Category Archives: Records, All

Gopikrishnan Kottoor’s Book Released

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Leaders, Records, All
Malayalam University VC K Jayakumar (left) releasing the book ‘The Nectar of the Gods’ by Gopikrishnan Kottoor (centre) by handing it over to RBI regional director Nirmal Chand on Wednesday | Manu R Mavelil
Malayalam University VC K Jayakumar (left) releasing the book ‘The Nectar of the Gods’ by Gopikrishnan Kottoor (centre) by handing it over to RBI regional director Nirmal Chand on Wednesday | Manu R Mavelil

Thiruvananthapuram  :

If your Malayalam is not good, it only means that your linguistic skills have not been used to their full potential, and do not in any way contribute to a better fluency in English, K Jayakumar, Vice-Chancellor of  Malayalam University, has said. He was speaking at the release of Gopikrishnan Kottoor’s book ‘Nectar of the Gods – King Marthanda Varma and Devasahayam’ at the Press Club here on Wednesday.

Applauding the chaste English employed by the author, the poet and former Chief Secretary said that writers like Gopikrishnan enrich Indian writing in English. He underscored the need to ensure proficiency both in English and Malayalam among our students. “For a writer, using English that is coloured by the influence of one’s mother tongue is like trying to escape the gravitational pull of the earth. Gopikrishnan has achieved this laudable feat,” he said.

‘Nectar of the Gods’ is Gopikrishnan’s twelfth book and is a play based on the little-known history of the execution of the Nair noble Devasahayam for converting to Christianity under the influence of the the Dutch naval commander Eustachius De Lannoy. Kottoor, a senior Reserve Bank officer, is the author of the book of poems ‘Vrindavan -The Coloured Yolk of Love’ and several other poetry collections and novels. He also founded and edited the poetry quarterly ‘Poetry Chain’ and currently edits the online poetry magazine undergroundflowers.com.

RBI regional director Nirmal Chand received the first copy of the book. S Adikesavan, Chief General Manager, SBT, shared his memories about growing up in Puliyoor Kurichi, where the play is set and which houses historically significant structures like the Udayagiri Fort and tomb of De Lannoy who was in the service of Marthanda Varma after being defeated by the king in the Battle of Colachel. C K Thomas, Deputy Director of Doordarshan Kendra, Thrissur, and Devi Prasad, General Manager, SBT, also spoke. The visual adaptation of two scenes from the play, shot by the author himself, was screened after the release.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Express News Service / October 22nd, 2015

Honour for Attinad Software

Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Thiruvananthapuram  :

Attinad Software, a leader in SMACT (Social, Mobile, Analytics, Cloud and IoT) space  announced that it has been named as ‘Vendor to Watch’ in the  upcoming product space of Rapid Mobile Application Development.  Attinad Software’s flagship product called Cantiz Mobility platform  has been featured in the Gartner report.

Attinad Software CEO, Mohammed Rijas, credits this acknowledgement by worlds  renowned IT research firm to its award winning products in the SMACT space.  He said, “I dedicate this fabulous recognition to the entire team at Attinad Software and thank them for the hard work and dedication which has got us this recognition.”

Attinad Software has been on a fast track growth path over the years aiming at being the preferred SMACT partner for enterprises across  the globe. Attinad Software has a strong footprint in verticals such as  Oil n Gas, Education, Media and Entertainment, Healthcare and  Logistics. Attinad, had won numerous international awards including the  prestigious Deloitte Technology Fast 50, Red Herring Top 100 Global  Award. “Cantiz Mobility platform has created immense value for number of  leading enterprises,” said Shafeer Badharudeen,  CTO, Attinad Software.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New  Indian Express / Home> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Express Features / October 17th, 2015

When Radio Moscow celebrated a Kannur village

Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All, World Opinion

Kannur  :

In 1949 August, Radio Moscow aired the name of a tiny village in Kannur suburbs in a news bulletin for writing a new chapter in the history of democracy. The village panchayat there was elected through voting and for the first time in India’s history a communist local government came to power through electoral process.

That is the history of Chirakkal panchayat, the capital of the erstwhile Chirakkal dynasty, and a major hub of the handloom textile industry in Kerala. The polls were held on August 16, about a month after the panchayat was formed in July 1949.

It was then part of the Madras state. The communist party came to power in Chirakkal at a time when it was banned in the country and party leaders were mostly operating from underground fearing arrests. Unlike today, there was no ballot paper and votes were taken by counting the raised hands of the voters. As per the existing law in the Madras state, only those who can read and write and have completed 21 years of age, were eligible for voting.

The government had appointed the local village officer Chengalath Nanu Menon as the polling officer and the election was held at Raja’s Higher Elementary School, where nearly 600 voters gathered, according to the panchayat records. While the Congress had nine candidates, the communists could field only seven, as two candidates refused to contest. Though the Congress objected to the communists contesting the elections claiming there were criminal cases against them, the police or the complainants could not provide any evidence and the polling officer allowed their candidatures.

The communists romped home by winning seven seats while the Congress candidates bagged five. The next day the panchayat council elected communist leaders K P Narayanan as president and T C Madhavan as vice president. Since the panchayat didn’t have a building of its own, it functioned out of a rented building.

Senior CPM leader and former MLA M Prakashan master hails the event as “unparalleled in the history of Indian democracy”. Barring 1988 elections, the panchayat has always retained that tradition. “The communist party came to power for the first time in a panchayat in the country when the party was banned and that was why it was a big news even in the Soviet Union and the Radio Moscow aired it,” he said. “And we keep that tradition alive.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City / TNN / October 14th, 2015

Subhash Chandran wins Vayalar Award

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Records, All
Novelist Subhash Chandran. Photo: R.V. Moorthy / The Hindu
Novelist Subhash Chandran. Photo: R.V. Moorthy / The Hindu

Novelist Subhash Chandran has won this year’s Vayalar Rama Varma Literary Award for his novel “Manushyanu Oru Aamukham”.

The award, to be presented on October 27, Vayalar Rama Varma’s death anniversary, carries a purse of Rs. 1 lakh, statuette and citation. The purse has been increased from Rs. 25,000 earlier thanks to support from the Government of Kerala.

Mr. Subhash Chandran had won the Sahitya Akademi for the same novel last year.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Kerala / by C.  Gouridasan Nair / Thiruvananthapuram – October 10th, 2015

A museum for dance enthusiasts

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, Travel

Thiruvananthapuram  :

A national dance museum, claimed to be the first in the country, will be inaugurated on Friday.

Located on two acres in Vattiyoorkavu, the Rs 12-crore Guru Gopinath National Dance Museum (GGNDM) will showcase the evolution, heritage and diversity of dance forms in India and abroad.

Promoted by Guru Gopinath Natanagramam, an institution under the department of culture, the museum has been named after Kathakali maestro Dr Guru Gopinath (Guruji).

“Our plan is to bring all information regarding dance in India and abroad under one umbrella,” said James Sunny, Natanagramam secretary.

The 42,000-square feet museum on three floors would have 10 galleries displaying paintings, statuettes, costumes, photographs, Indian musical instruments. An audio-visual presentation of various dance forms and a digital library, too, would be available.

“The costumes were purchased from professional dance costume makers in different parts of the country. As a tribute, we have devoted a gallery to Guruji, which will have his rare photographs and a 500-kg bronze statue,” said Yohesh Shrinivasan, chief designer.

A 5D theatre would be set up in the second phase. “Performances by foreign and Indian artists will be organized,” said T Venu Kumar, executive officer of Guru Gopinath Natanagramam.

He added that the museum would have avenues for research on various dance forms. Wax statues, too, would be displayed.

The central government had allocated a grant of Rs 6 crore for the museum. While the state government chipped in with Rs 5 crore, the Guru Gopinath Natanagramam contributed Rs 1 crore.

A 20-foot-high statue of sage Bharata would be an added attraction at the museum campus.

source:  http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Thiruvananthapuram / TNN / October 01st, 2015

A spiritual backwash from the sixties

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Leaders, Records, All, Travel

From the travel log of ISKCON founder Abhay Charan De during his stopover.

An artist’s impression of Abhay Charan De boarding the ship M.V. Jaladuta.
An artist’s impression of Abhay Charan De boarding the ship M.V. Jaladuta.

Fifty years ago, Abhay Charan De, a young man who was actively involved in Mahatma Gandhi’s Civil Disobedience movement, inspired by the teachings of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, agreed to his mentor’s request to spread Hindu culture to the Western world. He set sail on August 13, 1965, as the lone cabin passenger onboard M.V. Jaladuta, a cargo ship bound for the United States.

With a complimentary ticket courtesy Sumati Morarjee, owner of Scindia Steam Navigation Company, a two-month tourist visa and Rs. 40 in hand, embarked on the rigorous journey. On August 22, the ship anchored at Kochi. Abhay Charan De stayed at Mattancherry as the guest of the shipping agents, Jairam & Sons. Abhay Charan De in his diary records his Kochi stopover. “The dock is peculiar,” he writes, “because it is by nature full of small islands. Some of the islands are full with nice hutments formerly known as British Island.”

Abhay Charan De saw his books that had arrived from Bombay in five boxes loaded into the ship in the evening. He then went around Mattancherry and Ernakulam. “Out of the group of islands, two big islands joined by an iron overbridge are known as Kochi and Ernakulam.

The iron overbridge was constructed by the Britishers very nicely along with railway lines. The railways line is extended up to the Port. There are many flourishing foreign firms and banks. It is Sunday and the bazar was closed. I saw a peculiar kind of plantain that is available in this part of the country. The island known as Kochi is not an up-to-date city. The roads are like narrow lanes. The parts of the city where the foreigners reside are well situated. The buildings, factories, etc. all big, are well maintained. The Mohamedan quarters are separate from the Hindu quarters like in the other Indian cities.” His diary makes a mention of Ernakulam, which he found to be ‘up-to-date.’ “There is a nice park on the bank of the gulf and it is named Subhas Bose Park. It is good that Subhas Babu is popular in this part of the country. I saw the Kerala High Court and the public buildings, the High Court being situated in Ernakulam it appears that the city is the capital of Kerala.”

The movement he started, International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), from a small shop space spread across the world.

This year marks the Golden Jubilee of Abhay Charan De’s, (who later became popular as A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada) visit to Kochi. The organisation will celebrate this historic visit with various programmes at TDM Hall, Ernakulam, on October 10, from 5 p.m. onwards.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Kerala / by K. Pradeep / October 04th, 2015

A nostalgic journey through Palakkad

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy releasing ‘’Nagaram Pinnitta Naalvazhikal,’ a collection of memoirs on Palakkad's last 150 years by handing over a copy to industrialist Siddique Ahmed at a function on Monday. Shafi Parambil MLA, Public Works Minister V. K. Ebrahim Kunju and municipal chairman P. V. Rajesh are also seen. —Photo: K. K. Mustafah
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy releasing ‘’Nagaram Pinnitta Naalvazhikal,’ a collection of memoirs on Palakkad’s last 150 years by handing over a copy to industrialist Siddique Ahmed at a function on Monday. Shafi Parambil MLA, Public Works Minister V. K. Ebrahim Kunju and municipal chairman P. V. Rajesh are also seen. —Photo: K. K. Mustafah

A collection of memoirs detailing the evolving of Palakkad town and its surroundings in the last 150 years was released by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy at a function held here on Monday evening.

The book titled ‘Nagaram Pinnitta Naalvazhikal’ was edited by writer and activist Boban Mattumantha.

Lauding the initiative, Mr. Chandy said the book would be a reference volume for those interested in the culture and history of Palakkad. The book contains 150 articles in 13 sections. It has detailed narrations on the first tarred road in the town, first electrification drive, establishment of district hospital, operation of the first locomotive, the first college, first police station and jail.

It comprises articles by luminaries including M. T. Vasudevan Nair, O. V. Vijayan, K. G. Subrahmanyam, T. N. Seshan, P. T. Usha, Syamaprasad, Cartoonist Ravi Shankar, M.G.S. Narayanan, Raghava Warrier, Rajan Gurukkal and T. D. Ramakrishnan.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Kerala / by Special Correspondent / Palakkad – September 29th, 2015

ASI team visits ancient church

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All

An eight-member team from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) inspected St. Raphael’s Church, Ezhupunna, recently to examine whether the ancient church should be protected and preserved under The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958. The church, built in 1859, has largely used features of Portuguese and Dutch architecture.

The church has been at the centre of a controversy regarding the ownership and preservation of heritage, according to sources. In 2004, a petitioner approached the Kerala Archaeology Department seeking its intervention.

The department prohibited the church authorities from demolishing the church. In 2008, the church authorities closed the church for worship claiming that it is unsafe.

In 2009, a group of people approached the court seeking directions to effect repairs. In 2010, the State government published in the gazette its intent to notify and protect the church and its compound.

The church authorities opposed the notification. The court directed the church authorities to undertake repairs under the aegis of the Archaeology Department, but the latter failed to execute repairs. The ASI intervention was sought by people then. The ASI team could not visit the church prayer hall, as it had remained closed, the sources said.

Ezhupunna church, built in 1859, was closed in 2008 following safety concerns.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Kerala / by Special Correspondent / Alapppuzha – September 29th, 2015

Public welcome first pvt reservation centre in state

Business & Economy, Records, All

Kozhikode :

The first private reservation centre ‘yatri ticket suvidha kendra’ (YTSK) of the Railways in the state, has been receiving a good response from the passengers. A good number of passengers who have visited the centre to buy Janasadharan tickets approached the centre asking inquiries about the available services at the centre.

The union government introduced the concept of YTSK to curb black marketing in the sale of railway tickets.

The centre, which is the second YTSK centre under the southern railways, will help the passengers to book and cancel all the tickets including tatkal tickets. Passengers can book AC tatkal tickets from 10.30am and non-AC from 11.30am onwards. The private reservation centre has four counters and a special counter for inquiry. The centre also has seating facilities for the passengers approaching for booking.

In case of cancellation, 50 % of the charge will be deducted and remaining amount will be refunded to the given bank account.

C E Chakkunny, working chairman, Confederation of All India Rail Users’ Association said that though the private reservation counter is helpful for passengers, the service charge of Rs 30 fixed to book sleeper class and Rs 40 for all other classes is actually high. “The railway should reduce the service charge as the existing service charged fixed to book tickets from the private reservation centres cannot be afforded by passengers. The centre is a blessing in disguise as only one counter in the fourth platform is working and another one is not operational which is causing problems to passengers during peak hours. The counters in the first platform are insufficient to meet the growing demands of passengers during the peak hours,” he said. “The railway should put up more counters and make the inactive counters functional to help the passengers to book the tickets without remitting service fee,” he said.

N Lekha, a passenger said that the centre is a blessing as the passengers can book tickets till late night and even on Sunday afternoons. “We can avoid standing in long queues at the railway station during peak hours,” she said.

Meanwhile, K K Vinod Kumar, owner of Prapanjam Tours and Travels, said that around 300 people booked their ticket on the first day. “Since the centre’s opening on Friday, on the first day the centre saw people approaching for inquiry purpose.

All the counters will be made fully functional once the number of passengers increases in the coming days. The advantage is that the railway passengers who reach the station after 7 pm can easily make advanced booking as

The centre is open till 10pm from Monday to Saturday and on Sunday, it will function from 8.30am to 8pm. The railway closes its centre at 2 pm on Sunday,” he said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Kozhikode / TNN / September 27th, 2015

Philatelists exhibit unique collection of stamps in Kochi

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All

Two philatelists exhibited their unique collection of stamps on the final day of an expo here yesterday.

Stamp collectors, Alok K Goyal and Atish Kumar Jain, showcased a whopping variety of 700 stamps at the ‘Coin Expo 2015’, organised by Kerala Numismatic Society in Kochi.

The collection saw stamps in unique shapes of football, fish, turtles, penguins and birds. The exhibition also showcased uniqueness in the material the stamps were printed on – from woods and clothes to metals like silver and gold.

The odd collection comprised night glow stamps and thermo-sensitive stamps, which protect them from the harmful rays of the sun.

“We are representing various world postal authorities in India. Mainly we are offering unusual stamps and coins to Indian collectors. Unusual means the stamps which are not of normal variety. Normally stamps are of rectangle shape and on paper but unusual stamps, they are of different shapes, different materials have been put on stamps. They are made of different materials. The smelling stamps, then (stamps which) glow in the night. There are various kinds of stamps. New technology people are using on stamps to increase knowledge among the people,” said Goyal.

He added that though he had presented a proposal in front of postal department of India to consider the usage of unusual stamps, he was not sure if it would be accepted as the rules are quite rigid in India.

Apart from stamps, the three-day expo also showcased coins, old currencies, medals, treasure pots and postal cards from around the world.

A huge range of coins, some dating back to third century BC and some silver coins believed to be from the era of Jesus Christ were also on display.

Coins belonging to Mughal, Chola, Nawab and British era were up for display, along with coins used in the Roman dynasty and old dynasties in China, Korea, Africa and other parts of the world.

source: http://www.newkerala.com / NewKerala.com / Home> News> India News / Kochi – September 21st, 2015