Daily Archives: July 25, 2014

Tribal hero of Thamarassery Ghat road gets a face

Arts,Culture & Entertainment

Kozhikode :

Karinthandan Moopan, the tribal leader who is believed to have helped the British find the Thamarassery Ghat road, has got a face now. An artist, Ayyappan, has drawn the portrait of the tribal hero after consulting the descendants of the Paniya moopan and other elders in the community.

Karinthandan, who was murdered by the British after he located the shortest route from Wayanad to Kozhikode, is a highly venerated figure among the Paniya tribals. “The British used to take the Kuttiady route to reach Kozhikode to transport spices from Wayanad to the Beypore port. Between 1700 and 1750, they were in search of another route, which could bring down the distance between Wayanad and Beypore,” said S Ramanunni, a trust member of pro-Sangh Parivar People’s Action for Educational and Economic Development of Tribal People (PEEP) that was instrumental in commissioning the artist to draw the portrait.

Ramanunni says Karinthandan might have been killed by the British because he revolted against the foreigners. “He might have asked them not to stake claim for Wayanad. This could the reason for shooting him to death,” he said.

It is believed that there were a series of accidents on the route in 1890 and 1900. “The belief was that it was Karinthandan’s soul that caused the accidents. The soul that was roaming around the Ghat road was finally overpowered and tied to a tree at Vythiri. Even now, you can see the tree with an iron chain, which is now a temple,” Krishnanunni said.

However, K K N Kurup, historian and former vice-chancellor of Calicut University, said there were no historical documents to prove the veracity of the story. “But it is a strong myth. The British might have sought the help of tribals to find a route to Wayanad to fight Pazhassi Raja around 1803-?05,” he said.

Kurup said it was Tippu Sulthan who linked Wayanad with Kozhikode by road. “But we are not sure that he took the Thamarassery route. There is a possibility that he travelled through the Kuttiady route to reach Kozhikode,” he said.

PEEP has approached the government to erect a memorial for Karinthandan at Vythiri. “Chief minister Oommen Chandy has promised to erect a memorial to the tribal leader at the earliest, when we met him in last February. The government has already sanctioned Rs 15 lakh in this regard,” Krishnanunni said.

source: http://www.thetimesofindia.indiatimes.com / The  Times of India / Home> City> Kozhikode / TNN / July 25th, 2014

Where music is only a memory

Arts,Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features
R. Baiju, an alumnus of the Sri Swathi Thirunal College of Music, makes ends meet by driving an autorickshaw. / Photo: Special Arrangement / The Hindu
R. Baiju, an alumnus of the Sri Swathi Thirunal College of Music, makes ends meet by driving an autorickshaw. / Photo: Special Arrangement / The Hindu

This is all the music that there is in Baiju’s life these days. It was not so, in 1997.

When R. Baiju goes on long drives, he listens to old Malayalam film songs, particularly those sung by Yesudas. Often, he hums along and when he does, a wistful smile plays on his lips. This is all the music that there is in Baiju’s life these days. It was not so, in 1997.

Back then Baiju’s days used to be filled with the lilting notes of Thodi, Mayamalava Goula or Kaappi. Back then Baiju was one in a class of 20, aiming for a Gaana Bhooshanam qualification from the Sri Swathi Thirunal College of Music.

“All the others had some previous knowledge of Carnatic music. I had only a burning passion for the same,” says Baiju, whose house at Onaampaara, near Peoroorkada, did not have a burning light when he was a student. So, writing only the second year examinations and after completing the four-year course he bid goodbye to the ‘thampura’. He keeps in touch with only one batchmate of his, and that person now works as a clerk at a medical college in the city.

Baiju is but one of the many college alumni for whom music did not become a vocation or a way of life. There are many college alumni who work as government clerks, in private firms, as entrepreneurs.

“Even as a child I used to love riding the bicycle. So it is that I became a newspaper delivery boy; something that I continue to this day. I drive an autorickshaw and taxis for a living. But even now, I can’t help thinking one thing: if only I had the opportunity to study some music before going to the music college, I may have been a professional musician now,” he says. “Maybe, one day, music will play a part in my life again.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com /  The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Special Correspondent / Thiruvananthapuram – July 23rd, 2014