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Kerala pip Bengal in penalty shootout, win Santosh Trophy after 13 seasons

Records, All, Sports

This was Kerala’s sixth Santosh Trophy title and first since 2004-05. Kerala had downed Punjab 3-2 with an extra time goal to win their last Santosh Trophy in October 2004.

Kolkata: Kerala footballers jubiliate after winning Santosh Trophy by beating Bengal at Salt Lake in Kolkata on Sunday. PTI Photo (PTI4_1_2018_000155A)

Kerala held their nerves to beat Bengal via penalty shootout as they clinched their sixth national football championships for the Santosh Trophy at the Salt Lake Stadium on Sunday.

Locked 2-2 after extra time, Kerala goalkeeper Mithun V put up a stellar show in the tie-breaker to help his side win 4-2.

Ankit Mukherjee and Nabi Hussain Khan missed the first two penalty kicks for Bengal as Midhun V thwarted both their attempts.

Tirthankar Sarkar and Sanchayan Samadder’s conversion did not help as Kerala scored through Rahul V Raj, Jithin Gopalan and Jestin George.

For the final kick, Jiten Murmu took on the gloves but Seesan S shot past him to deliver Kerala their first Santosh Trophy since 2004-05.

Kerala had beaten Punjab 3-2 with an extra time goal to win their earlier Santosh Trophy title in New Delhi in October 2004.

Earlier Jithin MS gave Kerala a 19th minute lead before Bengal captain Jiten Murmu restored parity in the 68th minute.

After the regulation time stalemate, Kerala once again went ahead in the extra time when Vibin Thomas found the net with his 117th minute header.

Kerala had the numerical advantage in the last eight minutes when Rajon Burman was sent off in the 112th minute.

But despite the odds, Tirthankar Sarkar scored late from a curling free kick in the 120+6th minute to take the game into the tie-breaker.

However, it was a heartbreak for Bengal as they failed to defend their crown as the Satheevan Balan coached-side kept a clean record to clinch their sixth title.

The hosts were on the attack straightaway as Sarkar had two free-kick chances from the left side of the area within the first six minutes.

While the first one was duly cleared by the Kerala wall, left-back Sreerag G pulled off a goal-line clearance from a Monotosh Chakladar’s shot after goalkeeper Midhun V parried it away.

It was Kerala who broke the deadlock against the run of play when Jithin Gopalan intercepted a ball in the centre of the park and found Seesan S close by. He then showed some great vision to release Jithin MS on the run.

Bengal’s left-back Abhishek Mukherjee was off his position and with Sourav Dasgupta failing to track the winger, Jithin MS brought up his fifth goal of the tournament by slotting home through goalkeeper Ranajit Majumder’s gates.

All attempts by Bengal forwards were thwarted by the southern side. Monotosh Chakladar attempted a header from a set-piece in the 25th minute but it was straight to Midhun.

Skipper Murmu tried his luck after the half-hour mark from long range but the ball went over the bar.

Bengal finally put their foot on the gas and scored when Chakladar headed down a long ball and substitute Rajon Barman broke through to feed the striker who found the back of the net with a delectable left-footer.

Visibly tired, both teams slowed down in the last 30 minutes.

In the 117th minute, Kerala took advantage of the extra man and Jestin George’s cross from the left was headed home by Thomas.

However, Sarkar had other plans when he converted from a free-kick from 25 yards in the sixth minute of injury time, taking the game to a shootout.

Bengal coach blames injuries

Bengal coach Ranjan Chowdhury blamed their heartbreaking loss to Kerala in the Santosh Trophy final on injuries to key players.

Trailing 1-2, Bengal were reduced to 10 players with eight minutes left in the extra time, but they managed to level through Tirthankar Sarkar’s curling freekick in the 120+6th minute and take the match into penalty shootout.

Kerala sealed the issue 4-2 in the penalty shootout as Bengal missed the duo of Bidyashagar Singh and Sourav Dasgupta sorely, Chowdhury said.

“We had to make the substitutes all because of injuries… The duo was supposed to take penalties. It was a lost battle in the penalty shootout, much before it began,” Chowdhury rued at the post-match news conference.

Bidyasagar, who had scored the solitary goal in their win over Chandigarh, sustained an injury and was replaced by Sandip Bhattacharjee in the 90+2nd minute.

At the start of extra time, Sourav Dasgupta also picked an injury to be replaced by Krishna Biswas.

Back in 1988-89, Bengal downed Kerala 4-3 on penalties after they were one-all. In 1993-94, Cuttack, the match too was decided in the penalty shootout when Bengal beat Kerala 5-3 after they were locked 2-2. This was Kerala’s sixth Santosh Trophy title and first since 2004-05. Kerala had downed Punjab 3-2 with an extra time goal to win their last Santosh Trophy in New Delhi in October 2004.

For this edition, Kerala trusted former Calicut University coach and national team scout Satheevan Balan who opted for their youngest-ever team.

Kerala defeated Chandigarh 5-1 in their tournament opener before handing out 6-0 and 3-0 thrashings to Manipur and Maharashtra to reach the semi-final.

In their final group league, Kerala defeated Bengal 1-0 as they finished the tournament winning all their matches, and doing a double on the record 32 times champions.

“It’s a fresh team and my technical staff also new so I could work freely. I could choose the players I like and they have done an excellent job. We have thirteen players without job and they are young players,” he hailed, giving credit to the boys.

“We selected a very young team that we believed can compete. They proved during the South Zone matches and we qualified. We understood this team was capable to put up a fight against any other team at an all-India level and they have showed this in the final.”

Satheevan was appointed national team scout under Stephen Constantine in 2015 and the current crop of players playing for him will be hopeful of a national call-up.

source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Sports> Football / by PTI, Kolkata / April 02nd, 2018

A cultural extravaganza nonpareil

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Thrissur Pooram celebrated with splendour

Percussion ensembles pounded out hypnotic rhythms. Majestic elephants roamed all over the city. The sky was lit up in a riot of colour. And the much popular and revered Thrissur Pooram was celebrated in all its grandeur on Wednesday.

Thousands converged at Thekkinkadu Maidan to soak in the festival spirit. It was fun, with roaring crowds, loud music, and plenty of eating and drinking. Unique in its festivities, rituals, and spectacle, Thrissur Pooram is a splendid assortment of ceremonies, traditional ensembles, caparisoned elephants, and fireworks.

Believed to have started in the late 18th century, the festival has evolved into a socio-religious event involving all sections of society over the years. It is a cultural experience without parallel.

The meticulously planned 36-hour celebrations kept its promise to be picture perfect. The cloud of confusion over the fireworks too got cleared by night.The festivities started with the arrival of Kanimangalam Sastha early in the morning.

It was followed by other ‘cheru poorams’ from participating temples of Karumukku Bhagavathy, Panamukkumpilly Sastha, Chembukkavu Bhagavathy, Choorakkottukavu Bhagavathy, Lalur Bhagavathy, Ayyanthole Bhagavathy, and Naithilakkavu Bhagavathy.

Madathil Varavu, in which the ‘thidambu’ (idol) of Thiruvambadi Bhagavathy is taken from the Thiruvambadi temple to Naduvil Madom at Pazhayanadakkavu, was one of the main events in the morning. The procession of Paramekkavu Bhagavathy began around 12.30 p.m.

Sultry weather, sweat, and dust notwithstanding, large masses of devotees and spectators from across the world poured in to the city from early morning. Unlike earlier years, families, especially young women, attended the festival in large numbers. There was a separate section for women at the main venue.

The pooram offered something for everyone. More than 70 elephants held sway, moving their ears vigorously in tune with drumbeats.

Percussion lovers enjoyed the choicest rhythms of chendamelam, pandimelam, and panchavadyam, led by maestros Peruvanam Kuttan Marar, Kongad Madhu, Kizhakkoot Aniyan Marar, and Paraikkad Thankappan Marar. Panchavadyam during the Madathil Varavu of Thiruvambadi and Melam under the Ilanji tree by Paramekkavu were the highlights.

The mood became hysteric with the colourful Kudamattom, in which hundreds of parasols were displayed atop elephants in a friendly competition by the Paramekkavu and Thiruvambadi Devaswoms. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was present. Minister V.S. Sunil Kumar and former Speaker K. Radhakrishnan accompanied him.

The latecomers will be pampered with a recap. All that rolls from dawn to dusk will be repeated at night. Next is the wait for the early morning fireworks, fighting sleep. Fireworks fans are keeping their fingers crossed as there have been mild showers for the last few days in the city.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by Mini Muringatheri / April 25th, 2018

City’s canine detectives win medals at State-level contest

Records, All, Sports
Handlers with the police dogs Robin and Juliet

Dog squad of the city police to get high-level training ahead of national competition

Robin and Juliet, the youngest members of the city police’s dog squad secured two prestigious medals at a State-level competition held recently in Thrissur as part of the duty meet of the Kerala police.

While Robin, the one-and-a-half-year-old Labrador Retriever, proved his skills in detecting hidden narcotic substances at the five-level contests, Juliet, the Doberman of the same age, bagged the medal for tracking objects.

Both Robin and Juliet were qualified for attending the upcoming national-level contest in November. Their handlers said the dogs were excellent in obedience and food refusal tests as well at the three-day meet that concluded on April 19.

“Both were trained at the National Centre for Training in Search, Rescue and Disaster Response run by the Indo-Tibetan Boarder Police in Haryana before joining the city police squad 10 months ago. Ahead of the national meet, they will get high-level training,” said additional sub inspector D. Sanilkumar, who is in charge of the dog squad.

Robin, who was trained by his handlers Prasoon and Sujil, won the attention at the State meet by tracking narcotic substances buried in the soil or hidden in different places. Objects hidden in a suitcase and on human body were spotted by him within the given time.

Midhun and Sanal, the handlers of Juliet, too had moments of joy when she came out with outstanding performance in scent discrimination, identification and tracking lost objects. She also excelled in displaying flawless retrieving skills by crossing the hurdles.

Mr. Sanilkumar said the seven-member dog squad had put up sterling performances in several other competitions held earlier in various parts of the State. “Our four-year-old Buddy, a Labrador, was one among the dogs which drew the attention of trainers in such competition venues,” he said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kozhikode / by Staff Reporter / Kozhikode – April 23rd, 2018

Blown away by the biting Arctic charms

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Niyog traversed the Arctic with 19 adventurers from across the globe. | Photo Credit: HAND OUT

Niyog, the first Indian to take part in Fjällräven Polar, recounts the expedition’s high points

The extreme cold was expected. Niyog had prepared himself for it by spending some days in Manali, Himachal Pradesh, in winter. But, the 26-year-old from Punalur, the first Indian to take part in Fjällräven Polar, a dream expedition of adventure travellers, found that no preparation was good enough to face the wild Arctic wind. “The wind was such that we couldn’t stand on the ground. We had to build ice walls around our tents so that they wouldn’t be blown away. Breathing was tough at some point,” Niyog recalled his journey across the Arctic with 19 selected adventurers from all over the world.

Fjällräven Polar is an annual expedition being organised by the Swedish company Fjällräven since 1997. The participants, selected through an online poll, travelled 300 km in -30° Celsius through the Arctic wilderness in Norway and Sweden on sleighs pulled by six Siberian Husky dogs.

The participants had to adopt different methods to make fire as it was an integral part of survival in the Arctic. “We were provided stoves to cook food, that worked on Super Fuel. We used magnesium coils to make fire and then brought them to compressive mode. On another day we collected fibres from the bark of a tree to make fire,” Niyog said.

Danger in sweating

Cooking using melted ice for water and sleeping in a sleeping bag inside a trench, when the snow could bury them any time, were part of the adventure.

“We had to be careful about sweating, as sweat turning into ice could be very dangerous. The ice settled anywhere in 10 seconds and the wind made the situation worse,” he said.

Niyog found controlling the dogs easier than expected as the animals were trained to follow the well defined path. But he had a hard time balancing the sleigh in the unpredictable terrain and was thrown off many a time.

The trip over, Niyog cherishes watching the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) and enjoying the hospitality of the Sami tribe that served the adventurers with reindeer meat dishes. It took several baths alternatively in steam and ice cold water besides dipping in an ice hole to acclimatise. Now, back home, the young man who is always driven by adventure finds himself unfit for more — for at least a few weeks.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by Aabha Raveendran / Kozhikode – April 20th, 2018

MGS hands over his library to varsity

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Historian M.G.S. Narayanan has donated the reference documents in his possession to the history department of the University of Calicut. The History Library at the university will now have an ‘MGS Collection’ comprising the Kozhikode-based historian’s entire collection.

The reference documents were collected by Mr. Narayanan during his historical pursuit stretched over five decades.

Pivotal role

He had played a pivotal role in the setting up of the university’s history department in 1963 at the Zamorin’s Guruvayoorappan College, Kozhikode.

When Calicut University was formed in 1968, the department was further expanded.

Reference section

A large number of documents on ancient Indian history, archaeology and Kerala  history are part of the reference section donated by Mr. Narayanan.

Among them are historical records of great value such as Travancore Archaeological Series, Ramavarma Research Bulletin, Indian History Congress papers, documents collected by historians of Japan, China and Europe, and compilations of T.V. Mahalingam and Noboru Karashima.

Mr. Narayanan also handed over several records of the British government throwing light on modern history and several reports of the Indian National Congress meetings.

A team of historians from Calicut University led by head of the history department P. Sivadasan accepted the collections from Mr. Narayanan at his house in Kozhikode.

Dr. Sivadasan said that the MGS Collection would be a great motivation for potential researchers in history.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by Staff Reporter / Malappuram – April 18th, 2018

Suffragan Metropolitan Athanaseus passes away

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Funeral to be held in Thiruvalla on Friday

Suffragan Metropolitan of the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar Geevarghese Mar Athanaseus passed away at a private hospital in Kochi at 4.40 a.m. on Wednesday. He was 74.

The Suffragan Metropolitan was keeping indifferent health for some time and was undergoing treatment for liver and kidney ailments at the Kochi hospital for the past two weeks.

The mortal remains of Mar Athanaseus were brought to the Church headquarters at the Syrian Christian Seminary Hills in Thiruvalla in the afternoon, after being kept at the Elamkulam Mar Thoma Church in Kochi till 11 a.m. for the public to pay tributes to the departed bishop.

He joined the services of the Church as a deacon in 1969 and served as vicar at various parishes, including those of Palakkad, Nelliampathy, Attappady, Kuzhalmandom, Mumbai, Dadar, Toronto (Canada), Venmony, Kottayam-Jerusalem, and Chennai-Chettodu. He became an Episcopa (bishop) in 1989 and first served as Episcopa of the Mumbai-Delhi diocese of the Church.

He was the Episcopa of the Kottayam-Kochi diocese during 1993-2001. He had been serving as head of the Ranni-Nilackal diocese since 2001.

Elevated in 2015

Mar Athanaseus was elevated to the post of Suffragan Metropolitan on October 2, 2015.

His mortal remains will be kept at the Church headquarters for the public to pay homage till Friday and the funeral will be held at the SC Seminary Hills the same day, according to sources.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by Special Correspondent / Pathanamthitta , April 19th, 2018

A record most melodious for this singing legend

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Yesudas is getting national acclaim after 24 years, at the age of 78

In the list of the national film awards, announced in New Delhi on Friday, there were quite a few familiar names.

Like K.J. Yesudas.

It was after a long gap of 24 years that he was returning to the winners list, at the age of 78. And it was a record eighth national award for the best playback singer for him.

The latest one was for his song Poyimaranja kaalam… (Viswasapoorvam Mansoor). It was composed by Ramesh Narayan.

“I am delighted that I tuned the song that fetched Yesudas a national award after a gap of so many years,” Ramesh told The Hindu.

“He had sounded very happy when he spoke to me after the awards were announced on Friday; and it proved a day of double delight for me, as I had won the national award for music in the non-feature section.”

Ramesh was only a student of music when Yesudas won his first national award, way back in 1973. That was for the song Manushyan mathangale srishtichu... (Achanum Bappayum).

It was composed by G. Devarajan and the lyrics were by Vayalar Ramavarma.

The lines of that timeless song – about the meaninglessness of religious strife – would sound truer than ever in the present time.

His second national award came the following year, for the film Gayathri(Padmatheerthame unaroo…).

That classic song was also created by the Vayalar-Devarajan combine.

Yesudas’s third award, which he won four years later, though was for a Hindi song written and composed by Ravindra Jain. Gori tera gaon bada… (Chitchor) was a phenomenal hit and made him popular beyond the southern States.

His fourth award, which he won in 1982, too was in another language – Telugu.

The film was Meghasandesam and the composer Ramesh Naidu.

All his other national awards have been for the songs he sung in Malayalam – Unnikale Oru Katha Parayam (1988), Bharatham (1992) and Sopanam (1994).

Ramesh said when he came up with the tune for Poyimaranja…, he was convinced that only Yesudas could sing it.

“Nobody else could have done justice to it,” he said.

“He has sung about 15 songs for me. And it is the song Oru narupushpamaayi… (Meghamalhar) that established me as a composer.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by P.K. Ajith Kumar / Kozhikode – April 14th, 2018

Rich haul for Malayalam cinema

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Bags 15 honours at the 65th National Film Awards

Malayalam cinema had one of its richest hauls ever at the 65th National Film Awards, sweeping 15 awards, including major awards for direction and acting. The awards, which do not include the big names of the industry, are a recognition for the new crop who have defined a fresh aesthetic over the past few years.

Jury Chairman Shekhar Kapur acknowledged the big strides that regional cinema, especially Malayalam cinema, has made in recent times when he said, “Bollywood films cannot compete with these regional films, not at the state in which they are”. Although he made a few light-hearted complaints about the unpronouncable titles like Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum, which the jury members used to call ‘Chain Snatcher’, that did not spoil the chances of the films.

That film, directed by Dileesh Pothen, one of the high points of Malayalam cinema in recent times, fetched the best original screenplay award for Sajeev Pazhoor and the best supporting actor award for Fahadh Faasil. Mr. Kapur praised the film as an ‘unusual’ one with a brilliant screenplay.

After a disappointing decade at the beginning of the millennium, the industry here slowly began to veer away from the tried and tested route of formulaic masala films and super hero-centric subjects, with a set of films that came to be termed ‘new generation’. But many of these films were criticised for being shallow in their outlook, and for being metro, upper class-centric.

But the movement matured over the past four years, pushing the boundaries in all aspects, with realistic portrayals of the struggles of normal people. The National Award this year for production design, which Santosh Raman won for Takeoff is a sign of the strides even in the technical arena that the industry had taken. He had convincingly recreated war-ravaged Iraq in that film, which also fetched Parvathy a special mention in acting.

Indrans, once typecast as a comedian, started getting roles that challenged the actor in him, with the wave of change sweeping the industry. The jury on Friday took his name, saying that he lost out the best actor award by a whisker for Aalorukkam. The film, directed by debutant V.C. Abhilash, won the award for best film on social issues.

Director Jayaraj, who has moved effortlessly for years between mainstream and parallel cinema, won the best director award for Bhayanakam, part of his Navarasa series. The film, on the men from Kuttanad who went to fight in the Second World War, won the best cinematography award for Nikhil.S. Praveen. K.J. Yesudas won the best playback singer (male) award for his song from Vishwasapoorvam Mansoor.

Malayalam also had reasons to cheer for in the non-film category, with Aneez K. Mappila winning the award for the best documentary for The Slave Genesis, and Shiny Jacob Benjamin winning for best biographical reconstruction for Sword of Liberty. Nithin. R won award for best anthropological film for Name, Place, Animal, Thing.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / Staff Reporter / April 14th, 2018

Canonisation process of Mary Celine begins

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The canonisation process of Mother Mary Celine, former Superior General of the Congregation of the Mother of Carmel headquartered at Thaikkattukara, has been initiated.

She experienced the depth and holiness of God experience, said Cardinal George Alencherry, Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church here at the ceremonies organised to declare Mother Mary Celine Servant of God.

Members of the tribunal, which will work on the process of declaring her a saint, took their oaths at the ceremony here on Monday.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kochi / by Special Correspondent / April 10th, 2018

Happy chimes for bell metal craft

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A bell metal artisan at work at Kunhimangalam, near Payyannur, in Kannur.

Artisans of Kunhimangalam form a cluster, ready major plans with govt. support

The neighbourhood of Kunhimangalam, near Payyannur here, harbours nearly a hundred families of bell metal artisans. But today, only 15 artisans are involved in the craft.

The craftsmen, belonging to the Moosari community, have now come together for an initiative, supported by the State and Union governments, to introduce the craft to the next generation, thereby keeping it alive.

If their plans materialise, the Moosari Kovval neighbourhood at Kunhimangalam will be a bell metal heritage village, which will showcase their craftsmanship and attract tourists, thereby expanding the market for their products.

They have formed a cluster, Kunhimangalam Bell Metal Heritage Private Ltd. (KBMHPL), with a grant of ₹1.40 crore, 70% of which has been sanctioned by the Union government and the rest by the State government.

Design workshop

The cluster, inaugurated by Industries Minister A.C. Moideen on April 8, will set up a common facility centre (CFC) with machinery and workplace for artisans.

“The cluster will soon organise a design workshop which will be attended by experts from the National Institute of Design. Experienced artisans and newcomers will be introduced to the new trends in design,” KBMHPL Managing Director P. Valsan told The Hindu.

As many traditional products made of bell metal such as kindi (water container with a nozzle), uruli (shallow cooking vessel), charcoal iron to press clothes, or spittoons are no longer in use, many artisans of Kunhimangalam chose other vocations.

‘Youth not interested’

“Youngsters are not drawn to this craft because there is no demand for the products,” said Ramachandran Kunhimangalam, chairman of the Kunhimangalam Bell Metal Heritage Protection, Study and Research Centre, a trust formed a few years ago to revive the tradition.

A heritage museum to showcase the craftsmanship is also in the pipeline. The project is being supported by the Commissioner of Development Handicrafts under the Union government and Handicrafts Development Corporation of the State government. The latter will give a tool kit valued at ₹10,000 to each bell metal artisan in the village.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Mohamed Nazeer / Kannur – April 10th, 2018