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Fleecing in the name of donations!

February 9, 2010 by usha123

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon and we were all in the midst of a siesta when the door bell rang relentlessly.  Answering the door bell, we saw a group of people in crisp white cotton khadi attire, which clearly spoke of their identity. They were activists of some regional political party, about which we haven’t  heard much.

The person who looked like the leader, barged indoors and soon the other members followed the suit. He  made himself comfortable on the couch and pulled out some catalogs and paper cuttings from a thick  file to make us aware of their activities and the party principles. We were least interested to go through all those heaps of papers and seeing our indifference may be, the group leader started briefing about their  social service schemes to us. We sat there as mute spectators helpless and resigned to our fate on a well cherished holiday! Seeing the blank stares on our faces, he pulled out a donation  slip  and asked for 500 rupees in connection with the inauguration function of their new building in the heart of Cochin . When we told him that it is way too high, he started raising his voice and left in a jiffy without accepting the amount that we gave them.

Our suspicion on their  acts and arrogance proved right later in the day when we met the same group in a way side beverages outlet, jostling to get their daily quota. May be those wads of currencies that he pulled out from his stuffed pocket were sourced by unscrupulous means and deeds.  Someone should take a cue from these people on how to mint money without doing anything!

The general public is destined to mutely put up with all these tantrums because not many would dare to raise a finger against their misdeeds as these men are grouped under influential trade union organizations and political parties. No wonder that these school drop outs show off the latest cars and live in palatial houses which in itself will tell you about the advantage of having a lucrative income  sans the sweat of the brow!

Posted in Politics in Kerala | Tagged , , | Leave a Comment »

Big B’s take on the airconditioned ‘Mundu’ after he visits Kerala

February 9, 2010 by Shyama Menon

Amitabh Bachchan was in Kochi to inaugurate Oscar-winner Resul Pookutty’s foundation to help the poor. The Big B not only made a donation but also seemed to have enjoyed himself in Kerala. He seemed to have taken a fancy to the Kerala attire ‘mundu’ and has waxed lyrical on his blog. Here’s the bit about the mundu.

“Keeping in tune with the phrase ‘do in Rome as the Romans do’, I order some extraordinary crafted dhoti and sari to be worn at the evening formal function. The sari of course for the ladies in the house. Typical Kerala designed motifs on them through gold and silver threads.

So, I wear the dhoti or munda as it is more colloquially known for the evening and I think there is an appreciation of it.

The ‘dhoti’ in all its pristine glamour, tied up around the waist by shear will power and some dextrous use of the stomach muscle, else it slips down and opens up !! It is just a piece of cloth, no buttons, no belts, no clips nothing. Simple elegant convenient and with its own characteristic charm and above all – air conditioned at all times !! The fall of the main design as a strip down the front to be positioned on the right hip and just around the right knee. Rules of culture!”

He goes on further about Kerala, Mohiniyattam and Kathakali in his blog and even met with our superstars Mammooty and Mohanlal. There are rumours of an Amitabh appearance in a Malayalam flick any time now.

Yes, we do appreciate the fact that you did wear the traditional attire and looked the part and it sure was fun reading your take on the mundu experience.

By the way, Mr Bachchan its Mundu and not Munda... oh well actually its neither only south Indians can pronounce it right!

Posted in Culture, Tourism News | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment »

The land of alcoholics is also a land of the most devout – An interesting contrast!!!

February 8, 2010 by tessajk

Drummers beating away!

Reading through the blog “Unity in Diversity at its best“, I was reminded of the church festival, I recently attended. Unlike most of the other states, Kerala is one which celebrates church festivals with great fervour and it is not only the Christians who look forward with much earnest to the church festival in their locality but it is also equally anticipated and enjoyed by Hindus and Muslims in the area.

Most of the localities have a church, each dedicated to a Saint and the feast day of the patron Saint is celebrated with much pomp and splendour. What begins with the hoisting of the flag continues with week-long prayers, novenas and religious services in honour of the Saint and each day’s expense (for the crackers, singers etc) is borne by different families (whether they are affluent or not) in the locality who see it as a matter of prestige and try to outshine one another. The festivities finally culminate with a huge religious procession with display of fireworks and lowering of the flag.

The St. Mary’s church festival I had been to, was the most famous one in Kanjirapally and is always a much awaited one as it is a famous church, and this festival reflects the fact. The huge procession which covered almost the entire town lasted for more than 2 hours and saw a flood of people (an estimated 50, 000) joining in. There were another thousand that stood by the roads to watch the entire procession.

Dad, I want to be a part of it!

What impressed me was the discipline with which the festivities were conducted. The long stretch of people formed two lines (those bearing the golden and silver crosses first, followed by people carrying huge red, pink and blue umbrellas. The van carrying St.Mary’s statue came right at the end of the procession, luxuriously decorated with flowers and illuminated with lights. Ten music bands accompanied the people at different stretches in the procession and each tried to outperform the other (they knew that the organizers will keep a track of their performance and that it would play a major role in their bookings for the next year)!

There were fireworks (a real feast to the eyes) at various points through which the procession passed, sponsored by famous jewellery and merchandise shops, the auto and taxi drivers association and other affluent families as well. The not-so-affluent greeted the procession by lighting candles and giving cool drinks to the tired people in the procession.

Religion and Toddy :O

If there’s anyone who makes the most of the these church festivals, it is the travelling vendor who sell sweets, bajjis, merchandise, toys and all sorts of knick-knacks. Their small shops are arranged in such a way to attract one and all!

I retuned home, having a cotton candy in my mouth, the display of fireworks still before my eyes and the thought of how the land of alcoholics is also a land of the most devout!

Posted in Culture, Festivals, Village Life | Tagged , , , | Leave a Comment »

Palakkad to become India’s first fully electrified district

February 6, 2010 by unnirnair

electricity

It will be a proud moment for the people of Kerala when Palakkad will be announced India’s first fully electrified district.

It will be on February 16 that Sushil Kumar Shinde, the Union Power Minister will make the announcement at a function to be held at Ottappaalam in Palakkad district.

This comes as a blessing for the remote tribal villages in the district, where it was a rather hard thing drawing electric lines. The Kerala State Electricity Board has drawn a 12 km long power line to take electricity to the tribal hamlets of Moolagangal, Vechupathy and Vellamkulam. The remote tribal areas of Parambikulam forest like Kadar Colony, Earth Dam and PAP Colony have also been electrified. This move by the government of Kerala would reportedly prove instrumental in providing uninterrupted power supply to the Kanjikode industrial belt and the proposed Rail Coach Factory at Kanjikode.

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Unity in Diversity at its best

February 4, 2010 by usha123

India in general and Kerala in particular has always been famous for being the home to a multitude of cultures, festivals and religions, which has only accented the richness and vibrancy of our social fabric . Though divisive forces and  religious fanaticism have wrecked havoc all over the world, Kerala can take pride in being successful in upholding its secular credentials.

This heartening incident that happened in Cochin last week , should be an eye opener for all those who try to break the strong bonds of brotherhood and amity.

Scene 1: A well attended religious procession from a famous temple is underway and the  streets get jam packed with curious onlookers and devotees as the many colorful ‘kavadis’ ( Richly decked up arches,some as tall as four feet or more; with confetti and glitter which is carried on the shoulders of the male devotees as a mark of respect to the presiding deity of Lord Muruka) take to the  streets.  Well complimented by the fast beats of percussion instruments, soon the religious fervor and frenzy hits its crescendo as the devotees with the towering kavadis on their shoulders  and some with their cheeks pierced with the sharp tridents as a mark of penance, dance and swirl in a trance. As the procession enters the residential areas, people staying in houses on either side of the road welcome the procession with lighted lamps and floral garlands irrespective of their caste or religion. The procession grows in size as more people join it at the rear, making it a swarming sea of humanity. Nobody seems to bother about the religion of the person standing next to him; on the other hand everyone was making the most of the festive spirit in the air.

Scene 2: A few minutes later, a church procession in connection with its annual festival hits the main roads. The decorated deity was taken out in procession and  there were band sets and people carrying religious flags and colorful parasols to add to the pomp and glitter of the whole occasion. Both the processions meet at a junction down the road and I could see people of both the processions exchanging pleasantries as they moved forward.

Igniting religious enmity is not in people’s agenda anyway and those who are behind it should have their own evil designs and motives for sure!

Posted in Culture, Kerala | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Shameful indeed!!

February 3, 2010 by unnirnair

media_pencilThe day dawned today in Kerala with papers speaking tonnes about Cochin Haneefa, the popular actor and scenarist-director who passed away yesterday. The television channels were all airing specials on the late actor since yesterday evening itself. It’s of course natural for the media to ‘celebrate’ deaths and disasters in this fashion, especially since we are living in a society where things are decided to a great extent by the media and where TRP rating and circulation matter, much more than ethics. (It was just three days back that I saw Ram Gopal Varma’s movie ‘Rann’, which discusses this issue in a rather sensitive manner). We are almost inured to such things and take it all as part of life, essential to the scheme of things around us.

But the eagerness with which our media wanted to announce Cochin Haneefa’s death yesterday took  shameful proportions when most of them came out with the news that the actor was dead, hours before he actually breathed his last at a hospital in Chennai. Yes shameful indeed it is. The thought that the very same people are now singing praises of the late actor fills me with aversion and disgust. The media, who form the ‘fourth estate’ and who are supposed to be responsible and credible, shouldn’t have proclaimed a live man dead in such a manner. They should have verified it at least. Shameful indeed!!

This is the moment when we realize that films like ‘Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani’ (Aziz Mirza), ‘Sukritham’ (Harikumar) and ‘Mad City’ (Costa Gavras) are no exaggeration. I am reminded of how the media remained mute spectator to and even shot live the instance of a helpless man who was stomped upon and submerged to death by an mentally ill person in a temple pond in Thiruvananthapuram, some years back. For our media guys who make spies out of innocent visitors and who praise excessively the rich and the powerful, this is just a routine mistake that has occured. But isn’t it madness? Isn’t it cruelty beyond justification?

‘Mad city’ indeed!!

Posted in Culture, Kerala | Tagged , , | 2 Comments »

Vanitha Utsav in full swing in Kochi!

February 2, 2010 by tessajk

Photo: Thara J.K; Collage: Rinoj Chandran

People of Kochi are busy shopping these days. In fact, they always are but when Vanitha Utsav – the biggest shopping festival in India is in full swing you can expect what the fervor will be like. Vanitha Utsav (earlier Vanitha Ice) is the shopping fest which is eagerly looked forward to by most Keralites in spite of the very many similar shopping fests organized in the city. Serious shoppers, window shoppers, onlookers and tourists drop by to witness this mega event which hits Kochi every year.

The fest is sponsored by “Vanitha”. And,Talking about Vanitha, it is not only the vanitha (women) of Kerala who are very familiar with this name. Old and Young, Rich and Poor, Men, Women and Kids – there would be hardly anyone in the state Kerala who hasn’t heard of India’s famous women magazine “Vanitha”. It is a part of their home and lives and there would be literally not a single house, clinic or beauty parlour in Kerala where you cannot find this magazine.

This year Vanitha Utsav is dated to run from January 22nd to February 9th. The inauguration was done by noted Malayalam film actor Dileep. The shopping carnival is held at an area of about one lakh square feet in the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium at Kaloor.

There are stalls including all range of products – home appliances, real estate, handicraft, handloom, health and beauty but what I like the most was the crystal and lanterns shops which was a real feast to the eyes, seeing it was definitely more rewarding than purchasing it (owing to their exorbitant cost) !. Then there were beautiful aquariums, they were so fine-looking that at one look I thought they are artificial, lots of North Indian handicrafts and dress materials and numerous stalls selling the cheap handbags and sandals. The crowd was however a bit off-putting (you don’t have to walk, cos people behind will push you through the entire length).

Posted in Entertainment, Festivals | Tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment »

A coffee table book on IT sector

February 2, 2010 by carolane

From being a tourist destination to an information technology hotspot, Kerala takes up new ideas for a better state. The Kerala government released a coffee table book known as the ‘IT@Kerala – The Smart State”.

The 160-page book, is launched by Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan charting Kerala’s march from being God’s Own Country to the hottest investment destination in the IT sector.

The book features Kerala’s IT infrastructure, industry and its journey of becoming a smart state with resourceful professionals. Also highlighting the strengths and growth potential of IT in Kerala along with the testimonials of top IT companies, thus giving a complete description of infrastructure facilities laid down for the IT industry.

IT Principal Secretary Ajay Kumar said about the book that it is an insight to potential investors about the various opportunities and conducive environment Kerala has in offer.

Listing all the major tourist destinations, the lush valleys, misty hills, sunny beaches and dozens of cultural spectacles, food, and ayurveda that engage business with pleasure. The facilities available with easier connectivity through road, rail and air transport in the state, are all noted down in the book.

Presently there are more than 30,000 IT professionals working in the state which include top notch companies  of varying size and shape.

Posted in Culture, Office, Work | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Two Cruise ships in Kochi

February 1, 2010 by unnirnair

For me and my friend, going to the Subhash Chandra Bose Park in Kochi in the evenings and spending time there, chatting about, sharing queen mary 2thoughts, woes and joys and at the same time enjoying the cool backwater breeze is almost a regular thing. But there had been a break of about a month or so, because of both of us being busy and all and hence yesterday, being Sunday, we both found time to make a round of our usual haunt, though on weekends it’s thronged by families and kids.

This Sunday was special indeed. For as we reached the part and stationed ourself at a vacant place, we saw opposite us, by the berth in the Wellington Island a huge ship, presumably a luxury liner. Steam was being let out and I guessed, being one who has travelled a lot in ships ever since my childhood and have noted different kinds of ships, that it was getting ready to sail.

Very soon the tugboats swung into action and after a while, the ship hooted sirens and then it started slowly turning around and in about half an hour, we saw it set sail from the port of Kochi.

That was ‘Queen Mary 2′, the luxury cruise liner that had reached Kochi yesterday morning, bringing about 2,700 tourists to the shores of Kerala. (This was the third time that ‘Queen Mary 2′  touched Kochi). The tourists had toured the city of Kochi and had visited locations like Alappuzha, Vaikom and Vallarpadam, after which the giant ship set sail to Phuket, with the 2700 tourists and a crew of about 1000.

This Sunday also bore witness to another cruise vessel, ‘Le Ponant’, a French registered one, visiting Kochi. This was the second time that ‘Le Ponant’ was visiting Kochi, with about 40 tourists aboard. They are all busy visiting places in Kochi and it’s learnt that the ship, with a crew of 40 will set sail today from Kochi.

Very positive signals indeed to the tourism sector in Kerala. Maybe my friend and I can hope to see more of such luxury liners during our regular evening visits to the Subhash Park.

Posted in Fort Cochin, Kerala Destinations, Tourism News, Travel | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment »

IGNOU- the largest distance education facility in the world

February 1, 2010 by usha123

UNESCO has rated  Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU)  as the world’s largest university. It offers courses to over three million students in India and 33 other countries all over the world. IGNOU is also India’s National Resource Center for Open and Distance Learning and a world leader in distance education. It has an extensive network of over  21 schools of study, 59 regional centres, 2,300 learner support centres and some 52 overseas centres, through which it  offers 1500 different courses including certificate, diploma, degree and doctoral programmes.

Cochin has a regional centre of IGNOU where many students have enrolled for the courses offered by this reputed institution.  IGNOU  has switched to the  technology enabled education with the launch of  EduSat, a satellite solely dedicated for the purpose of education  in 2004, which allows the students to interact with the teachers online from any part of the world.

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