Category Archives: Records, All

Minutes before leaving UAE, Keralite wins $7 million in raffle draw

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, World Opinion

Tojo Mathew was leaving the UAE for good to join his wife in Delhi.

An Indian man has hit a jackpot by winning a whopping USD 1.9 million in a monthly raffle in the UAE, hours before he was set to leave the country for good, a media report said today.

Tojo Mathew, 30, working as civil supervisor in the capital Abu Dhabi, had bought the ticket on Tuesday at the city’s airport before boarding a flight to India.

Mr. Mathew, who is from Kerala ,  was leaving the UAE for good to join his wife in Delhi.

“I bought the ticket at the Abu Dhabi airport just before boarding the flight for India on June 24. I was leaving the UAE for good to join my wife, who got a job in New Delhi. I still cannot believe I won,” Mathew was quoted as saying by the Khaleej Times.

‘Will build my dream house’

Mr. Mathew won the dirham 7 million (USD 1.9 million) as he was leaving for good, the report said. He said his big dream was to own a house in Kerala.

“That has been my long pending dream. Now it can become a reality with the raffle money,” he said.

Mr. Mathew and his friends received the news on Tuesday when they checked the Big Ticket website.

Nine others won 100,000 dirhams (USD 27,000) at the draw. The winners included five Indians, one Pakistani and a Kuwaiti.

Earlier, an Indian driverin  Dubai had won dirham 12 million in a raffle draw in Abu Dhabi in April. In January, another Keralite in the UAE had won a dirham 12 million in the biggest-ever raffle prize money in Abu Dhabi.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Kerala / by PTI Dubai / July 06th, 2018

Global laurel for Christ College team

Education, Green Initiatives & Environment, Nature, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion
A team from Centre for Animal Taxonomy and Ecology of Christ College, Irinjalakuda, which has been invited to the European Congress of Arachnology in Hungary.

Only Indians to participate in European Congress of Arachnology

A six-member team from the Centre for Animal Taxonomy and Ecology (CATE) of Christ College, Irinjalakuda, has been invited to the 31st European Congress of Arachnology (ECA), which will be held at Vac, Hungary, from July 8-13.

They are the only Indians at the congress in which 150 arachnologists will take part from all over the world. “This is a prestigious recognition given on the basis of the contributions made by CATE to arachnological research,” said Sudhikumar A.V., who led the six-member team. Five budding arachnologists working under the guidance of Dr. Sudhikumar (Head, CATE) will present papers on Indian arachnology. Nafin K.S., research scholar, will present a paper on the diversity of spiders in Kole wetlands of Kerala and the role of spiders in biological pest control. Drisya Mohan, another member, will present a paper on the social behaviour of a rare spider (Stegodyphus sarasinorum) and the diversity of kleptoparasites (web parasites) associated with the web of this spider.

Diversity of spiders in the sacred groves of Kerala and the influence of environmental variables on them have rarely been explored. Sumesh N.V. will present a paper on this study. Forest fire has a devastating effect on the biodiversity of Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (WWS), a biodiversity hotspot of Kerala. Sudhin P.P. will focus on the effect of forest fire on the diversity of spiders in the WWS. Kashmeera N.A. will present an interesting study on the diversity of venomous spiders in Thar Desert, Rajasthan.

Dr. Sudhikumar will lay stress on global warming upon the feeding potential of a grassland spider, (Pardosa sumatrana), and its consequences on the food web which causes imbalance in the ecosystem. Travel expenses of the researchers are sponsored by European Society of Arachnology (ESA), University Grants Commission (UGC), and Department of Science and Technology (DST), Delhi.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by Staff Reporter / Thrissur – July 04th, 2018

72 tribal youths to join Kerala Police today

Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All

Thiruvananthapuram :

For the first time in its history, the state police will formally induct 72 tribal community members, including women, into the force on Monday. The move is part of the strategy formulated in the wake of left-wing extremists (LWE) trying to gain foothold over the tribal population in the state.

The proposal that was cleared in 2015, was originally limited to Wayanad district, Attappadi block in Palakkad and Nilambur block in Malappuram, where the tribal population is comparatively dense as well as where the LWE presence have been reported frequently. Later, Kalikavu and Areekode blocks in Malappuram also were included. They were selected in a special recruitment drive conducted by the state public service commission.

Backward tribal communities such as Paniyan, Adiyan and Kattunaykar were given special emphasis in the drive. “The aim of the drive was to take a counter measure to the LWE threat as they are very accustomed to the land and geography of the jungle areas. This is also part of integrating the tribal community members with the mainstream society as the tribal groups should not feel marginalised,” state police chief Loknath Behera said.

The modalities and qualifying criteria for recruiting the tribal community members was prepared by a committee headed by additional chief secretary (home and vigilance) and also consisting of principal secretary (SC/ST development), principal secretary (taxes) and secretary of personnel and administrative reforms department. The government even decided to waive off the mandatory surety of Rs 25,000 and two government employees, by considering the societal and financial backwardness of the recruited members.

They will be sent to Kerala Police Academy  in Thrissur, where they will undergo nine-month training programme tailormade for them. Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan will hand over appointment letters to the new recruits at an event to be held on Monday.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Thiruvananthapuram News / TNN / July 02nd, 2018

Best doctor awards announced

Records, All, Science & Technology

The State government’s 2017 awards for doctors in modern medicine who rendered excellent service have been announced. The award for the best doctor in the Medical Education Department has been won by V.R. Rajendran, Principal, Kozhikode Medical College.

In the health service, the award was won by C. Muraleedharan Pillai, Superintendent, Women and Children Hospital, Alappuzha.

In the insurance medical service sector, the award went to S. Radhakrishnan, ESI dispensary, Karamana.

Amongst autonomous medical institutions, K. Chandramohan of the Regional Cancer Centre won the award. In the dental sector, Koshy Philip, Professor and Head of Orthodontics, Government Dental College, Thiruvananthapuram, and in the private health sector, Shaji Thomas John of Baby Memorial Hospital, Kozhikode, won the awards. A.S. Anoopkumar of BMH, Kozhikode, has been given a special award by the government.

The awards will be presented by Health Minister K.K. Shylaja on July 1 in Kozhikode, at a function to honour all health sector personnel who were part of the Nipah viral outbreak control activities.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by Special Correspondent / Thiruvananthapuram – June 30th, 2018

K A Chandrasekharan passes away

Education, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All

Thiruvananthapuram :

K A Chandrasekharan, a strong voice for the disabled and the first blind person to be appointed as lecturer by Kerala Public Service Commission  on merit, breathed his last at Medical College Hospital here on Wednesday. He was 75.

A native of  Veliyam in Kollam  district, Chandrasekharan had dedicated over fifty years of his life for welfare and rehabilitation of disabled persons. He was a driving force behind several national and regional initiatives for developing policies and programmes for the disabled.

The cremation will be held at 10:30am on Thursday, on the premises of his residence at Veliyam.

Late Dr Jagadamma was his wife. He is survived by three children-Felicia Chandrasekhar, Rishi  Chandrasekhar and Kavi C J.

He played an instrumental role in framing Persons With Disabilities Act, 1995. He served as a member of the working group constituted by the Planning Commission in preparation of plan documents consecutively for three five-year plans (9th, 10th and 11th) with regard to secondary and higher secondary education for the disabled.

For long, he had held various positions in Kerala  Federation of the Blind.

Chandrasekharan went as a delegate to the UN – ESCAP conference in Osaka, Japan which issued Osaka  Decade Declaration 2002, urging a barrier-free inclusive and right-based society for persons with disabilities.

He had served as the member of technical committee under Bureau of Indian Standards for granting standards and ISI mark to assistive devices for the handicapped.

Chandrasekharan was also a member of NCERT expert committee for developing national curriculum framework in schools, representing disability sector.

State president of the Kerala Federation of the Blind K J Vargheese, in his condolence message, remembered Chandrasekharan as a towering personality who relentlessly worked towards the upliftment of the disabled and said his demise left behind a deep vacuum in the society.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Thiruvananthapuram News / TNN / June 28th, 2018

Ernakulam District Tourism Promotion Council to bring out online directory of artisans, doyens

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

The Ernakulam District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) will launch an exclusive initiative to collate data on skilled artisans, dancers and other artists as part of a project.

Kochi :

The Ernakulam District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) will launch an exclusive initiative to collate data on skilled artisans, dancers and other artists as part of a project under the Responsible Tourism (RT) Mission. To promote experimental tourism, an online directory having details regarding artists, including their name, coordinates, biodata and details of stage performances, will be brought out.

The initiative, which will help people from across the globe access the state’s traditional art forms, handicraft products and artisans, will be launched by the end of this month. The online directory will provide an opportunity for academics, travellers and event organisers reach them directly. The Tourism Department has been working towards promoting experiential tourism wherein travellers get a chance to familiarise with exotic locales by connecting with the history of the region, its culture and people.

S Vijayakumar, secretary, DTPC Ernakulam, said a secure method will be introduced to verify the skills of artists. “It will revive old and fading art forms of the region, while providing support to the artists. Kerala has immense potential for MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) tourism. And, we believe this initiative will enable artisans to showcase traditional art forms to a global audience, thereby promoting the cultural heritage of the state,” he said.

Meanwhile, the DTPC has planned to entrust Kudumbashree volunteers with tasks such as cleaning and operating parking lots in tourist centres and beaches.  In this way, the members of the women’s self-help group (SHG) will be stakeholders in managing the locales and ensuring cleanliness.  Also, they will manage the food kiosks, while focusing on the implementation of the green protocol.

Under the Responsible Tourism (RT) Mission, the endeavour will support the regional community economically with sustainable living and employment generation in a major way.Owing to the easy air connectivity, Ernakulam owns the privilege of being one of the most-visited places by foreign travellers. In 2017, Ernakulam hosted 32,85,088 vacationers, an increase of 12.4 per cent as compared to 4,07,653 travellers in 2016. Luxury hotels and heritage sites such as Muziris and Fort Kochi are some of the major attractions of this place.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Kochi / by Express News Service / June 26th, 2018

Book on oldest known love story in Mangaluru released

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All, Travel, World Opinion

‘L affaire,’ a literary work based on a love story which is known to have taken place in Mangaluru during 12th century AD, was released at St Aloysius College Auditorium in the city on Tuesday.

The book, written by Yenepoya Deemed-to-be-University Dean Dr G Shreekumar Menon, depicts the life of Jewish trader Abraham Ben Yiju, who had his origin in Tunisia and a Nair woman Aashu from Kannur in Malabar region.

Speaking about the work, Dr Menon said that Yiju landed in Mangaluru in 1132 AD for spice trade. He came across Aashu, who was a slave at a household in Mangaluru during the rule of Alupa ruler Alupendra.

Yiju released Aashu by paying money to her owner and freed her from slavery by marrying her. Yiju also set up a brass factory in the region. They were blessed with three children. Among them, two passed away.

Following clashes in Tunisia, Yiju was forced to leave Mangaluru, to his hometown. Whereabouts of Aashu after this incident are not known properly. Yiju passed away on August 11, 1156, he explained.

Letters by Yiju were preserved by his daughter. The letters were found in Cairo Genizah, the Egyptian Synagogue attic. They were kept intact as Yiju had written the letters with a mention of God.

According to Jewish tradition, any work that has God’s name inscribed in it, should not be torn away. The marriage certificate of Yiju and Aashu is among these letters.

The documents are now preserved in Russia.

Authors like Rabbi Mark Glickman and Amitav Ghosh have authored books based on the available documents, Dr Menon said.

Menon stated that the marriage of Yiju and Aashu completes 888 years in 2020 and requested the mayor to build a memorial for the couple.

Mayor Bhaskar K presided over the programme. Dean Dr B H Shripathi Rao, St Aloysius College Principal Fr Pravin Martis, Author Bharathi Shevgoor and actor Sahil Rai were present.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> States> Mangaluru / DHNS News Service, Mangaluru / June 26th, 2018

Eco-friendly solution to mosquito menace

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives & Environment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Nature, Records, All, Science & Technology
Aravind Gopal engaged in research work at a mini-laboratory set up in his residential courtyard.

Researchers find insecticidal properties in extracts of plants

Now, an eco-friendly solution to mosquito menace. Aravind Gopal, a 40-year-old postgraduate in Biochemistry, and P.J. Benny, Professor of Zoology at Pala St. Thomas College, have found good insecticidal properties in the extracts of as many as 20 commonly found plants in Kerala.

Talking to The Hindu , they said extracts of two commonly found weeds,Merremia vitifolia or Manja kolambivalli or grape-leaf wood rose, and Mikania scandens, also known as climbing hemp weed, have shown very good insecticidal properties, with more than 90% insect repellent property.

Mr. Aravind has set up a mini-laboratory in his residential courtyard at Puthusserry-bhagom, near Adoor, to conduct field trials.

Dr. Benny said local bodies and government agencies could use even the crude extracts of these commonly found weeds as safe mosquito reduction agents in areas affected by mosquito-borne viral diseases. A present, various official agencies are learnt to be using hazardous chemical-based insecticides in mosquito eradication drives.

U.N. findings

Mr. Aravind said a report published by the United Nations in January, 2017 had put the average human casualty due to toxic exposure of pesticides across the world at 2,00,000 a year.

Reliance on hazardous pesticides is a short-term solution and the U.N. report lists an array of serious ailments such as cancer, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, hormone disruption, birth defects, etc., as having suspected links to pesticides.

Pesticide-poisoning exceeds even fatalities from infectious diseases in some countries, he said.

Mosquito destroyers

Mr. Aravind said backswimmers, dragonfly and its larvae, damselflies and its larvae, diving beetles, frog and tadpole, native fishes, etc., were natural enemies of mosquito. Terrestrial and aquatic plants can provide healthy air that nourishes life.

Hence a social forest-cum-pond like that of the sacred grove (sarpa-kavu) of yore can preserve the biodiversity, provide fresh air and shelter to the predators of these pests, he said.

Mr. Aravind said while controlling pests, which form less than 1% of the insects, pesticides destroy the biodiversity and environment by killing or adversely affecting various other life forms, including more than 99% of the insects which are more integral to maintenance of the ecosystem.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Kerala / by Radhakrishnan Kuttoor / June 13th, 2018

Kicking off a football anthem: Malayali band Orfeo is here with a Football anthem for this World Cup

Amazing Feats, Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, Sports, World Opinion

Who would not offer their right hand for a chance to visit Russia this season — to not just participate but to contribute to the World Cup frenzy as well? Musicians of Malayali music band Orfeo have done exactly that by going to Russia and bringing out an interesting music album that captures the mood and the memories. Called Davai Davai, it was released a few days ago and has become a topic of discussion among music lovers and football fans.

“Davai Davai means ‘Come on let’s go’,” says the violinist Carol George as he excitedly speaks about the album and its making, calling it the first music anthem created by Malayalis on the World Cup matching international standards and having visuals right from where the action is.

 

“It all started when we were discussing what next, after our covers such as Padakali and Veerapandi Kottayile became popular. We are all hardcore football fans and used to play the game during school and college days. And our cellist Maria Grigoreva is from Moscow. We had plans to visit her country and shoot a travelogue, so we thought why not a music video along with it,” Carol recollects.

While some were sceptical if they could compose a good number before they leave, Robin Thomas, the pianist, promised to come up with an interesting tune in two days. “The moment Robin played it for us, we were all motivated. The music is the pulse of Davai Davai. No matter how beautiful the visuals are, if the tune isn’t syncing, there is no point in making a video,’’ he says.

There was no stopping the Orfeo team afterwards. “We really worked hard. Obstacles were there, but we didn’t bother. We got our visas two days before our trip,” he says.

Once they reached Russia, they got sucked into the football craze. According to Carol, they reached at the right time. “There were football fans everywhere. We never thought we would be allowed to enter the premises of Luzhniki Stadium which hosted the opening match of the World Cup this year. We got a lot of visuals of people playing football there. Interestingly, the day we went was a special day for Russians and people were all out at The Red Square, including the military. There were tight security checks, but we were able to capture the feel of the World Cup. The initial visuals in the video too were shot near the Square,” he says. They were very careful about not getting entangled in legal issues, so they consciously avoided capturing official buildings.

The lyrics of Davai is by Shyam Muraleedharan and Don Thomas and it has been sung by Sayanora, Don Thomas, Abhimanyu and Isabella Chepeleva (a Russian). To bring in the celebratory mode, they have also added visuals of people dancing which they managed to shoot with the support of their friends at Russia.

“We have a few friends there via online and professionally. Russians do not speak much English but we were able to communicate musically,” he says.

Robin who composed Davai says all he had in his mind was the excitement of football and the crowds. “I wanted the thrill of the World Cup to reflect in the song. The challenge was to make it simple and interesting, which can be appreciated by everyone. That’s how the Davai portion came in,” he says.

The team is getting a lot of positive feedback. “We have no words to explain how happy we are when some tell us that Davai is better than even the official FIFA song. For us, going till the World Cup Football venue itself is a dream come true and we are overwhelmed!” he says.

Apart from Robin Thomas, Maria Grigoreva and Carol George, the team includes Chandlu Nerimbodath and Francis Xavier on violin and Herald Antony on Viola. The visuals were directed by Steev Benjamin and shot by Ajith Kumar PS

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> City News> Kochi News / by Anjana George / June 14th, 2018

Kerala’s Naveen Manoharan, the lad with the scorpion kick

Amazing Feats, Records, All, Sports, World Opinion

Alappuzha  :

Naveen Manoharan (24), who hails from Varanad in Cherthala is now known as René Higuita among his friends after his ‘scorpion kick’ video went viral on social media.

Higuita is a retired Colombian football goalkeeper who was nicknamed ‘El Loco’ for his high-risk ‘sweeper-keeper’ playing style and his flair for the dramatic. Naveen, who is a die-hard fan of the Colombian goalkeeper, has been practicing Higuita’s audacious save since his Plus Two days. He started to do scorpion kicks when he became the captain of their village football team Vasco Varanad in Cherthala three years ago.

“My home is near the playground of Vasco Club, which has been organizing all-Kerala football tournament for the past 33 years. I started to play at the ground when I was a first standard student. While I was pursuing Plus Two, we had a chapter in Malayalam on Higuita, who wowed the world with his scorpion kick  while playing for Colombia against England in 1995. Since then, I became curious, collected his details and watched YouTube video of his saves,” he said.

But, that special kick remained elusive for a while, he admitted. “I tried to do the scorpion kick and failed many times. But I was not ready to go back and I never gave up. Three years ago, I could do it perfectly. The video of my save, which went viral on social media, was shot on Sunday by one of my friends. He and my cousin Abhijith posted it on social media and now my friends call me Higuita,” he said.

Naveen, an ITI instrumentation holder, is from an ordinary family and his friends are confident that Argentina will win the World Cup this time.

In Video: This scorpion kick will leave you tizzy

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> City News> Kochi News / by Sajimon P S / TNN / June 14th, 2018