It was a journey down memory lane for Mridangam exponent Guruvayur Dorai on Sunday when his disciples and fans converged at Kalpathy near here to celebrate his 80th birth anniversary. It also marked the opening of the Guruvayur Dorai Music Centre.
“Music is not just my passion. It is my life,” said the eminent musician in his acceptance speech. He also recalled his initial training under Palghat Subba Iyer and E.P. Narayana Pisharody and later under the legendary master Palani Subramaniam Pillai.
“I had initiated my concert performances at the age of eight. It was a long road since then. I am happy that my efforts in the field of mridangam and music have helped propagate the art around the globe,” said this ;exponent of the Pudukottai style of mridangam. Dorai aka Vaidynathan was born in Guruvayur to G.S. Krishna Iyer and Meenakshi. His sister Guruvayur Ponnammal was a highly reputed singer. His brother, G.K. Rajamani, is a violinist of repute.
Dorai also recalled an evening in 1949 when he went to Chennai for the first time to perform in a concert with Carnatic vocalist Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar.
The music centre was inaugurated by A R Venkateswaran.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Kerala / by Special Correspondent / Palakkad – June 29th, 2015
‘Latex Carry Backpack’, designed by students of Amal Jyothi College of Engineering, Kanjirapally, was adjudged the best project at the 10th National Innovation Contest- TechTop 2015 that concluded at the Mar Baselios College of Engineering and Technology (MBCET) here on Saturday.
The prize, instituted by Degree Controls, was awarded to Ajin Omanakuttan, Alen Anil, Mintu Elizabeth Shaji and Parameswaran S of Amal Jyothi College of Engineering by Governor P Sathasivam at the valedictory function. The prize comprise cash award of Rs one lakh.
Greeshma Unnikrishnan of IIT Mumbai won the second prize of Rs 50,000 for her project ‘Cost Effective Monitoring System for Intravenous.Infusion’, while the third prize (Rs 30,000) went to MBCET for their project called ‘Upasana: Diagnostic Toolkit for ASHA Workers.’
One of the highlights of TechTop this year was the Junior Innovation Challenge introduced for high school students. Of these, Placid Vidya Vihar School, Kottayam, won the top honors in the category, comprising cash prize of Rs 25,000, for the project ‘Easy Patient Transferring Machine’.
Speaking on the occasion, Governor P Sathasivam noted that entrepreneurship and innovation were crucial for economic growth of the country.
The Latex Carry Backpack, which won the first prize, aims to address a common issue that rubber tappers face when they transfer the milk from the tree to the containers.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Express News Service / June 28th, 2015
The Thalassery Revenue Reference Library is a treasure trove of history. Thousands of important revenue records of the country and the state, especially Malabar, are stored here. But curiously enough, the government is yet to appoint a librarian to curate these documents.
It is the only reference library under the revenue department outside of the state capital. The valuable books and records here throw light on various historical events of North Malabar; some of the most important ones pertain to the British Raj of the 19th century.
Records not available elsewhere in the state or country are available at the Thalassery Revenue Reference Library. Among them are detailed records of the revenue department, which used to handle functions that are now handled by various departments. But the library, housed in a beautiful building in the Thalassery sub-collector office compound, is now no one’s baby.
Courtesy: Archaeology Department’s oversight
It is the interest in history that A.C. Mathew, a revenue divisional officer here in 1996-2001, had that led to the setting up of the library. Mathew and his colleagues went around revenue offices from Manjeri to Kasaragod on holidays to find these books and documents and bring them to Thalassery, with permission from the department.
In 1992, the archaeological department had collected thousands of documents from Thalassery sub-collector’s office. The documents stored at the library are those that escaped the scrutiny of archaeology officials. The RDO and other employees of the revenue department spent from their own pockets to preserve these documents in plastic covers. Later, following newspaper reports, then minister K.E.Ismail allotted Rs 1 lakh to have those books bounded.
The library building was built on a grant of Rs 3 lakh given as part of the central government’s project to strengthen the revenue department. In between, there was an attempt to move the books and documents to Thiruvananthapuram, but then chief minister E.K.Nayanar intervened and stopped it. The public was also allowed to refer these documents. There are many who have done research here for their doctoral degrees.
In 2010, then revenue minister K.P. Rajendran and home minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan visited the library and gave the nod for the creation of a librarian’s post. But even after five years, the post is vacant. Apparently, the officials are still in a search for a revenue department staffer who is also qualified in library science!
From the collection:
There are many valuable documents here related to the freedom struggle, from leaders’ speeches to secret police reports to administrative procedures:
In 1922, those interned in Kannur central jail over the Mappila rebellion had attacked jail wardens with knives and other weapons procured from the jail kitchen. Several were killed in the shooting that followed. The reports on their post-mortems as well as information related to the rebellion not available elsewhere are in the Thalassery Revenue Reference Library.
The properties of those who were banished to Andamans over the rebellion were confiscated. The list goes like this: a sleeping mat, iron rimmed pestles for grounding rice, a red oxen with horns curved forward…
Another document is the order issued by William Logan, the sub-collector here in 1860, to shoot tigers that were terrorising travellers on the way to Ancharakandi.
Also available are documents on encounters with police at Morazha, Thalassery Jawaharghat and Mattannoor; and those about Gandhiji’s fast at Yarvada jail and the Agakhan Palace. Among the documents are the various orders issued by British officials on the steps to be taken if Gandhiji dies during his fast, such as not allowing black flags or even mourning processions.
There are also other interesting documents. Among them is a complaint by local people that a revenue official called Krishnan Nair refusing to accept property tax at the office and instead going to homes to collect it; also he had demanded bribe in the form of cow’s ghee and chicken eggs while visiting homes.
Another document shows that an Anglo-Indian in the service of the British army had entrusted the care of his mentally ill mother to the sub-collector as per the law. The official put her in the care of the Sacred Heart Convent. The letters that followed between the woman’s son, who served in the North-West Frontier Province, and the sub-collector and the convent authorities show the selfishness of man. The son writes to the sub-collector and the convent about how much he earns and asserts that despite saving as much as he could he cannot give more than Rs 2 per month for her care.
Among the thousands of priceless documents available here are Logan’s Malabar Manual, the work called Treaties and Engagement of British Affairs in Malabar published in 1870, the Manual of British Administration in Malabar Presidency published by the Madras government in 1882, a true copy of Magna Carta, the report on the commission that probed the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and the Rowlatt Act.
Will the authorities wake up to ensure this history of north Malabar is preserved before it is claimed by time and neglect for ever?
source: http://www.english.manoramaonline.com / OnManorama / Home> News> Kerala / by V.K. Jayanthan / Sunday – June 21st, 2015
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu today flagged off India’s first diesel electric multiple unit (DEMU) train service with an air-conditioned coach here.
The Angamaly-Ernakulam-Tripunithura-Piravom train service is expected to help in reducing traffic congestion in the state’s fastest growing city.
“It is for the first time in a DEMU service, we have provided air conditioned service. We want to increase it further,” Prabhu said at a function in Ernakulam Junction.
Top Railway officials said the AC coach provides reclining type comfortable cushion seats for 73 passengers similar to air-conditioned chair car of inter-city express trains.
Other coaches of DEMU train are provided with bench type cushion seats and large windows with glass shutters.
The train is equipped with bio-toilets and fully vestibule for free movement of passengers between coaches.
Prabhu said the DEMU after the inaugural service would be withdrawn temporarily and replaced with MEMU (mainline electrical multiple unit) train till the completion of renovation work of Harbour Terminus and Old Railway Stations.
He assured that the DEMU launched today would itself be restored once the renovation work was completed.
Kerala Power Minister Aryadan Muhammed, K V Thomas, MP, and Hybi Eden, Congress MLA, were among those who attended the function.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> National / PTI / Kochi – June 21st, 2015
Ruler with a visionA painting of the erstwhile Maharaja of Cochin, Rama Varma XV, and right, his statue at Subhash Parkphotos: The Hindu
The statue of Rama Varma XV, the Maharaja of Cochin, that stands in Subhash Park, now marred by a dash of unimaginative gold paint, is a pointer to forgotten facts and fascinating tales beyond the sparse information on the plaque. A little digging leads to a fascinating phase of history.
The Maharaja, popularly called Rajarshi, and also the Abdicated Highness, ruled Cochin from 1895-1914. Well-versed in English and a Sanskrit scholar, he was a forward-looking ruler who turned Cochin into one of the most progressive of Indian states of the time. The seeds of modern Cochin were sowed during his reign as he initiated permanent reforms in Revenue and Accounts, introduced the Shoranur-Cochin railway line, established the Sanskrit College at Tripunithura, brought in the village panchayat bill and the Tenance Act were among the many innovative schemes he launched.
A booklet published sometime in the 1930s, which is available at Mahatma Library and Reading Room, Tripunithura, provides invaluable information about the construction of the statue. It records that a ‘largely attended public meeting’ held on October 23, 1912, at which representatives from all parts of the States were present it was resolved to celebrate the shashtipurthi or the 60th birthday of the Maharaja on December 25, 1912. It was also decided that the ‘unique event be celebrated everywhere in a fitting manner, that an address of congratulation should be presented to the Highness on that auspicious day and that a suitable memorial be raised in honour of the occasion.’
The birthday was celebrated with pomp and gaiety. The members of the committee, appointed at the public meeting, went to the Hill Palace and presented the Highness an address of congratulation inscribed in a silver book and enclosed in a casket. At a meeting on September 24, 1913, it was decided that a ‘permanent memorial should take the form of a bronze statue of the Highness to be erected on the foreshore of Ernakulam.’ Out of the subscriptions for the occasion a sufficient sum of money remained with the committee for the statue. The Diwan A.R. Banerji who was going to England ‘on furlough’ agreed to get the statue made. He advised the committee to entrust the work to Ernest G. Gillick of Chelsea, a noted British sculptor, whose statue of the Maharaja of Bikaner had impressed Banerji.
In October 1915 the committee entrusted the work to Gillick for 800 pounds. He was also asked to make six plaster of Paris life-size busts of the Highness at an aggregate cost of 100 pounds to be installed at the headquarters of the six Taluks of the State. The work was expected to be completed in a year but the dislocation to the work caused by the War and his assistants joining the army the preparation of the mould itself took a year. When the mould was ready there was a strict embargo laid on all private metal work and no metal casting could be done without the license from the Ministry of Munitions. When the embargo was removed Gillick requested for a revision of the original amount as costs had increased manifold. An additional sum of 500 pounds with a proportional enhanced amount for the busts was made. This entailed an extra expenditure of Rs. 1,000 for the committee.
The work was complete by June 1922 and the following December the statue was received in Cochin. Gillick expressed a wish that a pedestal for the statue be designed and furnished drawings for the same. This work was carried out in Pallavaram stone in Madras by the well-known engineering contractor Diwan Bahadur T. Namberumal Chettu Garu.
Gillick did not have the advantage of seeing the Highness in person and had to work on a few indifferent photographs with some personal instructions from Diwan J.W. Bhore, his wife, and I.N. Menon, the Maharaja’s son. Yet he was able to sculpt a remarkably good likeness of the Highness.
The statue was unveiled by Viscount Goschen of Hawkhurst, Governor of Madras on the afternoon of October 13, 1925 in the presence of Lady Goschen, her daughters, CWE Cotton, Agent to the Governor General, the Elaya Raja of Cochin, and an overflowing crowd of people from all parts of the State. It was the first statue in Cochin.
The entire cost for the statue was raised through public donations. The committee in the booklet published the complete receipts and expenditure incurred and the complete list of subscribers to the Memorial Fund. The total expenditure for the statue was Rs. 33,960, the remaining amount, it was decided, would be utilised for the maintenance of the ornamental garden surrounding the statue.
Interestingly, when the statue was unveiled Rama Varma XV was not the Maharaja. He had abdicated the throne in 1914 for reasons that are still not very clear. Some believe that he had differences with the British over his pro-German politics; others opine that he abdicated due to ill-health, while there are other stories that gained ground. But the abdication did certainly create a furore; it shocked his subjects as such an act was unheard of in the kingdom.
“There is this account that the Maharaja was forced to abdicate after he had hosted a party to the officers of a German cruiser. It is still believed by many that the ship was SMS Emden. This is wrong as Emden never came to Cochin. But there are records that reveal that the Maharaja did host a garden party to the officers of the German cruiser SMS Gneisenau in 1911. This had nothing to do with the abdication,” informs V.N. Venugopal, a history buff.
This was not a political act as the visit of the ship coincided with the arrival of the German crown prince Wilhem to India in December-January1911.Wilhem was a State guest at the Viceregal Lodge and Gneisenau was anchored at the Cochin harbour. The party held at Bolghatty Palace with the approval of the British. However, the detractors of the Highness attempted to hail this as a pro-German stance and use this against him later.
Others point out that there were other reasons, perhaps more serious, that forced the Highness to take this step. Perhaps the most plausible of theories that led to the abdication was a brewing hostility between the Highness and the British government on numerous issues. For instance, letters reveal that the government did not favour many of his requests. His requests to buy a house in Kodaikanal and to give an extension to Diwan P. Rajagopalachari with an enhanced salary were summarily turned down.
“His attempts to effect radical changes in social and religious matters, selling 14 gold caprisons of the Sree Poornathrayeesa Temple and cutting the allowances of the princes to fund the Shoranur-Cochin railway, and effecting a cut in the rations to the royalty during the time of World War I, gave rise to severe criticism. It is said that the British managed to influence his brothers and relatives, declared that he was mentally and physically weak, forcing him to abdicate,” says Ramabhadran Thampuran, the sixth generation of the Maharaja’s thavazhi or lineage.
Interestingly, the Maharaja had in 1905 expressed his willingness to abdicate. This happened a month after the verdict to excommunicate and banish Kuriyedathu Thatri, in the caste inquisition or smartha vicharam . Most of those banished were rich, influential and well-connected. They spread rumours that the trial was stopped when Thathri was about to give away the name of the Highness. But the government refused to accept his ‘resignation.’ The Governor Lord Oliver Russell Ampthill wrote that there ‘is nobody at present who is fit to succeed you as Raja of Cochin and to govern the state without detriment to the interests of the people.’
But in 1914 there was no such reaction. The government accepted his letter without much fuss. He walked out of the palace with just one trunk containing his and his wife’s clothes. After abdication the Highness stayed on at Ernakulam for some months, while his palace at Thrissur was being built and then shifted to Merry Lodge Palace, the present Kerala Varma College, in 1915. The British also ensured that there was no mention of him in historical references other than a fleeting reference to the ‘king who abdicated.’
Rama Varma made just one parting request to the Government – an allowance for his maintenance during his retired life and a portion of the allowance, ‘not less than Rs. 100 a month’, may be continued after his lifetime to his wife and her children. The Maharaja passed away January 29, 1932. During a chakyarkoothu performance after his abdication, the chakyar while describing a moment when Rama leaves Sita, looked at the ex-Maharaja and asked, ‘ ozhinjatho , ozhippichatho ?’ (abdicated or removed). One never knows for sure.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by K. Pradeep / June 20th, 2015
Kuttichetan with his collection of books, mainly novels, at his home in Valya Thovala in Idukki
Idukki :
For octogenarian Kuttichetan, as he is known in his village Valiya Thovala near Kattappana here, books have always been his companions. Till day, he has not let anything come between them, even the truth that he is a school dropout. He does not need a pair of spectacles even at this age to read them. What makes Kuttichetan different from other book lovers is that he has been sharing his vast collection of books at his home with his villagers to enrich their cultural life.
Kuttichetan, aka Mathew C Mutholy, was dismissed from school when he was in Class IV for participating in a strike against C P Ramaswamy Iyer.
However, that never stopped him from having a tryst with letters. He started writing for children’s literary magazines, the likes of ‘Kuttikalude Deepika’, after dropping out from school. His love for books made him a good friend of yesteryear writers, editors and publishers such as Muttathu Varkey, Veloor Krishnankutty, K M Mathew and DC Kizhakkemuri.
Kuttichetan has a publication of his own, ‘Hill Desh,’ the Malayalam fortnightly which he began to publish from Kottayam in 1972. It is still being brought out at his village and has a circulation of 5,000 copies.
Kuttichetan, who worked as a Merchant Navy seaman for years, has seen almost all the countries except China which was not in good terms with India at that time. He also follows many foreign languages viz Italian, Latin, Japanese and German.
“Through books, I got acquainted with many places where I could not go. I want others also to explore unknown things, places, even feelings with the help of books. I find happiness in sharing my books, the only asset of my life which I can share with all,” says Kuttichettan who has the wholehearted support of his 75-year-old wife Mary and eight children.
Kuttichetan is now trying to set up a library in his own panchayat. With his initiative, four libraries were set up at Elikulam, Meloram, Iratayar and Bathel in 1947, 1954, 1963 and 1969 respectively.
However, he feels youngsters refrain from reading books. “May be because they have other means to gain knowledge,” says Kuttichetan who does not watch TV. The man, who finds happiness in sharing his collection with others, is a tad sad as some never returned his precious books.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Sruthi Paruthikad / June 19th, 2015
History stands still under the leaky roof of a single-storey building at Anjarakkandy, where the apprehensions of a British planter culminated in the country’s land registration system.
The tiled building, as such, is not part of history, though it has been enjoying a spot in history as the first sub-registrar office in India, opened in 1865.
Though the building now can’t boast of providing better shelter from the elements of nature, the registration department is planning to celebrate the office’s sesquicentennial anniversary.
“The department has decided to organize a gala function to commemorate the 150th year of the first land registration in the country, which led to the setting up of a separate department for the purpose,” O A Satheesh, district registrar in Kannur, said. Minister for registration and civil supplies Anoop Jacob would inaugurate the function on Friday.
The land registration was the culmination of the process of demarcating boundaries of lands of local residents by Murdoch Brown, remembers K Narayanan Nambiar, a land document writer.
“His act of demarcating boundaries led to the setting up of a department for land registration not only in India, but also in the whole of Asia,” he recollected his predecessors’ words.
Brown’s decision to demarcate land also has an interesting story.
When he bought land, he felt that if not clearly demarcated, there would be confusion over the ownership. He opened an office in his bungalow and started signing and giveing title-deeds to the owners of each plot.
The Englishman soon found that some landowners were manipulative and to avoid malpractices, he started keeping a copy of title-deeds in his office, thus beginning the formal registration of land.
Later on January 1, 1865, the British government, through an order dated December 5, 1864, approved the sub-registry office, which operated out of his bungalow, with Brown as deputy registrar. The office was shifted to the present building on March 11, 1877, in the land provided by Brown.
The present condition of the building has been pathetic as no effort was made to maintain the original architecture and old records.
A day after the inauguration of the sesquicentennial celebrations, Kerala might receive the first monsoon shower. The staff, as usual, would rush for plastic sheets to cover and protect shelves from water leaking through the roof.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kozhikode / TNN / May 27th, 2015
Fr Paul Arackal who is credited as the first person who took steps to organize the fishermen community in the state, died of age related illness at Chethi near here on Wednesday. He was 80.
His funeral will be held at the St Antony’s church Chennaveli near here at 3pm on Friday.
His mortal remains will be kept at his family home at Chethi from 8am on Friday for the public to pay their last respects.
He was the third son of Joseph and Esther of Arackal house of Perunnoormangalam near Chethi. He was ordained a priest by Pope Paul VI in 1964.
He served as the assistant vicar and later also as the vicar of the St Andrews Basilica at Arthunkal.
He also served as the vicar at St Joseph Church at Punnapara, Arogyamatha Church at Saudi near Kochi and St Francis Xavier’s Church at Kandakadavu, and also as the chaplin at St Joseph Church, Thanki.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kozhikode / TNN / April 23rd, 2015
The students of the mechanical engineering department have developed a trenching machine cum tiller which can be used by farmers cultivating banana, tapioca or vegetables. The machine which looks like two hands mowing the soil can be attached to an power tiller for multi-tasking in farming operations.
The tool was developed as a prototype based on the specifications by the Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) which was looking for a farm tool to improve the efficiency of the existing tillers where the farmer has to seek assistance of a manual labour to finely dig the hole for planting a sapling.
“We ran the trials last week in front of the officials at the Agricultural Research Station (ARS) at Mannuthy who suggested some modifications and fine-tuning. That will be done fast and we will be ready with a commercial product soon,” said Ashwanth M P, one of the team members of Kinetic Tillers which has been incubated at the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Cell (IEDC) of Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat).
Ashwanth and his friends, Jerish John, Aaron Tom, Lijesh Josy and Edwin Thomas who started work on the project last year developed it with feedback from farmers in Ernakulam when the final prototype was being readied.
Tilling is the most expensive and tedious work in farming and is mostly done manually using conventional tools or various machine powered technologies such as rotary tillers, cultivators, and disc harrows are used for tilling process. The manual process is very time consuming and has become too costly as well. A major limitation faced commonly in the rotary tillers is that soil becomes sticky when mixed with water, hence reducing the aeration (entering of air into the soil) which is harmful for young growing roots. Also, the inappropriate use of tillers leads to soil losing its organic matter affecting its fertility. Cultivators used for tilling at present are bulky in size, requires high power machines include, but are not limited to, tractors for pulling. Also, with the cultivators, depth of the soil to be tilled cannot be controlled, which affects its fertility and increases soil erosion.
“We are setting up a Centre of Excellence in agricultural research and farm mechanization is one of the focus areas. When such a need was discussed at the ARS, we decided to hand over the work to the Cusat students under IEDC. The concept has come out well. We are suggested some changes in blades and depth digging and asked them to get back to us with it,” said Prof U Jayakumar, Director, ARS.
The students however, want to go a step forward. Make it a cost-effective tool which even the middle-level farmer in Kerala can afford. “Right now, the price could cost about Rs 60,000 but we want to bring it further down,” said Ashwanth.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kochi / by Sudha Nambudri, TNN / April 01st, 2015
Cultural Affairs Minister K C Joseph dedicating the renovated ‘Njattupura’ in Thazrak village to the nation in Kodumbu panchayat in Palakkad on Sunday. District Collector P Marykutty Isaac is also seen
Palakkad :
The state government has decided to sanction another `50 lakh for the O V Vijayan cultural complex being set up in Thazrak village in Kodumbu panchayat in the district, said Cultural Affairs Minister K C Joseph.
He was speaking after dedicating the renovated ‘Njattupura’ to the nation at Thazrak village here on Sunday.
Joseph said that the classic work of O V Vijayan, Khazakinte Ithihasam, is deeply ingrained in the literature and culture of the state. The land which formed the backdrop of the novel, the lifestyle and customs of its inhabitants should be preserved for posterity.
O V Vijayan has immortalised Thazrak village and its native people through his novel.
The Minister said that the O V Vijayan Memorial Committee had received `1 crore in the last four years.
The renovated ‘Njattupura’ is now part of history. The real life counterparts of characters in ‘Khazakinte Ithihasam’, Mymoona and Kittu, were honoured on the occasion by the Minister.
The Minister handed over the keys of renovated ‘Njattupura’ to District Collector P Marykutty at the function.
Prizes were awarded to Subhash V R of University College, Thiruvananthapuram, Soumya P R of Maharaja’s College, Ernakulam and Neetha P M of NSS College, Ottappalam as part of the paper presentation contest organised by O V Vijayan Memorial Committee.
Committee president K Sasikumar presided over the meet. Kodumbu panchayat member K. Janaki spoke.
Memorial committee secretary Azeez Master welcomed the gathering and committee member P Mohana Kumar proposed a vote of thanks.
Legislative Assembly members K Achuthan and Shafi Parambil were among the present.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Express News Service / March 30th, 2015
