What does it take for a startup to be successful? Two spunky 14-year-olds with deep passion for movies, enough marketing chutzpah and skills to tinker with social media, was all that Parippu Vada Media (PVM) had.
But, the five-month-old firm, launched by Shane Mathews and Jai Kishan K Sudhi, Class IX students of Toc-H Public School at Vyttila here, has already created a niche, being the youngest player in the business of movie promotions via social media.
PVM, which has a tie-up with designing company Designment, has handled social media marketing for over 20 short films and five movies including the blockbuster Vellimoonga, John Paul Vathil Thurakkumpol, Double Barrel, Rosappookkalam and Chirakodinja Kinavukal.
The service of PVM includes online promotion, reviews, cinema news, location updates, film gossip, teasers and first-look posters.
“I was a diehard movie buff. During the summer vacation I thought of starting my own company. Both Jai Kishan and I were crazy over movies and this brought us together,” said Shane. The duo started the Facebook page for PVM in May this year.
Shane says Designment has played a huge role in shaping PVM. The promotion of a movie will take three weeks to one month and the team of two makes Rs 6000 to Rs 10,000 per film. PVM is now planning to launch own website to mark their first anniversary. “A mobile app and a mascot will also be launched soon,” said Shane.
Jai Kishan said promotion of movies through social media is now an integral part of marketing Malayalam cinema. PVM was also lucky to have a veteran actor like Prathap Pothan as their patron. “When I came across the style of promotion carried out by Parippu Vada Media and knew that two 14-year-olds are behind it, I extended full support to them,” said Prathap Pothan, who will launch the mascot of the company.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Pramod Thomas / November 12th, 2014
Diverse events are on the cards to celebrate the birth anniversary of renowned ornithologist Salim Ali, often observed as the National Bird Watching Day, on November 12.
The events are being organised by the Social Forestry wing of the Dept of Forests and Wildlife and World Wildlife Fund-India.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Express News Service / November 11th, 2014
It is the sheer passion for adventure that drove a group of young men from city to form the Calicut Off-road Club six months ago. From a small group of fun drivers, the COC has now become a major contender in many of the off-road motor sport in South India.
“Initially, it was a get-together of a group of owners of four-wheel drive vehicles. But we found that many of the group were interested in going for extremes. So we finally decided to enter into competitive events,” said Renjith Andrews, one of the founders of the club.
The event organized by the DTPC at Karuvarakkundu in Malappuram was the first one contested by the COC. The club has thus far participated in seven events in the last six months.
“The event organized by Mahindra at Sakaleshpur in Karnataka last month proved to be a turning point for us. We bagged a total of five titles in the event,” Renjith said.
Linu K V and Sabin Raj won the first place in the petrol class, Sidharth and Vivek first place in the diesel class, Robish and Sandeep second price in diesel class, Linch and Vipin third place in diesel class and Sidharth won the overall championship.
Sidharth won the Ooty Great Escape event held on November 9. He along with Arun P P who won the Great Escape Vagamon earlier, has been selected for the finals to be held in Nasik.
“Preparation of vehicles for the tasks was a big challenge for us. We solved the problem by starting a workshop at Kottooli in the city,” Renjith said.
COC feels that the terrain the state is quite suitable for the adventure sports. The club is now recruiting new members and trains them for the future events. “Our dream is to organize an off-road event in Kozhikode itself,” he said.
Apart from participating in the events, the COC is also active in activities for the benefit of the public.
The club has organized a campaign for drug-free Kozhikode and has conducted road safety awareness programmes joining hands with the police and the motor vehicles department.
Anyone who has a four-wheeler can join the club. “They will be scrutinized by the COC committee and will have to strictly abide by the bylaw of the club,” Renjith said.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Times of India / Home> City> Kozhikode / TNN / November 11th, 2014
Speaking at the Global Agro Meet 2014, producer Cicil Chandran says that Hi-tech farming is the future for agriculturists the world around.
And this is no ordinary producer.
Winner of the Hi-tech farmer award consecutively in 2012 and 2013, not counting a plethora of other recognitions, Cicil Chandran is the owner of DJM Hi-Tech farm at Neyattinkara in Thiruvananthapuram, adopting advance techniques using latest technology, where he nurtures different varieties of Cucumber, Capsicum, Papaya, Tomato and Bittergourd, just to name a few. When ‘Express’ contacted Cicil he said, “To venture into the Hi-tech agriculture field, proper training for the producer is imperative. Kerala is lagging behind in this regard. Hi-Tech farming yields more than 10 times the produce that is obtained by the conventional farming procedures,” he says. “Moreover, it ensures that the produce is pesticide-free and completely safe for consumption,” he adds. This is amply supported by the fact that he gained a staggering eight-and-a-half tonnes of produce within three months of farming in a 600-sqm field.
He nurtures an enviable Hi-Tech vegetable farm, high-breed, good quality vegetable seedlings, a banana plantation, heliconia, orchid anthurium, ornament plants, a goat farm, a coconut tree plantation, ginger and pepper plantations all under one roof. He also cultivates a particular variety of papaya, the Red Lady, which he says is a highly profitable cultivation that requires minimal care and attention. His DJM Hi-Tech farm is divided into a fully controlled and protected sector and a naturally ventilated area which is covered by insect-proof nets.
The polyhouse in DJM Hi-Tech is also one of the only two farms in the state which uses the smart farm module developed by Centre for Development and Advanced Computing (CDAC). “The smart farm module senses humidity, water and air circulation, soil and carbon dioxide. It takes all these factors into account and makes the necessary changes in settings, all the while dispatching an sms of the changes that it has registered. It is completely automated in every regard. However, only certain crops like tomato, cucumber and chilli, which are self-pollinating, are grown in the sector,” he says, adding that polyhouses are subsidised by 75 per cent. He uses UV stabiliser sheets from Israel to spread sunlight evenly to every crop.
He says that Kerala possesses a huge potential for growth in the Hi-Tech cultivation sector, but is stunted by a lack of training for producers. “Several high quality seeds and fertilisers which are used here are currently imported from Netherlands. If we could provide proper manufacturing facilities of those products in the state, we would be able to cut down extra costs to a considerable extent,” he says.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Vaisakh Hari / November 08th, 2014
A view of the burial place of Makthi Thangal at Calvethy, Fort Kochi. Photo: Thulasi Kakkat / The Hindu
Syed Sanaullah Makthi Thangal, one of the earliest progressive Islamic scholars of Kerala, lies buried in the ancient Juma Masjid at Calvathy
In the middle of the khabaristan or burial ground adjoining the historic Juma Masjid at Calvathy, among the many grave markers, weeds and grass is one ancient grave. The tombstone is worn out and cracked, a row of laterite bricks mark out the grave, and a small neem plant has grown right in the middle. This is perhaps the only surviving memory of Syed Sanaullah Makthi Thangal (1847-1912), the famous Islamist reformer and author.
Historical documents reveal that Makthi Thangal was born at Veliyankodu, Malappuram district. But most of his creative pursuits and death happened in Kochi. He studied Arabic from his father Syed Ahmed Thangal and then enrolled at the Chavakkad Higher Elementary School. He went on to become an expert in Islamic studies and an expert in Malayalam, Arabic, Hindustani, Persian and Tamil languages.
He began his career as an excise inspector in the British government. This was a period when the Muslims in Kerala had not opened up to public education, were bound by superstitions, were gullible to accept anyone as their spiritual leader. Added to this was the government supported conversion threats. Thangal quit his job and plunged into public life. His mission was to help his community rise from the social and cultural depths into which it had fallen.
Thangal began writing, speaking and propagating his views that were bold, poetic, reformist and directed to benefit the Muslim community. Thangal wrote in the newspapers that were in circulation at that time, those that were ready to publish his articles and also published books on matters relevant to the community in British India. His speeches and all what he wrote turned out to be a clarion call to many who towed his line of thought. Thangal is considered to be the first Muslim to write, publish books and launch a daily newsletter.
Dr. C.K. Kareem, in his Kerala Muslim History, Statistics and Directory, Volume 1 (History of Kerala and of her Muslims), records that Thangal had to suffer a lot for his work. He quotes from Thangal’s concise autobiography, Makthi Manaklesham that gives a graphic account of his travails. The fierce attacks came from the conservatives within his community and from the British. But Thangal was not one to be cowed down by all this.
For nearly 30 years Thangal is said to have travelled the length and breadth of the State spreading awareness about the need for education, women’s empowerment, calling for a fight against superstition, conversion and non-Islamic beliefs.
Book cover of Makthi Thangal’s complete works / The Hindu
E. Moidu Moulavi, in his preface to the collected edition of Makthi Thangal’s works (Makthi Thangalude Sampoorna Krithikal) published by Kerala Islamic Mission, Tirur, states that Thangal must have written 40 books. Though he did not have the means, found no publishers, did all that on his own. Moidu Moulavi considers Thangal’s works as a value addition to the ancient Malayalam literary style and an invaluable historical document. What makes these works more important is when one considers the time during which they were written. The language may not have the finesse but certainly did not lack the power.
“Some of Thangal’s works like Kadora Kudaram, which was a resistance against the British supported religious conversions, Muslimugalum Vidyabyasavum that exhorted Muslims to embrace Malayalam and English education and Naari Narabhichari on the need for women’s education are all revolutionary, progressive works of a genius. As Dr. C. K. Karim observes and from what I have read they were brave views that shook the conformist mindset of the community. Thangal had to suffer a lot for his writings with many slapping court cases against him,” says M.A. Aboobacker, cultural activist.
What made Thangal unique was that he was the first reformist who studied the religious aspects of various religions before formulating his views. As historian M. Gangadaran notes Makthi Thangal as a reformist who used his vast knowledge to find a way out for the Muslim community from the darkness. He understood the significance of language and insisted that it should not be a barrier for Islam.
Failing health forced Thangal to settle down permanently in Kochi. He died on September 18, 1912. Among his many disciples and followers was C.V. Abdurahman Hydrose, editor of Malabar Islam. “Hydrose Sahib stayed at Darussalam Road. His father was also known to Makthi Thangal. It is said that Thangal presented his pen to Hydrose Sahib telling him that he has nothing else to give him and prayed that this pen would be helpful to him.
As Moidu Moulavi writes, Hydrose Sahib, true to the legacy he inherited, went on to publish many of Thangal’s works including Makthi Vijayam,” says Aboobacker.
Once in a while people visit Thangal’s grave, people who have read about him, who have read his works. “It was my friend Gaffoor who first told me about Thangal’s grave. I had read a lot about him and also some of his writings. In January 2013, when Gaffoor came down from Muscat, we went for the Biennale. We then decided to find out where Thangal’s grave was. It took us a lot of wandering, asking many people to finally find it. I feel Thangal who has contributed so much for nourishing and reforming the Muslim community deserves more”, feels R.P. Sivan, a Malayalam teacher at SRV High School.
Apart from a literary award instituted by an organisation in Makthi Thangal’s name there is nothing else to perpetuate the memory of this visionary reformer.
Perhaps, adapting Emily Dickinson’s lines, after a hundred years nobody would know this place. Weeds will rage triumphant, strangers will stroll past this lone tombstone, no one to tell them of the man buried there; lost to memory.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus> Hidden Histories / by K. Pradeep / Kochi – October 31st, 2014
File photo shows view of the Ashtamudi lake at sunset from Dalawapuram in Kollam. / The Hindu
Ashtamudi lake, a Ramsar wetland of international importance, is the second largest estuarine system in Kerala and the clam fishery began in 1981.
Union Minister of State for Environment Prakash Javadekar on Friday announced that the Clam Governing Council of Ashtamudi lake in Kerala was the first Marine Stewardship Council-certified fishery in India.
Speaking at a press conference, he said that the fisherfolk decided to go in for sustainable activities after they extracted over 10,000 tonne clams from the lake, reducing its capacity over the years. This was the first such certification for India, he pointed out.
The Ashtamudi Estuary showcases to the world that development and environment protection go hand in hand and participatory approach at the local level in managing biodiversity is an important aspect of it, an official statement said. This achievement also opens up the scope for other fisheries in India to work towards MSC certification, which would enhance conservation and sustainability of the resource, while providing greater economic returns. The MSC is an international non-profit organisation set up to help transform the seafood market to a sustainable basis. The MSC runs the only certification and eco-labeling programme for wild-capture fisheries. Ashtamudi short neck clam fishery is only the third fishery in Asia to have received the recognition, the statement added.
Ashtamudi lake, a Ramsar wetland of international importance, is the second largest estuarine system in Kerala and the clam fishery began in 1981. It supports the livelihoods of around 3000 fisherfolk involved in collection, cleaning processing and trading clams. The growth of Ashtamudi’s commercial fishery was driven by demand from Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia in the 1980s and the 1990s. By 1991, the catch peaked at 10,000 tonne a year, but declined by 50 per cent in 1993 due to overfishing.
Faced with the prospect of dwindling catch, the community decided to restrict fishing and impose mesh size restrictions for nets, along with a minimum export size and a prohibition on mechanical clam fishing, the official statement added. These measures showed immediate effects, and clam fishery has sustained landings of around 10,000 tonne a year for the past decade.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> S&T> Environment / by Special Correspondent / New Delhi – November 07th, 2014
J. Shahjahan, captain of the Kerala University Blind Cricket team. / The Hindu
Visually challenged student bags Young Achiever Award.
As far as fielding positions in cricket are concerned, J. Shahjahan prefers standing at ‘short.’ “You know, where Gautam Gambhir normally stands,” he said, a comparison he often draws to help those not so well-versed with cricket parlance. This is a place uncomfortably close to the batsman, one that even the fittest of players would not be too thrilled to serve. But this 26-year-old captain of the Kerala University Blind Cricket team is.
Mr. Shahjahan, whose indomitable spirit for the game has also found him a place in the State-level team for the visually challenged, is one of the five recipients in the country of this year’s Young Achiever Award instituted by the Amway Opportunity Foundation. The award was introduced in 2013 by the Corporate Social Responsibility wing of Amway India with the objective of identifying and supporting efforts of youth who are differently abled and belong to financially underprivileged backgrounds. He will receive the award at a function to be held in Chandigarh on November 8.
The National Association for the Blind in Kerala nominated his name for the award.
Born partially sighted, his condition worsened with age. But it has not been a deterrent to Mr. Shahjahan’s efforts to succeed. It is not just the joy of playing that gets this ‘all-rounder’ out on the cricket pitch at the university hostel here, but the fact that it has proven really uplifting for everyone in his team, nearly all of whom have had to deal with condescending, discriminatory treatment all their lives.
Even if they get to seriously practice only once a month, it is something they excel in. “If we could, we would get out on to the pitch everyday but any tournament we participate in or any practice we arrange has to be carried out using our own money. We have never had sponsors to support us,” said Mr. Shahjahan.
“It is not our physical capabilities that have frustrated us, it is the system,” he said. Mr. Shahjahan’s two role-models in the game are barely recognisable names — A. Manish and M.T. Manoj, who excelled in the national team for the Blind Cricket World Cup held in Islamabad in 2006.
Mr. Shahjahan is currently pursuing MA Malayalam at University College here.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Kaavya Pradeep Kumar / Thursday – November 05th, 2014
The year-long birth centenary celebrations of kathakali legend late Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair is all set to begin in Pilathara near Payyannur on Sunday, which will be inaugurated by minister for culture K C Joseph. But the native place of the kathakali maestro is yet to have a memorial even after 24 years of his death.
“It is a fact that the kathakali legend, who was honoured with Padmashree in 1970, is yet to have a memorial in his name and the main aim of our organising this birth centenary fete now is to make a befitting memorial,” said the organizing committee chairman T V Rajesh, MLA.
As the first stage, it has plans to erect a statue of Krishnan Nair in Pilathara, and also they will publish a book on the kathakali artistes who have prominent role in the promotion of this classical art form, said the organising committee.
“Also, we are going to institute an endowment for the kathakali artistes as part of the celebrations but that is not enough to recognize the artiste who has the distinction of being the first kathakali performer to be honoured with padmashree,” said C M Venugopalan, the general convenor of the organizing committee of the centenary celebrations.
The government should take steps to build a memorial and start a kathakali training and research centre at his native Cheruthazham near Payyannur he said.
“When the minister K C Joseph comes to inaugurate the celebrations, we will put this demand before him and our hope is that the government will take a favourable stand in this connection,” he said.
Born in Cheruthazham on March 11, 1914, Krishnan Nair got his early training in kathakali under the tutelage of Guru Chandu Panikker. Later, he joined Kerala Kalamandalam, where he studied and later taught kathakali for 14 years. He also received many awards from Kerala and outside, including the Sangeetha Nataka Akademi award in 1968.
Apart from K C Joseph, P K Sreemathi, MP, T V Rajesh, MLA among others will also attend the inaugural function, in which the kathakali artistes will also be honoured. Dr N P Vijayakrishnan would deliver the Krishnan Nair memorial lecture. Two kathakali performances, ‘Poothana Moksham’, and ‘Duryodhana Vadham’ are also organized as part of the inaugural function. In the coming months more programmes would be organized, said the organizing committee.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Thiruvananthapuram / by P. Sudhakaran, TNN / November 02nd, 2014
Bid adieu to those days when you would have wait in line at hospitals to consult a doctor. Instead, you can now have video conference sessions with the doctors .
Mini Balaraman, President, DoctorsCabin.com had spent 14 years in the USA. After returning to India she realised how difficult it was to consult doctors. This triggered the idea of a web based cosultation service.
DoctorsCabin.com, a digital health website, helps people from all walks to life, to get in touch with a doctor with ease. The company does the needful to get in touch with doctors from various parts of India who offer video consultations to patients. Patients can get second opinions, follow up questions etc. by using the video chat service. The service also assures a certain degree of privacy as well.
At present, the firm has 20,000 doctors and 2000 hospitals under their registration.
Patients may also use the “Ask the Doctor” option to share their medical history, reports, get an opinion or ask a question to a doctor.
One can also know find out about the cost of treatments including surgeries like by-pass surgery , open heart surgery, liver transplant, cosmetic surgery etc. There are over 30,000 treatment procedure listings available in the website. Details about the treatment as well as getting their appointment confirmed before visiting the hospital can also be done online.
The firm has tie-ups with several companies to provide home health services. Doctors/Nurses/Physiotherapists visit the patient’s house and provide necessary care. This is beneficial to those patients who have difficulty in traveling, who seek new born care, post surgery care, suffering from chronic illness etc. The NRIs are also happy to have such facilities, as their dependents get convenient treatment in India.
Vikram Nair, CEO of the firm, Mini Balaraman, President, Prakash Sathyapalan, Chief Technology Officer said that their aim is to offer a transparent and comprehensive platform that has unique value in the healthcare space and eyeing for expanding it globally in the near future.
source: http://www.english.manoramaonline.com / On Manorama / Home> My News / by Sunil VP / Wednesday – October 29th, 2014
Kerala-based Welbound, a manufacturer of bookbinding machines, also played a role in the success of Mangalyaan mission.
Welbound had manufactured the PS4 fluid system components for the small motor aboard the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) spacecraft which helped in placing it in the orbit around the red planet. Welbound, in fact, is one of the many small and medium enterprises, which builds components for ISRO and its units.
After the mission, Welbound managing director K C Sanjeev received a letter from K Sivan, director, Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), thanking the firm and adding that the fluid system components had performed as expected throughout the mission.
Welbound had supplied the fluid system components which went into the Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) developed by the LPSC which raised the orbit of MOM around the earth, thrust it on its journey towars Mars and stopped it to be placed in the orbit around Mars.
“Welbound had also manufactured the components for the PSLV C-25 rocket which was used to launch MOM,” Sanjeev said.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Express News Service / November 04th, 2014
