editor of Indian Literature, the official journal of the Sahitya Akademi, Mr. Satchidanandan’s works have been translated into several languages. The former secretary of the Sahitya Akademi, he is a public intellectual who has upheld secular and anti-fascist position in his life and work.

The prolific writer who has been making trail blazing interventions in literature and society, Mr. Satchidanandan has over 30 collections of poetry, over 25 collections of essays and another 20 odd collections of translations of poetry from various Indian and foreign languages to his credit.

Announcing the award at a news conference here on Wednesday, Culture Minister A.K. Balan said Mr. Satchidanandan was chosen for the award by a jury chaired by Kerala Sahithya Academi chairman and writer Vaisakhan.

The award carries a purse of ₹ 5 lakh.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by Special Correspondent / Thiruvananthapuram – November 01st, 2017

Cartoon show on Kerala opens today

Arts,Culture & Entertainment

Kannirukki Kalam, a package of 60 cartoons drawn by cartoonist Unnikrishnan on the art, literature, society, environment, lifestyle and polity of Kerala over the past 60 years of its existence, will be on show at the Durbar Hall Art Gallery from November 1, the Kerala formation day, till November 3.

Artist T. Kaladharan’s Orthic Creative Centre is organising the show, with concurrent exhibitions of the same being held at 9 centres across the country.

Civil Supplies MD A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish will inaugurate the show. Noted cartoonist Yesudasan will preside over the event.

The exhibition will be open to the public between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kochi / by Special Correspondent / Kochi – October 31st, 2017

Kerala historians question move to give ‘Paika Bidroha’ first war of independence tag

About Kerala, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All, World Opinion
Paika Bidroha celebrations in Bhubaneswar on October 21, 2017. | Photo Credit: Biswaranjan Rout

They argue that the ‘Attingal Revolt’ of 1721 was India’s first freedom struggle

A section of historians in Kerala on Tuesday disputed the Centre’s move to announce Odisha’s 1817 Paika Rebellion as the “First War of Independence”, saying various uprisings against foreign powers had occurred in the southern State much before it, but never got due recognition.

They said the coastal State had witnessed a number of minor and major struggles against foreign powers even before the 1857 Sepoy Mutiny, which has so far been regarded as the first war of Indian Independence.

A few among the historians wanted the tag of first war of independence for “Attingal Revolt”, an agitation by locals in the then princely State of Venad against the English East India Company in 1721 over the latter’s arrogant approach and unjust measures that they tried to implement in the land.

As many as 133 English East India Company soldiers were killed during the revolt which according to State historians, was the first organised uprising against the foreign powers in the country.

The struggles led by legendary king of Malabar, Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja who locked horns with the British during the period 1795-1805, the strike by Nair Brigade in Travancore in 1804 and the agitation led by Travancore diwan (prime minister) Veluthambi Dalawa in 1809 were some of the uprisings against foreign powers witnessed by the State, they said.

The fight of 16th century naval captain Kunjali Marakkar against the Portuguese forces was also prominent among them, they added.

History Protection Council, a State-based outfit, is planning to submit a memorandum to the State government to press the Centre to declare the “Attingal Revolt” as the first freedom struggle of the country instead of Paika Bidroha.

Eminent historian and former chairman of Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR), M.G.S Narayanan said facts should be examined before including Odisha’s “Paika Bidroha as the first war of independence” in school textbooks.

“The matter should be examined thoroughly before taking a decision to include so in school textbooks,” he told PTI.

Noted historian K.N Ganesh questioned the government’s right to decide the prominence and value of historical movements and struggles.

“I am not questioning the significance of Paika rebellion.. But how can a government decide the merit and significance of revolts, struggles and agitations in history?” he asked.

“It should be decided by the academicians and the bodies like history research council and so on.. No minister can simply say that Paika rebellion is the first war of independence in the country without due consultation with historians and academicians concerned,” he said.

Historian and academician P.M Rajan Gurukkal, said many local struggles happened in this part of the country including the historic Colachel War did not get deserved recognition.

“It is true that many local uprisings had gone unnoticed in the history.. One of the most significant among them is the Colachel War between Travancore king Marthanda Varma and Dutch East India Company in the year 1741.

“It was the first ever victory of a princely State against a European power in Asia.. But, it did not get deserved recognition,” he told PTI.

A debate on the first war of independence was triggered after union HRD minister Prakash Javadekar’s recent announcement that Paika Bidroha of 1817 would find a place in the history books as ‘the First War of Independence’ from the next academic session.

The announcement was made at a function marking the bicentenary of the historic rebellion.

According to historians, Paikas, the peasant militia under the Gajapati rulers of Odisha who rendered military service to the king during the times of war, had rebelled against the British rule under the leadership of Baxi Jagandhu Bidyadhara as early as 1817.

Earlier, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had, in a letter to the Centre, urged that it should recognise ‘Paika Bidroha’ as the first war of independence against the British rule as it took place four decades before the 1857 Sepoy Mutiny, which has so far been regarded as the first war of Indian Independence.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by PTI / Thiruvananthapuram – October 31st, 2017

Kerala start-up makes it to top 10

Records, All, Science & Technology

Infopark-based Inntot Technologies chosen for Industrial Innovation Awards 2017 instituted by CII

Thiruvananthapuram :

Inntot Technologies, a media entertainment start-up incubated at the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM), has been chosen as one of the Top 10 Promising Start-ups of India for the Industrial Innovation Awards 2017 instituted by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). Inntot has also bagged the CII Industrial Innovation Award for the best service start-up.

Based at Infopark, Kochi, Inntot Technologies specialises in providing cost-effective radio digital solutions and offers software solutions and services in consumer electronics, Internet of Things, and the mobile sector.

The company was founded by Rajith Nair and Prasanth Thankappan at Kakkanad in 2014. It was shifted to Infopark this year.

Inntot is also working on other technologies including a communication facility that enables safe and comfortable vehicular traffic. It participated in the 26th edition of the IT Week held in Japan recently.

Infosys co-founder and CII Startup Council chairman S. Gopalakrishnan was the chairman of the jury.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States / by Special Correspondent / October 29th, 2017

Cries that do not let one sleep

Arts,Culture & Entertainment
Deft sketches: Artist V. Mohanan with his works at the Lalithakala Akademi Art Gallery in Kozhikode.

‘Urangatha Nilavilikal’ by V. Mohanan, is a reflection of feelings of despair

Kozhikode :

Those cries reverberating in the back of his mind have resulted in several sleepless nights for artist V. Mohanan. The cries of little girls who were raped by their near and dear ones; cries of farmers who lost everything to nature; cries of the elderly who were abandoned by their children; cries of families who lost their loved ones to the faulty system…. The cries never sleep.

‘Urangatha Nilavilikal’, an exhibition of paintings by V. Mohanan that began at the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi Art Gallery in Kozhikode on October 25, is a reflection of feelings of despair and helplessness faced by the artist at various stages of life as he came across griefs.

There are around 100 paintings that look colourful but with an underlying layer of darkness. “Despite the despair, there is always hope for a better tomorrow, and that is exactly what I intend to show,” said the artist.

It is hard to call Mr. Mohanan’s works paintings. They are mostly graphic art with a touch of the brush above the canvass. “There is no point in spending a lot of time and energy on these images when I can present the basic idea through graphic. Then I find something missing in the graphic, and I add it,” he said, adding that graphic was equally satisfying.

The exhibition is accompanied by a series of programmes including a music concert, discussions on topics like ‘art and politics’ and ‘art in the 70s’ and documentary screenings. The exhibition will conclude on Sunday.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> City> Kozhikode / Staff Reporter / October 28th, 2017

Tracing a musical journey

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Leaders, Records, All
K.P. Jayasankar and Anjali Monteiro

A Delicate Wave to be screened in city today

Kochi :

The Cochin Film Society and the Orthic Creative Centre are joining hands to felicitate award-winning documentary filmmakers K.P. Jayasankar and Anjali Monteiro at the Children’s Park Theatre on Park Avenue Road at 5.30 p.m. on Saturday.

A galaxy of eminent personalities, including oncologist V.P. Gangadharan, former civil servant K.R. Viswambharan, filmmaker Dilish Pothen, critic I. Shanmughadas, and artist T. Kaladharan will take part in the event.

The programme will be followed by a screening of A Delicate Wave directed by the duo, faculty members at the School of Media and Cultural Studies at Tata Institute of Social Sciences.

Set in Kutch, Gujarat, A Delicate Wave, the latest in their Kutch trilogy, traces four different musical journeys, all converging in the ways they affirm religious diversity, syncretism, and love of the other.

Poetic legacy

Drawing on the poetic and musical traditions of Kabir and Shah Bhitai, as well as the folk traditions of the region, these remarkable musicians and singers bear testimony to how the oral traditions of compassion are being passed down from one generation to the next.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kochi / by Special Correspondent / October 28th, 2017