Category Archives: World Opinion

New genus of tarantulas recorded in Kerala

Agriculture, Education, Green Initiatives & Environment, Nature, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

(From left) Annandaliella ernakulamensis, which is found only in Thattekkad in Ernakulam; Poecilotheria hanumavilasumica from Chinnar in Kerala; and Poecilotheria rufilata that the survey team recorded from Achenkovil.

Recent floods could have affected survival of rare spiders, claims arachnologist

Kerala is home to around six species of large, hairy spiders called tarantulas. But a four-year Statewide survey by a team from Kuravilangad’s Deva Matha College now shows that Kerala may be home to more than 11 species of these often iridescently-coloured arachnids.

New genus and species

The research project, for which a team led by Sunil K. Jose (assistant professor at Deva Matha College) surveyed several districts including Kasaragod, Kollam and Ernakulam for tarantulas, has identified four genus of the large spiders (Sahydroaraneus, Chilobrachys, Neoheterophrictus and Thrigmopoeus) that have not been recorded in the State before.

Poecilotheria hanumavilasumica from Chinnar in Kerala

For instance, the team recorded Chilobrachys fimbiratus (also called the Indian violet spider, which is endemic to the Western Ghats of Karnataka and Maharashtra) in Kasaragod district.

Similarly, they spotted the Rameshwaram Parachute Spider (Poecilotheria hanumavilasumica) which has so far been recorded only from Tamil Nadu’s Ramanathapuram district (found only on the Rameshwaram Island and Mandapam area here) from Chinnar in Kerala. This tarantula has been classified as critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List. Totally, tarantulas from seven genus have now been recorded in the State.

Poecilotheria rufilata that the team recorded from Achenkovil

The range extensions of the genus and species had been described in the report submitted to the University Grants Commission, which funded the work that focused on studying spiders belonging to the family Theraphosidae, said Dr. Jose. He also presented the results at the recently-concluded international conference of the Asian Society of Arachnology at Bangkok, Thailand.

Kerala floods

While deforestation was one of the threats that the forest-dwelling tarantulas faced along the Western Ghats, the recent floods that Kerala witnessed could have affected the species in those areas too, said Dr. Jose.

“All tarantulas seen in Kerala except those in the genus Poecilotheria [tiger spiders] live in burrows in the ground. These would have become submerged during the floods,” he said.

Yet another threat that tarantulas face is collection for the illegal pet trade across the world. Kerala’s colourful tarantulas belonging to the genus Poecilotheria and Haploclastus were collected illegally and were available for sale on the internet for as high as $275, he added.

Tarantulas are a group of large, hairy spiders that can live up to 10 to 20 years.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities / by Staff Reporter / Kochi – December 04th, 2018

IIT Palakkad joins hands with UST Global

Education, Records, All, World Opinion

For the joint R&D, the students will work at UST Global’s Infinity LabsTM for three to six months across the company’s various locations in India.

Thiruvananthapuram  :

UST Global has partnered with the Indian Institute of Palakkad (IIT Palakkad) to conduct joint R&D in technologies like AI/ML and Brain-Machine Interface, internship and job placement for the students. For the joint R&D, the students will work at UST Global’s Infinity LabsTM for three to six months across the company’s various locations in India.

“This will offer a platform to the B.Tech students for joint R&D on new-age technologies. We are certain this will help the students get the right exposure to kick-start their career in technology,” said Alexander Varghese, chief administrative officer and country head of UST Global.

“It will not only help our undergraduate students get exposure to the latest know-how in the industry but also enable in technological innovations that answer real-world problems and address future needs of industry.

The internship experience will help them prepare well for taking up challenging industry problems in their future career,” said Vinod A Prasad, dean of Industry Collaboration and Sponsored Research, IIT-PKD.

source:  http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Express News Service / December 05th, 2018

Sergei Esenin Award for V R Govindan Unni; Adoor Gopala Krishnan to inaugurate the Festival of Russian Language

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

Auteur Adoor Gopalakrishnan will inaugurate the seventh edition of the Festival of Russian Language and Literature at Hotel SP Grand Days, Panavila on December 4.
Adoor Gopalakrishnan will inaugurate the seventh edition of the Festival.( Photo | BP Deepu)

Thiruvananthapuram :

Writer and journalist V R Govindan Unni has been selected for this year’s Esenin Award instituted in the memory of Russian lyric poet Sergey Esenin. The award which is into its tenth edition is instituted jointly by the Esenin State Museum in Moscow and the Russian Cultural Centre in Thiruvananthapuram

Govindan Unni was selected for the award in acknowledgement of his contributions to popularising Russian literature in India. The Esenin Award is presented to Indian writers who has helped promote Russian literature through their works. Govindan Unni has translated Hadji Murat, a short novel by Leo Tolstoy which was also the Russian novelist’s last. Govindan Unni has also written several articles based on Russian works.  Fyodor A Rozovskiy, head, Cultural Department of Russian Embassy and Senior Counsellor, will present the award to Govindan Unni on December 4 at the Festival of Russian Language and Literature in Thiruvananthapuram.

Last year, the award had gone to Tamil writer and translator Arumbu Subramanian who translated Fyodor Dostoevskiy’s ‘Brothers Karamazov’ into Tamil.

Festival of Russian language and literature

Auteur Adoor Gopalakrishnan will inaugurate the seventh edition of the Festival of Russian Language and Literature at Hotel SP Grand Days, Panavila on December 4.

Shashi Tharoor MP will deliver the keynote address. Fyodor A Rozovskiy, head, Cultural Department of Russian Embassy and Senior Counsellor, will be present.

source:  http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Express News Service / December 03rd, 2018

Ayurveda meet from today

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives & Environment, Nature, Records, All, World Opinion

Centre hails move for branding ‘Indian Ayurveda’

The Global Ayurveda Summit will be inaugurated by Industries Minister E.P. Jayaran here on Thursday.

The major attraction of the two-day meet will be Ayurstart – the first Ayurveda startup competition to attract young minds to come up with out-of-the-box ideas in the Ayurveda sector.

Addressing an interactive session Wednesday ahead of the summit, Sangeeta Saxena, Director of Commerce, urged Kerala to take Ayurveda to the next level.

The summit will be held at Hotel Le Meridien in the city.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kochi / by Special Correspondent / Kochi – November 22nd, 2018

A treasure trove of Malayalam cinema

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

The facility’s inauguration also coincides with the 90th anniversary of Malayalam cinema and the 20th year of establishment of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy.

Thiruvananthapuram :

A 10,000-film digital archive, well-equipped research library and mini-theatres are among the facilities at the Centre for International Film Research and Archives (CIFRA) which will see a formal inauguration at the KINFRA Film and Video Park, Kazhakootam, on Wednesday.The facility – designed as a memorial to yesteryear actor Sathyan – brings a wealth of research material on Malayalam cinema under a single roof. The centre also includes a conference hall, dormitory, office and guest rooms.

The facility’s inauguration also coincides with the 90th anniversary of Malayalam cinema and the 20th year of establishment of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy. Though Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate CIFRA at 6 pm on Wednesday, it will be opened to the public only by January 1, after this year’s International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), Academy officials said. By then, the Academy office also will be shifted to CIFRA from its present location at Sasthamangalam. The CIFRA library is named after PK Nair, who established the National Film Archive of India in Pune.

“The library will have 10,000 Indian and foreign films. As of now, we have collected 3,000 Malayalam films and more than 3, 000 foreign language films,”  Chalachitra Academy secretary Mahesh Panju said.

“The mini theatre in CIFRA will help the research scholars as well as film enthusiasts to watch the movie in a nominal amount,” he said.

“We have numerous students in the state who are doing film studies and film research along with students doing film studies as an interdisciplinary course. They do not have enough materials for the same.

CIFRA, with more than 10, 000 films and 8, 000 books, will help the students in finding the research materials,” said N P Sajeesh, deputy director of programmes, State Chalachitra Academy.

At the entrance to CIFRA, the guests are welcomed by the logo of Chalachitra Academy. “Automobile scraps were used to make the academy logo and two other sculptures. The picture of K C Daniel, father of Malayalam cinema, in the reception has been made with the electronic scraps,” said Santhosh Raman, the interior designer of CIFRA, who won the National Award and State Award for Best Production Designer for the 2017 film ‘Take Off.’

“We wanted every wall to be informative and it is made in such a way to take the guest through the journey of Malayalam Cinema,” he said.On the budget of the project, Mahesh Panju said, “Kerala State Chalachitra Academy already had R2 crore in hand and the rest of the money was funded by the state government. The estimated budget of the project is R4.25 crore.”

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express  Home> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Express News Service / November 19th, 2018

Burial urn of Megalithic era unearthed

Amazing Feats, Education, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All, Travel, World Opinion

A burial urn unearthed at Hydermettu, near Nedumkandam in Idukki district, is believed to be the largest one found in the region.

Largest urn unearthed so far is indicator of a culturally-oriented society

A huge burial urn dating back to the Megalithic era that was unearthed while clearing a private road to a house at Hydermettu, near Nedumkandam, recently is believed to be one of the major findings that would shed light on life in the pre-historic era on the western side of the Western Ghats.

The urn is said to be the largest one unearthed from the region so far. It is 3-ft wide at its mouth and its shape is a variant of other ones explorated in the district. Moreover, there are art works on it — a pointer to the cultural awareness of a society that belonged to the pre-historic period.

A large number of burial urns have been unearthed from Ramakkalmedu, Mundieruma and Puzhpakandam nearby in the recent past. However, they were comparatively small in size and do not have notable decorative works, said V.M. Safeer, Head, Department of History, MES College, Nedumkandam.

Mr. Safeer said the burial urns unearthed from the region belonged to 1,00 BCE and 500 BCE. Some of the urns have remains of iron weapons and pieces of bones. “Their period can be known only through carbon dating,” he said adding that some might be aged only a few hundred years.

Valuable evidence

The importance is that the findings in the hinterland of the erstwhile Muziris port is valuable evidence of a culturally-oriented society. The new finding is on the hill area bordering Tamil Nadu and believed to be linked to a settled life there. Burial urns, dolmen and hero stones are spread over a large area on the western side of the Western Ghats

Though individual studies were conducted in the past, specific studies and research are needed to throw light on the importance of these historical remains, he added.

Kerala Council for Historical Research chairman P.K. Michael Tharakan told The Hindu on Sunday that small-sized burial urns were unearthed from different areas in the State. However, it needed a study connected to the other ones unearthed in the region. It pointed to the need for a surface exploration there. On the basis of the evidence, further explorations could be taken up and it may lead to valuable conclusions with regard to the lengthy history of human habitation in the district. The Archaeological Department was undertaking excavations at historically important sites, he said adding that the district, especially the Anchunadu valley, was a treasure trove for historical studies.

At present, the KCHR was on a project to explore the historic importance of Kottappuram, he said adding that the High Range area on the Western Ghats needs a comprehensive exploration of its past. It was also the hinterland for moving hill produce to Muziris port and had a civilised society from the early period.

source:  http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by Giji K. Raman / Idukki – November 11th, 2018

Ponkuzhi forests throw a surprise

Agriculture, Amazing Feats, Green Initiatives & Environment, Nature, Records, All, Travel, World Opinion

Liparis tschangii belongs to Orchidaceae family.

Discovery of Liparis tschangii published in Indian Forester

Liparis tschangii, a plant that belongs to the Orchidaceae family, has been discovered in the Ponkuzhi forests in Wayanad district, a major biodiversity hotspot on the Nilgiri biosphere reserve.

The tuberous species was discovered by a team of researchers led by V. Balakrishnan, former Director of Community Agrobiodiversity Centre of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) at Puthoorvayal here during an expedition recently. The discovery has been published in the recent edition of the science journal Indian Forester.

Liparis tschangii is mainly found in China and Vietnam, but this was the first time that the distributional record of the plant was reported from India, Dr. Balakrishnan told The Hindu.

“The leaves of the plant resemble the structure of the human heart and have white rhizome and green flower bunches,” Salim Pichan, botanist, MSSRF, and a member of the team said.

Very rare

“The plant is very rare in this locality and may need conservation priority,” Mr. Pichan added.

Jose Mathew, assistant professor, Department of Botany, S D College, Alappuzha; P. Dhanesh Kumar, former Divisional Forest Officer, South Wayanad forest division; Jayesh P. Joseph and M. Jithin, scientists of MSSRF, are the other members of the team.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by E.M. Manoj / Kalpeta – October 26th, 2018

A trip to remember for space buffs

Amazing Feats, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All, Science & Technology, Travel, World Opinion

Nearly 4000 people, including school children, visited the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) to watch the RH-200 series rocket rise into the leaden skies over Thiruvananthapuram.
A large crowd gathered on Monday to watch the sounding rocket lift off from Thumba on Monday

Thiruvananthapuram :

Inclement weather did not prevent space buffs from lining up to watch a sounding rocket lift off from Thumba on Monday morning.

Nearly 4000 people, including school children, visited the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) to watch the RH-200 series rocket rise into the leaden skies over Thiruvananthapuram, according to VSSC officials. The launch – the first of three planned this week – was part of an Open House at the VSSC held to mark the World Space Week (WSW) celebrations organised jointly by the ISRO units in the state capital.

VSSC frequently flies small rockets fitted with instruments to study the dynamics of the upper atmosphere. In fact, it was an American Nike-Apache sounding rocket that lifted off from Thumba in 1963 that marked the beginning of India’s space exploration programmes.

As part of WSW, VSSC is planning two more launches for the public this week – one each on Tuesday and Wednesday at 11.45 am. The RH 200 series of rockets can carry a ten kg payload and rise up to a height of 80 kms.

WSW is celebrated from October 4 to 10 every year to mark the anniversaries of two events that changed space exploration: the launch of Russia’s Sputnik 1, the first man-made satellite, on October 4, 1957, and the signing of the ‘Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies,’ on October 10, 1967. The public also received an opportunity to visit the space museum as part of the open house programme.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Express News Service / October 09th, 2018

Kerala girl Ashwathi Pillai shoulders Swedish badminton hopes

Nri's / Pio's, Sports, World Opinion

Ashwathi Pillai hailing from Thucklay, 50 kms from Thiruvananthapuram, is a Swedish national champion in badminton now represents the country at the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires.
Ashwathi Pillai (Photo: Facebook)

Kochi :

Think of sports stars from Sweden and names that come instantly to mind are Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Bjorn Borg or Freddie Ljungberg. Sports like football and ice hockey hold sway in the Nordic country, but an 18-year-old with roots in Kerala might change all that.

Ashwathi Pillai is the daughter of Vinod and Gayathri Pillai, hailing from a village near Thucklay, 50 kms from Thiruvananthapuram. Ashwathi, a Swedish senior national champion in badminton now represents the country at the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires.

The bout will begin in the Argentine capital on Sunday and Ashwathi is in Group C with Malaysian third seed Goh Jin Wei, Indonesia’s Maharani Sekar Batari and Germany’s Ann-Kathrin Spoeri. The top player from each of the eight groups will qualify for the quarterfinals and vie for medals.

“It is going to be a great experience for me to compete in such a big tournament. The idea is to gain exposure against top players and use that in future,” said Ashwathi, who has clinched Sweden’s U-13, U-15 and U-17 national championships after moving to the country with her parents when she was nine.

She is trained by Indonesian coach Rio Wilanto and Anders Kristiansen of Denmark at the Taby Badminton Club near Stockholm and National Centre, Uppsala. She also trains at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy, Bengaluru, when she is in India on yearly vacation.

“My objective is to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. I believe the Youth Olympics is a good step in that direction,” she said. “We have great facilities here and I train for around 25 hours a week. I get the services of strength trainers and nutritionists from the Swedish National Sports Federation, ” said Ashwathi who is funded by Sweden’s Olympic programme.

“I started badminton when I was seven. I used to watch my father play during evenings and would join him once in a while. I started enjoying the sport and didn’t want to stop training after moving to Sweden,” said Ashwathi, who will also compete in the World Junior Championships in Canada later this year.

Badminton, like tennis, was once a popular sport in Sweden. The first ever BWF World Championship was held in the Swedish city of Malmo in 1977. “Badminton and tennis suffered as new sports came in. In tennis, Sweden hasn’t had a big star since Borg and Stefan Edberg,” said Vinod, an engineer who works for an IT services company.

“Badminton is slowly gaining popularity and the association and the government are pumping in a lot of money to produce someone like PV Sindhu or Saina Nehwal, who can revitalise the sport,” said Vinod. Ashwathi could just be the one if she lives up to promise.

Achievements

2018-Became the youngest to win the Swedish senior national championship.

2017- Reached quarterfinals of Bulgaria Open.

2016-Won silver in singles at Polish Junior International Championship.

2015-Gold medallist in singles at Swiss Junior Open.

2015-Became Swedish national champion in U-15 category

adwaidh@newindianexpress.com

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Advaidh Rajan /  Express News Service / October 07th, 2018

The prodigy who made people sit up and take notice

Amazing Feats, Education, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Jaiden John and Navaneeth at Cocon on Friday

After leaving conventional schooling, Jaiden is now doing his research in MIT

Fourteen-year-old Jaiden John exudes a certain maturity and wisdom belying his age.

While children of his age were toiling hard with classroom lessons, the tech-savvy lad was busy explaining a technology-driven platform at the exhibition centre set up as part of Cocon, an international cybersecurity conference here, far away from the comfort of his home at Meppadi in Wayanad district.

Teamed up with a much older Navaneeth K.T, who is doing his third-year computer science at Calicut University, Jaiden was not at all overwhelmed, in fact, far from it. He was patient even with those visitors who came up with doubts, which were an insult to his intelligence, but kept explaining the finer points of their product.

Having left conventional schooling in eighth standard, he has now enrolled with the National Institute of Open Schooling. When asked what prompted him to leave school, Jaden, who joined a course in web and application development at the age of eight, would only smile in response.

But there was much bigger surprise in the offing when it emerged that the youngster has been doing his research in machine learning-driven cancer detection with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for the past six months after his instructor in a technology course recommended him to the acclaimed university.

“Machine learning-driven cancer detection will be of great help in the rural areas of India where medical service is not easily accessible. Detecting the ailment with the help of a simple device can be revolutionary,” he said.

Jaiden and Navaneeth came together after they won an ideation contest conducted by the Kerala Cyberdome. They are now working on an artificial intelligence and machine learning-driven platform aimed at detecting helmetless two-wheeler drivers with the help of visuals.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kochi / by M.P. Parveen / Kochi – October 06th, 2018