Category Archives: Arts,Culture & Entertainment

Poetry award for Aarambika S V

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Records, All

Aarambika S V was nominated for the ‘Kadavanad Smrithi Poetry Award by the Kadavanad Kuttikrishnan Memorial Committee on Sunday.
Aarambika S V

Kochi :

Aarambika S V was nominated for the ‘Kadavanad Smrithi Poetry Award by the Kadavanad Kuttikrishnan Memorial Committee on Sunday. Dharmaraj Adaat, vice chancellor of Sanskrit University, will present the award at Annapurna Auditorium in Aluva on December 16. Aarambika, a resident of Pala, is currently an assistant professor at M G College, Thiruvananthapuram.

Her selected work ‘Kattilodunna Theevandi’, ‘Thonniyapoloru Puzha’, ‘Mannangattayum Kariyilayum’, fetched her the award. The jury panel constituted by noted writers S K Vasandhan and N K Desham selected her for the award.

Noted Malayalam writer and journalist Kadavanad Kuttikrishnan gained recognition in the field of poetry. During his days, he worked with poets including Akkitham and Edassery. Though he passed away in 1992, a memorial committee was formed in his memory.

This is not the first time Aarambika has been selected for a poetry award. In 2005, she received the Vailopilli Memorial Award and V T Kumaran Award, while in 2010, she received the SBT Literary Award. Meanwhile, her other awards include Kanakasree Award (2012), Venmony Smaraka Award (2012), Sahitya Academy Award (2015) and Edassery Poetry Award (2018).

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

Proud moment for Malayalam cinema

Arts,Culture & Entertainment

Lijo Jose Pellissery, Chemban Vinod Jose bag awards at 49th IFFI held in Goa

What Lijo Jose Pellissery and Chemban Vinod Jose achieved at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), which concluded at Panaji on Wednesday, was remarkable. To win the awards for the best director and actor, pushing behind outstanding talents from across the world is no mean achievement.

It is also further endorsement that Malayalam cinema is on the right track. Ee.Ma.Yau, the film that won both Lijo and Chemban their awards, shows how well Malayalam cinema has adapted to the highest international standards.

Ee.Ma.Yau, which brilliantly portrays a death and funeral in a village, was one of the six Malayalam films selected for the Panorama section of the IFFI. Then it became one of the only three Indian films that entered the international competition section.

15 films

Of the 15 films in competition, only three were from India. And two of those three spoke Malayalam. Bhayanakam, directed by Jayaraj, was the other.

Lijo, who made his debut with Nayakan in 2010, did not take long to earn a reputation as one of the young directors to watch out for. He showed he had great control on his craft with films like Amen and Angamali Diaries.

“Lijo has made Malayalam cinema proud by becoming the best director at the IFFI,” Pradeep Nair, a national award-winning director and regular delegate at the IFFI, told The Hindu. “It is no mean task to impress an experienced international jury.” Pradeep said that Lijo had surprised him with Ee.Ma.Yau, although he was impressed with some of his earlier films. “You could see a lot of obvious influences in his earlier films, but in Ee.Ma.Yau, he showed that he could become completely original,” he said. “He has grown tremendously as a director.”

Growth as an actor

Like Lijo, Chemban, who had debuted in Nayakan, too has grown as an actor. There is an effortlessness and naturalness about his acting, which could be seen in films like Sapthamashree Thaskaraha, North 24 Kaatham, Iyyobinte Pusthaka and Tamaar Padaar.

It is interesting to note that his first major award for acting has come at an international festival. A year ago, Parvathy was adjudged the best actress at the same festival, for Take Off.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by P.K. Ajith Kumar / Kozhikode – November 28th, 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

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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

Girl on a mission

About Kerala, Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Records, All

When kids her age were busy playing outside, she chose to remain inside
Angelin playing bulbul tarang as her grandfather listens carefully

Kochi :

When kids her age were busy playing outside, she chose to remain inside. Perhaps the world outside did not hold a candle to what kept her indoors. Ever since her grandfather dusted off a ‘bulbul tarang’ from the attic three months ago, she was intrigued. Seven-year-old Angelin Maria Able is probably the youngest musician to play the instrument in the state.

A Kothamangalam native, Angelin was introduced to the world of music when she saw her grandfather C K Alexander, a retired art teacher of Mar Basil Higher Secondary School, cleaning and oiling the old bulbul tarang, and playing a few tunes on it. “Immediately fascinated by the instrument that is rare now, she attempted to copy my father without success,” says Able C Alex, Angelin’s father. Not one to give up, she made several attempts to master the tune Alexander played.

Noticing her genuine interest in mastering the instrument, Alexander took it upon himself to teach the basic 101 of the bulbul tarang, which was once famously known as Indian Banjo. “Playing the keys on bulbul tarang is difficult because it requires flexibility in fingers. But Angelin kept practising. In no time, she was at ease with the instrument and could easily play popular songs on it,” says Able. The first song she learnt was the National Anthem.

Bulbul tarang, a string instrument, is said to have evolved from the Japanese taishogoto. It has two strings and keys that resemble those of a typewriter. While it is comparatively easy to master, the instrument itself is a rarity as hardly anyone manufactures it anymore.Angelin now plays with a bulbul tarang which is over 40 years old. “My father had bought it from Kolkatta during an all-India tour some 40 years ago. It was a rarity in south India because it was prominent in the north,” says Able. Alexander had already mastered the instrument under the tutelage of a north Indian who was in Kerala for job-related reasons. However, due to other commitments, the instrument was soon forgotten. During this time, the bulbul tarang also lost its prominence from the music scene.

The Class II student of St Stephen’s Bes-Ania School is now on a journey to revive the instrument back to its glory. “None of the kids studying with Angelin had ever heard of the instrument until she began learning it. Her teachers were also intrigued after my wife, who is also a teacher at the school, showed them videos of her performances,” says Able. Angelin is now getting ready to perform at the Children’s Day celebrations at her school.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Kochi / by Anna  Binoy / Express New Service / November 12th, 2018

Thiruvananthapuram student wins stamp designing contest

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Records, All

Every year, the council conducts stamp designing contest.
Aneet Salu and Adeep Salu

Thiruvananthapuram :

The Kerala State Council for Child Welfare has selected the stamp designed by Aneet Salu of Nirmala Bhavan school, Thiruvananthapuram, from the Children’s Day stamp-2018 state-level competition. Aneet is a Class IV student. His design was selected by noted art director Nemom Pushparaj.

Every year, the council conducts stamp designing contest. Governor P Sathasivam will distribute the award to Aneet and rolling trophy for the school will be given at the state-level Children’s Day function to be held at Nishagandhi auditorium on November 14.

This year, the stamp designing competition was conducted on the theme “Navakerala Srishttikkayi Namukkorimikkam”.  ( Let us unite for building a new Kerala). Aneet Salu has a twin brother Adeeep Salu, who is also interested in drawing.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Express News Service / November 04th, 2018

Malayalam poet MN Paloor passes away

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The body was kept for the public to pay homage at his house and Town Hall and the cremation was held with state honours at the crematorium on Mavoor Road.

Kozhikode :

Poet MN Paloor, 86, passed away at his residence at Kovoor here. Paloor aka Paloor Madhavan Namboodhiri was born on June 22, 1932, at Parakkadavu in Ernakulam and was a former staff of Indian Airlines.

His poem Ushas earned acclaim among critics and readers alike. Pedithondan, Kalikalam, Theerthayatra, Sugama Sangeetham, Kavitha Bhangiyum Abhangiyum and Pachamanga are his noted compilation of poems. He has also written an autobiography titled Kathayillathavante Katha.

Along with regular studies, he also pursued kathakali. In 1959, he got a job in Indian Airlines and retired in 1990 as a senior operator in ground support division. After retirement, he shifted his base to Kozhikode.

In 2013, he won the award from National Academy of Letters for his autobiography. Kalikalam won Kerala Sahitya Academy Award in 1983. Kerala Sahitya Academy had given an award for his contributions to Malayalam literature. In 2009, he won the Asan Memorial Award. He is survived by wife Santhakumari and daughter Savithri (LIC Housing Finance, Kozhikode).

The body was kept for the public to pay homage at his house and Town Hall. The cremation was held with state honours at the crematorium on Mavoor Road. District Collector U V Jose and ADM Roshni Narayan paid homages on behalf of the state government and the district administration respectively.

Musician Balabhaskar passes away

Arts,Culture & Entertainment

Violinist Balabhaskar, who had lit up thousands of stages and hearts with his mellifluous rendering of popular songs and his mastery in fusion music, is no more.

Balabhaskar (40) had been battling for life ever since he and his family met with an accident just outside the State capital on September 25. His two-year-old daughter Thejaswini Bala had died in the accident. His wife Lakshmi (38) and friend Arjun (29), who was at the wheel at the time of the accident, are still in the hospital.

The car had rammed into a wayside tree as the family was returning after offering prayers at the Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple.

He died at 12.55 a.m., according to sources in the hospital in which he was admitted.

Doctors treating him said they were working overtime to ensure his recovery but it did not happen.

Balabhaskar’s death has saddened thousands of his fans. His body will be kept for the public to pay their last respects at a Thiruvananthapuram college where he studied.

The last rites would take place later on Tuesday, in the State capital, from where he hails.

Balabhaskar, whose strength was melody founded in the Carnatic tradition, had caught the eyes and ears of music lovers even as a student and turned a music composer at a young age.

He had composed music for films such as Mangalyappallak, Panchajanyam, Paattinte Paalaazhi, Moksham, and Kannadikkadavath, among others. His albums Ninakkaay and Aadyamaay too have been top of the charts for long.

Of late, he had been focusing on stage shows, teaming up with musicians representing other streams.

(With inputs from IANS)

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by Special Correspondent / Thiruvananthapuram – October 02nd, 2018

Vayalar award for K.V. Mohan Kumar’s ‘Ushnarashi’

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K.V. Mohankumar’s novel Ushnarashi-Karappurathinte Ithihasam has been chosen for this year’s Vayalar Rama Varma Literary Prize. The novel has been chosen for the award by a three-member jury comprising of M.R. Thampan, M.S. Geetha and Bettymol Mathew.

The award, in its 42nd year, will be presented to Mr. Mohankumar at a function at the Nishagandhi auditorium here at 5.30 p.m. on October 27, the death anniversary of the late poet and lyricist Vayalar Rama Varma. It carries a cash prize of ₹1 lakh, a citation, and a statuette designed by sculptor Kanayi Kunhiraman.

Announcing the award, writer M.K. Sanoo, president, Vayalar Rama Varma Memorial Trust, said the jury had arrived at a unanimous decision in choosing the novel for the award.

The award was decided over three phases. In the first phase, the trust had asked 310 readers to choose five books. Out of this, 102 individuals responded, with 123 suggestions. From this, five works that had got the most points were sent to a 20-member committee of writers. The top three selections from this committee was submitted to the three-member judging committee.

“Ushnarashi is a work in which past, present and the future gel seamlessly. The book is set around the Punnapra-Vayalar struggle. But it looks at that time from the viewpoint of the present generation. The writer has approached it from a historian’s neutral viewpoint. The novel also touches upon the Paris Commune, the Bolshevik Revolution and Maoism. He brings a poetic touch to his writing, yet retains simplicity,” said Mr. Thampan.

Ms. Geetha said the novel handles an issue that was relevant now. Ms. Bettymol said it could be called a historic novel, but a novel with a historic background.

The Vayalar trust has completed the renovation of a smrithi mandapam near Rama Varma’s house ‘Raghavaparambu’. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the renovated mandapam, named ‘Chandrakalabham,’ in November.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by Staff Reporter / Thiruvananthapuram – September 29th, 2018