The Kerala Region Latin Catholic Council (KRLCC) has announced the awards instituted by it for Malayalees from the Latin Catholic community, who have excelled in their respective fields.
Veteran singer Pappukutty Bhagavathar will be honoured with the Gurushreshta Award. He is from the Kochi diocese. Tony Fernandes from the Varappuzha diocese will be honoured with the Samooha Nirmithi Award for his excellence in the field of eye care.
Sippy Pallipuram, writer of children’s literature, belonging to the Kottappuram diocese, has been chosen for the Sahitya award. Chacko Puthenpurackal, a professor at Carmel Giri seminary from the Vijayapuram diocese, will be honoured with the Vaigyanika Sahitya Award.
Journalist Ignatious Gonzalez and music composer Jerry Amal Dev, both from the the Varapuzha diocese, will be honoured with the Media award and the Kalaprathiba Award, respectively. Sister Dr Sussama from the Kollam diocese will be honoured with the Education and Science award.
Sports award will be given away to cricketer Sanju Samson and Samrambhaka Award to K J Tennis. They are from the Thiruvananthapuram and Alapuzha dioceses respectively. Anil Jose from the Neyattinkara dioceses has been selected for the Yuvatha Award.
The awards were decided by a jury consisting of George Onakkur, Cherian Kuniyanthodath, Thanuja Bhattaripad and Preemus Perinjery. The Gurushreshta Award carries a purse of `25,000 and a citation. A cash prize of `20,000 and a citation each will be given away to the rest of the awardees.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Kochi / by Express News Service / May 17th, 2014
Basil Koshy Sajeev, Arun Ashokan and Abid Ali\ Khan who won the first three ranks respectively in the medical entrance examination. / by Special Arrangement / The Hindu
Engineering rank list in three weeks after standardisation
Boys cornered the top three ranks in this year’s medical entrance examination as 83,460 of the 93,897 students who wrote these examinations found a place on the rank list.
While Basil Koshy Sajeev from Odakkali, Ernakulam, bagged the first rank with a total score of 954.8936, Arun Ashokan from Muvattupuzha secured the second rank with a total score of 950.
The third spot went to Abid Ali Khan from Pathanamthitta; his score was 949.8936. The medical entrance results and the score sheet of the engineering entrance examinations were announced here on Thursday by Education Minister P.K. Abdu Rabb.
Among Scheduled Caste candidates, S. Sneha from Pathanamthitta bagged the first rank with a score of 871.3617 and N. Naveen from Purakkad, Kozhikode, the second rank with a score of 865.5319.
Among Scheduled Tribe candidates, B.I. Prasitha from Kasaragod bagged the first rank with a score of 881.1702 while the second rank went to Bhavya from Wayanad who got a score of 822.9362. Among the first 1,000 rank-holders, 491 are from the State higher secondary stream, 471 from the CBSE stream and 30 from the ISCE stream. Based on the district of permanent residence, Kozhikode returned the higher number of candidates in the top 1,000 list: 146.
Malappuram with 144 candidates comes second and Thiruvananthapuram with 124, third. Among the top 100 rank-holders, 22 are from Thiruvananthapuram, 17 from Kozhikode, and 12 from Ernakulam.
Among the top 100 rank-holders, 64 are boys. On the top-100 list, 63 candidates had written the entrance a second time.
Engineering
Of the 1,03,398 candidates who appeared for the engineering entrance examinations 74,307 candidates qualified.
The engineering rank list would be published three weeks later after combining the score in the entrance and the scores of Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry in the qualifying examinations — on a 50:50 basis — and subjecting them to a standardisation process.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Kerala / by Special Correspondent / Thiruvananthapuram – May 16th, 2014
They are 30 in number. Compassion unites these like-minded people. With their inexhaustible love for mankind, the members of the Yuvadhara Arts and Sports Club, Kottooli, Kozhikode, have been rendering selfless service to the deserted people around them, quenching their thirst and hunger, for the past 16 years.
“We believe in the philosophy ‘service to the poor is the best prayer to god.’ Even now, lots of people in our country are starving to death. If we are not in a position to understand the plight of those who are starving outside, and are not willing to extend our ‘sympathetic ears’ to the woes of the orphaned fellow beings around us, we are not worthy to be called human beings,” says club secretary Pramod K V.
He also says that as many as 200 residents in Kottooli are benign enough to extend their helping hand to the club members in their effort to serve the hapless.
Since its inception in 1998, the organisation has been witnessing a rapid flow of philanthropists from various parts of the district to offer their benevolent service.
“It’s really agonising to see that the vagabonds do not seem to have even one square meal or a roof over their head. Most of them sleep on the pavements of streets in complete vulnerability, especially the women among them. And never can we forget certain moments when they receive food packets from our hands with moistened eyes,” says club president K Vijesh, with an air of contentment. He also adds that the members of the club have become exemplary models for other people in Kottooli, which can be imbibed by the upcoming generations too.
It was in 2000 that the late Kozhikode Zamorin P K S Raja and the former Abbot of the CSI Church, Reverent Jose Peter, made a visit to Kottooli to meet the club members.
“As far as the club members were concerned, the day was really eventful. The Zamorin held the hands of each one of us and whole-heartedly thanked us for making him realise the pathetic condition of some of his subjects and also promised that he would extend his maximum help for the protection of the orphaned lives. Later, he seemed highly elated while taking the inmates of the Kottooli old age home out to the nearby beach for an evening walk conducted by the club,” says Bagyaraj, one of the club members.
He also says that the club is now looking forward to offering an ambulance by the name ‘Janakiya Ambulance’ to the residents of Kottooli with the intention of providing immediate medical facilities to them.
Apart from offering food to street-dwellers, the club has also organised various campaigns against pan masalas and also for the protection of widows in Kottooli.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Kochi / by Vimal Govind / May 16th, 2014
Technopark Technology Business Incubator (T-TBI) has been chosen for the ‘Special Commendation’ for ‘Golden Peacock National Training Award’ for 2014. The award instituted by Institute of Directors India has chosen T-TBI for the successful conduct of various training activities undertaken by it in the areas of entrepreneurship development, software engineering, software certification, students’ technical skill enhancement etc. T-TBI is the first business Incubator in India to receive the prestigious Golden Peacock Award.
The award will be presented to T-TBI by Governor of Maharashtra K Sankaranarayanan on May 23, at a function organised at Taj Vivanta here. T-TBI was chosen by the Awards Jury under the chairmanship of Justice P N Bhagwati, former CJI and Co-Chairmanship of Justice Arijit Pasayat, chairman, Authority for Advance Ruling (Customs, Central Excise & Service Tax) & former Judge, SC of India & former chairman, Competition Appellate Tribunal of India.
“We started talking about innovation when it was literally a new terminology in the IT domain. Technopark-TBI in the last decade has incubated over 190 companies (virtually as well) with almost 95 per cent success rate. “The Golden Peacock Award is a recognition to our efforts in creating an entrepreneurial culture amongst youth in Kerala. Moreover the fact that we are able to inspire more homegrown companies is certainly satisfying,” Technopark CEO K G Girish Babu said.
“Winning Golden Peacock Award is a great honour in corporate excellence. The award is a recognition for our initiatives to promote entrepreneurship among the youth in Kerala,” K C Chandrasekharan Nair, COO, secretary and Registrar T-TBI said. Earlier T-TBI won the Best Performing Incubator in India Award in 2006 (Govt of India DST), Best Performing Incubator in Asia Pacific in 2011 (AABI, Shanghai), Best Global Science Based Incubator Award 2012 (Technopolicy Networks Netherlands) and Best CSR Practices Award 2013 (National Forum)
The other winners who shall be honoured with Golden Peacock Awards are: KIMS Hospital (Quality), Terumo Penpol (Quality). The Lifetime Achievement Award for Business Leadership will be given to P N C Menon, Chairman Emeritus, Shobha Developers Ltd.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Express News Service – Thiruvananthapuram / by Express News Service – Thiruvananthapuram / May 15th, 2014
The Padmanabhapuram Palace located at Padmanabhapuram, former capital city of the Travancore kingdom, in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu has been included in UNESCO’s draft list of World Heritage Sites, Cultural Affairs Minister K C Joseph said on Wednesday.
The minister said that the palace, that was constructed in 1601, was included in the list after the World Heritage Committee that met at New Delhi on May 15. The palace, though located in Tamil Nadu, is being administered by the Government of Kerala. The over 500-year-old palace is considered as a prime example of the Kerala architecture.
Joseph also said that the committee will consider including the Edakkal Caves in Wayanad in the next draft list. The Kerala Government had earlier sent a special report to the committee demanding the inclusion of both the sites in the list.
The caves located 25 km from Kalpetta in Wayanad has pictorial stone-age carvings believed to date back to BC 6000. The minister said that the government had already submitted project report on the two sites and has appointed archaeologist Elizabeth Thomas as a special officer for the mission.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Express News Service – Thiruvananthapuram / by Express News Service – Thiruvananthapuram / May 15th, 2014
Kathakali artiste Kottakkal Sasidharan Nair performs ‘Bharatham Mohanam’ at the K.P. Kesava Menon auditorium in Kozhikode on Monday. Percussion maestro Mattannur Sankarankutty is seen. / Photo: K. Ragesh / The Hindu
Having a dear friend watching your performance will definitely energise an artiste. For 64-year-old Kathakali maestro Kottakkal Sasidharan Nair, the K.P. Kesava Menon Hall in Kozhikode gifted such a precious moment on Monday.
Mattannur Sankarankutty, renowned percussionist and close friend of the artiste, called on his beloved companion in art with a bouquet of love. ‘Bharatham Mohanam,’ a special dance programme staged by Mr. Sasidharan Nair was thus culminating on a fulfilling note.
“I never expected him at this venue though I had informed him on phone about the one-and-a-half-hour show. When both of us stepped into art, only poverty was the binding thread,” said Mr. Sasidharan Nair, without hiding his intense feeling, after the performance. We were not fortunate to gain adequate education in our time, but, by the grace of our Gurus, we could take the art to world nations, a proud artiste said.
An emotionally moved Mr. Sankarankutty, who hugged his friend on stage, wept many times while recalling their days together and the way they both surmounted the days of penury. He was watching a live performance of his friend after a gap of six years. All along the special show, the delight was palpable on the face of Mr. Sasidharan Nair who took the audience to the enchanting world of Navarasa through his performance. The artiste who beautifully blended Bharathanatyam and Kuchipudi with the Kathakali-based performance won audience’s claps several times.
The dance was based on the story of Lord Krishna and his depiction of ‘Poothana Moksham,’ ‘Rasakreeda,’ ‘Draupadi Vasthrakshepam’ and ‘Kaliyamardanam’ won applauds aplenty.
The artiste, who has performed Kathakali in over 50 countries, explained that his attempt was to mix “a few drops of honey with Kathakali” to make it more delicious for the ordinary people.
The programme, organised by the Manjeri-based Kerala Art and Literature Academy, was inaugurated by M.P. Veerendrakumar.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kozhikode / by Staff Reporter / Kozhikode – May 13th, 2014
‘Instant’ kabsah kits are in much demand in Kozhikode. / The Hindu
Shawarma, Shawaya, and Khubuz came to Kerala crossing the Arabian seas several years ago. They were served in wayside eateries and fast-food outlets, initially started by the Gulf-returned cafeteria employees.
These dishes, however, did not make their way to the Malayali kitchen even in the Malabar region, where most of the households have at least one member employed in the Middle East.
Of late, a few Arabian dishes such as Mandi, Kabsah, and Majboos, which figure on the main course menu of Arabian countries have become popular in Malabar. These rice-meat combination dishes are not only cooked in the kitchens of the region, but are also served as “prestige” dishes on occasions such as weddings.
Some places like Koduvally, with a huge expatriate population, also have exclusive Mandi and Kabsah eateries. “I know many who come from the city just to eat these dishes,” says P. Abid, a native of Koduvally.
Author and sociologist Hafiz Mohammed says this is only a continuation of the culinary influence Arabia has cast on Kerala for the past 30 years. “The close socio-cultural association between the two countries has paved the way for these dishes’ smooth entry into our society,” says Dr. Mohammed. Ready-to-cook kits of these dishes, including Majboos, the regional variant of Kabsah, are available in shops and supermarkets here now. Dealers of these kits also provide cooking instructions in regional languages on their cover. “I prepare them at home quite often,” says A.K. Ali, who returned from Saudi Arabia a few years ago and is settled at Kalanthode in Kozhikode.
The dishes are much in demand for weddings and parties in the region. Local chefs, with some experience in eateries in the Gulf, have started advertising their skills here, says Mr. Ali.
Dr. Mohammed sees ‘status symbol’ in play here. “Many affluent families in Malabar serve these Arabian dishes during wedding parties for this reason,” he says.
The trend is here to stay for some time at least. “My father, who was in the Gulf for several years, prepared Kabsah at home a couple of years ago during his vacation. All of us liked it. Now I too can prepare the dish,” says Sayed Junaid, from Ayencheri near Vadakara in Kozhikode.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kozhikode / by Jabir Mushthari / Kozhikode – May 10th, 2014
People of Kairaly tribal hamlet at Mukkil Peedika, near Mepadi, Wayanad, harvesting salad cucumber from a polyhouse. / The Hindu
Salad cucumber, grown in polyhouse set up on a 15-cent plot, gives tribespeople a tidy income.
The people of the Kairaly tribal hamlet at Mukkil Peedika in the Moopainadu grama panchayat of the district have set up a 400-sq m polyhouse for vegetable cultivation on the slope of a hillock with the financial support of the State Tribes Development Department.
There are 80 families in the colony – 70 per cent of them Paniyas, a vulnerable tribal group.
They erected the polyhouse as part of the Integrated Tribal Development Initiative of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) at a cost of Rs.10 lakh on a 15-cent plot provided by Seeta Balan, a primary stakeholder of the project.
The project was first of its kind in the State, said N. Anilkumar, director, MSSRF. Setting up the state-of-the-art facility in this remote village was a formidable task owing to absence proper roads and power connection, said C.S. Chandrika, principal social scientist, MSSRF, and principal investigator of the project.
“In the initial phase we trained four tribesmen. They planted 956 salad cucumber plants in the polyhouse,” she said.
“We planted the crop 80 days ago and got nearly 60 kg of cucumber in the first harvest itself. When the sixth harvest was completed on Wednesday, we got 300 kg of cucumber worth Rs.10,545,” Sheeja and Unnikrishnan, a tribal couple engaged in farming, said.
Rs.35 a kg
They harvest on alternate days and from each harvest, get around 60 to 80 kg of produce. The tribesmen could avoid exploitation by middlemen as they were directly selling the produce, at Rs.35 a kg, at an outlet of the Wayanad Institute of Medical Science at Rippon near Mepadi, said P.C. Babu, a field coordinator of the project.
Training in polyhouse farming would be extended to more tribespeople in phases, Dr. Chandrika said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kozhikode / by E. M. Manoj / Kalpetta – May 10th, 2014
Chovverian, a traditional paddy variety which is almost non-existent now, being cultivated at the fish farm of the Agency for Aquaculture Development, Kerala at Eranholi near Thalassery. / The Hindu
Bid to revive cultivation of traditional varieties of paddy on Kaipad fields
Large tracts of brackish water fields, suitable for traditional paddy and shrimp cultivation, in the north Malabar region, have been remaining fallow for some time now. Consequently, some of the traditional varieties of paddy with unique qualities, which used to be grown here, are becoming extinct.
(Traditional paddy and shrimp cultivation in the northern districts is known as Kaipad farming and in the south it is Pokkali farming).
But, some of the seeds, conserved in small quantities, are being planted in an effort to revive the traditional varieties.
There are 4,100 hectares of Kaipad fields in Kasaragod, Kannur, and Kozhikode districts. Kannur district has the largest extent of fields.
Paddy seeds used in Kaipad farming are resistant to salinity. These have not been conserved, except for individual efforts by some farmers and groups. The traditional seeds once prevalent were ‘kuthir,’ ‘orkayma,’ ‘orthadiyan,’ ‘chovverian,’ ‘orpandy,’ ‘kuttoosan,’ ‘kandarkutty,’ and ‘balivithu.’ Only ‘kuthir’ and ‘orkayma’ are still being cultivated by farmers.
Chemical fertilizers are not used for the cultivation of these varieties as well as hybrid varieties such as Ezhome-I, II, and III developed by scientists at the Kerala Agricultural University (KAU)’s College of Agriculture at Padannakkad in Kasaragod.
The intervention of the Agency for Aquaculture Development, Kerala (ADAK) for the promotion of traditional paddy and shrimp cultivation systems has helped in the revival of some Kaipad seeds and fields, says Dineshan Cheruvat, ADAK Deputy Director and Manager of the agency’s fish farm at Eranholi, near Thalassery.
A self-help group of beneficiaries, under the ADAK’s integrated traditional farming system, recently gave a tonne of traditional seed varieties to farmers in Ernakulam district, he says.
“A Kaipad farmer recently gave me a handful of ‘orthadiyan’ and ‘chovverian’ seeds, now rare. Efforts are now being made to multiply these at the fish farm,” says Mr. Cheruvat.
ADAK’s project started two years ago and it intends to revive 100 hectares of Kaipad fields every year with the involvement of beneficiary groups. At present, Kaipad farming under the ADAK scheme is being done on 200 hectares. Farmers and farmer groups, with small collection of traditional seed varieties, are ready to give the seeds to those interested in Kaipad or Pokkali farming, Mr. Cheruvat says.
Labour shortage is a major problem faced by kaipad farmers, says T. Vanaja, Scientist at the College of Agriculture and Principal Investigator of the college project which developed the hybrid varieties in the Ezhome series.
Farmers are prepared to cultivate both the traditional and the developed varieties. Development of mechanised farming methods for Kaipad fields is the only way out, Dr. Vanaja says.
With efforts to conserve and multiply traditional seed varieties, new ‘cultures’ developed by scientists are also being experimented by farmers.
A group of farmers at Varamkadavu here are going to experiment a new ‘culture’ on a 20-acre Kaipad farm. The expectation is that even the revival of paddy cultivation on small tracts of the extensive Kaipad fields of north Malabar will contribute to the food security of the region.
source: http;//www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kozhikode / by Mohamed Nazeer / Kannur – May 10th, 2014
SHIFTING TREND: In a year a unit (10 rabbits) will be able to produce 2,000 bunnies. / by Special Arrangement / The Hindu
Rabbit rearing, earlier considered a hobby, was not looked upon as a prospective business venture.
With the trend shifting from rearing rabbits merely as pets to that of an income generation it promises to be a viable option for alleviating rural poverty among small land owners and marginal farmers,” says Dr. C.P. Robert, Programme Coordinator, CARD-Krishi Vigyan Kendra.
Venture promotion
The Institute has been promoting this venture for the past few years through several trainings, demonstrations etc. Mr. Ajay Simon, a farmer from Ranny in Pathanamthitta, started this venture with three rabbits in 2011 which died 20 days after starting, proving to be a great failure due to lack of knowledge on proper rearing methods.
The entrepreneur took this as a challenge and attended training provided by KVK and started a unit with 10 purchased rabbits — 45-day-old New Zealand White and Soviet Chinchilla varieties.
He designed his own cages and housed them in a temporary shed of 600 sq.ft constructed with poles, fishing nets covered with a silpauline sheet for roof.
“I found that rearing the animals was quite easy and decided to expand my venture. I bought 30 different varieties based on the advice of KVK experts and scientists from the rabbit rearing department of the Central Sheep and Wool Research Station in Kodaikanal,” says Mr. Simon.
The entrepreneur was given training on special attention to breeding rabbits to avoid inbreeding.
For this the entrepreneur takes the female to the bucks (male rabbits) cage and once breeding is over he takes back the female to her cage immediately.
Special care for bunnies
“The impregnated rabbit delivers after 28 to 30 days. Number of litters during each delivery varies .Sometimes it may go up to 12 bunnies whereas sometimes it may be just one bunny.
“The bunnies are given special care for 30 days and then are weaned from their mother who is then re-impregnated. In this way I get around 40 bunnies from each mother a year,” explains Mr. Ajay.
Selected bunnies are separated for breeding in future and reared for 90 days till they attain 2kg weight. Later they are sold for Rs. 200 a kg on live weight basis.
Meat is also provided on enquiry at Rs.400 a kg.
“A unit of 10 rabbits (eight female and two male) of 60 days old along with cage fitted with automatic feeding and watering system costs around 13,500. In a year a unit will be able to produce 2,000 bunnies.The potential net income from this unit after taking into account the cost incurred for feeding and management is around 35,000 to 40,000 annually,” says Dr. Robert.
Family work
All the work in the farm is done by him and his family saving on labour cost.
Everyday, early in the morning, he cleans the cages and observes the rabbits for any signs of illness. Cleaning and disinfection regularly reduces the disease incidence in the farm.
All the animals are provided concentrate feed at the rate of 100-150 gms per day based on their conditions. Lactating and pregnant rabbits are provided an additional special feed.
According to Mr. Simon, to set up a small unit of 10 rabbits an investment of Rs. 15,000 is required and in a year one can break even in this business .So, whatever is got from the second year is purely profit.
Ideal for small farmers
“We are encouraging small land owners and women in our region to take up this activity since this does not require vast land space or external labour.
“The units can be set up in the terrace or in some small space around the house. This type of vocation is soliciting a lot of interest recently as the revenue it generates is quite encouraging,” says Dr. Robert.
For more details interested farmers and entrepreneurs can contact Dr. Robert at Programme Coordinator, CARD-Krishi Vigyan Kendra ,Kolabhagoam P.O,Thadiyoor, Thiruvalla, Pathanamthitta, Phone: 04692662094 and 2661821 (Ext:22,12), mobile:09447139300. and Mr. Ajay Simon, Emmanuuel Rabbit Farm ,Poovenmala,Ranny, Phone:9744245009, mobile: 09497577951.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> S&T> Agriculture / by M.J. Prabu / May 15th, 2014
