Twenty-five years after Jose Michael, a native of Nadakavu in Kozhikode, who travelled along with his friend from Kozhikode to Europe on a bicycle in the late 80’s, the 51-year-old will pedal from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasargod to reminisce about his bicycle days in Europe.
Setting out on a voyage to Europe in 1987, at the age of 26, he covered Greece, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Netherlands within a period of three years. “Though such trips are mostly planned, we had no planning at all. We had only one goal– to reach Europe. Initially, we really doubted if we could complete the mission. Memories from the trip are still fresh”, Jose recalls.
Joseph penned the duo’s experience during their fun-filled voyage to the western world in his book titled, ‘Simple Sense’, which was published recently by Blue Berry publications.
In the travelogue, he has detailed the adventurous trip he took with his friend, Alex James, who was also from Kozhikode. “The book happened only because of my friend’s encouragement,” he said.
In his twenties, Jose had a strong desire to settle in the western world. Although he knocked the doors of many embassies, he couldn’t achieve his goal.
Finally the idea struck him to get a bicycle and go on a world tour. The next challenge on his way was to find a sponsor and a companion for the voyage.
Rotary club of Calicut Midtown sponsored the mission titled ‘The Rotary friendship mission to Europe’.
During the trip, they had to encounter many physical and mental hardships. However, they fought the odds to reach the destination. Jose also went on an all India tour on his bicycle in 1995.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Express News Service / March 22nd, 2016
Kiran Raphael with French President Francois Hollande.
Kiran Raphael’s diamond clean tech involves cleaning water using diamond micro electrodes
A young technopreneur from the city has bridged the gap between Kochi and Paris, hogging the limelight at the Paris French Tech Ticket entrepreneurship challenge announced by French President Francois Hollande in 2014 to attract technology start-ups from across the globe.
Kiran Raphael, 31, an alumnus of St. Aloysius School, Palluruthy, was among the 20 from across the globe and one of the three Indians selected from more than 1,300 entries in the technology challenge, which saw participants from Japan, China, Canada, Argentina, Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt, among others.
Mr. Raphael said from Paris on Sunday that he was invited to speak on behalf of the selected technopreneurs at the Elysee Palace on March 2.
No chemicals, no waste generation
Mr. Raphael, a bio-technology specialist, said the diamond clean tech he espoused involved cleaning water using diamond micro electrodes. “When cleaning water using diamond electrodes, we do not use any chemicals and there is no waste generation,” he said on Sunday describing the technology that would now receive funding from the French government.
He said his plan was to develop the technology company in France and then to expand it to India, where there was a big problem of water pollution. Industrial houses and urban authorities stood to gain from adopting the technology, he said. Boobesh Ramalingam and Mani Doraisamy from Bangalore, he said, were among the other successful technopreneurs from India in the Tech Challenge.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kochi / by K.A. Martin / Kochi – March 07th, 2016
In 1502, Andrew Pereira, his wife Catherina and son Diego embarked from Portugal in the company of Vasco da Gama and reached Kozhikode. Thereafter, Pereira decided to settle down in Kochi.
Initially, the King of Cochin appointed Pereira as a treasurer and later, as the chief trainer of the army. Following Pereira’s death on January 9, 1520, his son Diego was given the position. In 1545, the king made Diego a ‘Madambi’ (a local chieftain). And he was the only Christian among 71 Madambis.
The Andrappers (a corruption of Andrew Pereira) married Portuguese women, but in 1786 Kochandy Andrapper married a local woman called Anna. It was then that the integration of the family to Kerala became complete. Over the years, some members moved to Puducherry, Diego Garcia and Africa.
In 2005, Benyamin read the family’s history in a Malayalam magazine. This became the spark behind the novel Manjaveyil Maranangal or Yellow Lights of Death, which was recently published in English by Penguin Books.
In the novel, Benyamin does a fictional exploration of the history of the family. He also writes about the history of Kerala in the past 500 years, including the life of Thoma of Villarvattom, the head of India’s only Christian dynasty in Udayamperoor. At the same time, the book is a murder mystery. A killing at a restaurant in Diego Garcia sets in motion a series of events that has the reader gripped. “I had deliberately written a thriller, because I did not want to repeat myself,” says Benyamin, at his home in Pathanamthitta.
Benyamin’s earlier book Goat Days (Aadujeevitham) had been a bestseller. “Goat Days was liked by many ordinary people because it is a simple book,” says Benyamin. “Anybody could understand it. But Yellow Lights will not be accepted by all.” However, the book has done well. Publication Manager A V Sreekumar of DC Books says, “The Malayalam version has already crossed 50,000 in sales. We are very happy.”
Benyamin says that the Malayalam edition has got a new readership. “The young generation has embraced this novel,” he says. “One reason is that I have written about social networks and other contemporary subjects.”
One great attraction about Yellow Lights, translated by media person Sajeev Kumarapuram, is the clear and lucid writing. Benyamin says that it is a deliberate decision. “This is the only way to lure people, who are hooked onto the visual media, to start reading,” he says. “The era of literary gimmicks is over. We have to attract a reader within the first five pages, otherwise we will lose him or her forever.”
Two years ago, Benyamin gave up a job in Bahrain, after working there for 20 years, and returned to Kerala. Asked about his current life, Benyamin says, “It is much more pleasant being a full-time writer. For one, I can devote more time to literature. Secondly, it has become easy for me to travel. I am able to attend a lot of literary meets in Kerala, and abroad.” Last November, he attended the annual conference of the Literary Association of North America in New York.
Benyamin is currently doing research for a historical novel, which will be set in Central Travancore from the 1970s to the 90s. “For me, research is a basic tool of writing,” he says. “It is necessary to have historical supports for a novel.”
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> LifeStyle> Books / by Shevlin Sebastian / February 27th, 2016
Unidentified persons have vandalised the 100-year-old tomb of Mosa Walasam Sastriar, a 19th century poet, composer and evangelist, in Thiruvananthapuram city.
The son of the missionary’s great grand daughter, Sushil Chandran, said the tomb situated inside the LMS Church cemetery was razed to the ground by miscreants on Friday night.
Memorial
He said several prominent persons in society had recently suggested that a memorial be erected on the spot to honour the social reformer.
This could have caused those inimical to the idea to raze the tomb.
Anniversary
Residents of Thirupuram, where the lyricist and composer of several popular congregational songs were born, had on Sunday gathered to observe his death anniversary.
The police were yet to register a case in connection with the incident.
Sastriar was born in Neyyatinkara and was converted to Christianity by the famed British evangelist John Cox.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Special Correspondent / Thiruvananthapuram – February 29th, 2016
The animal kingdom is celebrated in the works of Prabha Mallya, illustrator of popular books related to the field
Lola would creep tenaciously into the drawings of Prabha Mallya. The orange coloured office cat, naughty and doted upon, invariably entered the works until she evolved into a pert little side character. “She walked in and out of my drawings,” recollects the young illustrator witha proclivity for birds and animals. The feline’s conspicuous omnipresence, caught in her different moods, was noticed and led to Prabha’s first major assignment – illustrating Nilanjana Roy’sThe Wildings, a story on urban wild life. This was followed by another work, related to the wild, for popular writer Vikram Seth’s Beastly Tales From Here and There and then the sequel to Roy’s work. It established Prabha as a graphic illustrator in an evolving field of graphic story telling. The artist, writer was in the city to conduct a sketching workshop at Studio Kokaachi in Panampilly Nagar.
Prabha’s world of drawings is peopled by creatures from the animal kingdom, her main aim currently veering toward animal activism. She believes that such visibility will help the cause of wildlife conservation and the rescue of unlucky animals who stray into human habitation. Stray cats, dogs and leopards caught in the crossfire of urbanisation are sketched by her. Her Jungle Book illustrations are on wolves.
“I find it fascinating that such a large animal, like the leopard, lives alongside human habitation; it observes us quietly,” she says on her series Found Lepard, where her leopards get spotted and are found. Her fascination for the wild originates in spending a childhood, growing up singly, near a forest in Goa.
Free time then was about observing the wild, writing stories on it and illustrating the creatures that inhabited therein. She did so along with her cousin. The Nancy Drew type thrillers were illustrated and retold. A course in Mechanical Engineering from BITS Pilani too did not relegate her passion for drawing. It persisted much like Lola in her works. A few internships in art, along with her graduation, and Prabha decided that a corporate job was not for her. Her calling was art, drawing, sculptures and writing. “I felt I could do art for a living rather than be an engineer,” she says.
“The Wildings came about because of the cats. The motivating part of illustrating the books was that the writing appealed to me, the verse and the stories were great. If the writing is inspirational the drawings reflect that,” she says. Currently based in Stanford, Prabha freelances as an illustrator and is at an exciting professional juncture with the graphic novel in India establishing itself. She finds it to be an interesting time for illustrators, a time to experiment.
Her choice of using the pencil as tool for expression and the straight line as the medium was made early when she felt that the line and monochrome were best suited for her narrative. Introducing and familiarising graphic narrative to youngsters, she believes is nudging children to observe illustrations, “it is about communicating an idea through a medium. It takes a bit of thinking visually and to be able to draw. It’s is like playing Pictionary,” she says.
Her current works are with a publisher in France for a colouring book and illustrating a book with Kokaachi for their series Twelve. She has illustrated for The Small Picture and recently done a comic. A graphic novel is on the cards.
An illustration should – show not tell, she says about the balance a graphic drawing needs to achieve in contrast with cartoon, caricature, animation and comic, the different forms of visual art.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Priyadershini S / Kochi – February 18th, 2016
Historian M.G.S. Narayanan releases the book Malayalavum Herman Gundertum by handing over a copy to literary critic M.M. Basheer at a function at Thunchath Ezhuthachan Malayalam University at Tirur on Tuesday.
‘Even serious historians have neglected books like ‘Kerala Pazhama’ by Gundert’
“If Thunchathezhuthachan was the father of Malayalam Language, Herman Gundert was its foster father,” opined historian M.G.S. Narayanan. Releasing the book ‘Malayalavum Herman Gundertum’ (Malayalam and Herman Gundert) at the Thunchath Ezhuthachan Malayalam University at Tirur on Tuesday, Mr. Narayanan said that even serious historians have neglected books like ‘Kerala Pazhama’ by Gundert, who is mostly known for the first lexicon in Malayalam as well as ‘Rajyasamacharam’, the first newspaper in the language.
Study of Gundert’s works have helped historians much in clearing certain misunderstandings and misconceptions. His works were milestones that marked the history of Kerala. The myths portrayed in his books give us a hint of the culture of those times. He was recovering the culture of Kerala for the later generations through his books. His work as a missionary only showed that the problems and culture of people are the same around the world, Mr. Narayanan said and appreciated the Malayalam University for establishing a ‘Gundert Chair’ in Germany.
Vice-Chancellor K. Jayakumar, in his presidential address said that the university has set aside the traditional methods and has formed its own policy on research activities.
The book, in two volumes, was published by the Gundert Chair established by Malayalam University in Tubingen University in Germany. A seminar on ‘The contemporariness of Gundert’ was held later.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kozhikode / Staff Reporter / Kozhikode – February 03rd, 2016
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy will inaugurate Coir Kerala 2016, the sixth edition of the annual trade event on coir and natural fibres, at EMS stadium in Alappuzha on February 1.
The five-day fair will be launched at 5 p.m. on Monday.
Over 150 international buyers from 54 countries in addition to domestic buyers will participate in the event. The foreign participants include those from African and Latin American nations.
The international pavilion will have 125 stalls while the national pavilion will feature 135 stalls. The event’s buyer-seller meet will be inaugurated by Rajya Sabha deputy chairman P.J. Kurian on February 3. Union Minister for MSME Kalraj Mishra will deliver the inaugural address at a national seminar on February 4.
Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala will preside over the valedictory function on February 5.
Minister for Revenue and Coir Adoor Prakash said here on Sunday that the government had decided to accelerate coir husk procurement. Production of husk rose from 25,000 tonnes to 60,000 tonnes.
The government is targeting 75,000 tonnes by the end of the current fiscal year.
The Union government has provided Rs.2 crore to the Coir Kerala 2016 corpus.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Kerala / by Special Correspondent / February 01st, 2016
Thomas Vijayan bagged the ‘Wildlife Photographer of the Year – People’s Choice Award,’ constituted on the occasion of the 51st anniversary of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition conducted by the Natural History Museum, London.
Thomas Vijayan is the first Malayali and the fourth Indian to win the award.
The award, which is regarded as the world’s most prestigious award in wildlife photography, is referred to the Oscar in Wildlife Photography.
The award winning photograph is that of a common langur hanging on the tails of two others and swinging naturally as humans do. It was short-listed by nine expert juries from over 42,000 entries from across 96 countries. “This image, captured at Kabini in Karnataka, is special in its own way as it was selected by the juries for the people to select,” said Vijayan.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Express News Service / January 13th, 2016
India has a powerful opportunity to develop its global ambitions through cooperation with the United Nations, said Kiran Mehra Kerpelman, director of United Nations Information Centre for India and Bhutan. She was inaugurating an international conference conducted to commemorate the 70th anniversary of United Nations here on Saturday.
Quoting United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon, Kiran said, “These are the reflections of India’s increasing influence on the international stage. At this moment of time and space, India has a powerful opportunity to develop its global ambitions through cooperation with the UN.”
The conference on ‘Global Partnership towards Peace, Development and Human Rights: India and the UN’ organized by United Nations Information Centre, India and Bhutan in association with department of political science, University of Kerala and V K Krishna Menon Study Centre for International Relations was held at senate chamber.
“Indian and the UN have a long standing and far reaching relationships from the early days of leadership, on racial discrimination and decolonisation. As the successful initiatives like institutionalising equality, end poverty and fighting hunger the world over, we must fight together the threat of terrorism. The incessant rain at Chennai, floods in Uttarakhand and unseasonal heat waves at Andhra Pradesh and at rest of the country all are climate related. It is high time we realized the effects of climate change,” said Kiran.
Mentioning the COP 21 (Paris Climate Conference), an international political response to climate change, to be held Paris from Monday, she said that the 70th anniversary of the UN entails a certain amount of reflection in the past and plan for the future, which will decided at COP21.
Kerala University vice-chancellor P K Radhakrishnan, who presided over the event, spoke about the need for more focus in the conservation of environment and also on the need for peace and tolerance, while Rajiv Chandran, national information officer at United Nations Information Centre for India and Bhutan urged the students to join the district organization of United Nations Associations and update themselves about the decisions of the UN and also share their ideas.
A book on ‘The Changing Dimensions of Security: India’s Security Policy Options’ edited by Suresh R, director of V K Krishna Menon Study Centre for International Relations, was also released by Kiran Mehra Kerpelman by handing over the first copy to P K Radhakrishnan.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Thiruvananthapuram / TNN / December 06th, 2015
First time that the Award of Excellence is reaching a South Indian State
Unesco representative Moe Chiba with the Unesco Asia Pacific Award of Excellence at the Sree Vadakkunnathan temple in Thrissur on Friday.— PHOTO: K.K. Najeeb
The Unesco Asia Pacific Award of Excellence was presented to Sree Vadakkunnathan Temple here on Friday.
Unesco representative Moe Chiba presented the award to Cochin Devaswom Board president M.P. Bhaskaran Nair.
“The holistic restoration of Sree Vadakkunnathan Temple represents a milestone achievement in reviving a living religious heritage site using a combination of indigenous knowledge of vernacular building techniques and contemporary conservation practice,” Ms. Moe Chiba noted.
Even with inappropriate minor repairs and a century of exposure to monsoon rains, the project skilfully stabilised the wooden complex for use by local devotees and restored significant decorative works including murals, she noted.
Addressing the function, Devaswom Minister V.S. Sivakumar noted that the Award of Excellence for the conservation efforts of the majestic Vadakkunnathan temple was an honour for the State’s authentic style of architecture. Three hundred artisans worked for a decade for the conservation work.
The award comprises a brass plaque. ‘Award of Excellence’ certificates were presented to important stakeholders, master craftsmen and contributors to the project. The Unesco established Asia Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation to promote conservation of heritage in Asia and the Pacific in 2000.
The award recognises private efforts and also public private initiatives in conserving structures of heritage value.
Since the inception of the awards, India has received the Award of Excellence four times till date.
The honour for Vadakkunnathan temple conservation is the first time that the ‘Award of Excellence’ is reaching a south Indian State.
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had been working on the conservation of the temple kitchen, the murals, the wood carvings and the south and west gopurams (gateways) since 1997.
In 2005, the Director General, ASI Delhi, gave permission to Venugopalaswamy Kainkaryam Trust (VGKT), Chennai, the donors, for its overall conservation, as per ASI norms.
“Hindu temples are designed and renovated in such a way that the temple is considered a human body, with life and energy.
“The complex systems of vasthu and tantrasastra are followed to restore and revive the energy and life of the temple lost due to age. Thus the conservation process involved both physical and metaphysical efforts,” said architect M.M. Vinod Kumar, who coordinated the conservation work.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Kerala / Staff Reporter / Thrissur – December 05th, 2015
Joseph penned the duo’s experience during their fun-filled voyage to the western world in his book titled, ‘Simple Sense’, which was published recently by Blue Berry publications.
