Category Archive

Kochi, June 7

World Environment was marked with great enthusiasm across the globe; the city too witnessed few of such events spreading a noble message to conserve our ecology. In the series of such events one of the leading city hotels Brunton Boatyard undertook a cycle rally around Fort Kochi.

During this rally they planted saplings and also undertook a cleanliness drive at the government hospital. This eco-friendly thought by the hotel was to spread the message among people about the need and importance of nature and keeping it clean. The hotel themselves believes and values environmental issues and took the initiative to spread the message to the public to keep the ecosystem clean and green.

Kochi, May 14

Its feast time for all gourmets here in the ‘Tharavadu’ restaurant at the Casino hotel which is hosting ‘Karaikudi Food Fest’ for all food lovers. This ongoing food feast highlights the wide varieties of tempting Chettinaadu dishes. There are preparations for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians which one can savour with pleasure.

Chettinaadu cuisines are said to be the spiciest delicacies which are made using different spices, giving the recipes a unique flavour and aroma. It’s the mix of spices which does the trick in these Chettinaadu cuisines. Along with different spices other special additions are tamarind, whole red chillies, fennel seeds and black pepper.

This tempting Chettinaadu food feast is attracting a huge number of food lovers to have a taste of these unique preparations. The feast starts from 7.30pm to 11pm till May 18.

Apr 1: To add more attraction to the medical tourism sector in Kerala the Dubai based Dr. Moopen Group has announced its plan to begin a MedCity, which will be a complex of hospitals and other related services in over 30 acres in Kochi. This initiative is in the backdrop of the rapid increase in the number of medical tourists to the southern states of India.

“This is a 15bn project expected to complete within six months time. The anchor hospital of Medcity will be well equipped with 500 beds and will be surrounded by 10 small hospitals with a capacity of 100 to 200 beds. The availability of medical facilities with international quality with enhanced hi-tech treatment facilities will boost the health care sector in Kerala,” said the chairman of the group Dr Azad Moopen.

After the completion of the project patients from the US, the Middle East Europe and rest of the world will start flowing into Kerala as they can get quality treatment at an affordable cost.

The Dr Moopan’s Group has registered a turnover of Rs5bn last year and has a network of nearly 50 establishments in the Gulf region including two hospitals, clinics and pharmacies

Kochi, March 13

If you are cruise lover and wish to onboard a ship then a magnificent cruising beauty, Queen Victoria is all set to make its appearance at the Cochin Port on March 26. Queen Victoria is the largest ship after the RMS Queen Mary 2, and the newest vessel in the fleet of Cunard Liners. This giant ship is a brilliance of engineering and design making it a unique one.

Earlier Queen Mary 2, the largest ocean liner had been to Kochi and this time it’s the charming floating beauty Queen Victoria which will add spark to the Kochi port. The liner is on its first global voyage and apart from Kochi, Queen Victoria will halt at Chennai and Mumbai.

The ship bestows all luxuries to complement a remarkable journey for the voyagers. Built at Fincantieri Marghera shipyard, Italy Queen Victoria is 294 metre in length. With 16 decks, the ship can hold up to 2014 passengers and about 900 officers and crew members. Queen Victoria has been designed to make sure that passengers enjoy an opulent trip. With all other attractions to facilitate the passengers, Queen Victoria has 7 restaurants, 13 bars and clubs, 3 swimming pools, casino, large library and a theatre with a seating capacity for 830 spectators.

The voyage of this cruising beauty will be a great opportunity for kochites to have a glimpse and experience a memorable journey in this huge vessel. After Kochi the next halt of this ship will be in Mumbai. So kochites stay tuned till this cruise ship makes its mark in the Kochi waters.

Kochi. March 11

A truly glorious 300-year-old Portuguese heritage villa comforting in Fort Kochi is fascinating a number of tourists. This heritage villa known to all as ‘Kathleen Halls’, takes you to a journey of the past with its pristine beauty and style. This Portuguese villa has been restored with its age old charm by the proud owners David Lawrence and his wife Flowery.

Standing immaculately opposite to the Parade Ground in Fort Kochi, this 300-year-old residence attracts many guests with its architectural style and manicured gardens which are decorated with gnarled trees. This white building will enamour you with its artistic style and varied attractions.

This Portuguese trader’s house is developed as a ‘Diamond classified Homestay’ for guest who would wish to experience a comfortable stay in this heritage villa. It features six-rooms for the guests, the first floor takes through a narrow passage and to the open kitchen. The drawing room is regal with period furniture and other interiors giving the room an elegant feel. The owner David says, that the drawing room was used as a dancing room, the carved wooden platform here was for musical instruments. The teakwood platform with an antique radio on it, this radio was used in the film Cotton Mary, reveals David. Even this heritage villa has been featured in the Lonely Planet which is a high recognition for any house.

The 8000 sq ft house was bought by Grace D’cruz (mother of David) in 1940, the house is made of laterite stone and wood work is done with teak and rose wood. One can see many antique interiors and furniture here which are still in its original shape. The drawing room boasts tall and wide windows which the owner explains are not Portuguese. These windows are of Spanish origin without any grills. It makes a perfect place to relax and have a break with friends or family.

The homestay offers six-rooms beautifully decorated in an eco-friendly manner without any use of plastic. If you would look at the switch boards they too are made up of wood, in few of the room false wooden ceilings are done. One of the rooms has a private balcony and another boasts a private sit out. For having a scenic site of the Arabian Coast, there is a common roof top which is open round the clock.

David’s wife also provides cooking classes for tourists who wish to learn some delicious Kerala recipes. The place is open all round the year for guest with a great option for all those who would love to enjoy a comfortable staying experience in a Portuguese style home in the tranquil Fort Kochi.

Kochi, February 13

Its love in the air, the buzzing commercial city of Kerala is all set to celebrate the day spreading love. Valentine’s Day is knocking at door with just one day to go, before the city sinks in the ocean of love and romance. With cupid ready to strike the city is preparing to embrace this festivity of love.

Lovers are busy buying gifts for their valentine, while the shop owners have many new and innovative gifts on sale for these love birds. So from greeting cards to big heart shaped gifts, shops are full of a variety of valentine gifts. But it’s the red rose which seems to be attracting many lovers to express their feelings for their special ones.

The city is decked up to mark this romantic day with love, every things seems to be soaked in romance. With the change in the climate the city gets a bit cooler and cloudy, it seems even the rain god is adding romance in the ambiance with light showers. It is known that demands for chocolates, flowers, greeting cards, love notes, gifts has increased and the lovers are eagerly waiting for the final day when they can express their love to their loved ones.

Even though one can spot these cute lovers any where, but the main hot spot for these love birds are Fort Cochin, Marine Drive, Bolgatty Palace and other restaurants and hotels which are preparing special functions for these valentines. Not only the kochites are busy designing their valentines day special, many tourist from all over the world have also turned out here, to mark their valentine’s day in this beautiful city amidst the charm of nature.

Though the history of Valentine’s Day may be very old from the time of St Valentine, but the freshness of the day is still alive. So spread the message of love and make the city more beautiful and lovely without any hatred.

Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies. -Aristotle

Ernakulam, January 15

The two day long temple festivity ended with gaiety and fervor at the famous Udayamperoor Nadakkav Temple here yesterday. Every year this temple festival is celebrated with huge devotion. It is known that this temple festival is celebrated to please the Goddess ‘Bhadra Kali’ (one of goddess of hindus), and is celebrated every year since a long time.

The festival well known as “Nadakkav Uthruttathi Thalappoli”, is constituted by two groups one the west NSS group and the other East NSS group. Both these groups workout the whole festivity and programs. The day one of the Ulsavam (Festival) belongs to one group and the other day to the next group.

Large number of devotees and spectators gathers to witness this colorful festivity. The main attraction remains the processions of richly caparisoned elephants from both groups. This year there were seven elephants which were standing tall giving a new height to the occasion.

Along with these elephants the musicians who echoed the whole vicinity with the Panchavadyam, a combination of five percussion including ‘Chenda’, ‘Madalam’, ‘Thappu’ and wind instruments which made the whole atmosphere vibrant and rhythmic. And to end the whole proceedings there were some ear banging display of fireworks. The whole sky was illuminated with the dazzling of these colorful fireworks which the devotees enjoyed a lot. This culminated the two day long devotional festivity at the huge temple ground of Udayamperoor Nadakkav Temple.

Jan 14:Kerala is renowned for its verdant natural landscape and a range of traditional art forms. These two qualities attract hoards of tourists from all over the world to the Gods own country. Kerala is not only leisurely destination its traditional art forms are capable of lingering in your mind for a lifetime of the global tourists.

Elena Koutoulidis is one such tourist who admires Kerala a lot for its uniqueness. She first visited Kerala in the year 2000 to learn Kathakali in Thiruvananthapuram with the scholarship provided by the French government that six months long stay allowed her to learn more about the Kerala history and tradition. Elena finds that there exists a void for western art forms in Kerala. As being a theatre artist herself she came back to Kerala two years ago and by the end of 2007 she gives shape to an artist residency named Villaveli in Fort Cochin.

Elena’s aim is to provide platform for the artists from western countries to showcase the European art forms for the people in Kerala. Her film maker husband Jean Marie Carrel is providing a whole hearted support to move this earnest initiative forward.

While commenting on the functioning of Villaveli Elena said: “There are several cultural centres in Kerala that displays Indian art forms for Indian public, but there is not much centres that provide facilities for western artists to perform for Indian public. So our aim is to furnish that need. The French government is providing scholarship for artists who are keen to study the other art forms Villaveli will function as a base for them and they will be asked to perform and teach the minute aspects of the art form they are representing. It is an earnest attempt for cultural exchange.”

She further added that: “The period of hosting the western performers ranges from three weeks to three months. We are conducting workshops, crash courses and art film festivals to peoples representing various age groups. People are showing lots of interest in learning the art forms more than what we expected. In future Villaveli will present artists who represent French visual drama, street plays, circus, puppetry, multimedia arts, video and web.”

Now a circus artist named Julien Delime is staying in Villaveli and he is giving classes to the local students. The classes deals with juggling, object manipulation, body movement, acrobatics, clowns, gags and drama. These classes will help the students to gain the ability of energy control, concentration, group exercise and self confidence.

What ever may be the form of art! It has the inherent ability to overcome geographical and linguistic barriers. Villaveli thus sans borders and is upholding the value of arts.

Cochin, January 10

It seems Kerala is buzzing with the traditional art form Theyyam these days. With the onset of the Malayalam month ‘Thulla’ following many temples festivals and rituals, this traditional dance form has also started to add its cultural touch to various parts of Kerala. This age old dance form is a treat to watch, displaying the performers as deities dancing to the beats making the atmosphere spiritual.

In Kerala Theyyam is largely been performed in Kannur and Kasargod districts where this traditional art form can be seen in temples during the festive season. To make this dance form complete many other factors are required, from costumes, accessories, face designs and all. It was known that many families are engaged in making the colourful attire and other needed accessories for performing this dance form from a long time.
Theyyam is associated with the tradition and culture of Kerala since history and there are about four hundred Theyyams which represent different deities. To make this dance form in to act, it requires the help of about 15 members from drummers, singers and other artists. This visual feat adds a rich colour to the multi-cultural facet of this God’s Own Country!

Cochin, January 3

A new chapter of glory is all set to be added to the charm of the bustling commercial city of Kerala. In a developing move the Cochin International Airport (CIAL) is all set to have a centre for perishable cargo to be set up here. The proposed cost of this pilot project is estimated about Rs 583.6 million ($14.8 million). This new addition to the vast resource of God’s Own Country will give the place a new asset. It is reported that this centre will be the only such centre attached to any of the airport across the country.

This will help to boost the exports and would give exporters to store all the food items and vegetables for more than a week without any damage before been finally exported. The cold storage facility constructed is about to cost Rs 236.3 million. The plan is to complete this unique center within next year.

After this cargo centre is finally been constructed, it is for sure that the export of various agricultural and food items will increase.  Along with the cold storage there are other extra addition including an information centre for farmers and a special parking area for easily handling the perishable cargo. This one of a kind centre will definitely be the most key element to fetch more foreign revenue. 

Cochin, January 1

The land of culture and tradition seemed to be in a vibrant mood yesterday fully decked up to give a rousing welcome to ‘2008’. The commercial hub of Kerala, Cochin was shining like a star in the night with shops, buildings, homes all illuminated with coloured lights all making the place more pretty. The city was eagerly waiting for the moment to welcome the ‘New Year’ with a bang.

It was Fort Cochin which was the centre of attraction with buzz flowing all-over the place. There was a festive like atmosphere with massive crowd and lots of attraction to look at. From crowded streets, to busy shops, and plenty of enjoyment, this Cochin Carnival attracted a huge number of people and even tourist from all over the world to be a part of this celebration. After reaching there one can’t stop them from getting into the thick of action with a head-banging music giving the breeze a pleasant feel. Youths were dancing vibrantly on the tracks played there, while many families seemed enjoying the perfect new year outing in this highly infective place.

Apart from this Cochin Carnival, people were busy trying out all options to keep the celebration in full swing. Most of the restaurants and hotels were packed with party-seekers enjoying the night. The city was looking completely drenched in the party fever, with young-ones, elders all adding great energy to the new year celebration. As the moment of glory came, all welcomed 2008 with happiness and joy. People busted crackers and greeted each other and welcomed the year 2008 with great enthusiasm. The bustling city of Cochin was rocking last night in all its corners welcoming the New Year.

Kerala the land of backwaters will host the second international conference on Responsible Tourism in Destinations. The conference will be held from 21 to 24^th of March 2008, at the Le Meridian International Convention Centre in Kochi. The first Responsible Tourism Conference was held at Cape Town in the year 2002. The second international conference focus on encouraging the eco friendly measures in tourism that aims to give equal benefit to the tourists and the ecology of the land.

The conference will be jointly organised by International Centre for Responsible Tourism and Incredible India and Kerala Tourism. The conference will also assess the existing standards of tourism practices prevailing across the world. It will also measure the growth achieved by India and other countries in Responsible Tourism. The main issue that will be put to discussion is the reports and ideas on emerging trend in the field. Other topics include regional marketing initiative, local economic development; wildlife and conservation and lot more related to tourism. In short the conference will provide a perfect platform for a global proposal to uplift the tourism industry to a new standard that will do less harm to the ecology of the area.

The conference will be presided over by Dr. Venu, Secretary of Kerala Tourism and Prof. Harold Goodwin Director of International Centre for Responsible Tourism of Leeds Metropolitan University. Participants of this conference include representatives from several countries, government agencies and NGO’s will attend this conference on Responsible Tourism. The outcome of the conference is expected to bring in effective changes in the global tourism sector and Kerala is all set to welcome this prestigious conference.

Dec 14: Kerala, ‘the Gods Own Country’ has gained global recognition for its wide scope in tourism and hospitality industry. Now Kerala the land of backwaters, unspoilt beaches and houseboats is all set to exploit the huge possibility of the booming IT sector. The prestigious Smart City project is the huge leap in this regard. Ernakulam the commercial hub of Kerala is selected as the base for this project.

Smart City took its inspiration from the Dubai Internet City and it is expected that after completion it will become the biggest IT hub in India. After nearly four years of political turmoil the foundation laying ceremony was carried out by the state Chief Minister V.S.Atchuthanandan. TECOM the Dubai based company is working behind the project.

The government is prepared to open its door to the international IT companies and is ready to lend all support to them. Ernakulam has all the infrastructure facility to boost the IT business that include international harbour, full-fledged airport and well linked roads. Soon after the completion of the most expected Metro rail project and the Vallarpadam International Container Transhipment Terminal, Ernakulam will sure become the ideal investment destination for the international IT companies.     

New part hotel, part homestay and part art gallery opens in Fort Cochin.

Le Colonial is owned by a french art collector is one of the oldest inhabited buildings in Fort Cochin (possibly most of Kerala). Although it only just opening September 2007, it is a welcome addition to the crowded boutique hotel market in Fort Cochin that already features luminaries such as Malabar House, Koder House and Brunton Boatyard. It is only a little different, but the homestay quality as though you are in Ian Fleming’s house goes down well.