Category Archives: World Opinion

Foot-washing ceremony: Women can no longer be excluded from the holy ritual

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

If I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to do it to one another. For I have given you an example…’
Thus spake Jesus Christ. The rite of foot washing observed on Maundy Thursday, which is inspired by this Bibilical verse, is symbolic of Jesus washing the feet of his 12 disciples prior to the Last Supper. It brings to mind a predictable image — a line of men whose feet get washed and kissed by a priest in church. Thanks to Pope Francis, for the past two years, the image is getting an inclusive, modern twist with women also in the frame. In Kerala, many churches followed suit, though discordant voices were also heard. This year too, the Latin Church included women in the rite at a much larger scale across the State. On Good Friday, we take a close look at the history of the tradition in Kerala, how it changed over time and its contemporary significance.

An ancient custom
It was a Goan priest who introduced it to Kerala, says historian Fr Dr Xavier Koodopuzha. “Before the historical Synod of Diamper (Udayamperoor Sunnahados) in 1599, the Archbishop of Goa, Aleixo de Menezes, did the foot washing ceremony to showcase humility. Inspired by him, the Syrian Christians of Kerala started to organise the ceremony. For 297 years in which the Portuguese ruled the Marthoma Christians, it went on and continued even after indigenous metropolitans took over. That’s how we still have this tradition in Kerala churches,” he says.

While the credit for including women in the rite goes to Pope Francis after he did it in 2016, very few seem to remember that a priest in Kerala had done it, exactly three decades ago. Dr Babu Paul IAS, who has written about it in one of his books, says, “Fr Culas, who has served as the vicar of a diocese under the Latin archdiocese of Thiruvananthapuram, washed the feet of women first in 1988, and did it for three years consecutively, to promote gender justice. In the third year, about 15 people, out of the 400 parishioners, complained to Archbishop Soosa Pakiam against him. The Archbishop told the priest that being a Bible scholar, he did not find anything wrong with the practice, but he wanted to leave it to Fr Culas’ conscience as to whether a possible division in church should be entertained.” Fr Culas was also transferred to a different diocese in the following year. He did not continue it in the new church fearing opposition.

Not all sects welcome it

While the Latin Church embraced the Pope’s model, the Syro Malabar church, like many other factions, did not follow suit. However, inspired by the Pope and the Bible, Fr Jose Vailikodath, a Syro Malabar priest of Thrikkakara parish, washed women’s feet in 2016. But he did not follow it up later. “There was tremendous official pressure and a circular urged us not to do it. Personally, I don’t believe in discriminating against women. I followed what St Paul said in Galatians 3.28 of the Bible, about equality. I am sure the Pope also might have been inspired by the Bible to include women in this rite,” says Fr Jose.

Each of the churches follow a different tradition and that’s also why women are kept away from it in certain churches, says Dr Xavier. “There are 23 church communities under the Catholic church. Though the faith is basically the same, there are tremendous differences in customs, from prayers to costumes and they are also given the freedom to follow their own traditions,” he explains.

The concept is catching on

Of late, groups like Indian Christian Women’s Movement (ICWM) have been organising the ritual in Kerala involving women, to bring gender justice. Kochurani Abraham of the group says, “While our aim is not to work against the church, we believe in gender equality and want to bring it into as many spheres, including this rite. In the foot washing ceremony we organised this year, we had couples who washed each other’s feet, to establish this.”

Many youngsters believe that there is no logic in keeping women out of such a rite. Kesia M, a Plus Two student in Kottayam who took part in the rite last year, says, “Jesus asked to treat everyone equally through this rite, regardless of wealth or social status. Why find a way to discriminate in the name of gender?”

The practice has tremendous contemporary significance too, according to Fr Eugiene Periera from Thiruvananthapuram. “It’s a means to recognise the service women also have been offering to the church for years together. Moreover, it’s time we spread the message of equality as well. When the church took the initiative first, there were a few voices of opposition but gradually, people began understanding it and it’s all taken positively now.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Kochi News / by Deepa Soman / TNN / March 30th, 2018

A life lived less ordinary

Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Education, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Nri's / Pio's, Records, All, World Opinion

Philanthropist V Damodar faced vicissitudes bravely and came out trumps on his terms

Sharjah, 1975: From a settlement with small palm-frond ‘arish’ houses hugging the creeks, the region, no more than a village-like city, was slowly moving towards development. That is when V Damodar landed there. In the 11 years he worked there, Damodar saw the Emirate grow into a centre of culture and industry, a growth in which he had a significant role.

“The Indian population, mostly Malayalis, in Sharjah was hardly 20,000. Only one restaurant there dished out Indian fare, which forced many like me to go to Dubai for lunch every Friday. There were just a few tarred roads and a couple of multi-storied buildings. I had to make adjustments to cope after having relocated from Bombay, a huge city even then,” says Damodar, who rose from humble beginnings to become the vice-president of GGP Group of Companies, one of the major business groups in the UAE.

This was a roller-coaster phase in Damodar’s life – along with success, fame and fortune, he slid down the road to desperation, forcing him to leave the Emirate, destroyed but not defeated.

Like his autobiography titled Fortitude, thoughts flow, unbroken, when Damodar talks. Shorn of political correctness and hypocrisy he allows memories to tumble. “Writing about my life was something I had not dreamed of. If it were planned I would have kept a diary. It was impulsive, the contents purely based on memories, and available records like photographs. There’s no attempt to edit my thoughts,” says Damodar, whose signal contributions include founding the Sharjah Indian School and Indian Association Sharjah.

As Finance Manager of the company, Damodar had to oversee numerous capital projects in keeping with the developments in Sharjah. “Almost simultaneously we were working on the construction of a modern airport and over a dozen high-rise buildings to be called Rolla Square. We had new divisions within the company and our Sheikh, who was the brother of the Ruler, was building a 11-storey tower for himself. Our organisation was also growing, diversifying into transport, aluminium, carpentry and also a travel agency, Sharjah National Travel and Tourist Agency (SNTTA). And all of them prospered.”

Founding the Indian Association Sharjah in April 1979 as a service organisation for the welfare of the community especially in Sharjah and establishing the Sharjah Indian School remain Damodar’s enduring contributions to the Indians in particular and the Emirate in general.

For the people

“We started the school on September 3, 1979 with 346 students and had classes from nursery to the fifth standard. We upgraded it to eighth standard the next year. In four years time the first batch wrote the public examination successfully. We constructed our own building on the land provided to us by the Ruler. The school has progressed steadily and presently has about 15,000 students. The Indian Association Sharjah, as a community organisation, owns and manages the school.”

Getting Air India to commence operations to and from Sharjah in 1981 was possible only through Damodar’s persistence. “It began when I was snubbed by the then regional director of Air India who termed my idea as ‘ridiculous’. I decided to pursue it. Meeting Ravindra Varma, then Minister of Labour and Parliamentary Affairs, Government of India, was the turning point. I managed to convince him to visit Sharjah and took the Minister and his entourage to the airport and met the Director General of Civil Aviation. I also showed him the correspondence I had with the Air India Chairman. The Minister returned to Delhi and did not forget his promise. And soon things fell in place and in March 1981 the first Air India flight landed in Sharjah. It was an unexpected but gratifying moment.”

These were ‘happy moments’ in a life that was punctuated by long phases of struggle and gloom. Like some passages in the book where the prose becomes intimate, Damodar’s eyes well-up, his voice breaks, when he speaks of his life’s struggles.

Damodar relives past events with insightful intent. His writing appears like a soul-cleansing exercise.

“Looking back at my life, it sometimes appears unbelievable considering where I began. Kaipuram, in Palakkad district, was an extremely undeveloped village. I had to walk nearly 15 kilometres every day to school. Childhood was a mix of fun and the constant worry of trying to meet basic needs. Perhaps this made me responsible even as a child encouraging me to do odd jobs to supplement the family’s income. Though I completed my Secondary School Leaving Certificate exam with high marks I could not continue my education.”

After a short stint at a typewriting and shorthand institute, Damodar left for Bombay looking for a job. “When I left home in 1960 the whole world was open before me. And it opened unexpectedly. Bombay shaped my career. I found a job as a typist with a meagre salary, studied part-time, took a diploma in secretarial practice, gained a university degree, Associateship from the Corporation of Secretaries, London and Fellowship from Institute of Company Secretaries of India.”

Joining Nagpal Ambadi Petro-Chem Refining Limited as Company Secretary, Damodar worked from its inception to public issue of share capital and arranging of institutional financing. He then moved on to another major group before moving to Sharjah.

Hard times

“In Sharjah I knew that I was surrounded by people who were envious of my growth. The Sheikh himself had warned me many times that ‘my own people,’ the same people I had employed nurtured, had approached him with complaints against me. A Palestinian/Jordanian and a Pakistani also joined them. They managed to sway the Sheikh’s opinions. When I realised that he seemed to have lost confidence in me , I resigned. I was vice-president of the group but left without getting a penny as the Sheikh refused to settle my accounts.”

Undeterred, but having decided not to work as an employee for anyone again, Damodar set up businesses in the UAE, India, Botswana and Zimbabwe. “The soft drinks company in India collapsed owing to misappropriations. In Botswana, I was part of a business but had to quit owing to ethical differences. I founded the Afroworld Group that grew into five active member companies; started a similar venture in Zimbabwe but had to leave, disillusioned and disgusted, owing to politically motivated difficulties. Right through I was let down by people I considered close to me.”

Damodar is now settled in Coimbatore, where he lives with wife Thankam. Their son Sumod who is the chief of Afroworld Group in Botswana, is an avid cricketer and administrator. He played for Botswana, holds various administrative posts with Botswana Cricket Association and Africa Cricket Association. Last year Sumod was elected to the Chief Executive Committee of the International Cricket Council.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Books / by K. Pradeep / March 19th, 2018

Kerala Dalit woman’s struggles to be Bollywood fare

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, World Opinion

Fraser Scott with Chitralekha and her husband Sreekanth. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Briton writes script based on auto driver Chitralekha from Kannur

He was googling to get preliminary details about Dalit millionaires in India as part of a film project he was entertaining in his mind. That search finally led him to E. Chitralekha, a Dalit autorickshaw driver from Edat, near Payynnur here, who had been in the news since she was allegedly attacked by local Communist Party of India (Marxist) workers and her struggle highlighting the plight of her family.

Fraser Scott, script writer and art seller from the United Kingdom, has now put on hold his curiosity about Dalit millionaires as he is busy writing the script of a story based on Chitralekha for a Bollywood film.

The idea of writing the script based on the life of a poor but resolute Dalit woman has got an impetus when his announcement of the plan in his Instagram account drew the attention of filmmaker Shekhar Kapoor, his family friend. Mr. Kapoor found the story of Chitralekha, who has been earning a livelihood by driving her autorickshaw, amazing.

He commented that Chitralekha’s is a “story of courage no less than that of Bandit Queen.” The reference was to his own 1994 film on Phoolan Devi.

“I visited Kannur recently to interview Chitralekha and will visit her again next week for another round of meeting before the script is ready,” Mr. Scott told The Hindu over phone from Mumbai.

The script would be completed in a month, he said adding that four Bollywood production companies had already shown interest in making a film on the story.

Mr. Scott in his Instagram page says that Chitralekha “fought against unbearable hardship to drive an autorikshaw” referring to the alleged attack on her and the torching of her vehicle.

Roopesh Kumar, an activist who is working in the film field, served as Mr. Scott’s local link to connect to Chitralekha and her family.

“I never thought that my life can be the story of a film,” said Chitralekha who is excited about the project. The film would be a recognition of my struggle, she said.

She is currently living with her husband in a rented house at Kattampally here and the construction of her house on a five-cent plot granted by the previous United Democratic Front government is in progress.

She had left her home at Edat as she found it hard to live there. “Local CPI(M) workers are not allowing me to live there,” she said. The previous UDF government’s decision to rehabilitate her followed her sit-in agitation in front of the Collectorate here for 122 days in 2015.

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

Bid to conserve British-era bridge gains momentum

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Architects, people’s representatives keen on converting Venduruthy Bridge into open space

The proposal to conserve the 80-year-old Venduruthy Bridge built by the British as a heritage structure is set to gain momentum, with people’s representatives and the Indian Institute of Architects (IIA) expressing keenness to take it ahead.

The bridge, which was opened to traffic in 1938, provided the crucial connectivity between the city and Willingdon Island till the Public Works Department (PWD) built a parallel bridge in 2011. Its build quality is evident from the fact that it survived the impact of two collisions by a dredger deployed by Cochin Port Trust.

According to K.V. Thomas, MP, a plan to conserve the bridge and hew out a walkway with kiosks/eateries was under the consideration of the previous UDF government. “I submitted memoranda to the State and Central governments, seeking speedy initiation of conservation measures so that the unused bridge is developed as a tourism spot,” said Mr. Thomas, who ushered in a slew of innovative schemes during his tenure as State Tourism Minister.

Meanwhile, an IIA office-bearer said that the organisation was focused on taking ahead the bridge’s conservation along with offering expertise in developing tourism in Fort Kochi, Mattancherry, and Thripunithura. A detailed study has to be done on the conservation of the structure and its conversion into an open space, since it is in the vicinity of sensitive establishments like the Naval Base and Cochin Shipyard, he added.

Architect S. Gopakumar, who is also the president of Better Kochi Response Group (BKRG), said that the NGO had suggested opening up the heritage structure during evenings for setting up a ‘flea market’ which abound in Goa and Brazil.

He cited the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and the Brooklyn Bridge in New York as examples of heritage structures which draw crowds. “We need to conserve and respect our heritage. Imaginative ideas like opening kiosks in containers can be thought of,” Mr. Gopakumar said. The corporation is willing to pursue the project if bodies like the IIA come up with concrete proposals, said Shiny Mathew, chairperson of the town planning standing committee.

“The civic council can pass a resolution, following which it can be taken up with the State government. On its part, the PWD too must approve the project since the bridge was being maintained by them,” she said.

A proposal to convert the Old Mattancherry Bridge into a heritage structure was shelved after it was decided to permit two/three-wheelers and light vehicles to use the facility.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kochi / by John L. Paul / March 26th, 2018

Dravidian language family is 4,500 years old: study

About Kerala, Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Education, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All, World Opinion

The Dravidian language family’s four largest languages — Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu — have literary traditions spanning centuries, of which Tamil reaches back the furthest, researchers said.

The Dravidian language  family, consisting of 80 varieties spoken by nearly 220 million people across southern and central India, originated about 4,500 years ago, a study has found.

This estimate is based on new linguistic analyses by an international team, including researchers from the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Germany, and the Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun.

The researchers used data collected first-hand from native speakers representing all previously reported Dravidian subgroups. The findings, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, match with earlier linguistic and archaeological studies.

South Asia, reaching from Afghanistan in the west and Bangladesh in the east, is home to at least six hundred languages belonging to six large language families, including Dravidian, Indo-European and Sino-Tibetan.

The Dravidian language family, consisting of about 80 language varieties (both languages and dialects) is today spoken by about 220 million people, mostly in southern and central India, and surrounding countries.

The Dravidian language family’s four largest languages — Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu — have literary traditions spanning centuries, of which Tamil reaches back the furthest, researchers said.

Along with Sanskrit ,  Tamil is one of the world’s classical languages, but unlike Sanskrit, there is continuity between its classical and modern forms documented in inscriptions, poems, and secular and religious texts and songs, they said.

“The study of the Dravidian languages is crucial for understanding prehistory in Eurasia, as they played a significant role in influencing other language groups,” said Annemarie Verkerk of the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.

Neither the geographical origin of the Dravidian language nor its exact dispersal through time is known with certainty.

The consensus of the research community is that the Dravidians are natives of the Indian subcontinent and were present prior to the arrival of the Indo-Aryans (Indo-European speakers) in India around 3,500 years ago.

Researchers said that it is likely that the Dravidian languages were much more widespread to the west in the past than they are today.

In order to examine questions about when and where the Dravidian languages developed, they made a detailed investigation of the historical relationships of 20 Dravidian varieties.

Study author Vishnupriya Kolipakam of the Wildlife Institute of India collected contemporary first-hand data from native speakers of a diverse sample of Dravidian languages, representing all the previously reported subgroups of Dravidian.

The researchers used advanced statistical methods to infer the age and sub-grouping of the Dravidian language family at about 4,000-4,500 years old.

This estimate, while in line with suggestions from previous linguistic studies, is a more robust result because it was found consistently in the majority of the different statistical models of evolution tested in this study.

This age also matches well with inferences from archaeology,  which have previously placed the diversification of Dravidian into North, Central, and South branches at exactly this age, coinciding with the beginnings of cultural developments evident in the archaeological record.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Science / by PTI / Berlin – March 21st, 2018

The sidelined goddess of Botany

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

The first Indian woman botanist, E K Janaki Ammal, ought to be more widely known for her huge contributions to science. But she remains unknown within the country and outside academic circles and even our textbooks have failed to teach our children about her glorious scientific history

: Just a fortnight before the International Women’s Day, the John Innes Centre in Norfolk, UK, announced a new scholarship for post-graduate students from developing countries in honour of an Indian woman botanist. Under the scheme, 88 applicants who wish to study plant and microbial sciences can apply in commemoration of the distinguished work and contributions of Dr.E.K.Janaki Ammal who was an international alumni of the leading research and training centre between 1940 and 1945.

A heart warming gesture from an institution abroad, but may be India should have done something similar for the country’s first home grown woman scientist, who went overseas and returned accomplished breaking every caste and gender barrier through her work.

Just take a moment to think where we would be without the inventions of this brilliant mind.

Janaki Ammal in younger days | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement 

After laborious crossbreedings in the laboratory of Sugarcane Breeding Institute in Coimbatore in the 1930s, she created the indigenous variety of sweetened sugarcane that we consume today. Till then India was producing sugarcane in abundance and yet importing as they were not as sweet as the ones grown in the Far East.

During the World War II bombings in the 1940s, she continued her phenomenal research into chromosomes of thousands of species of flowering plants at the John Innes Horticultural Institute, Norfolk, where she worked with some of the best names in cytology, genetics and botany . While working on the gorgeous Magnolia, she co-authored The Chromosome Atlas of Cultivated Plants with renowned biologist CD Darlington.

The magnolia saplings she planted on the Battleston Hill in Wisley continue to bloom every Spring and one of the pure white blooms is named after her, the Magnolia kobus Janaki Ammal and apparently only few nurseries in Europe have the variety today.

At a time when most Indian women did not even attend school, she received scholarship and obtained her MS from University of Michigan in 1925 and later returned as the first Indian Oriental Barbour Fellow. She remains one of the few Asian women to be conferred honorary doctorate (DSc. honoris causa) by her alma mater in 1931. There she discovered a new variety of brinjal that exhibited triploidy instead of the normal diploid, where there are two sets of chromosomes in the cells.

The flower Magnolia Kobus Janaki Ammal | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

At the insistence of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, she returned to India in the 1950s and restructured the Botanical Society of India travelling to several remote areas of the country in search of the plant lore of the indigenous people and scouting for medicinal plants in her home State, Kerala.

A fascinating figure of the early 20th Century she was. E.K.Janaki Ammal lived a life which perhaps very few women of her time could dream of. The distinguished geneticist, cytologist, global plant geographer studied about ecology and biodiversity too and did not fear to take on the Government as an ardent environmental activist. She played an important role in the protests against the building of a hydro-power dam in Kerala’s Silent Valley in the 1970s. She made a mark with her paper on “Man’s Role in Changing the Face of the Earth” at an international symposium in Princeton in 1955 and two decades later, she was awarded the Padmashri in 1977.

With a profile like hers, Janaki Ammal never got into spotlight. If anything she fought her status as a single woman from a caste considered backward and problems with male mentorship in her field. But she proved through her work that Science knows no caste, gender or social boundaries.

Yet for her extraordinary journey from small town Thalassery to the finest institutions across the world, there is no archive related to her in India. Her papers are available only in hard copy at the Bodleian Library in Oxford, according to Vinita Damodaran, who teaches South Asian History at University of Sussex and has also published a well researched paper on “Gender, race and science in twentieth century India: E.K.Janaki Ammal and the history of science.”

Luckily, the Nikari series of talks held under the banner of ‘Manarkeni’, a Tamil research journal, brings to light the works of lesser known women in different fields. In the previous years, the focus was on women in literature and history. This year it chose science and brought the story of Janaki Ammal to the fore.

The talk delivered by S Krishnaswamy, former professor at the School of Biotechnology, Madurai Kamaraj University, highlighted various stages of Janaki’s career both in India and overseas. “Her career shows that scientists must speak their mind with social consciousness even if it means going against the policies of the government. In today’s context, it becomes necessary to bring achievers like her to the forefront,” he asserts.

Janaki Ammal must have conquered her fears and broke the glass ceiling for a rewarding career in science. “She wanted to be known only through her work. Let her work be known to all successive generations, who have much better opportunities” says Krishnaswamy.

An inspiring role model, Janaki Ammal passed away in 1984 at the age of 87 at Maduravoyal near Chennai, while working in the field laboratory of the Centre for Advanced Study in Botany, Univerity of Madras. She perhaps did not receive the acclaim she deserved but devoted herself to research, opening up a universe of possibilities. Let our children not be bereft of that knowledge. It is worth knowing and remembering leaders in science like Janaki Ammal.

 source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Society / by Soma Basu / Madurai – March 09th, 2018

A Lady Hamlyn touch

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The over 300-year-old former residence of the Cochin Maharaja, Chittoor Kottaram, opens after specialised restoration

Lady Helen Hamlyn uses the French word douceur, meaning pleasantness, to describe the essence of Chittoor Kottaram, a former residence of the Cochin Royal Family. At the helm of the eponymous Helen Hamlyn Trust (HHT), the 84-year-old is the force behind the palace’s recent restoration.

Having acquired an insight into the complex and intricate art of preservation from years of engaging in conservation of heritage, in different parts of the world, she says, “I treat every building like a person.”

In its over 300 years of existence Chittoor Kottaram, now, after restoration, wears its charm once again, with a feel of the times when the Cochin Raja graced it, coming down to attend the functions at the adjacent Krishna temple.

Beyond the padippura, the formal entrance, its majestic grandeur looms. Seated on the refurbished verandah, facing the serene backwaters, Lady Hamlyn relishes the quietness that envelops its two storeys. It is a reason she chose to associate with it, having fallen in love with its very private ambiance.

“Chittoor is perfect; it is a retreat,” she says, talking animatedly about the completion of her latest project.

“The important thing in restoration is that you take up a piece of heritage and restore it without destroying its essence,” she says.

Latha Raman Jaigopal whose firm had carried out major restoration works on the structure in 2005 at the behest of the owner from the royal family, Suresh Namboothiri, was engaged to do so again by Lady Hamlyn. Of the first restoration, Latha says that it was merely strengthening of the structure. This time, it was about taking it back to its original condition. Latha adds, “Lady Hamlyn took it back to the original flavour a little more.” For instance, she modernised the pond, converting it into a pool, but kept to the old and used material like laterite stone. It covers the concrete base making it both functional and antique.

The only distinct change introduced was in widening of the veranda that now serves as a lounging space and in the construction of a waterfront gazebo, using natural materials. The final touches underway are sprucing up the private boat and changing remaining furnishing.

It was 30 years ago that Lady Hamlyn first visited Kerala with her husband, the publishing tycoon, Paul Hamlyn. In those early years the couple tried, in vain, to associate with the restoration of the Bolgatty Palace, but the efforts got mired in government procedures. The restoration of a few properties and old warehouses in Fort Kochi too met the same fate. Disheartened, she engaged herself with other heritage projects. In Khajuraho, which comes under the ASI, she cleared the ‘bunds’ and was instrumental in the shifting of a bus stop that hurt the heritage property. “World Heritage Sites by law have 500 metres of protection. Khajuraho had nothing of it then,” she recalls.

Reviving 100 fountains

Prior to her efforts here she fought a two-year battle with the Government of Goa over the restoration of the 16th Century Reis Magos Fort, that eventually resulted in the amendment of an archaic law that now permits reuse of a restored structure.

“When I get involved in restoration it is always for reuse, so that the structure can fulfil its role and be a part of the culture of the land.”

Before this, her collaborations with the Maharajah of Jodhpur to restore the Nagaur fort in Central Rajasthan brought about not only its glorious revival but also made it the much sought-after venue for the World Sufi Festival, now in its 11th year. She co-founded the event that brings droves of tourists to its doorstep.

Alongside, she revived the residences of old queens, small private dilapidated properties, suggesting they be converted to “nice little hotels,” and added modern amenities to the renovated structures.

Akbari Mahal, known for its water gardens that were introduced for the first time by Akbar, was undertaken by Lady Hamlyn for restoration. She brought back to life all 100 rusted and disused fountains, in period style.

“When I finish a project, it has to look as it looked when it was built. That nobody has touched it.”

Hence what has come to be Lady Hamlyn’s touch or trademark is one of sensitive reclamation, of no extra value addition and of using materials that were used in the initial construction.

The personalised restoration of Chittoor Kottaram has given back to it, its temporarily missing character, accentuated its stillness, heightened its stateliness and beauty. Lady Hamlyn’s labour of love is clearly evident in the decor of the three bedrooms, living area, wooden stairway, verandah, common area, office and spa, dressed in art—Pichwais, wooden cages, Bengali hand-embroidered hangings, furniture—from her personal collection. It will now be used by her and by guests who seek a private and majestic getaway.

“The thing about Kochi is its extraordinary history of people from different lands settling down here. That has made it what it is,” she says, adding that it has been a privilege to contribute in a small way to preserve the heritage of India which is unique to the world.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Society> History & Culture / by Priyadershini S / March 03rd, 2018

A long journey from Thalassery to the Swiss Parliament

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Nik Gugger, who was sworn in as member of Nationalrat in Bern, still cherishes his Kerala connection

His is a journey from Thalassery to the Swiss Parliament and he still maintains his connection with the town where he grew up till he was four.

Nik Gugger was sworn in as member of Nationalrat (Swiss Parliament) in Bern around 7.30 p.m. Indian time on Monday. The 47-year-old father of three children has been elected to Swiss Parliament as a candidate of the EVP (Evangelical Party in Switzerland). An Indian by birth, he was adopted by a Swiss couple and he still cherishes his association with people and institutions at Thalassery. Though he was born at the Basel Mission Hospital at Udupi, he had grown up as an orphan in what is now the Nettur Technical Training Foundation (NTTF) campus at Illikkunnu at Thalassery till his adoption by his Swiss parents. The NTTF itself is a symbol of the Indo-Swiss cooperation aimed at promoting technical education among the youth of this country.

Likely to visit Thalassery

“I am proud to be in between the two cultures, the Swiss and Indian culture,” Mr. Gugger told The Hindu over the phone. Recalling his association with the late Murkot Ramunni and the Gundert Foundation School the latter had founded, he said he would probably visit Thalassery in March next year when the 70th anniversary of Indo-Swiss friendship would be celebrated. Mr. Gugger started his political career as a councillor in the town parliament of Winterthur, the sixth biggest town in Switzerland, and as a member in the Cantonal Council. He is one of the youngest members in Swiss Parliament. He recalls that his foster father was an experienced social worker who had played an important role in shaping him as a social worker. His social work had given him an opportunity to work in Colombia as a youth worker. He studied at the Center for Agogics in Basel, the University of Amsterdam and also at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences.

Helped in fund-raising

“I still keep in touch with Mr. Gugger,” said Raghunatha Kurup, a native of Thalassery, who had retired from the NTTF. Mr. Gugger was part of the delegates from the Volkart Foundation, Switzerland, who had visited the Gundert Foundation School at Thalalssery in 2006, he recalled. Mr. Gugger had also helped the school by collecting funds for it, he said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by Mohamed Nazeer / Kannur – November 27th, 2017

Heart-shaped desserts for the Asia Book of Records

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Chef Harikumar Nair | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Meet the pastry chef behind the success of Hearts Together as One, which entered the Asia Book of Records

This one’s more than the sum of its parts. The attempt by UDS Group of Hotels to enter the Asia Book of Records with a display of more than 150 varieties of ‘heart-shaped desserts’ at Uday Suites, Shanghumugham, on Valentine’s Day easily took the cake.

From Sugar Hearts to Tinted Angel Cake to Valentine’s Day Chocolate Bark to Grilled Choco Raspberry Yummy Quesadilla to the ubiquitous Black Current Souffle to the very Indian Kaju Katli, there was a breathtaking range of sweetmeats – cakes, pastries, muffins, sweets, mousses, soufflés – for one to behold. As arrangements for the record-making display went on, MetroPlus caught up with Harikumar Nair, corporate pastry chef with the UDS Group of Hotels, who has had his hands full in the past few weeks.

A heart-shaped gateau | Photo Credit: Harikumar J.S.

“What’s happening here [Hearts Together as One] is the result of painstaking preparations that had been afoot for about a month. It’s the joint effort of a team of about 15 staff members, all well-trained in pastry-making and baking, who deserve kudos for making the dream come true,” said Harikumar. The display was all arranged in alphabetical order for easy cataloguing for the Asia Book of Records adjudicators.

Harikumar said he was not daunted when the CEO Raja Gopala Iyer pitched the idea. “It was all about teamwork. I was just leading the team, which has been very efficient,” said the 52-year-old, who has previously worked with hotel chains in Abu Dhabi and Oman.

Once the project was green-signalled, the process commenced with purchasing of ingredients for the garnishing and fillings. “These were made first as they needed to be stored or kept frozen. The different varieties of creams were prepared next, followed by bases and fruit mixes. All these items were then mixed with the respective flavours before the finishing touches such as piping and icing were done,” said Harikumar. Some of the flavours predominantly used were vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, pista, kiwi and mango. After baking and conditioning, the mousses were kept frozen, while most of the other items were stored at room temperature.

For such a massive project, it’s not just the labour that counts but the ingredients too. “Over all, approximately, 100 kg of maida, 150 kg of sugar and about 30 kg of butter was used. We also imported some berries for fillings, such as blueberry, strawberry and raspberry,” said Harikumar.

The display included savouries from multiple cuisines such as Indian, Arabic and French. Heart-shaped casts of various sizes were used during preparation. Around 20 items were sugar-free. Individual pastries weighed about 150 grams and several of the same variety were made. Apart from the inventoried items prepared exclusively for the record, the display showcased around 10 gateaux of one-kg each, all heart-shaped and some with multiple layers, for decoration. The Three-layer Chocolate Cake and Red Velvet Brownie were probably the toughest of the lot owing to their longer preparation methods, said Harikumar. Buoyed by the success of the venture, the hotel group plans to submit the accomplishment to the Guinness World Records too.

So, since there was no sale as the one-of-a-kind endeavour was only for display, what did they do with all the pastries? “Most of it were eventually given away as compliments to the visitors and the rest was distributed among families of senior members of the hotel group. Some were served as part of dinners hosted by us,” said a spokesperson of the group.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Life & Style> Food / by Harikumar J.S. / Thiruvananthapuram – February 15th, 2018

Megalithic era sarcophagus unearthed at Viyur

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The sarcophagus discovered from a rock-cut cave at Viyur village of Kollam.

A rich culture existed in the region

A rare sarcophagus (stone coffin), said to be 2,000-year old from the Iron Age–Megalithic era, was discovered from a rock-cut cave at Viyur village of Kollam, near Koyilandy, in Kozhikode district on Monday.

The coffin containing bone fragments was found during an excavation. “So far, such a rare finding has been discovered only from two sites in Kerala .  Both these sarcophagi were recovered from Megalithic sites at Chevayur and Atholi, also in Kozhikode district,” K. Krishnaraj of the Archaeology Department, who is supervising the excavation, said.

The bone fragments could be of either a man or a woman. They will be sent for carbon dating using accelerator mass spectrometry at the Beta Analytical Laboratory in California, he said. Excavation at the site commenced after a hemispherical rock-cut chamber was discovered in a compound while flattening land using an earthmover. The cave, with an inside pillar, measuring 1.9 metres in diameter, has a height of 90 centimetres.

The entrance of the cave was on the eastern side. “The square-shaped door has equal length of 50 centimetres on all sides. Different types of pottery, mostly four-legged jars and iron implements, were found in the cave, ” he said.

Sarcophagi was found in many archaeological sites in South India earlier. Some are adorned with a sculpture or inscription. But two types are usually found with bovine features or with legs.

“As of now, we have obtained preliminary details about the excavations. However, it can be confirmed that a rich Megalithic culture existed in the region following the discoveries of pre-Iron age civilisation earlier. The excavation will continue for another week,” Mr. Krishnaraj said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kozhikode / by Biju Govind / Kozhikode – January 16th, 2018