Six student entrepreneurs at the Startup Village earned global acclaim for their smartphone app designed to improve the skills of skateboarders. File photo
Kochi:
Six student entrepreneurs at the Startup Village here have earned global acclaim for their smartphone app designed to improve the skills of skateboarders. They have now been invited to Canada next month to interact with innovation experts, investors and mentors.
The startup Flip Technologies team’s product, “The Smart Riser” (Skateboard tracker), was ranked among the top five in the Next Big Idea Contest 2014 organised jointly by the Bombay Stock Exchange Institute, the Government of Ontario, Canada, IBM Global and Ryerson Futures Inc.
The Smart Riser is designed for skateboarders to enhance their ability to perform and analyse tricks whether one is an amateur or professional.
The device is connected to the truck of the skateboard and it tracks the dynamics of the board and the data is sent to a smart phone app via bluetooth. The app can determine the trick performed and help the skateboarders to improve their skills and acts like a personalized trainer.
The Smart Riser has also been rated as one of the most interesting products by Intel, which will provide its latest Edison board to the students for prototyping and for development support.
Jibin Jose, Abimanyu Nair, Jishnu Vijayan, Balagovind Girish, Rohith Samuel and Abraham Alexander of Flip Technologies will attend a two-week programme in Toronto’s Discovery District – a hotbed of innovation responsible for more than $1 billion of R&D annually.
“We are really excited about our visit to Canada, where we will have an opportunity to interact with the top people in the industry. We are focused on developing cutting edge IOT (Internet of things) devices and tracking devices for adventure sports,” said Jose, co-founder of Flip.
Startup Village chairman Sanjay Vijayakumar said the student entrepreneurs were “proof that if you have the idea, the enthusiasm and the drive, there is a world of opportunity awaiting you.”
While Jose and Nair had passed out from the Toc-H Institute of Science and Technology (TIST) near here, the other four students are pursuing different courses at the same college.
source: http://www.english.manoramaonline.com / On Manorama / Home> Sci-Tech / by Agencies / Wednesday – October 29th, 2014
A parish under the Kottapuram diocese./ by Special Correspondent
Diocese of Kottapuram to produce docu-fiction
Taking a trip down the history lane of Christianity in Kerala can be a bit daunting. For, there can be no end to it.
From the legend of St.Thomas to the present period, it has travelled through a pattern of historical complexity, witnessing many ups and downs.
The Diocese of Kottapuram, located near the ancient port town of Muziris, felt that it’s an intricate journey, the significance of which should be conveyed to the masses. With that in mind the Diocese has come up with a docu-fiction – a brave attempt to encapsulate in five hours, the 3,000-year long history of Christianity right from the golden days of the Muziris to the present day.
“The initiative is in line with our long tradition of taking up technological innovations for mass communication. It was printing press in the 15th century and radio and television in the five centuries later. The attempt is to visualise many important aspects of our history that remain largely unknown, underrated and relatively uncelebrated,” said Fr. Rockey Roby, official spokesperson of the diocese.
Shooting of the docu-fiction to be directed by Mohanroop is set to begin next month. The voluminous script, which runs into over 40 pages, has been finalised by a monitoring committee comprising the diocese officials, historians and researchers.
Mr. Mohanroop said the project would be groundbreaking at many levels whether in its definition of spectacle or its dialogue with technology. “A lot of research has gone into identifying the cultural traits of periods being dealt with such as the attires and the language spoken and much more. The film will be shot by recreating the panoramic visuals of bygone centuries in all its splendour and magnitude,” he said.
Some of the key events that will form a part of the docu-fiction include the arrival of St.Thomas the Apostle, which is believed to have taken place in AD 62, the synod of Diamper in 1599 and the Coonan Cross Oath in 1653. Besides, the parishes of Maliankara, Sambaloor and Paravur will also find a place in it.
The final cut, which would also be a comprehensive history of the Church in Kerala, is scheduled for a release six months from the shooting.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kochi / by Hiran Unnikrishnan / Kochi – October 20th, 2014
After the long demands made by the admirers of Ayurveda and the Hortus Malabaricus Trust, the state Archeology Department has declared the remains of the famous Ayurveda physician Itty Achuthan, coauthor of Hortus Malabaricus, a protected monument. The department issued government order to protect the monument. The ‘kuriala’, a small wooden room used by the scholar; a botanical garden; the ‘narayam’, wooden pen using to write; palm leaf writings; a basket made of cane; the silk and bangle gifted by the erstwhile King of Kochi are in the kuriala.
Itty Achuthan
According to Archeology Department Director G Premkumar, the 8.5 cent land owned by the Kollattu family in the Kadakarapally panchayat in Alappuzha was handed over to the Department. The Department had published preliminary gazette on July 2013 to make it a protected monument. Some of the family members raised protest, but the government negotiated with them and declared the monument a protected one this month, he said. Premkumar said they have plans to construct the monument in the land and to protect the ‘Kuriala’ intact. The Department directed the engineer to prepare a project. The fund for the protection will be allocated in the next financial year, he said.
The Archaeological Department started initiatives to take over the land a few years ago, but the land was pledged by the present owners in a Co-operative Bank. Later, the state government released the 8.5 cent land from the bank burden and published gazette. Itty Achuthan had participated in the compilation work of Hortus Malabaricus, a book on the flora of Kerala in the mid 17 century. The Dutch Malabar governor Hendrik Van Rheede had written the book and it was published in the second half of 17 century at Amsterdam.
The property is now owned by a fourth generation member of Itty Achuthan’s family in Kadakarapally panchayat near Cherthala. The land owner pledged the land in two cooperative banks and have taken lakhs as loan. After the death of the land owner his wife and children are living in the house.While the Kuriala is situated in 66 cent land and the botanical garden grown by Itty Achuthan is in 26 cents, the Archeology Department has taken over only 8.5 cents of land from the entire property to protect the monument and botanical garden.Hortus Malabaricus Trust secretary A N Chidambaran said that the trust had been working to protect the monument for more than two decades. The Trust has submitted proposals to construct an ayurvedic museum and a research centre about ayurvedic medicine, he said.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Biju E. Paul / October 23rd, 2014
Johny Lukos, news director, Manorama News channel bagged the Madhyamasree Award instituted by India Press Club of North America (IPCNA). M.G. Radhakrishnan, Editor, Asianet News has also won the award.
The award has been conferred in view of his outstanding contribution to contemporary journalism. The award will be presented on November 8 at a ceremony to be held in New York, India Press Club president Taj Mathew informed.
The awardees will share a cash prize of Rs 1.5 lakh among them. The winners were announced after the shortlisted candidates were evaluated by Malayalam film actor, Mohanlal.
source: http://www.english.manoramaonline.com / On Manorama / by The Correspondent / Saturday – October 18th, 2014
The ‘My Tree Challenge’ campaign, launched by actor Mammootty recently for planting trees, has crossed the oceans and reached other continents, with an Australian mayor accepting the challenge.
Stuart Slade, Mayor of the Glenorchy City Council, has planted a gumtree at the Tolosa park in the capital of Tasmania, an island city in Australia.
The mayor, who named the tree ‘Gandhi’ as an honour to Mahatma Gandhi, has also challenged the mayors of Melbourne, New York, Paris and London to plant trees.
Slade thanked Mammootty for the concept, while acknowledging it as a solace to the planet that is fast becoming polluted. He also invited Mammootty to Tasmania, and urged him to pay respect to the Gandhi tree.
The Mayor, who is an enthusiast of India and the country’s development, came to know about the My Tree Challenge from Sajini Sumar, chairperson of the Multi-cultural Women’s Council of Tasmanaia.
The My Tree Challenge, a campaign involving planting of saplings and challenging others to do so, was launched by Mammootty on August 30 – inspired by the ‘Ice Bucket Challenge’. He had asked Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan and Tamil actors Vijay and Suriya to take up the challenge.
Mammootty had also planted a tamarind tree on the premises of Grand Hyatt Hotel, Dubai.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Express News Service / October 21st, 2014
The Department of Ports is gearing up to make Vizhinjam a bunkering port to tap the potential of the business in view of proximity to the international sea routes and the East-West Shipping Axis.
The procedures to extend bunkering services from the existing wharf at Vizhinjam had started, Director of Ports P.I. Sheik Pareeth told The Hindu here.
The services of multiple agencies were needed and the modalities were being worked out with the stakeholders. The department was trying to exploit the strategic and unbeatable inherent advantages of the location, he said.
The port was just 10-12 nautical miles away from the busy Persian Gulf- Malacca shipping lines which carried almost a third of the world’s maritime traffic. Piracy issues had prompted vessels on the Red Sea – far east route to take a relatively northerly route and steam closer to west India. This would turn advantageous to Vizhinjam and Kochi, sources said.
The aim was to make available from the port food, water, and other things needed for the vessels that moved along the outer channel.
Besides generating revenue, bunkering business would bring in a sea change to the harbour and generate employment in the supply and logistics industry.
More maritime services could be generated in the port area. A supply hub could be developed and the increased utilisation of hotels and flights was possible, Mr. Pareeth said.
The preference shown by shipping lines towards Kochi and the government’s steps to promote it prompted the department to think of Vizhinjam as a bunkering port.
The service delivery would be as per Customs procedures governing the supply of fuel, ship stores, provisions, and fresh water to vessels on foreign run, round-the-clock, he said.
The government had reduced value-added tax (VAT) on bunkers being sold to foreign-going vessels. This had given a boost to bunker sales. Kochi and Colombo were the nearest bunkering ports. The annual bunkering market in India was estimated to be over 12 lakh tonnes, sources said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News. Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by S. Anil Radhakrishnan / Thiruvananthapuram – October 16th, 2014
A worker at the loom in Tasara Kozhikode. Photo: K. Ragesh / The Hindu
Twenty five years on, Tasara continues to bring imagination, aesthetics and exclusivity to weaving
There are no signboards in sight. Tasara, Centre for Creative Weaving, is lost in the small streets of Naduvattom near Beypore, and the lack of signage is deliberate. V. Vasudevan, its chief architect, only wants the curious and the committed to reach. Yet, in the past 25 years, a steady trickle of enthusiasts has landed here from across the world to learn and take back an aging craft woven with new colours.
At Tasara Kozhikode. Photo: K. Ragesh / The Hindu
The first international workshop at Tasara happened in 1989. Tell Vasudevan that makes this their 25th year surviving on creative weaving, he is blasé. Milestones do not matter. Tasara is a philosophy of life for him and family. And they are believers in quiet work. On November 1 begins a month-long residential workshop, a bi-annual feature on the centre’s calendar. “We have eight candidates coming from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa and Costa Rica. Every time there would be couple of them who are brilliant. The person from Costa Rica is a textile teacher,” says Vasudevan.
The double-decker residential complex — a large house — is readying for the workshop. Vasudevan, his brother and artist Balakrishnan – the man behind the engaging tapestries, sister Santha and a few more family and a handful of non-family members make up Tasara. The aim is a community where everyone pitches in for everything. Panchali who is scrubbing floors could be found at the loom moments later. Inside, Vasudevan shows his latest piece of work. A running spread of silvery grey coarse material is taking birth on the loom. “Carpet?” I ask. “No, sofa furnishing,” he says. Weaving with wild silk sourced from Chhattisgarh is tough, says the weaver. But it is for a customised order from Scotland, he adds.
A tapestry at Tasara Kozhikode. Photo: K. Ragesh / The Hindu
Tasara’s biggest tapestry at 13 metres height and two-and-a-half metre width was done for The Paul Hotel, Bangalore. “It took seven of us four months to weave. But that is the only one we did for hotels .”
A slow game
At the hallway at Tasara are piles of hand-woven material. There are large tapestries , stacks of wild silk stoles, woven table mats, elaborate floor mats, yoga mats, hand-woven shirts and bed spreads — all from the loom. The space embraces art and mundane together. “Once in a while someone comes to buy. But it will all be sold slowly,” says Vasudevan.
‘Small’ is a big word here. Growing in terms of quantity is not the focus. “It is about doing things with dignity. Everything you do is part of your personality,” he says.
Remaining small and exclusive has let Tasara live. Their creations have been exhibited in Sweden, Switzerland, Holland, Germany and the United States. “I can say that there not many countries in the world that does not have a small thing of ours,” says Vasudevan.
Handloom can survive not by mass production, but by scaling down. This was a lesson Vasudevan learnt quickly. He began like many others in the 1970s of Kozhikode with Spider Weavers when weaving went bullish. “There was an enormous market for cotton crepe in the U.S. and U.K. and production was not matching up to the demand. The weaving hub was Kannur, but it spilled over to Kozhikode and many units came up.” Weaving was simple to learn and many came to make a quick buck. The bull ride though lost steam quickly.
“When crepe cotton went out, we wove satin bed sheets with viscous fibre. It went to Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai. When washing machines took over lives, these 90-inch bed spreads woven by 12 over a day and a half, was pushed out. A machine could wash only a bed spread at a time.”
The Hindu
Experimentation, adaptation and innovation proved the only way. There were enough reasons to shut down, few ways to survive. “Slow production is the weak point of handloom, but it has to be converted into our strength. Limited supply will always have demand.” The way forward was in being creative and creating custom-made, exclusive products. “I realised the significance of a counter experience. Handicraft would be valued only if it is exclusive. Secondly, it has to be more aesthetic. I tried to bring in the texture of a painting onto woven textiles,” says Vasudevan.
A random mention of his weaving enterprise to a German friend in Chennai led to an order for curtains at the Max Mueller Bhavan there. The weavers experimented and the order became their statement. Handloom bordered on art and drew attention. The curtains at Max Mueller led to an offer to collaborate for an exhibition by the Alliance Francaise in Chennai. It was the metamorphosis of the commercial enterprise Spider Weavers into the cultural Tasara. Collaborating with a French artist, the men and women of Tasara created tapestries what were soon given the name “woven art.”
Max Mueller Bhavan followed suit with the proposal for an international workshop. Painters came from within and beyond to create and execute ideas. Many artists have stayed and worked here — Adimoolam, Achuthan Kudallur, Jayapala Panicker, Surya Prakash and others. Ever since, international workshops have been an annual feature at Tasara. “When creative people come together something is bound to happen,” says Vasudevan.
Workshops are Tasara’s means to never stop learning. As enthusiasts come in from world over — from an IT guy to textile academicians — new techniques and ideas emerge. “At the last workshop, we were introduced to eco printing by a participant. Teaching is the best way to be updated,” says Vasudevan. They also allow an apprenticeship of six months free of cost for those interesting in weaving. Learning continues and Tasara lives. Sustenance is through workshops and small sales. “We have happily survived; importantly work does not feel like work.”
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus> Fashion / Kozhikode – October 10th, 2014
NRKs planning to invest in agriculture back home now have a golden opportunity to do so and to understand how to go about it. The Agriculture Department is planning a two-day investors’ meet in Doha, Qatar, on Thursday and Friday to attract investment and to generate awareness regarding the scope. The meet will also feature a ‘single window clearance’ mechanism for potential investments, Agriculture officials said. This is the first time that the Agriculture Department is organising a workshop outside the country, Agriculture Minister K P Mohanan said here on Tuesday.
“The meet is aimed at potential NRK investors in this sector. But it will also help to boost the possibilities of the meet which will be held in Kochi in November this year,” he said. The Global Agro Meet is to be held on November 6 and 7 and aims at showcasing Kerala’s own agro products. This list includes indigenous rice varieties, other produces such as Vazhakkulam Pineapple and spices like Malabar Pepper.
The November expo is also intended to acquaint farmers here with the latest trends and possibilities on offer in the international market. The meet also proposes to discuss ways and means to strengthen marketing and supply chain infrastructure for farm products in the state.The Biofach India 2014 trade fair also will be held alongside the Global Agro Meet.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Express News Service / October 15th, 2014
‘Face of Palliative Care’ in India, Dr. M.R Rajagopal. Photo: Wikipedia
Four advocates for Human Rights, Dr. M. R. Rajagopal from India, the Founder Chairman of ‘Pallium India’, Shin Dong-Hyuk from North Korea, Father Bernard Kinvi from the Central African Republic, Arwa Othman from Yemen have been chosen for the ‘Dr Alison Des Forges Award’ in 2014.
The award is named after Dr. Alison Des Forges, senior adviser at Human Rights Watch for almost two decades, who died in a plane crash in New York State on February 12, 2009. Dr Alison was the world’s leading expert on Rwanda, the 1994 genocide and its aftermath.
‘Dr. Alison Des Forges Award’ will be presented at the ‘Voices for Justice Annual Dinners’ in 20 cities worldwide. The first dinner will be held in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara in November, where Dr Rajagopal will be honoured. The others will be presented with the award at various venues around the world.
Shin Dong-Hyuk, who was a victim of the brutality and starvation prevalent in North Korea’s forced labor camps has worked tirelessly to alert the world to these horrors since his escape in 2005.
The others recipients of the award include Father Bernard Kinvi, a Catholic priest who saved the lives of hundreds of Muslim civilians targeted during sectarian violence in the Central African Republic; Arwa Othman, a leading advocate working to end child marriage and promote equality for women in Yemen.”
Dr M R Rajagopal, a clinician, academic and an activist for human rights is the ‘Face of Palliative Care’ in India. He has been working to promote Palliative care in India as a ‘Human Right’ and to ensure that the patient has the right to be relieved of their pain and die with dignity.
He developed the world’s most successful Community-based Palliative Care Programme, ‘Pallium India’ and he is responsible in convincing the Indian Government to make morphine available for patients.
His main contributions over the past 20 years have been the formation of the ‘National Programme in Palliative Care in India (NPPPC) in 2012 and in bringing the Parliament of India to amend the harsh ‘Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act of 1985 (NDPS), and the amendment was passed in 2014. ‘Pallium India’ aims to stop the suffering of millions in India who are denied of Pain relief and medical care.
They encourage volunteers and the well-wishers to help them in their endeavour to achieve this goal! Dr Rajagopal believes that patients should not suffer from treatable pain, which is in fact a violation of human rights.
source: http://www.english.manoramaonline.com / OnManorama / Home> My News / by Liz Menon / Saturday – October 04th, 2014
Motor vehicle inspector Shefiq B.’s photograph of a leopard at the Parambikulam wildlife sanctuary won a prize at the State-level wildlife photography competition. Photo: K.K. Mustafah / The Hindu
A motor vehicle inspector’s commitment to wildlife photography
: His passion for photography almost cost him his life a decade ago when he was chased around by a herd of wild elephants in Thekkady. And that night in 2003, he stayed atop a tree to escape the wrath of the pachyderms.
For someone who took pictures with trembling hands and landed himself in trouble out of his ignorance about positioning, Shefiq B. has come a long way to grab the victor’s prize at the State-level wildlife photography conducted by the forest department.
A motor vehicle inspector by profession, Mr. Shefiq will receive the award from Forest Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan on Tuesday at the Periyar Tiger Reserve in Thekkady.
Motor vehicle inspector Shefiq B.’s photograph of a leopard at the Parambikulam wildlife sanctuary won a prize at the State-level wildlife photography competition. Photo: K.K. Mustafah / The Hindu
The picture of a leopard lying on a rock at the Parambikulam wildlife sanctuary won him the prize.
“Initially, the animal was behind a rock and was not fully visible before it stepped on to the rock. From its stomach I could gauge that the animal had had its prey just then and would be resting there for a while,” he said.
Photography became his passion after he took a five-year break from his job as a vehicle inspector.
During this time, he took up a job in the Middle East which gave him the opportunity to travel to the wildlife sanctuaries of Kenya, a photographer’s delight.
So much was he consumed by the passion that he didn’t think twice before taking a loan for purchasing a professional worth Rs. 2.5 lakh.
Since rejoining duty at the Aluva Regional Transport Office last year, Shefiq puts in extra hours at work, so that he can go exploring nature in the company of his camera on weekends .
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kochi / by M.P. Praveen / Kochi – October 07th, 2014
