A thread dedicated to Kollam's culture, Life, Arts, Events & Sports taking place in the city, festival news and updates, about the film shooting and other film related news from the city and district. Guys, please chip in with your contributions extensively.:)

Make this thread lively so that it can be used as a reference for those who are interested in whats happening in the town.

Video that depicts the true essence of Kollam:
Ak6n3o4e6Uk?feature=player_detailpage

Also, please visit the latest website on Kollam City:

http://kollamcity.in/

Thank you for your suggestions, Reghu. I will keep these points in mind.

The 7 star resort "The RAVIZ" is nearing completion. It is expected to be open to the public by Onam this year (possibly on 18th Aug). Some information can be viewed at http://kollamcity.in/theraviz (http://kollamcity.in/theraviz).

Another point I am looking at is to get the details of exhibitions and events that are in pipeline. Do you (or anyone) know of any URLs from where I can get an update of this?
-gk

Buddy, you may take the relevant news and updates from this thread. I think our forummers will chip in with their contributions and you can consolidate and update it in your site giving due credits to SSC. Lets see how it works out in the first couple of months.

Agian all the best wishes for your efforts and initiative.

KOLLAM: The ZFX School of Cinema is organising various cinema-related programmes at the Kadappakada Sports Club auditorium here on June 18.

Labour Minister Shibu Baby John will inaugurate the function which will be followed by a workshop on ‘new era and new cinema'. Chairman of the ZFX school actor Madhu will attend the workshop.

The puja of a film to be produced by the school students will be held at 2 p.m. The cinema has been named Akaalam. Three short films produced by students, Jeevante Thudippu, Hailstone, and Realty Show, will be screened.

KOLLAM: The annual Ochira Kali festival began at the Ochira Padanilam (battle field), 32 km from here, on Thursday.

Commemorating the historic medieval-age battle between the erstwhile kingdoms of Kayamkulam and Ambalapuzha, the Ochira Kali festival is held on the first two days of the Malayalam month of Mithunam.

The festival is linked to the Ochira Parabrahma temple and marks the advancement of the monsoon. It involves a mock battle fought ceremoniously to the sound of drums from the water-logged ‘padanilam' close to the temple.

Source - The Hindu

KOLLAM: The annual Ochira Kali festival began at the Ochira Padanilam (battle field), 32 km from here, on Thursday.

Commemorating the historic medieval-age battle between the erstwhile kingdoms of Kayamkulam and Ambalapuzha, the Ochira Kali festival is held on the first two days of the Malayalam month of Mithunam.

The festival is linked to the Ochira Parabrahma temple and marks the advancement of the monsoon. It involves a mock battle fought ceremoniously to the sound of drums from the water-logged ‘padanilam' close to the temple.

Source - The Hindu


http://images.mathrubhumi.com/print_images/2011/Jun/17/00202_121190.jpg

Oachira Kali is a unique ritual held at the famous Oachira Parabrahman Temple in Kerala. This temple is also known as the Dakshina Kashi (Kashi of South). Oachira Kali 2011 date is June 16 and June 17. Oachira Kali is a mock battle between two groups through the marital art of Kalaripayattu – they recreate the battles fought more than 300 years ago on the paddy fields of Oachira by the then Kayamkulam King and Venad King.

The ritual involves display of Kalaripayattu – the martial art of Kerala. Different groups representing different villages show their expertise in the marital art on the two fields set up for Oachira Kali.
The warriors that participate in the ritual undergo a 41-day vrat.
Before the start of the Oachira Kali, the presiding deity in the temple, Lord Shiva is taken out in a procession on the Vrishabha Vahana. The warriors that are participating in the ritual follow the procession. The procession ends on the field where the mock fight and the display of Kalaripayattu take place.
The mock fight between different groups start after witnessing the Sri Krishna parunthu or eagle flying atop the field.
In the evening, the warriors pledge to return next day and take leave for the day.
On the second day afternoon there is again display of the various movements in Kalaripayattu. At the end of the day, prizes are distributed to the best warriors.
Oachira Temple is a unique temple in South India, as there are no major temple structures. The deities are worshipped under banyan trees.

Courtesy - Navjot

Nice thread.

Nice thread.

Thanks for the compliments, Sanju Bhai. Also, Kudos for entering into the 4000 posts club.

Boxing training camp is organized by the district sports council. The training camp is for boys and girls of above 10 years. The registration can be done at the sports council office at Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium by June 20th.

Phone - 2746720

Thank you so much Reghu. Yes, this is a very nice initiative and I am really grateful to you for this. Also, I will take the latest updates from here to the http://kollamcity.in portal (ofcourse, with due credits).

Shri TJ Jose(DIG) has been instated as the new Kollam City Police Commissioner.....

Shri P Prakash will be the new Kollam-Rural SP....



A big thumbs up 2 the thread Reghu bhai... Nice initiative....

Thank you so much Reghu. Yes, this is a very nice initiative and I am really grateful to you for this. Also, I will take the latest updates from here to the http://kollamcity.in portal (ofcourse, with due credits).

Thank you, buddy. We all are looking for the informative, attractive, and colorful http://kollamcity.in link in the immedeate future. Probably, this site may become the first check for anybody interested in Kollam in future.

All the best for your great efforts.

Shri TJ Jose(DIG) has been instated as the new Kollam City Police Commissioner.....

Shri P Prakash will be the new Kollam-Rural SP....



A big thumbs up 2 the thread Reghu bhai... Nice initiative....

Thanks Navjot, we need your extensive support and contribution in this thread just as your immense contribution towards the Kollam Tourism thread.:)

Interior Works going on at K Mall - Some snaps:

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/3402/90020301.jpg

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/174/10275401.jpg

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/3817/42871973.jpg

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/2650/91305154.jpg

http://img856.imageshack.us/img856/2263/kmallinterior1.jpg

http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/8527/kmallinterior3.jpg

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/3136/kmallinterior2.jpg

http://img806.imageshack.us/img806/5477/kmallinterior4.jpg

Courtesy - Navjot & Facebook

An Indira Gandhi National Open University Community college will come up at Chavara with courses related to mineral resources and processing. The college is being started with the cooporation of mineral companies such as IRE and KMML, minister Shibu Baby John said.

The space available at Baby John Memorial Govt. College will be utilized for the purpose.

http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/00658/sculpture_658686f.jpg



The Kollam beach at the Mahatma Gandhi Park became the venue of an art exhibition with a distinctly environment flavour on Wednesday. Titled “two two four-save water save life”, its creator, A. Guruprasad said that he had used the post modern installation sculpture medium to convey the message.

Two two four represents the 224 countries on earth and they are depicted as 224 plastic pots filled with sea water. Plastic waste is the biggest threat water sources face and the aim is to present the gravity of the drinking water problem triggered by plastic waste, said Mr. Guruprasad, a graduate from the Fine Arts College, Thiruvananthapuram.

If the situation continues, the quality of all water sources will soon become unfit for drinking like the water in the plastic pots, said Mr. Guruparasd who works as a police constable.

In fact drinking water shortage is the biggest problem the human race has started facing. Yet people are averse to protecting and conserving even the available drinking water sources. There is even an apathetic attitude to spreading awareness on the need to conserve drinking water sources.

Mr. Guruprasad said that a few years ago no one even imagined that drinking water will have to be purchased as a commodity. But today even in water sources rich Kerala, purchasing drinking water has become a way of life. Its causes are human inflicted, he said.

If the situation continues, drinking water scarcity will affect all the 224 countries. Mr. Guruprasad said that instead of an art gallery he selected a public place to exhibit the art because its message has to reach all sections of society. The sculpture also depicts a human form sitting under a water tap begging for drinking water and a crow on the tap competing with man for water. But water only trickles from the tap. This is in spite of the fact that there are 224 water filled pots there.



The Hindu (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/article2106981.ece)

Courtesy - Navjot

Reghu- thanks much for initiating this thread, and it is nice to see moving forward. Few of the posted threads are taken to the kollamcity.in portal. You may view them at

http://kollamcity.in/ignou-chavara

http://kollamcity.in/oachirakkali

http://kollamcity.in/plastic-waste-threat

http://kollamcity.in/students-films

http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/8720/floatingtriveni.jpg

For those who stay on the banks of Kallada River and Ashtamudi lake, a new Floating Triveni Store will be opened on 20th June 2011 by State Cooperative Minister Mr.C N Balakrishnan. The Floating Triveni Supermarket, introduced in 2009 June 7, is the first of its kind in the World. The floating supermarket coming in Kollam is the 3rd of its kind, the other 2 being introduced in Kuttanad. This is a unique venture and let us hope that Consumerfed will soon start many such floating malls in Kerala.

The inauguration function will be held at the shore near KEL, Kundara.

The mall was designed by the University of Cochin’s naval department. The 1000 sq.feet boat was built at a dock in Kochi at a cost of Rs.50 lakh. The ultra modern “Fibre Steel Laminated Ferro Cement” technology is used to built this boat. Cement was mixed with certain polymers and reinforced with steel to build the boat, which is anti—corrosive. A solar panel was added to light the boat and power the billing machine. The boat is facilitated with Internet facility also to control the prices of commodities from Head office and Regional offices of Consumer Fed.

The floating Triveni Super Store, which sells everything a home needs including refrigerators and TV sets at subsidised rates, is the brainchild of Ex. State Cooperative Minister G. Sudhakaran” . Kerala’s tourism department is very happy with the Consumerfed initiative as it catches the attention of tourists visiting the backwaters of Kerala, an area that ranks above the Taj Mahal in National Geographic Traveller’s best destinations of the world.

“Ever since the launch of the floating mall in June last year, it has become a tourist attraction,” says M. Shivshankar, director, Kerala Tourism.

The boat is lined with shelves full of grain to perfumes and health drinks to shampoos. The villages on the banks of river/lake cannot access the mainland except through boats. A Triveni store official said the timings of the boat’s arrival in each village is announced beforehand, and villagers look forward to it.

The mall is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. For safety reasons, only 20 people are allowed on board at a time.

“Ours is a supermarket,” says Reji R. Nair, managing director of Consumerfed, which was chosen the best cooperative in the state last year. “For the villagers, there is a lot of excitement to step into the boat which has everything for their needs under one roof”. Provisions like rice, wheat and sugar are priced at least 10-15 percent below market rates. The prices of commodities inside the floating supermarket will be exactly the same as the prices in all other Triveni Supermarkets. “The villagers can buy even refrigerators and TV sets from the floating mall. For that one has to just place an order and it will be delivered at your doorstep within two-three weeks,” says A.K. Anoop, the mall’s manager. “The mall at Kuttanad has average daily sales of Rs.60,000,” he said. The sales go up during festivals like Onam and Christmas.

The Kerala State Cooperative Consumers Federation Ltd (Consumerfed), the apex body of consumer cooperatives, which owns the Rs 50-lakh mall, sells at less than market prices. The Floating Triveni offers an additional discount of two per cent to promote sales. Scheduled castes and tribal customers can avail of a further three per cent discount.

Consumerfed hit on the concept from the slender canoes ferrying men and materials along the labyrinthine backwaters and canals. Perhaps Triveni’s only limitation is its size – 16 metre long and six metre wide - which may make it difficult to navigate through some of the smaller channels. Says Riji R. Nair, MD, Consumerfed. “Initially, when this idea was floated, there was some scepticism. But we were ready to experiment and told the ship-builder that if he could build a platform that could float and remain intact, we would go for it. That’s how the mall was born.”

http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/7908/floatingtriveniinterior.jpg

Meanwhile, considering the novelty of the backwater-cruising & island-hopping supermarket, Consumerfed has written to the Guinness Book of World Records, seeking its imprimatur that would float Triveni before the world’s eyes.

Courtesy - http://kollamcity.in/ (http://kollamcity.in/floating-mall)

More stops for Rajdhani Express

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Train no. 12431/12432 Thiruvananthapuram–Nizamuddin–Thiruvananthapurm tri-weekly Rajdhani Express will stop at Kollam and Alappuzha railway stations from June 21 to December 20.

According to the railways, the stoppage had been given on an experimental basis. The departure timings of the Rajdhani Express at both the stations is in brackets. 12431 Thiruvananthapuram-Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express (Tuesday, Thursday and Friday) Kollam (8.19 p.m.) and Alappuzha (9.40 p.m.). 12432 Nizamuddin–Thiruvananthapuram Rajdhani Express (Tuesday, Thursday and Friday) Alappuzha (6.20 a.m.) and Kollam (7.50 a.m.).

The stoppage of 16606/16605 Nagercoil-Mangalore-Nagercoil Ernad Express at Kochuveli will be withdrawn with effect from September 4. The 12521/12522 Barauni-Ernakulam-Baurani Express will have two more sleeper coaches from September 10.

Bishop Benziger Hospital, Kollam

Established in 1948, Bishop Benziger hospital is the very first private hospital with inpatient facilities in Quilon. Today it has grown to become a 600 bedded multi & superspeciality hospital having all the major departments, modern equipments, excellent facilities, eminent doctors and efficient paramedical staff....

View more details at http://kollamcity.in/benzigerhospital

'Extinct’ mangrove species sighted after 150 years

A mangrove species, long believed to have gone extinct in the State, was sighted on an isolated private island of Ashtamudi Lake in Kollam. ‘Ceriops tagal' or the yellow mangrove has been listed by the Forest Department as a “mangrove species that had disappeared from Kerala.”

See the news @ http://kollamcity.in/mangrove

KOLLAM: Residents of Kureepuzha, where the garbage treatment complex of the Kollam Corporation is located, have said that the area has become a major health hazard and that they intend launching an agitation against the civic body in protest against the situation.

Under the banner of the Human Rights and Environment Protection Council, the Kureepuzha residents will stage a demonstration in front of the Head Post Office here on July 2 as part of the agitation. The future course of the agitation will be decided at a meeting to be held on Sunday.

Council president, N. Sathyapalan and secretary Manalil K. Santosh said though a modern garbage treatment plant at the complex was inaugurated several months ago, the plant had still not started operation.

They said huge quantities of garbage were being brought each day. Though women had been engaged in collecting garbage from households, these women were collecting waste from hotels, shops, and catering units too and transporting and dumping it at the Kureepuzha garbage complex.

Garbage lying there for months had started emitting unbearable stench which had spread for about 5 km, they said. The complex being situated on the banks of the Ashtamudi Lake, filth from there had started seeping into the lake and polluting it. The whole complex had become a mosquito breeding ground.

Nooranad Hanif memorial award

KOLLAM: A literary award for young writers has been instituted in memory of the late novelist Nooranad Hanif. The award will be given for novels this year. Those below 40 years of age, who had their works published during 2008, 2009, and 2010, are eligible for the award that carries a cash prize of Rs.12,221.

Writers may submit three copies of the work by July 10 to R. Vipin Chandran, Publicity Convener, Nooranad Hanif Anusmarana Samithi, Canara Bank, Chinnakada, Kollam. For details, contact 9447472150 or 9447453537.

A statement said a meeting to commemorate the fifth death anniversary of the late writer will be held on August 5 at Sopanam Kala Kendram.

The People's Initiative Forum in the city has asked the government to procalim the historic and culturally important Ashramam ground and Residency complex to be marked as protected area on the wake of the mushrooming construction activities in this area.

The Ashramam Residency compound is bordering the Ashtamusi lake and is one of the greenest places within the city with avenue trees, mangrove forest and flowering trees.

The Ashramam ground and the Residency ground that are closeby was used for landing small aeroplanes during the early 1925 - 1930 and was the first airport in Kerala. Later the airport was closed after an accident.


The Ashramam ground is still considered to be under Airport authority of India.

http://img585.imageshack.us/img585/7899/ashramammaidanheritage.jpg

^^^^


KOLLAM: The Peoples Initiative Kollam (PIK) has expressed concern over the move to construct buildings on the Government Guest House premises at Asramam.

The sprawling campus should be protected and trees planted there, PIK office-bearers Thengamam Balakrishnan and P. Vishwanathan said here on Wednesday.

The compound is one of the few remaining green lungs in the city.

It is also a heritage property. Several Ministers had assured the people that the guest house compound would be preserved.

The PIK, in association with the Forest Department, had launched a greening programme there by planting saplings.

The Labour Department was taking steps to construct an occupational diseases research centre there, they said.

The PIK called upon Labour Minister Shibu Baby John to drop the move and identify a plot elsewhere.

The PIK office-bearers said Mr. John, being a native of Kollam, should be in the forefront of preserving the heritage property.


The Hindu (http://www.hindu.com/2011/06/30/stories/2011063056530300.htm)

21st Swadeshi Science Congress will be conducted from November, 7 – 9, 2011 at CEPC Laboratory and Technical Division (The Cashew Export Promotion Council of India) CASHEW BHAVAN, Kollam.
Focal Theme of 21st Swadeshi Science Congress : Green Technology for Safe Future


Address for Communication

The Secretary General,

21stSwadeshi Science Congress

CEPC Laboratory and Technical Division (Cashew Export Promotion Council of India)

Cashew Bhavan, Mundakkal, Kollam-691001

Phone: (Off): 0474-2761003, 2742704

Fax: 0474-2742704

E-mail: cepclab@cashewindia.org

Web: www.cepclab.org.in


More Info (http://sciencecongress.in/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=4&Itemid=7)

Shri P.G. Thomas who took charge as the new Kollam Collector on Saturday has said that members of the public can meet him on all working days between 12.30 p.m. and 1.30 p.m.

Talking to presspersons after taking charge, Mr. Thomas said arrangements for the same had been made.

Steps would be taken to streamline the revenue administration in the district. He said he would study in detail the issues pertaining to the protection of the freshwater Sasthamcotta Lake and take action accordingly.

The action against unauthorised sand-mining initiated by Revenue Divisional Officer Sajith Babu would continue.

Thrust would be given to tapping the tourism potential of the district.

Mr. Thomas said he would conduct an on-the-spot inspection of the tsunami-affected areas to learn the problems there.

Mr. Thomas is the 40th Collector of the district.

A native of Kottayam, he is a chemical engineer and was a research fellow at the Indian Space Research Organisation. In 1993, he joined the State's civil service as deputy collector.

He was earlier District Collector of Thrissur.

The Kerala State Cultural Organization BookMark has organized a bookfait at the Sarswathi hall of Kollam Public Library.

The bookfair was inaugrated yesterday by Kollam City mayor Prasanna Earnest. Around 20 government publishers including The Kerrala Bhasha Institute, Bala Sahithya Insitute, Sarva Vijanakosham Institute, Kerala Sahithya Academy particiapating in the event.

അഷ്ടമുടി ജലോത്സവം: ലോഗോ ക്ഷണിച്ചു

കൊല്ലം: ആഗസ്ത് അവസാനവാരം കൊല്ലത്ത് അഷ്ടമുടിക്കായലില്* നടക്കുന്ന പ്രസിഡന്റ്*സ് ട്രോഫിക്കായുള്ള ജലോത്സവത്തിന് ലോഗോ ക്ഷണിച്ചു. ഒരാള്*ക്ക് രണ്ട് എന്*ട്രികള്* വീതം സെക്രട്ടറി, ജില്ലാ ടൂറിസം പ്രൊമോഷന്* കൗണ്*സില്* കൊല്ലം എന്ന വിലാസത്തില്* പതിനാറ് വരെ നല്*കാം.


Entries should be send to Secretary,DTPC Kollam b4 July 16

Good response to Amrita’s A-VIEW aided IIT online classes

Kollam: The online workshops being conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai with the help of the e-learning platform, Amrita Virtual Interactive E-Learning World (A-VIEW) are receiving very good response. According to a release issued by the Amrita E-Learning Research Lab based at Vallikkavu in Kollam, IIT has been conducting these workshops to enhance the skill of the teaching faculty and to effectively address the issue of shortage of highly qualified teachers, especially in the rural areas.

IIT has joined hands with the Amrita University, which has developed A-VIEW after years of research, for effective online teaching by providing live classroom experience. The latest in the series, a 10-day national teacher training (for college teachers) workshop concluded on July 8.

Prof. Deepak Phatak from IIT Mumbai who was is leader of the national workshops said, “We have received tremendous response from more than 1,000 teachers specialised in Electronics from all over the country who assembled at 38 remote centres for our workshops”. While speaking online to these teachers, Vibha Puri Das, Secretary, HRD Ministry said, “We are very proud to note that the nation is starting to receive the benefits from this national initiative”.

In the ‘Ask a Question’ pilot programme, a brainchild of IIT Mumbai Prof. Kannan M Moudgalya, the students and the experts get connected online once a week by using A-VIEW. Any college student in the country can ask questions on electronics and these questions will be answered online by the senior faculty from the IIT, Mumbai.

Kamal Bijlani, Director, Amrita E-Learning Research Lab said, “Our initial efforts with A-VIEW have been to make online teaching simple and easy for a large number of teachers and students. As we go forward, more features will be added. A-VIEW will be available in various regional languages soon”.

The IIT Mumbai has trained around 3,850 teachers in four workshops since June 2010 by using regular internet connectivity. This national initiative is being funded by National Mission on Education (NME-ICT) which falls under the Union Ministry of Human Resources Development.

Source - Kerala IT News


From IBN news:
The online workshops being conducted by the Mumbai Indian Institute of Technology with the help of the e-learning platform Amrita Virtual Interactive E-learning World (A-VIEW) are receiving tremendous positive response.

The IIT has been conducting the workshops to enhance the skill of the teaching faculty and to effectively address the issue of shortage of highly qualified teachers, especially in the rural areas, which is the most pressing problem being faced by the higher education sector, according to a statement issued by the Amrita E-Learning Research Lab based at Vallikkavu, Kollam.

The IIT has joined hands with the Amrita University, which has developed A-VIEW after years of research for effective online teaching by providing live classroom experience. The 10-day national teacher training workshop, the latest in the series, concluded on July 8.

Mumbai IIT professor Deepak Phatak, the leader of the national workshops, has said, “We have received tremendous response from more than 1,000 teachers, from all over the country, who assembled in 38 remote centres for our workshops. The teachers are amazed that the knowledge of national experts is available at their doorsteps.”

While speaking online to 1,300 teachers specialised in electronics, Human Resources Development Ministry secretary Vibha Puri Das said, “We are very proud to note that the nation is starting to receive the benefits from this national initiative. Several other projects of this initiative are progressing fast. The new tablet device will be provided at a very subsidised rate to students and teachers.” Human Resources Development Ministry additional secretary and National Mission on Education-ICT Mission director N K Sinha is the visionary and chief coordinator of the project.

The ‘Ask A Question’ programme is the brainchild of IIT Mumbai professor Kannan M Moudgalya. In this pilot programme, the students and the experts get connected online once a week by� using A-VIEW. Any college student in the country can ask questions on electronics and these questions will be answered online by the senior faculty from the IIT, Mumbai.

Moudgalya said, “The ‘Ask A Question’ will develop into a national programme where any college student in India can get their doubts cleared.”

About the A-VIEW, Prof Gaitonde, who imparted lessons in thermodynamics to 800 teachers nationwide, said, “I was able to learn the features of A-VIEW quickly, and operate the entire interaction by myself.”

Amrita E-Learning Research Lab director Kamal Bijlani, said, “Our initial efforts with A-VIEW have been to make online teaching simple and easy for a large number of teachers and students. As we go forward, more features will be added. A-VIEW will be available in various regional languages soon.”

The IIT Mumbai has trained around 3,850 teachers in four workshops since June 2010 by� using regular internet connectivity.

The zoology department of Sree Narayana College here is organising a two-day workshop on bioinformatics.

The workshop, to be held on July 13 and 14, will be inaugurated by college Principal Mohan Sreekumar. oordinator of the event and head of the zoology department S. Sudha said that the keynote address at the workshop would be delivered by Director of the State Inter-University Centre of Excellence in Bioinformatics Achut Sankar on the topic ‘Introduction to bioinformatics and sequence alignment.' Joint Director of the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment Ajit Prabhu would address the workshop.

There would be sessions on database, genomics, and biological pathways. The University of Kerala is a sponsor.

The online workshops on basic electronics conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology with the help of the e-learning platform, Amrita Virtual Interactive E-Learning World (A-VIEW), have been drawing good response.

A statement from Amrita University said that IIT Bombay had been conducting the workshops to improve teachers' skills and thus address the shortage of qualified teachers, especially in rural areas, in the higher education sector.

The latest in this series was a two-week workshop on basic electronics for college teachers which concluded on July 8.

The workshops provide live classroom experience.

Deepak Phatak from IIT Bombay, who led the workshop, said that more than 1,000 teachers from all over the country assembled at 38 remote centres to attend the workshop.

The Mundakkal Arts and Sports Club is conducting a personality development class for students at the Polayathodu Master College hall from 2 p.m. on July 16. The class is being conducted in association with the career guidance centre of the Taluk Library Council.

Source - The Hindu (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article2229136.ece)

The Royal English Club here is organising a free seminar on “English language and the role of the club” at the Polayathodu John's Hotel hall. Those interested in attending the seminar can call Prabhakaravind, president of the club, on 8086002345.

Contact No: 8086002345

Contact Person: Prabhakaravind

Source - The Hindu (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article2229135.ece)

Labour Minister Shibu Baby John will inaugurate a ‘Teacher in-service programme' (TISP) at the TKM College of Engineering here on July 16.

TISP is being envisaged as a professional development workshop aimed at helping teachers to bring hands-on engineering lessons into their classrooms.

The event is being organised by the student branch of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) of the TKM College of Engineering and the IEEE (Graduates of Last Decade) Kerala Chapter.

TKM College Trust chairman Shahal Hassan Musaliar will preside over the function. College Principal S. Suresh Babu said the workshop would also provide a forum for IEEE volunteers to demonstrate the application of Engineering, Science, and Mathematics concepts by sharing their real-world experiences with local, pre-university educators.

Source - The Hindu (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article2229137.ece)

2011 IEEE PES International conference on Innovative Smart Grid Technologies



Date: December 01-03, 2011

Venue: The Quilon Beach Hotel, Kollam, Kerala

Sponsored by the IEEE Power and Energy Society, the Innovative Smart Grid Technologies (ISGT) Conference is to help evolve the electric power system into a smart grid. With distributed renewable sources on the rise, there is need for real-time info as well as intelligent integration of them. Thus, state-of-the-art innovations in smart grid technologies will be discussed in this new conference series started in 2010 along with a new IEEE Transaction on Smart Grid. Researchers and practitioners on power systems, power electronics, decentralized power systems, control, security and regulatory aspects of energy delivery and management and all upcoming related topics are expected to converge at this Asia focused ISGT 2011 India meet from 01 to 03 Dec 2011. Power and Energy related professionals, system managers, decision makers, regulators, researchers and students are among those who would benefit most by its deliberations. The Conference features invited presentations, special sessions and tutorials by international experts on smart grid application.

Kollam is the venue for this year's Asian version of the seminar

http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/2516/greatfrigatebirdinkolla.jpg

Source - The Hindu

Applications for availing the State government's financial aid for protecting and conserving sacred groves under private ownership in the district have been invited by the Forest Department from individuals, devaswoms, and trusts. The aid will be a one-time allocation of Rs.10,000. Those interested in availing themselves of the aid should submit ownership records and data showing the area of the sacred grove under their respective ownership to the Social Forestry wing of the Forest Department.

Source - The Hindu

The Amrita Virtual Interactive E-Learning World (A-VIEW), an e-learning platform ingeniously developed by the Amrita University, has won the Jury Award for the Best Innovation in Open and Distance Learning Practices under the higher education category at the World Education Summit-2011 held in New Delhi on July 15.

The award was jointly presented to Kamal Bijlani, director of Amrita E-Learning Research Lab, by V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai, Vice-Chancellor of Indira Gandhi National Open University; Kris Srikant, chairman (selection committee), BCCI; and Ravi Gupta, editor-in-chief of Digital Learning Magazine. The event was organised by IGNOU in association with the Elets Technomedia and the Centre of Science Development and Media Studies.

The Veteran Sailors Forum, an organisation to take care of the basic welfare programmes of retired Indian Navy personnel from the southern districts of the State, was launched here on Sunday.

A Kochi-based similar forum already in existence will function at the State-level and an Ezhimala-based forum will take care of the needs of the retired personnel from the northern districts. The southern districts covered by the Kollam-based forum included Idukki, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Pathanamthtta, Thiruvananthapuram, and Kollam.

The function was inaugurated by Commodore M.R. Ajay Kumar, Naval officer in charge of Kerala. He said the forum would serve to promote solidarity among the retired Naval personnel and to pass on information and streamline the various welfare programmes of such personnel. Commodore Ajay Kumar handed over the Navy's financial relief to 92-year-old veteran sailor Ittoop Kismos who began his career with the Royal Navy. The relief was handed over to his wife Mary. The meeting also elected the south region office-bearers of the forum.

They are Commodore S.G.K. Pillai, chairman; R. Vasudevan Nair, secretary; and B. Subash Kumat, joint secretary. For more details members can contact the website www.vsf-desa.com.

Sharukh Khan will inaugrate the much anticipated 5 star hotel resort project "THE KOLLAM ROYAL PARK HOTEL & RESORTS Pvt. Ltd" on August 19th at Thevally in the city.

More VIPs to visit the hotel in August and September including the President of India.

http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/5327/ravizhotelkollam.jpg

http://img577.imageshack.us/img577/5327/ravizhotelkollam.jpg

KOLLAM: The Buckingham Canal at Thangasseri has a rich past that is also becoming history along with the glory of the Canal. A key accomplice of the colonial invaders, the Canal has wilted over the years at the hands of native encroachers.

The Canal is believed to be a key conduit built by the Portuguese some 450 years ago inside their strategic territory,the Fort Thomas. Thangasseri area was an exceptional natural port, it was reef infested, and so a canal was constructed to transport the consignments from the ships calling at the port and exports back to the ships.

Barges were said to have been used for transportation through the Canal. Thangasseri is a projection into the sea and both ends of the Canal originally opened at the Arabian Sea.However,the eastern portion is now interrupted by the Lighthouse road, probably constructed during the British period, while the western end runs into the sea near the Mount Carmel convent.

Renowned historian A Sreedhara Menon states in ‘A Survey of Kerala History (1967)’that the Portuguese under Commandant Rodrigues built a Fort in 1519 at the present Thangasseri. This was following a threat from natives who had burnt down their factory. The Canal inside the Fort was used for safe transportation of personnel and merchandise to and from the ships which called at the port.The Fort and Canal must have played a greater role in Portuguese gaining full monopoly over the region’s lucrative pepper trade.� No wonder the Dutch,in an effort to establish their domination in pepper trade, attacked and captured the Fort from the Portuguese.By 1662, Thangasseri became an exclusive trade hub of the Dutch.

“What attracted the Portuguese and later the Dutch to Thangasseri Port was the superior quality pepper which was available in the southern districts during that period,” says historian Malayinkeezhu Gopalakrishnan. It came to be known as the Buckingham Canal, later when Dutch surrendered it to the British East India Company in 1795.

A waning heritage enclave

Thangasseri is the only place mentioned in the Kerala Tourism’s official literature as the place in the State where Anglo-Indian tradition is maintained. Unfortunately, rampant construction at this heritage enclave has erased most of the vestiges of the colonial times.

Hardly any house constructed by the European settlers along the streets of Thangasseri stands now. Encroachers have left no trace of the Dutch/British cemetery which should have been a protected monument that lay within the precincts of the Fort.

Ruins of the Fort have dilapidated over the years. Perhaps, the only exception is the Lighthouse built by the British in 1902, which is under the Government of India.The Lighthouse still attracts a fairly good number of tourists to this colonial enclave.

It is high time that authorities woke up and did something to protect this heritage site.

There had been a number of proposals submitted by different bodies at various stages to restore the beauty of the Canal and surroundings.

Activists and historians still hope for a positive initiative either from the State Government or from the Corporation to protect and to restore this heritage site.

The Infant Jesus Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School at Tangasseri here has been awarded the ISO 9001:2008 certification.

City Police Commissioner T.J. Jose handed over the certificate to Kollam Bishop Stanley Roman at a function at the school on Monday. Dr. Roman is also the manager of the school.

The certificate is awarded for standards in quality management systems. In his address, Dr. Roman said education should be utilised to understand human values and to protecting the indigent sections.

Fr. George Ribeiro, school Principal Fr. Silvie Antony, advocate P. Jermias, and ISO consultant S. Arun were present at the function.

Source - The Hindu (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article2315191.ece)

wow...thats good news..

The Infant Jesus Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School at Tangasseri here has been awarded the ISO 9001:2008 certification.

City Police Commissioner T.J. Jose handed over the certificate to Kollam Bishop Stanley Roman at a function at the school on Monday. Dr. Roman is also the manager of the school.

The certificate is awarded for standards in quality management systems. In his address, Dr. Roman said education should be utilised to understand human values and to protecting the indigent sections.

Fr. George Ribeiro, school Principal Fr. Silvie Antony, advocate P. Jermias, and ISO consultant S. Arun were present at the function.

Source - The Hindu (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article2315191.ece)

A 30,000 sq ft-showroom of Nadilathu G-Mart, an electronic and home appliances retail shop, will be inaugurated at Kadappakada in the city on Friday. Company chairman Gopu Naduvilath said the mart gave a major portion of its margin back to the purchaser. Only branded items from leading companies were sold. On the inaugural day, a special draw of lots would be conducted every hour for the customers, he said.

Source - The Hindu

നഗരത്തില്* വീണ്ടും പ്രീ-പെയ്ഡ് ഓട്ടോ കൗണ്ടറുകള്*


കൊല്ലം:നഗരത്തില്* വീണ്ടും പ്രീ-പെയ്ഡ് ഓട്ടോറിക്ഷാ സംവിധാനം നിലവില്*വന്നു. പുതിയ പ്രീ-പെയ്ഡ് ഓട്ടോറിക്ഷാ കൗണ്ടറുകളുടെ പ്രവര്*ത്തനോദ്ഘാടനം ബുധനാഴ്ച രാവിലെ റെയില്*വേ സ്റ്റേഷനില്* കൗണ്ടര്* ഉദ്ഘാടനം ചെയ്ത് കളക്ടര്* പി.ജി. തോമസ് നിര്*വഹിച്ചു. കൗണ്ടറില്*നിന്നുള്ള ആദ്യ ഓട്ടോറിക്ഷയുടെ യാത്ര സിറ്റി പോലീസ് കമ്മീഷണര്* ടി.ജെ.ജോസ് ഫ്*ളാഗ്ഓഫ് ചെയ്തു. അസി. പോലീസ് കമ്മീഷണര്* പ്രസന്നകുമാരന്* നായര്*, റെയില്*വേ സ്റ്റേഷന്* മാനേജര്* എം.അജിത്ത്, ആര്*.ടി.ഒ. സി.കെ.അശോകന്*, വെസ്റ്റ് സി.ഐ. അശോകന്*, ആര്*.പി.എഫ്.റെയില്*വേ ഉദ്യോഗസ്ഥര്* എന്നിവര്* പങ്കെടുത്തു.

റെയില്*വേ സ്റ്റേഷനിലെ കൗണ്ടറിനുപുറമേ ചിന്നക്കട, താലൂക്ക് ഓഫീസ് ജങ്ഷന്* എന്നിവിടങ്ങളിലും പുതിയ പ്രീ-പെയ്ഡ് കൗണ്ടറുകള്* തുടങ്ങാന്* തീരുമാനിച്ചിട്ടുണ്ട്. ചിന്നക്കടയിലേത് ശനിയാഴ്ചയും താലൂക്ക് ഓഫീസിനുമുന്നിലെ കൗണ്ടര്* 15നും തുറക്കും.

കമ്പ്യൂട്ടറൈസ്ഡ് യാത്രാസ്ലിപ്പുകളാകും പ്രീ-പെയ്ഡ് കൗണ്ടറുകളില്*നിന്ന് ലഭിക്കുക. പോകേണ്ട സ്ഥലവും യാത്രക്കൂലിയും ഇതില്* രേഖപ്പെടുത്തിയിട്ടുണ്ടാകും. വിവിധ സ്ഥലങ്ങളിലേക്കുള്ള യാത്രാ നിരക്കുകളും നിശ്ചയിച്ചിട്ടുണ്ട്. അവ കൗണ്ടറുകള്*ക്കുമുന്നില്* പ്രദര്*ശിപ്പിക്കും.

റെയില്*വേ സ്റ്റേഷനിലെ പ്രീ-പെയ്ഡ് ഓട്ടോ കൗണ്ടര്* രാത്രിയും പകലും പ്രവര്*ത്തിക്കും. മറ്റ് രണ്ട് കൗണ്ടറുകളുടെയും പ്രവര്*ത്തനസമയം രാവിലെ എട്ടുമുതല്* രാത്രി 11 വരെയാണ്.

ഓട്ടോറിക്ഷാ ഡ്രൈവര്*മാര്* യാത്രക്കാരില്*നിന്ന് അമിതകൂലി ഈടാക്കുന്നുവെന്ന് വ്യാപകമായ പരാതി ഉയര്*ന്ന സാഹചര്യത്തിലാണ് കളക്ടറുടെ നേതൃത്വത്തില്* ഓട്ടോറിക്ഷാ തൊഴിലാളി സംഘടനാ പ്രതിനിധികളുമായി ചര്*ച്ച നടത്തി പ്രീ-പെയ്ഡ് കൗണ്ടറുകള്* തുറക്കാന്* തീരുമാനിച്ചത്.

നഗരത്തില്* പ്രീ-പെയ്ഡ് ഓട്ടോ സംവിധാനം നിലച്ചതിനാല്* യാത്രക്കാരുടെ ദുരിതങ്ങളെയും ഓട്ടോറിക്ഷാ ഡ്രൈവര്*മാര്* ഈടാക്കുന്ന അമിത ചാര്*ജ്ജിനെയും കുറിച്ചുള്ള വാര്*ത്തകള്* 'മാതൃഭൂമി' പ്രസിദ്ധീകരിച്ചിരുന്നു.

കമ്പ്യൂട്ടറൈസ്ഡ് പ്രീ-പെയ്ഡ് ഓട്ടോറിക്ഷാ സംവിധാനം നിലവില്*വന്നതോടെ റെയില്*വേ സ്റ്റേഷന്* പരിസരത്ത് വാഹനഗതാഗതത്തിന് നിയന്ത്രണം ഏര്*പ്പെടുത്തിയതായി സ്റ്റേഷന്* മാനേജര്* എം.അജിത്ത് പറഞ്ഞു.

പെര്*മിറ്റോടുകൂടി സ്റ്റേഷനകത്ത് പാര്*ക്കുചെയ്യുന്ന ഓട്ടോറി്കഷകള്*ക്കുമാത്രമേ പ്രീ-പെയ്ഡ് കൗണ്ടറില്*നിന്ന് യാത്ര അനുവദിക്കുകയുള്ളൂ. 'ക്യൂ' സംവിധാനത്തിലാകും ഇത്.

സ്റ്റേഷനുമുന്നിലെ മൂന്ന് പാതകളിലായി നിശ്ചയിച്ചിട്ടുള്ള ക്രമത്തില്* മാത്രമേ മറ്റ് വാഹനങ്ങള്*ക്ക് ഇനി പ്രവേശിക്കാനാകൂ.

ഒന്നാമത്തെ പാതയിലൂടെ നാലുചക്രവാഹനങ്ങള്*ക്കുമാത്രമേ പ്രവേശിക്കാനാകൂ. രണ്ടാമത്തെ പാതയിലൂടെയാകും ഇരുചക്ര-മുച്ചക്ര വാഹനങ്ങള്* പ്രവേശിക്കേണ്ടത്. മൂന്നാമത്തെ പാത പൂര്*ണമായും പ്രീ-പെയ്ഡ് ഓട്ടാറിക്ഷകള്*ക്ക് പാര്*ക്ക് ചെയ്യാനുള്ളതാണ്. ഒരേസമയം അഞ്ച് ഓട്ടോറിക്ഷകള്*ക്കുമാത്രമേ കൗണ്ടറിനുമുന്നില്* പ്രവേശനാനുമതി ഉള്ളൂവെന്നും സ്റ്റേഷന്* മാനേജര്* അറിയിച്ചു.


Counters at Raileay station, Chinnakada and Taluk Cutchery Jn

An interesting article about the history of railways and trains in Quilon and the Qln-Tsi line.

It's an old article but worth a read.


IRCFA:Quilon (http://www.irfca.org/articles/jimmyjose-20051128-quilon.html)

The district unit of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) staged a dharna at the Press Club Maidan here on Friday to register its protest against the alleged neglect of the district in the revised Budget presented by Finance Minister K.M. Mani. LDF MLAs, other representatives of the people, and LDF leaders from the district took part in the dharna.

Inaugurating the dharna, State secretary of the Communist Party of India C.K. Chandrappan said the United Democratic Front (UDF) government seemed to have declared a war on the people through its revised Budget. There should be a mass movement cutting across political divide to effectively counter the challenges posed by the Budget, he said. Mr. Chandrappan said the proposals in the revised budget had triggered widespread protests all over the State. It not only lacked clarity but had even torpedoed the declared policies of the UDF. He said the budget had failed to grasp the problems of the State. The issue of food security and price control had not been addressed. Even the Onam mela centres had virtually no stock of essential commodities.

Addressing the dharna, the former Education Minister and Kundara MLA M.A.. Baby said the revised Budget had drawn a unprecedented wave of protests. Even the ruling side had expressed its reservation and the UDF was forced to call a meeting to discuss the issues pertaining to the budget.

The former Minister for Water Resources N.K. Premachandran said the cashew processing sector had been completely ignored in the budget. He alleged that the provision to exempt cashew plantations from the purview of land reforms was intended to help the private sector retain excess land. All proposals for road renovation and development in the last Budget of the previous LDF government had been deleted.

The former Agriculture Minister and Chadayamangalam MLA Mullakara Ratnakaran said though Mr. Mani was well experienced in preparation of budget proposals, the revised budget had not gone much beyond Kottayam district. The budget lacked a justified distribution. Kollam had been totally ignored ostensibly because the district had largely stood by the LDF in the last Assembly elections, he alleged. The former Minister for Civil Supplies and Karunagapaly MLA C. Divakaran participated in the dharna. CPI(M) district secretary K. Rajagopal presided.

Nooranad Hanif remembered

Kollam: At a solemn function to mark the fifth death anniversary of Malayalam novelist Nooranad Hanif, Jnanpith Award winner O.N.V. Kurup presented the maiden Nooranad Hanif Memorial Literary Award for the novel ‘Pannivetta.'

Since the author of the novel V.M. Devadas could not make it to the function, the award was received by his father V.K. Mohanan. The award carried a cash prize of Rs.12,221, a citation and a trophy. Works by novelists below the age of 40 were invited for the award.

The novel was selected by a jury comprising George Onakkoor, Chandramathi and B. Murali. Delivering the Nooranad Hanif commemoration address at the function, Prof. Kurup said that when a writer died the most valuable thing he left behind was his literary work.

“Even if monuments come up in memory of a writer after his death or if roads are named in memory of writers, the writer lives in the memory of people through his works,” he said, adding that Kollam had given the impetus to many writers for creating great literary works.

The poet said writer P. Kesavadev had penned his famous novel ‘Odayil Ninnu' at Chinnakada, the heart of Kollam city. Nooranad Hanif too found Kollam a great inspiration for his works.

Prof. Kurup said that when he was a youngster, Kollam was a prime centre for writers. Novelists like S.K. Pottekkad and Uroob were part of that fraternity, which inspired youngsters like him. “Sadly, that kind of writers' fraternity does not exist anymore,” he said.

At the function, Mayor Prasanna Earnest launched a website on Hanif's literary contributions. Social activist and former editor of ‘Janayugam' Thengamam Balakrishan spoke. The function, organised by the Nooranad Hanif Anusmarana Samithy, was presided over by its patron B.A. Rajakrishnan.

Source - The Hindu

VS to open nursing school building

A building to house the N.S. Memorial Nursing School at Palathara in the city will be inaugurated by Leader of the Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan on Sunday.

The nursing school is a unit of the Kollam District Cooperative Hospital Society, which also runs the N.S. Hospital.

President of the society M. Gangadhara Kurup said the building for the nursing school was constructed at a cost of Rs.2 crore. It has facilities to accommodate 200 students. The society intends starting B.Sc. Nursing course next year.

The institutions were established in memory of CPI(M) leader N. Sreedharan who died in a car accident in February 1985.

Mr. Kurup said the hospital was founded to provide quality medical treatment at affordable rates to the common man. CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat had inaugurated it in March 2006 .

Mayor Prasanna Earnest, A.A. Azeez, MLA; and district panchayat president R. Gopalakrishna Pillai will attend the Sunday's function.

A State-level annual conference of the Indian Institute of Architects (IIA) will be held here on August 13.

Christened ‘Spectrum-2011,' the theme of the conference is ‘design through innovation technology.'

Vastu Sastra experts Palinda Knnangara from Sri Lanka, Vimal Jain from Bangalore, and Tarun Walecha from Delhi will present papers.

Source - The Hindu

JUMBO CIRCUS Back to Kollam...

JUMBO CIRCUS Back to Kollam...


Jumbo Circus started at Cantontment Maidan



Highlight of the show is the variety program by Manipuri team



Acrobat, Summersault Balance 3I Pyramid Act and Chair Acrobat are the variety items



African group to perform adventurous items such as Human Pyramid, Limbo Dance, and Fire Eating



Russian Group to perform Duet Acrobatics



22 year old Farvez Alam from Bihar to perform his mesmerizing items


http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/672/jumbocircusinkollamcity.jpg

Water in Ashtamudi Lake contaminated

A recent study has concluded that the pollution level of groundwater near the solid waste dumping site of the Kollam City Corporation at Kureepuzha has reached alarming proportions.

The study, conducted by the Zoology Department of Fatima Mata National College and the Environmental Sciences Department of the University of Kerala, was published in the latest edition of the Research Journal of Chemistry and Environment. The team was led by Sherly Williams and comprised Razeena Karim and D.S. Jaya. The study reports severe bacterial contamination of open wells in the vicinity of the site, caused by leachates from garbage.

‘Boil for 20 minutes'

The study proposes that people should drink water from these wells only after boiling it for at least 20 minutes. High physico-chemical and bacteriological contamination was recorded in the water of Ashtamudi Lake course along the waste dumping site.

Since the wells in the area are the chief source of potable water, those living near the dumping site are vulnerable to water-borne diseases. Leachate reduces the oxygen content in the water, posing a threat to the aquatic life of the lake.

While the Corporation estimates that 108 metric tonnes of solid waste is generated each day in the city, waste quantification and characterisation surveys conducted in the city as part of the study puts the figure at about 164 metric tonnes.

A significant portion of the waste is dumped on the streets or open collection points, causing severe pollution in the city. Only about 18 per cent of the waste reaches the Kureepuzha dumping site. Since there is no waste treatment system in the city, the entire solid waste collected is dumped at this site. In fact, waste collected in the past several years lay accumulated at the site.

Dr. Williams said that the team is conducting further studies to assess hazard to various aquatic life in Ashtamudi Lake near the dumping site.

Male members of the Brahmin community here observed the annual Avani Avittam ritual at the Anandawalleshwaram temple precincts on Saturday.

The changing of the sacred thread was held on the banks of the temple pond.

The Avani Avittam ritual primarily involves the changing of the sacred thread (poonool), and is observed on the full moon day of the Sravana month in the Hindu calendar or the Tamil month of Avani. Avittam is one of the 27 stars and falls on this day. The changing of the sacred thread symbolises a new beginning and renewal of the Brahmins' pledge to maintain their Vedic duties to society. The ceremony is in the nature of penance for the lapses that may have occurred during the year which has gone by.

Also known as Upakarma or the beginning, the day reminds the Brahmin community of the spiritual significance of the sacred thread. They offer libations of water to their ancestors and great seers (rishis). Devotees believe that it is on this day that Lord Hayagriva, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, brought back the Vedas that were stolen by the demons to Lord Brahma. The ritual symbolises the permission to study the Vedas.

Swimmer Renauld Baby's adventerous Swimming performance will take place at Ashtamudi Lake near Dalavapuram in the city outskirts today. Renauld's attempt is to break the Limca Book of World Records..

The performance will take place at the Pallikodi - dalavapram stretch of Ashtamudi Lake.

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Adarsh is the Asianet Munch Star Singer Junior

Munch Star Singer Junior grand finale was held recently at Nishagandhi , Thiruvananthapuram. Several prominent persons from the film industry and socio- cultural spheres were present on the occasion A galaxy of performers entertained the audience.

Adarsh from Kollam was declared winner of Munch Star Singer Junior, Vishnu from Malappuram is the first runner-up, Vaishahi from Kollam was declared second runner-up & last but not the least, Yedu Krishnan from Ernakulam and Parvathy from Ernakulam secured the third & Fourth runners-ups spot in the grand finale.

The jury comprised famous play back singers P.Unnikrishnan, G.Venugopal and Sujatha.

Film Stars like Jayaram,Jagathi Sreekumar,Navya Nair,Ananya, Meera Nandan,Sona Nair and Asianet Managing Director K.Madhavan added a dash of glamour to the show.

Munch Star Singer Junior winner Adarsh got 50 lakh worth Flat sponsored by Flair Alliance. 10 lakh is won by first runner up Vishnu. Second runner up Vaishahi got 2 lakh rupees. Yedu Krishnan got 1.5lakhs and Parvathy won lakh rupees respectively.

Source - Mathrubhoomi (http://www.mathrubhumi.com/kollam/news/1115125-local_news-Kollam-കൊല്ലം.html)

O. Madhavan commemoration

The sixth death anniversary of dramatist O. Madhavan will be observed here on August 19.

The programmes will begin by paying floral tributes to the dramatist at the O. Madhavan Smrithi Mandapam at Pattathanam in the morning.

A commemoration meeting will be inaugurated by Mayor Prasanna Earnest. Film actor Mukesh, Madhavan's son and chairman of the O. Madhavan Foundation, said the foundation would hand over to the Mayor the amount required for erecting a statue of Madhavan, at the meeting. The Mayor will in turn hand over the amount to sculptor Anchalumoodu Suresh. The city Corporation had taken a decision to install the statue at the Kappalandimukku junction where the Asramam four-lane road meets National Highway 47. The meeting will be followed by the staging of the drama Swantham Lekhakan .

Residents of Kureepuzha area in the city said they were compelled to resist the dumping of solid waste at the Kureepuzha dumping site of the Kollam City Corporation in the larger interests of their health.

The resistance is under the banner of the Human Rights and Environment Protection Council.

Council leaders N. Sathyapalan and Manalil K. Santosh said the oppressive stench from the dumping site was stifling the residents and accumulation of waste was polluting the land, air, and the entire Kureepuzha course of the Ashtamudi Lake.

They said they blocked the vehicles because the waste was being dumped in violation of CRZ norms and also because none of the nine assurance given by the civic body to the council at a meeting on July 6 had been implemented so far.

As per directions from the CRZ authorities to the Kollam Corporation, the garbage should be dumped 100 meters away from the lake. But the dumping continued to be done in violation of these norms.

Source - The Hindu (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article2367904.ece)

Water in Ashtamudi Lake contaminated

A recent study has concluded that the pollution level of groundwater near the solid waste dumping site of the Kollam City Corporation at Kureepuzha has reached alarming proportions.

The study, conducted by the Zoology Department of Fatima Mata National College and the Environmental Sciences Department of the University of Kerala, was published in the latest edition of the Research Journal of Chemistry and Environment. The team was led by Sherly Williams and comprised Razeena Karim and D.S. Jaya. The study reports severe bacterial contamination of open wells in the vicinity of the site, caused by leachates from garbage.

‘Boil for 20 minutes'

The study proposes that people should drink water from these wells only after boiling it for at least 20 minutes. High physico-chemical and bacteriological contamination was recorded in the water of Ashtamudi Lake course along the waste dumping site.

Since the wells in the area are the chief source of potable water, those living near the dumping site are vulnerable to water-borne diseases. Leachate reduces the oxygen content in the water, posing a threat to the aquatic life of the lake.

While the Corporation estimates that 108 metric tonnes of solid waste is generated each day in the city, waste quantification and characterisation surveys conducted in the city as part of the study puts the figure at about 164 metric tonnes.

A significant portion of the waste is dumped on the streets or open collection points, causing severe pollution in the city. Only about 18 per cent of the waste reaches the Kureepuzha dumping site. Since there is no waste treatment system in the city, the entire solid waste collected is dumped at this site. In fact, waste collected in the past several years lay accumulated at the site.

Dr. Williams said that the team is conducting further studies to assess hazard to various aquatic life in Ashtamudi Lake near the dumping site.

Tourism Ministers from the southern states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka and the union territories of Puducherry, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep will meet in Kollam Saturday-Sunday to chalk out joint strategies.

The second Southern Regional Conference of Tourism Ministers 'will chalk out strategies to attract foreign tourists to south India in a big way through joint initiatives. Kerala Tourism will also explore possibilities of launching joint programmes with other states besides draw up a plan to link the employment guarantee scheme with the responsible tourism projects,' Kerala Tourism Minister A.P. Anilkumar said Thursday.

The event would be inaugurated by Union Tourism Minister Subodh Kant Sahay and would be addressed by Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.

'The conference will discuss the possibilities of launching inter-state tourism circuits with the help of private players. The states will explore cooperation in human resources development in the hospitality sector through skill development, skill certification and broad-basing of education,' said Kerala Tourism director Rani George.

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Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan inaugurated The Raviz, a five-star hotel with seven-star facilities, on the banks of the Ashtamudi Lake in Kollam at a function on Friday evening.

In his inaugural address, Shahrukh Khan said the inauguration of the hotel marked a step forward to make Kollam a tourism hot spot of the globe.

The world deserves to see such a wonderful place, he said. The hotel will showcase the attractions of Kollam.

Shahrukh Khan said whenever he visited Kerala, he had a wonderful time and thrilling moments. In a lighter vein, he said in Kochi he did not have a good time as his cricket team was beaten by the Kochi Tuskers in the IPL edition. “Next time, my team will defeat the Tuskers,” he said.

The Bollywood star it would be a pleasure to do a film in Kollam. “I will definitely come here with my family.”

While dedicating The Raviz property, Union Minister for Tourism Subodh Kant Sahay announced that his Ministry would allocate Rs. 25 lakh for the President's Trophy boat race, to held on the Ashtamudi Lake on August 30.

President Pratibha Patil's visit to Kollam on August 30 would give a boost to promoting Kollam as a tourist destination, he said.

Mr. Sahay said efforts would be taken to ensure that at least half the number of foreign tourists who arrive in the country would visit Kerala too. He called upon the State government to plan its tourism projects accordingly.

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy inaugurated the function. Union Minister for Civil Aviation Vayalar Ravi delivered the keynote address.

The logo of the hotel was launched by actor Mohanlal. Kollam MP Peethambara Kurup welcomed the gathering and Chairman and Managing Director of the hotel B. Ravi Pillai proposed a vote of thanks.

Source - The Hindu (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article2375110.ece)

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Picture Courtesy - Sreerag Sudhakaran

Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan has said that the cause behind the agitation launched by Anna Hazare is so fantastic that it is beyond his capacity to comment.

He was addressing a press conference here on Friday. He arrived here to inaugurate a five star hotel, The Raviz.

Mr. Khan said that everyone would agree that there should be no corruption in the country. “Corruption is the worst stigma a country can have. Corruption in the country has become so huge that we all support anti-corruption movements. But then there are so many aspects to it. It involves even Constitutional aspects. Now that the movement is on the streets we should ensure that it does not die.”

He said more than getting involved in any kind of activism, Bollywood and the film industry of the country should involve in entertainment. “Entertainment should be looked upon as enrichment of the mind. Therefore, one needs to entertain people in all possible ways.”

He said the most accomplished and finest film-makers in the country were in the Malayalam film industry. “There is no better film-making State in this country than Kerala.” Actors Mammootty and Mohanlal had given him some fine tips on good acting and he gained a lot through that, Mr. Khan said.

He disagreed to the notion that Bollywood alone represented the Indian film industry abroad. “We speak of producing 900 films in the country annually and not just 200 Hindi films.”

Mr. Khan said that recently he visited Japan and he was tremendously moved to see “people of that country going gaga over Rajinikant Sir.”

Source - The Hindu (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article2375098.ece)

M Mukundan inaugrated the shooting of the Photo Exhibition part of Kollam Fest 2011 in November @ Ashramam.

Film star Mukesh and Mayor Prasanna Earnest were present at the occassion.

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Source - Mathrubhoomi (http://www.mathrubhumi.com/kollam/news/1115125-local_news-Kollam-കൊല്ലം.html)

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Indian President Prathibha Devi Singh Patil will visit the city on August 29. She will inaugrate the inaugral President's Trophy Boat Race at Ashtamudi Lake on August 30th.

High security to be implemented at Ashramam Helipad, the 5-start hotel where the president stays, the backwater coast. The road from Ashramam Helipad to the 5-star hotel through which the president travels will be secured using barricades.

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A 24-hour Child Helpline (Call 1098) is introduced at Kollam for children requiring care and protection.

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Superstar Mohan Lal and Bollywood superstar Sharukh Khan together inaugrated the Logo of the inaugral Kollam Fest to be held at the Ashramam maidan in Novemeber.

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The city police commissioner has said that the Parvathy Mill compound near Convent junction will be used for parking during Onam to reduce the traffic problems in the city. Various measures and steps have been taken to control the traffic in the city during Onam.

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Picture Courtesy - Navjot

The rally to herald the President's Trophy Boat Race, to be held on Ashtamudi Lake on August 30, will begin from Oachira on August 28. The rally, which will showcase the President's Trophy, will be flagged off by Mavelikara MP Kodikunnil Suresh at 9 a.m.

On the first day, it will pass through Karunagapally, Sasthamcotta, Kundara, Kottarakara, Punalur, and Ayur. On the second day, it will pass through Palikkal, Paripally, Paravur, and Kottiyam to reach Kollam where it will be accorded a formal reception at Anandawalleshwaram by an official team led by A.A. Azeez, MLA.

Elaborate security involving Central and State agencies has been put in place for the visit of President Pratibha Patil on August 30.

The President is arriving to witness the maiden President's Trophy Boat Race on Ashtamudi Lake that day.

Police officials said security would be tight in the city and surrounding areas during the President's visit. There would be frequent security drills.

On Wednesday, security personnel inspected the helipad at the Asramam Maidan.

The road by which the President will travel from the helipad to the hotel she stays was inspected by the security agencies.

From the helipad, the President's convoy will take the Chinnakada road and reach the hotel through the High School junction- Kadavur road. Barricades will be erected on either side of the road through which the President travels.

As part of the arrangements, security drills will be undertaken in the city, at the hotel and at the venue of the boat race. The location of the pavilion to be constructed for the President to witness the boat race was also inspected.

The security inspection was conducted by officers from the Intelligence Bureau, Superintendent of Police (State Intelligence), Superintendent of Police (State Security), City Police Commissioner T.J. Jose, and Assistant Police Commissioner B. Krishna Kumar.

Senior officers from the Intelligence Bureau and the National Security Guards will be in Kollam in the coming days.

Meanwhile, dredging work to increase the depth of the race course is progressing, according to reports.

A handicrafts and handloom products exhibition and sales organised by the Gujarat Emporium began at the Jawahar Bal Bhavan auditorium here on Wednesday.

The show is sponsored by the Development Commission of Handicrafts with a grant of Rs.2.25 lakh. Emporium manager A. Arunachalam said the show offered a rebate of 20 per cent on all handloom products and 10 per cent on handicraft products. Products from various other States are also available at the show. The emporium targets a sale of products worth Rs.20 lakh through the show.

Labour Minister Shibu Baby John on Wednesday launched the NIIT NGuru Math Lab and the NIIT MindChampions' Academy at the Sabarigiri Residential School in Anchal near here.

The Math Lab is a novel concept which enables students to learn and explore mathematical concepts and verify mathematical facts and theorems using multiple teaching and learning aids.

The NIIT MindChampions' Academy, a joint initiative by Grand Master Viswanathan Anand and NIIT Limited, promotes chess in schools to enable development of young minds. Studies have shown that chess improves concentration, thus helping students perform better academically.

Established in 2002, the Academy has fostered over 11,000 chess clubs with more than one million students as its members in schools across India.

Source - The Hindu (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article2395200.ece)

The Sree Sathya Sai Seva Organisation is conducting a workshop on ‘Self-empowerment and institutional excellence' at 10 a.m. on August 27 at Hotel Nani here. N. Peethambara Kurup, MP, will inaugurate the programme.

Management expert Vijay Menon will deliver the keynote address.

Source - The Hindu (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article2398902.ece)

President's Trophy will be formally brought here tomorrow from the Rashtrapathi Bhavan

President Pratibha Devisingh Patil will arrive here on August 29 for a three-day visit to witness the maiden President's Trophy Boat Race to be held on August 30 on the Ashtamudi Lake.

District Collector P.G. Thomas said here on Thursday that the President would arrive at the Asramam helipad at 5.15 p.m. from Thiruvananthapuram.

Kollam Mayor Prasanna Earnest had called on the President at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday and formally invited her to witness the boat race. During the meeting, the Mayor presented a memento to the President on behalf of the people of Kollam city. Deputy Mayor G. Lalu accompanied the Mayor.

On her arrival in Kollam, the President will be formally received at the helipad by Ms. Earnest, N. Peethambara Kurup, MP, Ministers from the district, and the District Collector.

Mr. Thomas said the President would then move by road to ‘The Raviz' where she would stay with her immediate entourage. The Collector said 54 rooms had been booked in the hotel for the purpose.

The President has no engagements on the first day of her arrival. On August 30 morning, the President will leave for Kottayam to address a function there. She will return to Kollam in the afternoon and witness the final of the boat race from the VVIP pavilion close to the finishing point near the KSRTC depot. The President will be at the boat race venue for an hour. She will stay back for the night here and will leave for Thiruvananthapuram by helicopter the next day morning.

The President's Trophy to be given to the winning team will be formally brought here on August 27 from the Rashtrapathi Bhavan by President's secretary Christy Fernandez.

The trophy will be taken around the district in a cultural rally for two days. The rally will begin from Ochira on August 28.

Ashtamudi means eight locks of hair and it symbolises the eight creeks of Ashtamudi Lake. In order to lend colour to the boat race, a fleet of ornamental boats will set sail from each creek on August 28 and will arrive at the boat race course by 4 p.m. The eight creeks are at Thevally, Kandachira, Kureepuzha, Thekkumbhagam, Kallada, Perumon, Kumbalam, and Kanjiracode.

As a prelude to the race, a banana boat ride will be held at the race course on August 28 and 29. These are inflatable boats in the shape of a banana hauled by a motor boat. Adventure riders sit on top of the inflatable boats and sail through the waters experiencing a speed boat effect.

The programme is being organised jointly by Goa-based National Institute of Water Sports and Delhi-based Annals Sports and Leisure Management (ASLM) India Limited. ASLM director Abdulla Maliekkal said the programme was being organised both as a promotion exercise for the boat race and to attract younger generation to water sports.

Kollam Gears Up to Welcome The President

Kollam is gearing up to receive the President of India. The President is due to arrive here on August 29 to attend the inaugural President’s Trophy Boat Race at Ashtamudi Lake on August 30. Various departments would work in coordination to accord a warm welcome to the President and to beef up the security. A special pavilion will be erected for the President and other VIPs. Pavilions will be set up on all the five banks of the lake, among which four will be for general public and one for the rowers. The city will be cleaned up and decorated with illuminations as part of the event. The Collector has issued instructions to set up barricades and strengthen security at Asramam helipad, at the hotel where the President stays, boat race venue and on the banks of the lake. A special team led by senior police officers will be charge of the security. A medical team consisting of specialist doctors with ambulance facility has also been arranged.

Visit http://kollamcity.in/presidents-trophy-boat-race for more details.

Labour Minister Shibu Baby John on Wednesday launched the NIIT NGuru Math Lab and the NIIT MindChampions' Academy at the Sabarigiri Residential School in Anchal near here.



Thats my school... Thats were i did my entire schooling.....:) And i came to know that the winner of munch star singer is from my school too...

National Museum, New Delhi, Curator Vijay Kumar Mathur, on Saturday, assessed the preliminary work on the People's Museum being set up in the city.

The museum is among the projects proposed to be implemented using proceeds of the Kollam Fest which will begin here on November 1.

Mayor Prasanna Earnest had called on National Museum Director-General C.V. Ananda Bose in New Delhi recently and discussed the project.

Mr. Bose, who had served as District Collector in Kollam years ago, had reportedly evinced keen interest, provided the civic body found land and buildings for it.

Ms. Earnest said a colonial building near the SMP Palace had been earmarked and the same was inspected by Dr. Mathur.



The Hindu (http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/kerala/article2403547.ece)

Inauguration on 31st at 4:30 pm by the mayor..

Source: Deepika E paper

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Kollam Fest 2011 which is scheduled to commence on 1st November is to use an annual festival of the kind ,attracting a vast majority of Keralites and hundreds of domestic and foreign tourists to Kollam. The Kollam Corporation, the District Adminstration and the public of Kollam are going to make the one month long Kollam Fest a trend setting one. The class cultutral programmes in the evenings are sure to make the fest entertaining and memorable. Kollam Fest is an initiative of Corporation of Kollam backed by State and Central Government, local bodies of Kollam district and general public.

More details at http://kollamcity.in/kollam-fest

Thats my school... Thats were i did my entire schooling.....:) And i came to know that the winner of munch star singer is from my school too...

Thats great to know, Navjot. It is one of the best schools in Kollam district. As Anchal and surrounding regions are becoming a nursary of world class talents such as Rasool Pookutty, Rajiv Anhcal, Music stalwart Raveendran Masterand now the young prodigy such as Adarsh from Sabarigiri Residential School following their footsteps to make Anchal and our district proud.

Good going Sabarigiri Residential School and Anchal.

KOLLAM:President Pratibha Patil will arrive here on Monday as part of her three-day visit to Kerala. Officials said that the President would arrive at the Asramam helipad at 5.15 p.m. She will be welcomed by Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishanan at the helipad. Ministers Shibu Baby John and GaneshKumar, N Peethambara Kurup MP, Mayor, District Collector and City Police Commissioner will also be present at the helipad. A 41-member team, including President’s husband Devi Singh Shekhavat, officials and mediapersons will accompany the President.

President will leave for Kottayam on Tuesday at 11.30 a.m. to attend a function of the Kottayam Catholic Diocese.

The President will return to Kollam by 2 p.m. and witness the finals of the President’s Trophy Boat Race (PTBR), from 4.30 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. and would stay back in the city for the night. On Wednesday, the President will leave for Thiruvananthapuram in helicopter. She will inaugurate the IGNOU centre in Thiruvananthapuram.

Elaborate arrangements have been planned to receive President Pratibha Devisingh Patil who will arrive here in the evening on August 29 for a three-day stay.

As part of the security measures, the KSRTC Kollam depot will be temporarily shifted to QAC Maidan from the afternoon of August 29 till the President leaves the district. This is because the finishing point of the President's Trophy boat race is in the immediate proximity of the KSRTC depot. The President will be witnessing the boat race along with her husband Devisingh Shekawat. She will be at the venue for an hour, according to the schedule.

The decision to shift the depot was taken at a high-level meeting on Friday presided over by the District Collector to plan the security arrangements. The Kollam abattoir, which is not far away from the KSRTC depot, will remain closed from August 27 for security reasons.

The President's immediate entourage will comprise 41 persons and all of them will be staying at ‘The Raviz'. They include Lt. Gen. A.K. Bakshi, physician Parvathy Singh, secretaries, personal assistants, and the President's cook.

The facilities at the hotel will be under the direct management of the Tourism Department.

KOLLAM:President Pratibha Patil will arrive here on Monday as part of her three-day visit to Kerala. Officials said that the President would arrive at the Asramam helipad at 5.15 p.m. She will be welcomed by Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishanan at the helipad. Ministers Shibu Baby John and GaneshKumar, N Peethambara Kurup MP, Mayor, District Collector and City Police Commissioner will also be present at the helipad. A 41-member team, including President’s husband Devi Singh Shekhavat, officials and mediapersons will accompany the President.

President will leave for Kottayam on Tuesday at 11.30 a.m. to attend a function of the Kottayam Catholic Diocese.

The President will return to Kollam by 2 p.m. and witness the finals of the President’s Trophy Boat Race (PTBR), from 4.30 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. and would stay back in the city for the night. On Wednesday, the President will leave for Thiruvananthapuram in helicopter. She will inaugurate the IGNOU centre in Thiruvananthapuram.

Labour Minister Shibu Baby John launched three eco-friendly products of Coirfed at a function here on Saturday.

The products are, PVC-tufted mat, coco spine, and roll-up mattress.

Addressing the gathering, district panchayat president R. Gopalakrishna Pillai said the market trend was not for cheap products but quality products.

The website on Ashtamudi lake is:

http://www.ashtamudilake.com/

The website on Ashtamudi lake is:

http://www.ashtamudilake.com/

Nice website. BTW, This website was launched around 2 years ago. I had already posted the link to the website on the Kollam Tourism thread then.

Here's a website having a good collection of some beautiful pictures of Ashtamudi lake

http://ashtamudilake.com

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=44783774&postcount=336

KOLLAM: Hopes are high for champions at the Nehru Trophy champions held at the Punnamada Lake, as they compete at the PTBR, before the home crowd. The Jesus Boat Club, Kollam, powered by the young and energetic sons of the Ashtamudi Lake, has earned the district a place in the snake boat competitions dominated by Alappuzha and Kottayam districts. Starting as the favourites in the race, they are expected to get maximum support from the Quilionite crowd.

JBC has the distinction of being the first boat club from the southern Travancore to lift the prestigious Nehru Trophy, when they won it in 2008. The success was repeated in 2009 and in 2011.

At a practice session at the PTBR race course on Monday, the JBC rowers seemed and excited lot. They were sliced through the Patron of the club Rev P Raju, said that there are few changes in the team which won the Nehru Trophy. Few ‘amarakkar’ have left us and we have replaced them,he said. The season began on bad note for the team as they were disqualified for a track violation at the Chamapkulam Moolam boat race, after being declared as winners initially.

The Nehru trophy finals too led to some disputes between rowers. Both the races were decided in photo finishes. Following the victory at Nehru Trophy team had dedicated several days practising rigorously at their camp at Kureepuzha parish hall. At PTBR, the team will be led by George D Kattil. Kattil told Express that they expect the best from the team at the President’s Trophy and it would be an honour to lift the first edition of the PTBR held in Kollam.

President Pratibha Patil arrived here on Monday for a three-day visit to the state.

After exchanging pleasantries with the dignitaries at Trivandrum airport, the President and her entourage left for Kollam in three helicopters by 5 p.m.

The President will attend programmes in Kollam, Kottayam and Thiruvananthapuram during stay in the state.

According to the itinerary, the President will stay at Hotel Raviz in Kollam on Monday and Tuesday. She will leave for Kottayam at 11.15 am on Tuesday by air and reach Kottayam at 11.50 am.

After inaugurating the valedictory of the centenary celebrations of the Archdiocese of Kottayam, the President will fly back to Kollam at 1 pm and reach there at 1.45 pm. After having her lunch and taking rest at the Raviz hotel, the President will launch the President’s Trophy Boat Race (PTBR) at 4.30 pm.

On Wednesday at 10.25 a.m. She will reach here and proceed to lay the foundation stone for the IGNOU southern regional campus at a function to be held at Kanakakunnu Palace. The President will leave for New Delhi at 12.15 p.m.

Cutting through the 1.1-km-long race track on the Ashtamudi Lake with captivating speed, the Sree Ganesh snake-boat of Saint Francis Boat Club, Kollam, won the maiden President's Trophy and a cash prize of Rs.1 lakh.

The boat's oarsmen were thrilled as they defeated this year's Nehru Trophy winner, Devas , of Jesus Boat Club, Kollam, in the finals.

The races began on an exciting note, watched by thousands of spectators from the banks of the lake. But a heavy downpour, when the finals were about to start, dampened the spirit. The oarsmen, however, did not belie the expectations of the spectators and gave their best.

Sixteen snake boats took part in the event, and the four finalists were selected from four heats. Devas came second and got a cash prize of Rs.75,000, and Anari Chundan of Thiruvarpu Boat Club, Kottayam, came third and took home Rs.50,000. The four finalists were given a bonus of Rs.1.5 lakh each.

Though Karichal of Sangham Kannetti, Karunagapally, the 13-time winner of the Nehru Trophy, came first in the fourth heats, the boat was disqualified for cutting across the track. Anari Chundan , which came second in the heats, thus entered the finals.

The winners in the races of Veppu ‘A' and ‘B' grade boats and the Iruttukuthi grade boats were also given cash prizes.

Old tradition

President Pratibha Patil inaugurated the race. She arrived at the venue soon after the heats.

In her address, the President said that boat races were an old tradition in Kerala, a part of the social, economic, religious, and cultural life of its people.

Ms. Patil said she was glad that the race here was launched with the active participation of people and the support of the Union and the State governments. She commended the organisers, particularly N. Peethambara Kurup, MP.

The President expressed the hope that a spirit of unity and determination would encourage the organisers to conduct the race every year on a particular day with more vigour and participation, taking it to the level of an internationally reputable event.

Delivering the keynote address, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said that participating in the launch of the boat race was witnessing a historic moment. This was because the Nehru Trophy Boat Race in Alappuzha, launched by the former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, was now a big event in the country.

He said there was no doubt that the President's Trophy Boat Race launched by the President herself would soon become a major event in the country. The State government would extend all help for its conduct in the coming years.

On behalf of the people of Kollam, Mayor Prasanna Earnest handed over a memento to the President.

Ms. Patil presented the President's Trophy and the cash prize in cheque to the captain of the Sree Ganesh boat, K. Arun Kumar. Mr. Peethambara Kurup welcomed the gathering.

President of India Prathibha Patil was really impressed with the hospitality & beauty of Kollam and the enthusiasm and passion Kollamaites showed to make the inaugral President's Trophy Boat Race (PTBR) a huge success despite heavy rain.

Prathibha Patil said the city of Kollam is one of the oldest Arabian coast port cities in India. Currently, Kollam is one of the important commercial and industrial cities in Kerala.

She said the hospitality of Kollam in receiving guests is also well known.

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“Sree Ganesh” lifted the first President’s trophy for boat race
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Mass Drill near the Kollam City Boat Terminal Premises
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Kerala is known as ‘God’s Own Country‘ on the world tourist map and according to the National Geographic Traveler magazine Kerala is one of the “ten paradises of the world” and “50 places of a lifetime“. Last one to get smitten by the unmistakable charm of Kerala is none other than King Khan (SRK). He was in Kerala to inaugurate a Hotel namely Raviz, in Kollam and the high profile event had the Kerala super star Mohanlal and state ministers sharing stage with SRK. King khan was so smitten by the beauty that he shared couple of pictures on twitter.

Courtesy - HindiFilmNews

Enchanted by Kollam, she asked her secretary to take some photos and video-graphs of various locations in Kollam and also the hoardings welcoming her to the city. These she wanted to carry with her as memento.

Source (http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/kerala/article2414339.ece)

The pu blic forum of Kollam are planning to approach the court against the privatisation of the beach:bash::bash::bash::bash:

What is wrong in paying 5 bucks for the neat upkeep of the beach?? I recently read a foreign tourist who visited the city in feb 11, complaining about the beach being dirty.........



This is frustrating. why do ppl oppose dvlpmt?????:bash::bash::bash:

The pu blic forum of Kollam are planning to approach the court against the privatisation of the beach:bash::bash::bash::bash:

What is wrong in paying 5 bucks for the neat upkeep of the beach?? I recently read a foreign tourist who visited the city in feb 11, complaining about the beach being dirty.........



This is frustrating. why do ppl oppose dvlpmt?????:bash::bash::bash:

Absolutely, Navjot. I just cannot understand why the people cannot afford Rs 5 for this. First of all our people are so irresponsible and keep the beach dirty littering the space. They do not want to pay Rs 5 for keeping it clean. They have enough money to boose and fag. This is problem in Kerala in general.

In Bangalore most of the big public parks are paid ones and fees is much higher than in Kerala. But I have not heard anybody compalining about it.

I know how much a Bangloorean pay for toll fees for roads as well. They have no issues. But in Kerala we want everything free but have no responsibility in keeping the beaches or tourist spaces litter free and clean.:bash:

The postponed inaugration of the Renovated Kollam Beach will be conducted today evening. There will be no fees to enter the Kollam Beach. A fee of Rs 5 will be charged to enter the MG Park. Children below 3 years do not require any ticket and the entry is free.


Renovated MG Park will be inaugrated by Mayor Prasanna Earnest



Children's Park @ Beach will be inaugrated by Kollam MP Peethambara Kuruppu



Observatory centre will be inaugrated by Kollam MLA PK Gurudasan



Boating Facility will be inaugrated by Iravipuram MLA AA Azeez



Musical Fountain will be inaugrated by collector PG Thomas



Swimming Pool will be inaugrated by City Police Commissioner TJ Jose

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Picture Courtesy - Navjot

Gujarat Exhibition on Handloom & Handcraft items started as part of Onam fair at Jawahar Balabhavan at Kadapakkada in the City.

Handloom apparals are avaible with 20% discount while handcraft products with 10% discount.

The exhibition time is 10 AM to 8 PM till September 7th.

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Programs

Kollam Fest is destined to be the signature event in Kollam for year 2011 as well as the years to come.

National Exhibition

National Exhibition will have participation from different industry domains, Defence aero Space ministries and Tourism departments. International cultural programs and dazzling shows like live statue will be the highlight.

Cultural Programs

A platform for the countries foremost artists coming together to showcase their talents.

Big ticket Star Nites

Star studded event with participation from Bollywood, Sandalwood, Tollywood, Collywood & Mollywood

Traditional-Ethnic Arts Festival

Organize arts festival with a estranged national art forms by having folk lore fest, presenting ethnic other art forms

Seminars

Hosted and participated by News makers in the country and across the globe.

Entertainment and amusement

National / International programs, high voltage amusement kiosk for the kids and for the youth.

Magic Fest

The best of India’s screen magicians together with the magicians of international reputes will present their master pieces.

Film Fest

World famous movies will be premiered along with Molly-wood’s best. A green carpet ceremony for the Who is who of the film industry is the highlight.

Drama Fest

The fest aims to constitute an award in the name of the late Renowned actor O.Madhavan for the best professional theatre group in Kerala.

Book Fest

Book releases, book reading and signing session with celebrity authors. Showcases national/international publication houses.

Art Gallery

Eminent Indian painters will brush and color their works in the festivals zone. The works will be curated and exhibited in the fest art gallery.

Photo gallery

Page 3 Shutterbugs, professionals, men of crafts, come together and bloating up the beauty of Kollam.

400 pavilions @ the gigantic Ashramam Maidan

The event would have 400 AC and non AC stalls and pavilions. Many public sector undertakings and departments of the Central and State governments would put up stalls.

Ship journey from Kollam Port, Horse Riding, Boating, Seminars on IT and lots of fun are in the agenda.

Seminars on environment, industry, education, health, media, women empowerment, and information technology.

Kollam Fest Website - http://www.kollamfest.com (http://www.kollamfest.com/aboutfest.html)

Superstar Mohan Lal and Bollywood superstar Sharukh Khan together inaugrated the Logo of the inaugral Kollam Fest to be held at the Ashramam maidan in Novemeber.
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Source - The Hindu

u r right, they have money for everything but cant afford Rs5/-. I think its more a political stunt than kollamites interest. Absolutely, Navjot. I just cannot understand why the people cannot afford Rs 5 for this. First of all our people are so irresponsible and keep the beach dirty littering the space. They do not want to pay Rs 5 for keeping it clean. They have enough money to boose and fag. This is problem in Kerala in general.

In Bangalore most of the big public parks are paid ones and fees is much higher than in Kerala. But I have not heard anybody compalining about it.

I know how much a Bangloorean pay for toll fees for roads as well. They have no issues. But in Kerala we want everything free but have no responsibility in keeping the beaches or tourist spaces litter free and clean.:bash:

The fourth annual conference of the Paristhiti Samrakshana Ekopana Samithy will be held here on October 15. Open seminars will be held at five locations in the district as part of the meet. Teachers and students too can attend the organizing committee meeting to be held on September 17. For details, contact 9846865367.

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Mathrubhumi (http://www.mathrubhumi.com/kollam/news/1158353-local_news-karunagappalli-%E0%B4%95%E0%B4%B0%E0%B5%81%E0%B4%A8%E0%B4%BE%E0%B4%97%E0%B4%AA%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%AA%E0%B4%B3%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%B3%E0%B4%BF.html)

Deshabhimani reports that the all spruced up Kollam beach has become a popular hangout spot 4 ppl from far and wide, belonging to all age groups, with the beach packed with visitors even from other districts during onam days....


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Deshabhimani (http://www.deshabhimani.com/newscontent.php?id=58965)

I hope ppl develop an 'it's ours' ' feeling 4 the beach and cooperate to keep it clean.. My friends lament that ppl hav already started littering the footpaths of the Asramom 4lane rd..... :bash::bash: How can they do this?? After all it's all done for them.

The year-long golden jubilee celebrations of the Vimala Hridaya Girls Higher Secondary School will be inaugurated by Forest Minister K.B. Ganesh Kumar on September 17. The Minister will also inaugurate the golden jubilee block of the school.

The arts and cultural unit of the school will be inaugurated by film actor Bala. The first headmistress of the school Sister Immaculate Mary will be honoured at the function.

Kollam MP N. Peethambara Kurup will deliver the keynote address. The school started functioning in 1962. Now more than 5600 students are studying there. School principal Sister Daisy Mary said that to herald the golden jubilee celebrations, a cultural rally would be held on September 15.

Thiruvananthapuram, Sept. 14:

Saudi Arabia-based industrial contracting tycoon Dr Ravi Pillai is looking to acquire ‘more properties' owned by the Leela Group in India.

Dr Pillai confirmed he had entered into ‘preliminary talks' with the group in this connection, but refused to identify the properties by location.

Nor did he indicate the size of the deal. “It's too early to comment on these aspects,” Dr Pillai told Business Line on Wednesday.

Dr Pillai hit the headlines last month when he acquired the Leela, Kovalam property for Rs 500 crore.

He had entered into a separate deal that mandates that the Leela Group would run the property for the next ‘five to 10 years' and not 30, as he clarified.

He was also rumoured to be structuring a similar deal to buy the Leela beachfront luxury property in Chennai. He may not be done yet, if his ongoing talks are any indication.

In the meantime, Dr Pillai has launched ‘The Raviz', a five-star property in his hometown in neighbouring Kollam. Here too, he is toying with the idea of contracting The Leela to manage the property.

Dr Pillai began his acquisition spree from Kozhikode in north Kerala with the riverside resort ‘Kadavu'.

The serial entrepreneur is the founder-Managing Director of Nasser S. Al Hajri Corporation (NSH), amongst the largest construction contractors in entire West Asia.

He had earlier revealed to Business Line his plans to enter the petrochemicals sector in India in partnership with a major petrochemicals group.

In fact, he was approached by the ‘petrochemical giant' for joint initiatives in the domestic petrochemical sector. He refused to identify the company, citing a non-disclosure agreement.

The NSH employs 60,000 people and is the largest employer of Indians in Saudi Arabia. It boasts global players such as Exxon-Mobil, Chevron, Shell, ConocoPhilips, Chiyoda, Daelim and RasGas among its clients.

A 15-day crafts fair organised by the Kollam showroom of Kairali began at the Jawahar Bal Bhavan auditorium here on Wednesday.

Kairali is the emporium of Handicrafts Development Corporation of Kerala Ltd. Handicrafts and handloom products are on show.

Kashmir silk, Bengal, Orissa, Madruai, and Rajasthan saris, a wide variety of bed sheets, traditional Hyderabad ornaments, sandalwood products, leather products, and kitchen knives from Palakkad are on display. All purchases attract a rebate of 10 per cent. The show is open from 9.30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Source - The Hindu (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article2458112.ece)

Almost 32 years after world’s first test tube baby was born, Kollam witnessed the birth of its first test tube baby at 10:40 am on Wednesday. A young woman of Randamkutty near here gave birth to a female baby weighing 2.4 Kg at NS Institute of Medical Sciences. “The most modern ICSI (Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection) technique was used for the treatment in this case,” said Dr Harikumar who headed a team that conducted the procedures successfully.

“Assisted reproduction is the best option for those suffering from impotence. Studies have revealed the sperm count is deteriorating in southern states due to pollution and changing lifestyle,” he said. The mother had not been admitted at any time during the course of treatment. “The mother and the infant are doing well at hospital,” said a doctor. “Both of them are quite healthy.” At least 12 women who have undergone ICSI treatment are awaiting delivery in the hospital. The second delivery is expected next week. Hospital sources said couples have to spend Rs 1.5 lakh for the treatment.

Source - Deccan Chronicle (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/kochi/kollam-gets-its-first-test-tube-baby-501)

15 CDS selected for state awards

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Ten Community Development Societies (CDS) from rural areas and five from urban areas have been chosen for the state awards which carry a cash prize of 2.75 lakh each.

Thillankeri (Kannur), Nadathara (Thrissur), Nedumkandam (Idukki), Kumaramputhur (Palakkad), Kinalur-Karinthalam (Kasaragod), Edathala (Ernakulam), TV Puram (Kottayam), Karode (Thiruvananthapuram), Edavaka (Wayanad) and Sasthamcotta (Kollam) have been adjudged as the top 10 outstanding CDS from among the hundreds units working under the panchayats, Minister for Panchayats M K Muneer announced here on Tuesday.

Students cultivate Basmati rice in pots

While the concept of campus farms promoted by the Agriculture Department as part of the food security programme is gaining popularity all over the State, students and teachers of the Anchalumoodu Government Higher Secondary School near Kollam thought of trying a hand with basmati rice cultivation in pots.

Their attempts did not go waste. The potted basmati stalks are steadily changing from green to gold in colour and the sheaves have started drooping indicating that they are getting ready to be harvested. Renu C. Nair, Agriculture Officer of Thrikkadavur said that the harvest will be during the first week of October.

Ms. Nair said that Thrikkadavur is a panchayat with just two paddy fields and hardly any paddy farmers. In fact the student community of the area is largely ignorant about paddy cultivation. In such a situation when they came forward with the idea of basmati rice cultivation, it was warmly welcomed and supported by the Agriculture Department, she said.

Though it all began on an experimental basis, the spirit of a farmer was witnessed in the students. The paddy seedlings were transplanted on June 17 into fifty pots. The pots were spread out on the courtyard of the school. Though rainfall was copious, the crop did not get the measure of sunlight it requires.

This caused slight delay in the crop getting mature for harvest, said C.O. Hemalatha, Principal Agriculture Officer. “Had there been proper sunlight the crop could have been harvested in 90 days”. Organic farming was the medium used by the students. The school is preparing to conduct the harvest as a festival.

The programme has not only created awareness on paddy farming among the students but has also given confidence that basmati can promoted for upland paddy cultivation. The students also realized the fact that rice is an unusual and fun plant to grow in one’s garden.

Source - The Hindu (http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/kerala/article2473188.ece)

Teachers and students leave their motor vehicles at home

The Rotary Club of Quilon East observed Car-Free Day on Thursday by organising a cycle rally.

The rally was flagged by Mayor, Prasanna Earnest from the Anandawalleshwaram temple grounds at 8 a.m. and it concluded at the Kollam West Government Higher Secondary School grounds.

The rally was led by club president B. Harikumar and secretary K.S. Anilkumar. Members of the club and students from various schools participated in it.

The rally was also accompanied by roller skaters, musicians, tri-cycles and a horse cart.

After the rally, the club conducted a personality development class, career guidance, counselling for students and parents, blood group identification and a dental camp. The programmes would continue on Friday, Dr. Harikumar said.

Amrita University

The Amrita University observed the day by organising a cycle rally from Karunagapally to the university campus. According to a press release, the programme was part of the university's initiative for a “green tomorrow.” None of the students or teachers came by car or motor cycles on Thursday. They used the public transport system or cycles instead.

Source - The Hindu

The Neeravil Navodayam Library is launching an annual district-level photography competition in memory of noted photographer and drama actor K. Raveendran.

Amateur and press photographers can participate. The topic is ‘Jeevithathil ninnoru nimisham' (a moment from life). Only colour photographs will be considered. The winners will be given cash prizes. Details can be had on the phone: 04742703093 or 9446353792.

The Amrita University is pioneering a free online education initiative for college students.

The initiative, named Free All India Tuition Programme, is supported by the National Mission on Education Through Information Communication Technology under the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development.

Swami Amritaswarupananda Puri, vice-chairman of the Mata Amritanandamayi Math, said the pilot programme would cover Kerala and later extended to other States.

The programme would be launched on September 27 at a function to be organised at Amritapuri to celebrate the 58th birthday of Mata Amritanandamayi.

The programme would start with career guidance and subsequently other subjects would be added.

Praveen Bist, communications manager of Amrita E-Laerning Lab, said the programme would be available free of cost to all college students.

The Kerala State Water Transport Department's Kollam - Alleppy daily luxury boat service started yesterday and it costs Rs. 300 on one side. The boat service that starts simultaneoulsy from Kollam and Alleppy at 10:30 AM everyday and will arrive at Kollam city and Alleppy in the evening at 6 PM.

The Water Transport Corporation has said that necessary facilities and arrangements have been made in the boat for sight viewing and to enjoy the breeze.




SWTD to launch luxury boat service today

ALAPPUZHA: Confident of making a turnover of Rs 80 lakhs this tourism season, the state water transport department (SWTD) is all set to launch an Alappuzha-Kollam tourism boat service from Thursday. The SWTD, the provider of cost-efficient water transport in Kerala, will also launch a luxury boat service for tourists visiting Kuttanad from next month.

SWTD director Shaji V Nair told TOI that two double-decker luxury boats are already ready for launch. It was on February 8, 2010, the SWTD resumed its Alappuzha-Kollam service that was stopped over a decade ago.

The department got a good response from the tourists last year and reaped a handsome profit of Rs 60 lakh. "We are sure that over Rs 80 lakhs can be collected this year from this 80 km-long stretch which was a major route in the history of backwater cargo movement," the director said.

The luxury services will start from the Alappuzha and Kollam jettys simultaneously at 10.30am every day. The tourists will be able to see various places of historical like Karumadikuttan (Buddha statue) and Kumarakodi, the final resting place of the great Malayalam poet Kumaranasan at Pallana during the seven-hour journey. The boat services will also have stops at Thottappally, Thrikkunnapuzha coir village, Ayiramthengu, the Matha Amruthanandamayi ashram at Amrithapuri and Chavara.

The SWTD director said their boats, constructed using steel, have all modern facilities and has a capacity to carry 80 passengers with 20 seats on the upper deck. "A one-way trip will cost Rs 300. We will give a discount to those who book in advance," he said.

The SWTD is also planning to operate double-decker luxury boats in the Kuttanad region as a tourism-cum-passenger service by next month. The routine passengers will travel on the lower deck on tickets at normal rates. The upper deck, with modern facilities, will be reserved for tourists and the ticket rates will be higher," Nair said.

This initiative of the department aims at taking tourists , both foreign and domestic, to the interior regions of water-locked Kuttanad. The department will ply two double-decker boats from the Alappuzha boat jetty through the various parts of Kuttanad as a circular service. The tourists can enjoy the natural beauty of Kuttanad at very cheap rates. The boat will take holidaymakers to all nooks and corners of Kuttanad and also near the paddy fields where cultivation is undertaken below the sea level. The new project will benefit not only for the tourists but also for daily commuters, for they will additional trips apart from the existing ones. Houseboat owners` association president RR Joshiraj said the Kollam-Alappuzha boat service was a long standing demand of holidaymakers. "The association will give full support for this initiative of the SWTD," he said.

Source - Times of India (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/SWTD-to-launch-luxury-boat-service-today/articleshow/10074379.cms)

Lakhs of devotees and well-wishers from over 100 countries, including India, will be congregating at Amritapuri, Vallickavu, on September 27 to participate in the 58th birthday celebrations of Mata Amritanandamayi.

�To manage this mammoth gathering, the Math has made extensive arrangements for distribution of food and transport.

KOLLAM: The 58th birthday celebrations of Mata Amrithanandamayi will get underway on September 27 on the Amritapuri campus of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham near here.

The function will commence with a talk at 7.45 a.m. by Swami Amritaswarupananda, vice-chairman of Mata Amritanandamayi Math. This will be followed by Sri Padapuja. At 9 a m, Mata

Amritanandamayi will deliver a satsang to the audience. This will be followed by the launches of a series of several initiatives in areas of health, education, environment and charities.

One of the distressing health trends which has emerged in Kerala is the surge in the number of aged people who are sick and disabled, but have nobody from the family to take care of them while at home.

This alarming social phenomenon has prompted Mata Amritanandamayi Math to launch a pioneering initiative to create a cadre of 10,000 home nurses in Kerala, of which 1000 persons will undergo professional training immediately. The Home Nurse Initiative will be inaugurated by Maharashtra Governor K Sankaranarayanan. The training of home nurses will be imparted by the Amrita network of medical institutions. This will be a six-month free training programme inclusive of stay and food, with a stipend to each trainee.

Another initiative is a pioneering online education programme ‘Free all-India Tuition Programme’ for college students, based on a market research conducted in Kerala. The online programme is supported by the Union Ministry of Human Resources Development. Initially, the pilot programme will be launched in Kerala and will later be extended to other states. The free tuition programme will be transmitted through Amrita University’s award-winning e-Learning platform, A-VIEW (Amrita Virtual Interactive E-Learning World), developed by Amrita University. The initiative will be inaugurated by Union Minister of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Vilasrao Deshmukh. The all-India Amala Bharatam campaign launched by Mata Amritanandamayi Math involving students and volunteers from Amrita institutions and Mata Amritanandamayi Math to undertake cleaning works of public garbage and waste bins has completed one year.

As part of the anniversary celebrations which will coincide with the 58th birthday of Amma, hundreds of volunteers will take out a cycle rally from Kollam to Amritapuri on September 26 at 9 a.m. The rally is aimed at creating greater awareness about Amala Bharatam campaign and generate greater public participation on matters relating to public hygiene, sanitation, cleanliness, waste management through proper segregation and disposal procedures at the level of each household.

The rally which will cover 41 km will be flagged off by Kollam Mayor Prasanna Earnest and inaugurated by District Collector P G Thomas. Those participating in the cycle rally will en route perform a street play on ‘Cleanliness and Hygiene’ at SN Trust School, Karunagappally, where over 1000 students will be present.

Lakhs of devotees and well-wishers from over 100 countries, including India, will be congregating at Amritapuri, Vallickavu, on September 27 to participate in the 58th birthday celebrations of Mata Amritanandamayi.

�To manage this mammoth gathering, the Math has made extensive arrangements for distribution of food and transport.

As part of its diamond jubilee celebrations, Fatima Mata National College is organising a three-day exhibition on its campus from September 27. The exhibition christened “Insight 2011” will be inaugurated by N.R. Subramaniyan, managing director of the Kerala Minerals and Metals Limited.

The exhibition is being organised by the various departments of the college. It will comprise stalls put up by the KMML, the KSEB, the Fisheries Department, Forest Department, the Bishop Jerome Institute, the Tropical Botanical Research Centre, the Bishop Benziger Nursing College, the Gandhi Smaraka Nidhi and the Carmela Rani Training College.

College Principal Soosamma Kavumpurath said schoolchildren could also visit the exhibition. The thrust of the show is to impart knowledge to students. There will also be entertainment stalls and a food festival.

Venue : Lal Bahadur Sastri Stadium

Date : 14 October

Time : 10 am

Info:



Competition to be conducted for 2 categories of age groups :

5 to 12 and 13 to 17.

How to Register :

Registration at Fest office in the stadium building. Students are required to bring documents for age proof verification...

Last Date of registration : 5th October

For More Info Contact : 0474-2763402, 9895574353

District Collector P.G. Thomas said that efforts would be taken to make Kollam district plastic-free by 2012. He was addressing a meeting convened to discuss the month-long total sanitation programme starting from October 2.

Mr. Thomas said that there should be a change in the perception that garbage disposal and treatment was the responsibility of the panchayat or the municipalities. Those who had land should dispose of the garbage they generate in the compound itself. Dumping of households' waste on roads was an offence, he said.

To phase out plastic carry bags, units for manufacturing cloth and paper bags should be opened at the block-panchayat level. Plastic waste should be recycled and the solid waste, buried.

Larvae-eating fish

Fisheries Deputy Director K.G. Prasanna Kumar told the meeting that fish species that fed on mosquito larvae was being sold by the department at the rate of Rs.1 a fish.

Society urged to be more compassionate

Mata Amritanandamayi, spiritual leader, has said that disappearance of compassionate hearts is a serious problem facing society.

She was speaking at a function organised at her ashram, Amritapuri, some 15 km from here, to celebrate her 58th birthday on Tuesday.

She said the consequences of dwindling compassion needed serious contemplation. People took pride in increasing their intellectual abilities. “But our hearts, which should be flowing like a river, is becoming like dry wells,” she said.

She said what made society beautiful was the unity of hearts. But today, whether in family or professional relationships, people were unable to communicate from the heart. “We hold many meetings, but our hearts do not meet,” she said.

The Mata said many people lived just like machines. She stressed the need for making an effort to be more compassionate. Terrorism persisted and the threat of war was rising. Natural disasters had increased. Suicides and fatal accidents were becoming common. Ego and greed were spreading like cancer in society. Every day, in many instances, human beings displayed no value for human values.

She said men were no longer the protectors of women but were instead their tormentors. If Kerala was to save itself from this situation, the State must free itself from liquor, lust, and love for money. One among the three was enough to dement the mind. “Just imagine the state of someone who finds himself in the grip of all three,” she said.

Maharashtra Governor K. Sankaranarayanan presented this year's Amritakeerti Puraskar to M.P. Veerendrakumar, managing director of the Mathrubhumi daily, for his literary work Haimavathabhoovil .

Mr. Sankaranarayanan inaugurated the Amrita Santwanam home nursing programme.

In his address, Mr. Sankaranarayanan said nobody in the world had launched a project such as Amrita Santwanam to create a cadre of 10,000 home nurses for providing care to the old and sick who were not looked after by their children. He said the Mata had now become a mother to the whole world.

Union Minister for Science and Technology Vilasrao Deshmukh, who inaugurated a free online tuition programme of Amrita University, said the network of the Amrita professional institutions was impressive and the government would only be glad to help such institutions.

Union Minster of State for Power K.C. Venugopal, who presented the Amritasree Suraksha cheques and scholarships to beneficiaries, said Amritapuri had become a nerve centre for human values across the world.

N. Peethambara Kurup, MP, presented the Amrita Nidhi pension cheques to the beneficiaries.

Lakhs of devotees and well-wishers from over 100 countries, including India, will be congregating at Amritapuri, Vallickavu, on September 27 to participate in the 58th birthday celebrations of Mata Amritanandamayi.

�To manage this mammoth gathering, the Math has made extensive arrangements for distribution of food and transport.

The colonial enclave of Tangasseri in Kollam city is no known area for farming. But Fr. George Ribeiro, parish priest of the enclave's Infant Jesus Cathedral, intends to change that. Along with the Word of God, he now spreads the message of farming among his parishioners.

Fr. Ribeiro is one who sees farming from God's perspective. The Bible, he says, has some of the most beautiful verses on farming. A rich harvest is blessing in abundance from God. “Only a person who obeys the commandments of God can become a successful farmer,” he says.

The parochial house where he stays is also a farmhouse. Its courtyard and backyard have crops which can tempt even the laziest among the laity to try farming. A good number of the nearly 800 families in the parish have already taken to the vocation with religious enthusiasm. Many grow vegetables on their courtyard and backyards. “They are making their own contributions to the government's food security programme,” says the priest.

Fr. Ribeiro provides high quality seeds free of cost. If tended well, the yield is high. From the 40 tomato plants in his courtyard he has already harvested more than 150 kg of tomatoes. He also has a spread of turnip, beans, brussels sprouts, papaya, capsicum, and tapioca crops. Organic farming is the medium employed.

A popular ‘lady'

The one plant from his farm that has become highly popular among the parishioners is the red lady papaya from Taiwan. Almost every house in Tangasseri now has a ‘red lady' with a good portion of the trunk covered with fruits, says Fr. Ribeiro. It earns its name from the red hue of the flesh when ripe. He also shares his harvest with the parishioners.

Fr. Ribeiro says that one vegetable or the other is grown in a majority of houses under the parish. “Tending to the crops after performing the sacerdotal responsibilities giving me a spiritual bliss,” he says.

KOLLAM: India's unity and integrity were essentially rooted in its spirituality and culture that had uninterruptedly flourished through centuries, eminent writer and veteran politician M P Veerendra Kumar said today.

"India exists not on its military strength. It has survived through the centuries by drawing strength and inspiration from its spiritually-oriented culture," Kumar said after receiving the Amrita Keerthi literary award instituted by the Mata Amritanandamayi Math.

The award was presented to Kumar by Maharashtra Governor K Sankaranarayanan in the presence of Mata Amritanandamayi Devi at the Amritapuri Ashram near here. Union Ministers Vilas Rao Deshmukh and K C Venugopal were also present.

Hundreds of devotees from different parts of the world turned up at the function, organised on the occasion of the 58th birthday of Amritanandamayi Devi, known worldwide as "Amma" or Mother.

Lauding the services of Amma, Kumar said through her spiritual guidance and acts of charity transcending national borders she helped humanity experience love, mercy and grace in a world of hard realities.

Kumar, CMD of Mathrubhumi media group and Chairman of Press Trust of India, was chosen for the honour for his widely-acclaimed work 'Haimavathabhoovil', which narrates the author's journey along the Himalayan ranges and reflects the Indian thought and vision.

The award consists of Rs 1,23,456, a memento and citation.

KOLLAM: Compassionate hearts are disappearing before our eyes and if we can awaken it even in hearts long closed, the entire world can be transformed into heaven, Mata Amritanandamayi said in her birthday message at Amritapuri on Tuesday.

Addressing lakhs of devotees and guests, on the occasion of her 58th birthday celebrations, Mata said that at a time when the mindless activities of human beings were seeing the extinction of birds and animals, drying up of rivers and disappearance of forests, the ‘extinction of compassionate people’ was even more dangerous.

Amma said that even while she was taking part in the birthday celebrations with her devotees, her heart was weeping for the state of the world today. Referring to the cruelties meted out to women and children, suicides, fatal accidents, terrorism and greed for money, all of which are on the increase in Kerala, she said: “If Kerala is to save itself from the present situation, it must free itself from the three Ls- Liquor, Lust and Love for money. These are three forms of madness.”

She said that incidents in Kerala testimonies that men were no longer protectors of women, but were only hungry for their flesh. “They are more focused on serving liquor,” she said referring to how people destroy themselves and lead the families into misery due to alcoholism.

“Incidents rarely heard in the west, take place here every day. Should we, who are supposed to be so intelligent and educated, fall so low?” she asked the devotees.

HUMANITARIAN WORKS LAUNCHED

The highlight of the celebrations was the launch of numerous humanitarian initiatives in the areas of health, education and social welfare. Maharashtra Governor K Sankaranarayanan inaugurated ‘Amrita Santhwanam Home Nursing Training Programme.’

He said that the project envisages the training 10,000 home nurses, who would provide care to the old and sick left alone by their children. He said that it was unique and a testimony to the love of Mata towards humanity.

Speaking at the function Union Minister for Science and Technology, Vilasrao Deshmukh, lauded the efforts of Amritanandamayi during the time of disasters and to improve the lot of farmers. He launched the Amrita University’s online education programme, “Free All Indian Tuition Programme,” supported by the Ministry of Human Resources Development.

The ‘Vidyamritam’ scholarships started by Mata, in the wake of increasing farmer suicides, a few years ago was extended to benefit 5,000 students more. The extension of the scholarship, which covers around 32,000 students in Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, was announced by Deshmukh.

Union Minister of State for Power K C Venugopal presented the cheques and scholarships to the beneficiaries of ‘Amrita Suraksha’ insurance programme.

Sankaranarayanan presented the ‘Amrita keerti Puraskar’ to M P Veerendrakumar, Managing Director of Mathrubhumi on the occasion. Kollam MP, N Peethambara Kurup distributed the ‘Amrita Nidhi’ lifetime pension to new beneficiaries.

Mar Thoma Valiya Metropolitan Philipose Mar Chrysostum released the book ‘Amma’s Advice’ and the first copy was received by MP from Andaman Islands, Vishnupada Ray.

District Collector P.G. Thomas said that efforts would be taken to make Kollam district plastic-free by 2012. He was addressing a meeting convened to discuss the month-long total sanitation programme starting from October 2.

Larvae-eating fish

Fisheries Deputy Director K.G. Prasanna Kumar told the meeting that fish species that fed on mosquito larvae was being sold by the department at the rate of Rs.1 a fish.

Fish seed hatchery as part of the government's efforts to control and prevent mosquito realated spread of epidemic diseases

As part of the government's mosquito control efforts to prevent the spread of epidemic diseases, the Fisheries Department has started a larvivorous fish seed hatchery at Thevally in the city. From the hatchery six species of fish that feed on mosquito larvae can be purchased for Re.1 each.

Deputy Director of the department, K.G. Prasanna Kumar said that this method of mosquito eradication could contribute towards bringing down the use of harmful pesticides. They could be introduced into water bodies and wells where mosquitoes breed.

The fish species are Aplocheilus panchax, locally called Manathukanni; Gambusia, Guppi, Plati, Molie and Barbus conchonius, locally called Paral. All are freshwater fishes. They thrive in any climatic conditions and also in both deep and shallow water bodies.

Mr. Prasanna Kumar said the species could also thrive even in polluted water bodies. He wanted this environment-friendly mosquito eradication method to be introduced wherever possible.

The Kollam Public Forum has announced a month-long campaign from October 2 to highlight the city's garbage problem and the urgent need on the part of the local body authorities to find a solution to it. Forum convener K. Bhaskaran said the campaign, to be undertaken on holidays, would cover all the 55 divisions of the city.

It would be inaugurated by poet Kureepuzha Sreekumar on October 2 at Mamoottilkadavu here. The campaign would cover six divisions on that day.

The day's concluding function would be at the Kaval junction, to be presided over by local councillor Udaya Sukumaran. The message to be conveyed through the campaign would be “clean green Kollam city.”

On November 1, the leaders of the campaign would march to the Corporation headquarters and submit a charter of demands to the Mayor and the councillors.

The Chathanoor Grama Panchayath officer Pradeep Kumar has created a blog with the help of MS Excel. The blog provides all details about the panchayath and the panchayath adminstarators and employees. It also provides links to other local body websites which people need to access for their queries and information. The panchayath has not spent a single penny for the development of this blog when Kerala government is spending crores of rupees for IT infrastructure of local bodies.

http://chathannoorgp.blogspot.com/


Source - Mathrubhoomi (http://www.mathrubhumi.com/kollam/news/1192718-local_news-chathannoor-ചാത്തന്നൂര്*.html)

The international exhibition "Winner's Expo" will be held at the CSI convention centre near Craven's School in the city today. There will be around 50 stalls exhibiting plenty of foreign and ingenious products. Apart from home appliances, handi craft products, handloom products, bedsheets and all that a home requires will be available in the exhibition.

Mayor Prasanna Earnest will inaugrate the exhibition which is organized by the the Wisemen club of Kollam Green City. The exhibition will conclude on October 9.

The exhibition time will be from morning 11 AM to night 9 PM daily.

The Kollam Fest 2011 Exibition stalls/Pavillion construction at Ashramam Maidan will be inaugrated today at 4 PM. Mayor Prasanna Earnest told that A A Aziz MLA will install the first post as part of inaugrating the construction. Around 57 acres of the gigantic Ashramam maidan will be used for the international festival. Around 15 acres of land will be used only for Parking.

Kollam Fest 2011 will be inaugrated by the Vice President of India on November 1st and will culminate on Novemeber 30th.

http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/5596/kollamfest.jpg

Programs

Kollam Fest is destined to be the signature event in Kollam for year 2011 as well as the years to come.

National Exhibition

National Exhibition will have participation from different industry domains, Defence aero Space ministries and Tourism departments. International cultural programs and dazzling shows like live statue will be the highlight.

Cultural Programs

A platform for the countries foremost artists coming together to showcase their talents.

Big ticket Star Nites

Star studded event with participation from Bollywood, Sandalwood, Tollywood, Collywood & Mollywood

Traditional-Ethnic Arts Festival

Organize arts festival with a estranged national art forms by having folk lore fest, presenting ethnic other art forms

Seminars

Hosted and participated by News makers in the country and across the globe.

Entertainment and amusement

National / International programs, high voltage amusement kiosk for the kids and for the youth.

Magic Fest

The best of India’s screen magicians together with the magicians of international reputes will present their master pieces.

Film Fest

World famous movies will be premiered along with Molly-wood’s best. A green carpet ceremony for the Who is who of the film industry is the highlight.

Drama Fest

The fest aims to constitute an award in the name of the late Renowned actor O.Madhavan for the best professional theatre group in Kerala.

Book Fest

Book releases, book reading and signing session with celebrity authors. Showcases national/international publication houses.

Art Gallery

Eminent Indian painters will brush and color their works in the festivals zone. The works will be curated and exhibited in the fest art gallery.

Photo gallery

Page 3 Shutterbugs, professionals, men of crafts, come together and bloating up the beauty of Kollam.

400 pavilions @ the gigantic Ashramam Maidan

The event would have 400 AC and non AC stalls and pavilions. Many public sector undertakings and departments of the Central and State governments would put up stalls.

Ship journey from Kollam Port, Horse Riding, Boating, Seminars on IT and lots of fun are in the agenda.

Seminars on environment, industry, education, health, media, women empowerment, and information technology.

Kollam Fest Website - http://www.kollamfest.com (http://www.kollamfest.com/aboutfest.html)

The 21st Swadeshi Science Congress (SSC) will be held at the Cashew Bhavan here on November 7 and 8. The annual programme is being organised by the Swadeshi Science Movement in association with the Laboratory and Technical Division of the Cashew Export Promotion Council of India.

Chairman of the SSC organising committee V.P. Potty said the focal theme for this year was “green technology for safe future”. As a prelude to the programme, the organising committee is conducting an essay competition for higher secondary and high school students in the district on October 8. Topics for the competition will be related to forestry. The competition will be held at Fatima Mata National College here. Students will have to report at the venue by 9.30 a.m. on that day. For details, contact 9495974828.

Source - The Hindu (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article2502602.ece)

Hari Sri Vidya Nidhi School, Thrissur, with 53 points, emerged overall champions in the one-day 28th State-level ICSE and ISC Schools Literary and Cultural Festival held at Tangasseri Infant Jesus Anglo-Indian Higher Secondary School here on Friday.

The Thrissur school won the first position in both the ICSE and the ISC categories.

In the ICSE category, Hari Sri Vidya Nidhi School scored 25 points and in the ISC category, it scored 28 points.

In the ICSE category, St. Thomas Residential School, Thiruvananthapuram, came second with 22.5 points and in the ISC category, Holy Angels ISC School, Thiruvananthapuram, was second with 25 points. There were 15 events in the ICSE category, 11 events in the ISC category, and one common event.

Earlier, delivering the keynote address at the inaugural function of the festival, State police chief Jacob Punnoose said being associated with culture was one of the best forms of knowledge and to be a true citizen of a State, one should be a part of the cultural traditions of that State. “Therefore, students have to take part in extra-curricular activities.”

He said it was from the concept of true citizenship that modern education evolved.

“We suffer from a long list of human-inflicted evils. But in a large measure, true education is a solution to all these evils.

Four generations ago, Kerala was a State where we practised atrocities. But the State got rid of those practices and transformed itself through the process of education. In fact, education has instilled in us the vital ability to solve problems.”

He said that successful citizenship was a long-forgotten concept.

Parents and teachers told students to study well, get a good job, and earn a lot of money.

Hardly anyone spoke of the need to be a true citizen. But one must be interested in the welfare of others.

Students should not only be interested in their studies but also in facilitating others to study. One should be able to live in harmony with others, Mr. Punnoose said.

Inaugurating the festival, Kollam Bishop Stanley Roman said such a festival gave students challenges in life. Without challenges, one could become a slave to laziness.

Beyond the competition aspect, what one required was love and respect for the other.

Addressing the function, All Kerala Association of ICSE and ISC Schools president Abraham Philip said education should aim at producing successful citizens.

It should produce civic conscious citizens who respect the law of the land. Association secretary A.C. George and Congress leader P. Jermias spoke.

Principal of the host school Fr. Silvie Antony welcomed the gathering.

City Commissioner of Police T.J. Jose gave away prizes to the winners at the valedictory function.

Chief Information Commissioner, Kerala, Siby Mathews will inaugurate a two-day national-level seminar on Right to information and good governance' here on October 20.

Kallada is in festive mood as this years boat race will be held on October 6th. Preparations are in full swing and in fianl stages. The registration for the boats will end today evening at 5 PM. Till now, 13 snake boats have registered.

The draw of lots for the tracks will be held at the DTPC office near to Kollam city boat terminal at 5 PM on 30th September.

Source -Mathrubhoomi (http://www.mathrubhumi.com/kollam/news/1191330-local_news-Kollam-കൊല്ലം.html)

http://img831.imageshack.us/img831/4975/kalladajalotsav.jpg

^^
http://img831.imageshack.us/img831/4975/kalladajalotsav.jpg

The 42nd Kallada Jalotsavam was won by Sree Ganesh chundan while Anari chundan came second and Payipadan chundan came third.

Link - Mathrubhoomi (http://www.mathrubhumi.com/kollam/news/1203779-local_news-kollam.html)

The youth festival of Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) schools under the Venad Sahodaya Complex (VSC) will be held on the Thazhuthala National Public School campus here from October 13 to 16.

The VSC is an association of 25 CBSE schools in Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam districts.

VSC president V.K. Jayakumar and secretary Anila Sarosh said that the festival has been christened Venadutsav-2011.

Competitions will be held in 120 events and guidelines in this connection have been sent to the schools.

The prize winners will be given due credit in the grading system.

Link - Hindu (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article2522654.ece)

Harvesting of the potted basmati-rice crop grown by students of the Anchalumoodu Government Higher Secondary School, near here, will be inaugurated by Agriculture Minister K.P. Mohanan at a function on October 10.

The project was undertaken by the students with the support of the agriculture office at Anchalumoodu and the environment club of the school. The pots had to be irrigated thrice a day. The ripe basmati panicles (‘kathir') have become a major attraction, said Headmaster K. Prassad and PTA president P.J. Unnikrishnan.

They said at a time when the younger generation was losing interest in farming, the project had served to instil an affinity for agriculture among the students.

Environment club convener G. Biju will be honoured by the Minister at the function on Monday.

Students cultivate Basmati rice in pots

While the concept of campus farms promoted by the Agriculture Department as part of the food security programme is gaining popularity all over the State, students and teachers of the Anchalumoodu Government Higher Secondary School near Kollam thought of trying a hand with basmati rice cultivation in pots.

Their attempts did not go waste. The potted basmati stalks are steadily changing from green to gold in colour and the sheaves have started drooping indicating that they are getting ready to be harvested. Renu C. Nair, Agriculture Officer of Thrikkadavur said that the harvest will be during the first week of October.

Ms. Nair said that Thrikkadavur is a panchayat with just two paddy fields and hardly any paddy farmers. In fact the student community of the area is largely ignorant about paddy cultivation. In such a situation when they came forward with the idea of basmati rice cultivation, it was warmly welcomed and supported by the Agriculture Department, she said.

Though it all began on an experimental basis, the spirit of a farmer was witnessed in the students. The paddy seedlings were transplanted on June 17 into fifty pots. The pots were spread out on the courtyard of the school. Though rainfall was copious, the crop did not get the measure of sunlight it requires.

This caused slight delay in the crop getting mature for harvest, said C.O. Hemalatha, Principal Agriculture Officer. “Had there been proper sunlight the crop could have been harvested in 90 days”. Organic farming was the medium used by the students. The school is preparing to conduct the harvest as a festival.

The programme has not only created awareness on paddy farming among the students but has also given confidence that basmati can promoted for upland paddy cultivation. The students also realized the fact that rice is an unusual and fun plant to grow in one’s garden.

Source - The Hindu (http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/kerala/article2473188.ece)

The Government SNDP Upper Primary School at Pattathanam in the city has been selected for this year's International School Award (ISA) of the British Council. The ISA is an accreditation scheme of the British Council for curriculum-based international work in schools.

The award has been given for projects under the ‘Connecting Classrooms' scheme of the British Council during the 2010-2011 academic year. Sixteen schools from Kollam and Kundara education sub-districts joined the scheme to exchange project ideas with 16 schools in the United Kingdom through the Internet.

Each school had to undertake seven projects. The projects undertaken by the Government SNDP Upper Primary School were rivers, save the trees, great personalities, tourism, currencies of the world, dresses and identities of nations.

Project manager of British Council Ramesh Veluchamy visited the school as part of the project.

The award will be presented to the school at a function in New Delhi on October 20. School headmaster R. Radhakrishnan and teachers in charge of the scheme D. Ammini and A. Gradison will receive the award.

The ISA helps schools to develop an international ethos with the majority of the students in the school impacted by and involved in international work.

It encourages curriculum links between India and the United Kingdom and building of a network of Indian schools with international links.

The Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM) will organise a workshop on ‘Integrated mangrove aquaculture farming' (silvofisheries) here on Tuesday.

The workshop will be inaugurated by Mayor Prasanna Earnest at a function to be presided over by CWRDM executive director K.V. Jayakumar.

More than 70 delegates representing various local self-government institutions, the Fisheries and Forest departments, and scientists from the CWRDM will participate in the workshop.

The workshop aims at promoting silvofisheries in the backwaters, mainly to increase shrimp production.

Other objectives include planting of mangrove saplings on the banks of aqua farms to decrease water pollution, and organising and helping self-help group members, especially women, to improve their lives by adopting shrimp culture with afforestation.

At the workshop, Dr. Jayakumar will present a paper on ‘CWRDM and water management.' The former joint director of Fisheries G. Rajendran will present a paper on ‘Scientific aquaculture in Kerala and the role of women self-help groups.' P.S. Harikumar from the CWRDM will talk on ‘Sustainable water quality management for wetlands.' CWRDM scientist N. Suvarna Kumari will talk on ‘Integrated silvofisheries at Munroethuruthu,' and Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad activist V.K. Madhusoodanan will talk on ‘Environmental management and mangroves.'

V.K. Madhusoodanan of the Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad has said that the mangroves forests make invaluable contributions in protecting the coastal environment and even developed countries look forward to mangrove forests to protect their coasts from threats from the sea.

He was presenting a paper on “environmental management and mangroves” at a workshop on “integrated mangrove aquaculture farming” organised by the Centre for Water Resource Development and Management (CWRDM) here on Tuesday. Executive Director of the CWRDM K.V. Jayakumar inaugurated the workshop.

Mr. Madhusoodanan said mangroves had the capacity to protect the coast not only from sea erosion and cyclones but also from tsunami. On the environmental side, the mangrove forests were valuable habitats for marine life. It acted as a protected nursery for fish larvae to grow into juveniles.

“In fact, more than 80 per cent of the marine fish and entire species of brackish water fish are dependent upon mangrove forests at some cycle of their life.”

He said 15 species of mangroves were thriving in the State. It was Mr. Madhusoodanan who rediscovered the Ceriops tagal species of mangrove in June this year. This mangrove species was long thought to have gone extinct in the State.

Presenting a paper on “sustainable water quality management for wetlands” at the workshop, scientist P.S. Harikumar, head of the water quality division of the CWRDM, said wetlands provided many services and commodities to humanity. Each wetland was ecologically unique.

Wetlands preserved water quality by removing nitrogen, phosphorous, heavy metals, and pesticides. Dr. Harikumar said the wetlands of the State were facing major problems. Due to dredging, reclamation, and sedimentation, there was a decline in biodiversity in the backwaters.

He pointed out that studies had revealed that eutrophication of Vembanad Lake was mainly phosphorus related. The lake was infested with phytoplankton, especially during the pre-monsoon months. The lake was also polluted in the southern, eastern, and western parts by agricultural and municipal effluents.

The water quality assessment of Ashtamudi Lake indicates the presence of phosphates, sulphide, nitrite, and coliform in significant concentration which may be due to the discharge of industrial effluents.

Source - The Hindu

The Postgraduate and Research Department of Physics at S.N. College here, in association with the Academy of Chemistry Teachers, Kerala, will organise a national seminar on “Physical and biomedical applications in nanotechnology” from October 13 to 15.

The seminar, sponsored by the University Grants Commission and the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment, will be inaugurated by A. Jayakrishnan, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Kerala.

The organisers said the seminar aimed at offering researchers and experts from diverse fields a common platform to discuss the recent achievements of nanotechnology and to update their knowledge leading to further research and investigation in the field.

The topics to be covered by the seminar included materials synthesis, characterisation of nano materials, device-based nanomaterials, sensor applications, nano-medicine, and drug design and drug delivery.

Source - The Hindu

The city finals of the Aqua Regia Science Quiz conducted by the Triumphant Institute of Management Education (T.I.M.E.) will be held from 8.30 a.m. on Thursday at the Bharat Rajni parish hall, near Fatima Mata National College, here. According to a press release, more than 1,500 high school students will participate in the event.

A new academic books showroom of DC Books in the city will be inaugurated on Wednesday at Paris Towers on Beach Road.

KOLLAM (Kerala): Novelist George Varghese Kakkanadan - popularly known as Kakkanadan - died here Wednesday morning, according to family sources. He was 76.

Kakkanadan was battling cancer for the past few years. He breathed his last at a private hospital in Kollam. He is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.

A multi-faceted personality, Kakkanadan began his career as a school teacher. He later worked with the Indian Railways in Delhi for 10 years before he quit his job to pursue his interest in Physics and went to West Germany in 1967.

But after a few years of dabbling in Physics, he quit his research and shifted full time to writing.

He was often credited with laying the foundation of modernism in Malayalam literature and was a recipient of the Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award.

He authored numerous short stories and novels. Two of his popular works have been made into superhit Malayalam films.

His popular works include "Ushnamekhala", "Vasoori", "Japana Pukayila", "Kakkanadante Priyakathakal" and "Saakshi".

A jovial personality, Kakkanadan was known for his trade mark flowing hair and one who used to express his feelings very openly and had a huge fan following.

For George Varghese Kakkanadan, who passed away here on Wednesday, it all began 50 years ago in New Delhi where he had a cushy job with the Indian Railways. But he saw that stint merely as a part of the journey to his cherished aim of becoming a novelist. And when he felt that he had reached the destination after a 10-year journey, he disembarked from the Railways.

He once said that he found the Railways to be an uncertain choice and so sought a way out to take him to the tracks of writing. Though he had started writing much before the Delhi stint and even wrote the novel Vasoori , it was his second novel Sakshi that brought him laurels. The book had a major impact on the younger generation of Malayalam readers and it was credited with breaking new ground in Malayalam literature.

View on modernism

Though he was labelled a ‘formidable ultramodern Malayalam writer,' Kakkanadan himself was of the view that modernism in literature had no convincing rationale. During an interview with The Hindu a few years ago, he said: “The writings of Shakespeare, Tolstoy, and even Kalidasan had all the ingredients which work to make a literary creation modern. It is just my style of writing which was interpreted by readers as modern.”

He was a prolific writer with a chequered track record. There were times when he completed a novel within two months. The first two novels were followed by Ushnamekhala, Ajnathayude Thazhvara, Parankimala, Ezham Mudra, Edavapathi, Barsaathi, Ee Naikaluday Lokam , and Orodha , which won him the 1984 Kerala Sahithya Akademi award. Then came Mazha Nizhal Pradesham , Colossus , and other short-story collections.

The compulsive writer began to experience a certain literary inertia with the publication of Colossus . Cataract surgery in 1998, and diabetes, led to the disinclination, though there was no dearth of ideas.

During the interview he said his magnum opus was yet to come and that he was working on two novels. One of them he named as Kshatriyan , which he said would be his own story and his swan song.

“Its publication will take time since I do not want to compromise on quality.” But fate had it that Kakkanadan had to finish his journey without completing it.

On Communism

Though he had the opportunity to closely know veteran Communist leaders, and his house was a hideout for leaders such as M.N. Govindan Nair and T.V. Thomas during the days when Communists were hounded, Kakkanadan later said that he was never impressed by Communism and that he never had any political leanings. “I believe in God, but it confuses me when someone asks me to identify the God I believe.”

Dostoevsky's influence

In his words, the members of all religions are fundamentalists, but it is when these fundamentalists get transformed into fanatics that they thirst for each other's blood. Kakkanadan had admitted with pride that the Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky had a tremendous influence on him and his works. But his source of inspiration was life itself. He was of the opinion that young Malayalam writers are writing well and Malayalam literature will grow richer through them.

He is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.

Source - The Hindu (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article2553969.ece)

Malayalam novelist George Varghese Kakkanadan passed away at a private hospital here at 8.15 a.m. on Wednesday. He was 76.

He had been battling with cancer and undergoing treatment for the past three weeks, hospital sources said.

Kakkanadan is survived by wife, Ammini, two sons, and a daughter.

The body was kept at the hospital chapel for some time for the public to pay their last respects. Labour Minister Shibu Baby John and Mayor Prasanna Earnest arrived at the chapel to pay their last respects. The body was brought to his house at Madan Nada-Bharanikavu in the city by 11.30 a.m. The body will be kept at Municipal Town Hall here at 1 p.m. on Thursday for the public to pay their homage. The funeral rites, with police honours, will be performed at the Polayathodu cemetery of the St Thomas Mar Thoma church at 3 p.m..

As the body was brought to the house, hundreds of people from all walks of life were there to pay their last respects to the master storyteller. District Collector P.G. Thomas placed a wreath of flowers on the body on behalf of the State government. Speaker G. Karthikeyan arrived in the evening and paid his last respects.

Among those who paid their last respects to the writer were Kollam MP N. Peethambara Kurup, former Ministers C.V. Padmarajan, P.K. Gurudasan, N.K. Premachandran, and Benoy Viswom, film director T.V. Chandran, writers Perumbadavam Sreedharan, Sethu, and Balachandran Vadakeddathu, journalist B.R.P. Bhaskar, CPI leader K. Prakash Babu and Congress leaders Sooranad Rajashekaran, and Bindu Krishna.

A leading Malayalam novelist, Kakkanadan was a sociable person. He had won the Kerala Sahithya Akademi award for his novel Orodha in 1984. He won the Kendra Sahithya Akademi Award in 2005 and the Kerala Sahithya Akademi Fellowship in 2008.

Excise Minister K. Babu said Kakkanadan's death was a big loss for Malayalam literature.

He had opened up new paths for modern Malayalam literature. Through his works he will live in the hearts of Malayalam literature lovers forever, he added.

Film actor Mukesh said that Kakkanadan's death was a loss not only to the world of literature but also to Kollam where everyone was his friend. He had crafted novels with a difference and had always encouraged people with talents. His novels always reflected the sound of the youth, he added.

Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi secretary P.V. Krishnan said that Kakkanadan gave a Kerala entity to modern Malayalam literature. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Thamarakulam Salim said Kakkanadan was not only a novelist but a multifaceted personality as well. His death is a great loss to society, he added. NCP leader S. Pradeep Kumar said that Kakkanadan's novels were, in fact, weapons against social evils.

KOLLAM (Kerala): Novelist George Varghese Kakkanadan - popularly known as Kakkanadan - died here Wednesday morning, according to family sources. He was 76.

Kakkanadan was battling cancer for the past few years. He breathed his last at a private hospital in Kollam. He is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.

A multi-faceted personality, Kakkanadan began his career as a school teacher. He later worked with the Indian Railways in Delhi for 10 years before he quit his job to pursue his interest in Physics and went to West Germany in 1967.

But after a few years of dabbling in Physics, he quit his research and shifted full time to writing.

He was often credited with laying the foundation of modernism in Malayalam literature and was a recipient of the Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award.

He authored numerous short stories and novels. Two of his popular works have been made into superhit Malayalam films.

His popular works include "Ushnamekhala", "Vasoori", "Japana Pukayila", "Kakkanadante Priyakathakal" and "Saakshi".

A jovial personality, Kakkanadan was known for his trade mark flowing hair and one who used to express his feelings very openly and had a huge fan following.

District Collector P.G. Thomas has issued directives to mark bays for transport buses and ensure that the vehicles stop only inside the bays. He issued these directions at a meeting of the Road Safety Authority. Parking areas in the city would be decided after a joint inspection by the Public Works and Police departments. The bus stops at the Kallumthazham and High School junctions would be realigned. Traffic signals would be installed along the Kundara-Kottarakara section of National Highway 202. Crash-barriers would be installed on either side of the Karikode overbridge. The Collecor asked the PWD engineers to ensure that no encroachments came up along the national highways.

The Azads – Azad Abdul Nazar, and his sons Mahin and Wazim – know a thing or two about the tastes of the city. After all, their chain of Azad restaurants has been dishing up ‘Travancore' non-vegetarian fare in the city for over seven decades now. The hot favourite then and now, they say, are different kinds of mutton, especially mutton biriyani.

Partial to mutton

“The city has always been rather partial to mutton: biryanis, curries, fries, roasts, njalli (marrow)....,” says Nazar, adding: “When my father, M.P. Azad, began his first restaurant in 1940 in front of our house at Overbridge, there was perhaps no place in the city where you could get mutton dishes. For that matter, there were more of potti hotels than non-vegetarian restaurants in the city at the time, especially near the railway station. Besides, in those days, even in Muslim households mutton was a delicacy reserved for special occasions such as marriages. My father realised that there was a market for home-cooked non-vegetarian food and began dishing up mutton biriyani for kaal ana per plate.”

In fact, Azad dishes became so popular that within a decade M.P. Azad set up new restaurants, first at Kollam in 1950 (following the popularity of a food stall set up for SNDP's silver jubilee celebrations), then at Nagercoil in 1959, in Statue (1965) and in Chalai (1967).

Interestingly, the Nagercoil restaurant was set up during the time there was rationing in Kerala for buying raw rice. “Rationing or not, my father still had restaurants to run and so he found a simple solution – cook the rice across the border and transport it back to the restaurants in the city, for there was no embargo on cooked rice!” recalls Nazar, with a laugh. The livestock for the restaurants was (and still is) sourced locally from markets at Kilimanoor, Kallara, Balaramapuram, and Pangode, to name a few. In those days, I remember going to the markets at least five times a week, bringing back up to 100 goats per shipment,” says Nazar.

The Azad mutton biriyani – the recipe for which has not changed since 1940 – is prepared in the typical Travancore style, and served with boiled egg, pappadam, and a slice of pineapple. In keeping with the trend of the times, the earlier version of the biriyani also had a dash colour: green, red, or yellow.


New palates

Today Nazar and his two elder sons (and youngest son, college-goer Ozman too) run seven restaurants across the city, apart from the restaurants at Nagercoil and Kollam. Their oldest restaurants (the one at Statue was torn down during the road widening) continue M.P. Azad's tradition of opening doors at 7.30 a.m. to serve appam and egg roast to early birds. Their Chalai restaurant was recently featured on the popular food travelogue Highway on my Plate on NDTV Good Times. The other restaurants start serving at 12 noon. “We've tried to keep up with the times, changing our menus to suit modern palates. In the late 90s when the fad for chicken caught on – mostly among the youth – we introduced chicken dishes, especially Chinese items, on the menu. Later on, when the take away fad caught on, we introduced kadai counters, and open kitchens in some of our restaurants,” say Mahin and Wazim.

The Azads were also keen to tap into growing market for baked products and began a full-fledged bakery division in 2002. “Actually, Vappa has a sweet tooth and he wanted fresh jilebis and ladoos everyday. That's why he decided to open bakery!” says Wazim, with a wink at his father. Azad Bakery is one of the few bakeries in the city that has its own manufacturing wing, where they make everything from pastries to cookies. Besides they also have a boutique bakery under the name of Bread Factory.

The Azad's latest restaurant at Pulimoodu is just about a year old and their catering business has also taken off. Up next for the family is an upmarket restaurant that'll soon come up in Kuravankonam.

Urban Cities Census: Kerala, UP share top slot

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: That Kerala is straying away from the village concept is scarcely news, and when it comes to metros, Kerala may still have nothing to match Mumbai or New Delhi. Nevertheless, future Kerala could prove to be one unbroken urban spread.

Provisional figures on Urban Agglomerations/Cities of Census 2011 show that while Kerala is nowhere near the top in the matter of metro size, it shares the top slot with Uttar Pradesh for having the largest number of urban agglomerations with ten lakh-plus population. Both Kerala and Uttar Pradesh have seven urban agglomerations with more than ten lakh people each. In second place is Maharashtra with six.

Census officials define urban agglomerations as ‘a continuous urban spread comprising one or more towns with their adjoining outgrowth(s).’ Ports, university campuses and other known places adjoining cities make up ‘outgrowths.’

Kochi tops urban agglomerations in the state with a population of 21.18 lakh followed by Kozhikode, 20.31 lakh. Thrissur (18.55 lakh) and Malappuram (16.99 lakh). Thiruvananthapuram, which has the largest municipal corporation in terms of area, is sixth with a population of 16.87 lakh. Kannur (16.42 lakh) and Kollam (11.10 lakh) lag in the state list.

By comparison, the Mumbai urban agglomeration, numero uno at national-level, has a population of 1.84 crore followed by New Delhi - 1.63 crore, followed by Kolkata (1.41 crore). In the south, Chennai tops with 86.9 lakh.

Since Kerala towns aren’t distinct entities, standing alone in the midst of rural sprawl unlike in other states, the ballooning in size of urban agglomerations in Kerala is nothing to be amazed at, say Census officials. “Urban agglomerations here have simply merged, increased in size owing to the gradual disappearance of rural areas that lay in between,” said deputy director, Census Operations, Kerala, A N Rajeev.

Source - IBN Live (http://ibnlive.in.com/news/urban-cities-census-kerala-up-share-top-slot/195959-60-116.html)

Month-long Kollam Fest to begin on November 10

The month-long Kollam Fest, an international event with focus on art, culture, trade, and tourism, will begin at the Asramam maidan here on November 10.

The event, organised by the Kollam Corporation, was aimed at presenting the history and culture of Kollam to the world.

Mayor Prasanna Earnest and Deputy Mayor G. Lalu told mediapersons that the event would feature international music, drama, film, and book festivals; flower show; magic show; seminars; and a trade fair.

Artist Kollam Suresh was supervising the setting up of the venue. The facade would depict the glory of the city. Poet O.N.V. Kurup will pen the theme song. It will be set to tune by Sarat.

As a prelude to the festival, a national painting camp would be held at the Asramam Adventure Park complex on October 28 and 29. Painter Arpana Caur will inaugurate. Artists Namboodiri, Muthu Koya, Punichithaya P.S., C.N. Karunakaran, M.K. Puri, B.D. Dattan, V.B. Hiregoudar, Jija Madhavan Hari Singh, K.A. Francis, and E. Valsraj would attend. The camp would expose visitors to the new philosophies ad perspectives emerging in the world of painting, the organisers said.

A music programme by Hariharan and Sarat would be a highlight. Actors Shobana, Vineeth, and Lakshmi Gopalaswamy would stage dance programmes. Actor Suresh Gopi would lead a star show. There would be a show by Kottayam Nazir and team.

Three music programmes would commemorate G. Devarajan, Raveendran, and Johnson. Another music event would be led by A.R. Rehna. Professional drama troupes would vie for the O. Madhavan Award.

Source - The Hindu (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article2572509.ece)

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350 stalls to be set up; month-long event will have cultural events

The month-long Kollam Fest, organised by the Kollam City Corporation, will begin at Asramam Maidan on Thursday. The event, promoted as an international, tourism, arts, trade, and cultural event, will be inaugurated by Ranjit Shekar Mooshahary, Governor of Meghalaya. Industries Minister P.K. Kunhalikutty will preside.

With support from the Union and State governments, the fest is being organised at cost of Rs.7.5 crore. The organisers are expecting a return of Rs. 9 crore. The profit will be earmarked for welfare measures and for the construction of a museum in the city. The fest will have 350 stalls.

Fete's slogan

The event promotes the message “Keralam Kollatheku, Kollam lokasamaksham”. On evenings, there will cultural programmes in which artistes from various States will participate. Music programme by Hariharan, dances by Shobana, Vineeth, and Lakshmi Gopalaswamy and artistes from Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Punjab will be part of the cultural package.

‘Melody nights' will commemorate musicians G. Devarajan, Raveendran and Johnson. Mohan veena exponent Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt will perform at the event.

The opening song of the fest is penned by poet O.N.V. Kurup and composed by Rajanlal.

Laser show

The inaugural function will comprise a laser show and a fire dance. The façade of the event has been designed by the film art director Suresh Kollam. There will be a ‘thayambaka' at the inaugural function by 100 artistes led by Mattannur Sankarankutty Marar.

The event will also have a flower show, food festival, aqua show, drama fest, national-level seminars, film fest and a book show.

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Kollam Fest Begins: Grant Opening Snap (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article2617124.ece)

350 stalls to be set up; month-long event will have cultural events

The month-long Kollam Fest, organised by the Kollam City Corporation, will begin at Asramam Maidan on Thursday. The event, promoted as an international, tourism, arts, trade, and cultural event, will be inaugurated by Ranjit Shekar Mooshahary, Governor of Meghalaya. Industries Minister P.K. Kunhalikutty will preside.

With support from the Union and State governments, the fest is being organised at cost of Rs.7.5 crore. The organisers are expecting a return of Rs. 9 crore. The profit will be earmarked for welfare measures and for the construction of a museum in the city. The fest will have 350 stalls.

Fete's slogan

The event promotes the message “Keralam Kollatheku, Kollam lokasamaksham”. On evenings, there will cultural programmes in which artistes from various States will participate. Music programme by Hariharan, dances by Shobana, Vineeth, and Lakshmi Gopalaswamy and artistes from Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Punjab will be part of the cultural package.

‘Melody nights' will commemorate musicians G. Devarajan, Raveendran and Johnson. Mohan veena exponent Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt will perform at the event.

The opening song of the fest is penned by poet O.N.V. Kurup and composed by Rajanlal.

Laser show

The inaugural function will comprise a laser show and a fire dance. The façade of the event has been designed by the film art director Suresh Kollam. There will be a ‘thayambaka' at the inaugural function by 100 artistes led by Mattannur Sankarankutty Marar.

The event will also have a flower show, food festival, aqua show, drama fest, national-level seminars, film fest and a book show.

Hariharan's Music Program will be held at the Ashramam Maidan as part of Kollam Fest today evening. Music director Sharath will also be there in the program.

Source - Mathrubhoomi (http://www.mathrubhumi.com/kollam/news/1276320-local_news-Kollam-കൊല്ലം.html)


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Software company Robosoft Technologies Private Limited is conducting campus recruitment for the 2011 and 2012 batch MCA and M. Tech students at the Sree Narayana Institute of Technology here on November 19. Students from the State and outside can attend. For details, contact 9846836046 or 9496688912.

Sargotsavam 2011, the youth festival of the CBSE schools under the Vanchinadu Sahodaya School Complex will be held at Sree Narayana Public School at Vadakevila from November 18 to 20.

The VSS Complex is an umbrella organisation for 35 CBSE schools in Alappuzha, Kollam, and Pathanamthitta districts.

VSS Complex president Fr. Kuriakose Pathinanchil and secretary Oommen Mathai said the festival would be inaugurated by Soorya Krishnamoorthy, Chairman of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi.

Kollam Deputy Mayor G. Lalu would deliver the keynote address.

1,500 students

The competitions would be held at seven venues and about 1,500 students would participate in them.

The valedictory function, to be held on November 20, would be inaugurated by P.K. Gurudasan, MLA. Magician Gopinath Muthukad would be the chief guest on the occasion.

Source - The Hindu (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article2634836.ece)

The Railway Passengers Association will petition Southern Railway General Manager Deepak Krishan, who arrives here on Thursday, on the various needs of passengers.

Association secretary Paravur Sajeeb said here on Wednesday that the core demand in the petition will be the early launch of the Mainline Electrical Multiple Unit (MEMU) services from Kollam towards Eranakulam and Thiruvananthapuram.

Other demands of the association include speedy completion of the Punalur-Shencottah gauge-conversion work, revision of the railway timetable on the Kollam-Punalur section, a second terminal to the Kollam railway station from QS Road, operation of all counters at reservation centres, and making them function from 8 a.m.

Convener J. Gopakumar said that the association welcomed the introduction of trains announced in the Railway Budget for the State. Services which commenced include the Bhavnagar-Kochuveli weekly express and the Nilambur Road-Thiruvananthapuram Rajyarani link express.

The association leader also congratulated the Railway authorities for providing better facilities at the Mayyanad and Paravur railway stations in the district and the new reservation block at the Varkala station.

What started as a month-long event on November 10, the Kollam Fest, under way at the Asramam Maidan in Kollam, is poised to have an extended run till January. Given the growing response to it from the people, the organisers see much potential in the Christmas-New Year vacation to attract more visitors.

The Kollam City Corporation, with support from the Union and the State governments, is organising the festival.

The venue, which looked dull initially as the setting up of the stalls and pavilions was delayed, moved into a captivating note by Sunday, wearing a much-awaited festive look with an array of stalls and pavilions geared up to receive visitors.

The organisers said there was a huge flow of visitors on Sunday and they expected the footfalls to climb.

Given Kollam's historic label of a port city, visitors enter the venue through a model of an ancient two-mast ship. The first attraction is an arts pavilion exhibiting paintings created by top artists of the country during a two-day national-level painting workshop organised as a prelude to the festival.

A village created inside the venue exudes a rustic charm. Its architects have taken pains to make the visitors feel as if they are in a typical Kerala village with active farming activities. In the middle of the venue, they have even created a just-sown paddy field.

Aqua show

An aqua show set up by the Fish Farmers Development Agency, in association with the Fisheries Department, is an attraction for all age groups, especially because of the marine life showcased in an environment that looks as if natural. The attractions are butterfly fish, scat, red snapper, common eel, flower shrimp, rock lobster, and sea cucumber to name a few.

Equally attractive are the pavilions of the Forest and the Agriculture departments and the Kerala State Electricity Board.

A big section has been earmarked for gourmets, its star attraction being a seafood pavilion and ethnic food with fish caught from the Ashtamudi lake.

R. Appukuttan Kanivaidyan from Peringamala in Thiruvananthapuram district, an Adivasi traditional medicine practitioner, is camping at the venue to showcase the healing power of herbs collected from the Agasthyamala biosphere. Facilities have been set up for his classic steam therapy. For book lovers, the festival venue is a wonderland, with a separate wing of over a dozen stalls selling books for all age groups and virtually on all subjects. One of the biggest attractions of the festival is the amusement park.

The organisers report that children and elders alike have a taken a liking to it. In fact, a big majority of them return only after enjoying a few rides.

From the proceeds earned from the festival, the organisers intend to set up a heritage museum in the city and create a fund to help cancer patients and rehabilitate destitute senior citizens.

Source - The Hindu (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article2645561.ece)

The fourth State convention of the Art of Living (AOL) will be held at 2 p.m. at Jayasankar Gardens, Thoppilkadavu, in the city on November 27.

AOL State apex body chairman Riji G. Nair and State coordinator V.R. Baburaj told presspersons that Speaker G. Karthikeyan would inaugurate the convention which would be attended by over 10,000 AOL teachers and organisers from various parts of the State. AOL international director Swamy Satyojatha would deliver the benedictory address and director of the AOL media centre Vinod Menon would deliver the keynote address.

At the inaugural function senior civil servant C.V. Anandabose, playback singer G. Venugopal, and environmentalist Fr. Thomas Peelianikkal would be honoured.

The TKM College of Engineering here in association with the Power and Energy Society and the Kerala unit of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) is organising an international conference on ‘Innovative Smart Grid Technologies' here on December 1.

The conference will be inaugurated by H.P. Khincha, chairman of electrical sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. The organisers said that Smart Grid was a hot topic of research taken up by the universities and industries all over the world and that India had also joined the movement. In this connection the Union government had started the plan of action by forming a Smart Grid Forum consisting of several working groups.

IEEE was supporting six global level conferences on Smart Grid — the one to be held here is the first Asian conference on the subject.

The conference will begin with tutorial sessions in the morning. The inaugural session will be held in the evening.

Source - The Hindu (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article2676675.ece)

Egyptian bodybuilder and four-time Mr. Universe Ahmed Hamedi Mansoor Hamooda will enthral audience with a body show at Oachira on December 5.

The show organised by the Lifestyle Health Club has the recognition of the Olympic Council of Asia, Indian Bodybuilding Federation, and the Kerala Bodybuilding Fitness Association.

The programme is being held as part of the Miss Fitness and Mr. Kollam 2011-2012 competition.

Mr. Hamooda has already arrived with his wife, Doaa. He said the visit was primarily to promote bodybuilding among the younger generation of the State. The youngsters of Kerala had high potential in the global bodybuilding arena if trained in the right manner, he said.

He would be visiting all districts in the State to spread awareness in this connection.

Organisers of the event told presspersons that it would be a musical body show by Mr. Hamooda. According to them, this is for the first time a Mr. Universe is performing in the district. The Miss Fitness competition is also being conducted for the first time in Kollam.

The Mr. Kollam competition is being conducted in three categories. One for those below 18 years (sub-juniors), for those below 21 years (juniors), and for those above 21 years (seniors).

Source - The Hindu (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article2676672.ece)

Harun Robert, popularly known as Rob, the anchor of a children's channel's music, art, and dance show (MAD) will interact with children at a three-session workshop on December 10 as part of Kollam Fest.

On his first visit to the State, Rob will focus on ‘easy-to-do things for children.'

He is renowned for creating things of beauty from materials which are branded as waste. Those interested may register their names by paying a fee of Rs.300. Registrations may be done at the Kollam Fest office at Asramam, the City Corporation office, and branches of Dhanlaxmi Bank. The sessions will be at 10.30 a.m., 2.30 p.m. and 4.30 p.m. Workshop kits could be purchased from the venue.

Source - The Hindu (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article2679969.ece)

The fourth edition of the three-day Kerala Gem and Jewellery Show 2011 would begin at the Thrissur Lulu Centre from December 3, Kollam district president of the All Kerala Gold and Silver Merchants Association S. Abdul Nazar said here on Friday.

He said that 200 gold, diamond, and platinum jewellery producers and over 10,000 jewellers from the country and abroad would bring their latest designs to the show. Lightweight ornaments would be displayed prominently.

Mr. Nazar said in a release that the show was being supported by the State government to promote the gold and silver trade of the State. The show was being organised by the Art of Jewellery, All Kerala Gold and Silver Merchants Association, Jewellery Manufacturers Association, and the World Gold Council.

The late V.V. Kutty's son to present Kathaprasangam.

At 7 p.m. on Saturday, the grounds of the Koduvila Saint Francis Xavier Church in East Kallada will become the venue of a nostalgic Kathaprasangam performance when V.V. Jose, Welfare Officer, Plantation Corporation of Kerala Limited, will present Chenkolum Chenthamarayum.

The premier of the same Kathaprasangam, by his father Kallada V.V. Kutty, was held at the same venue on December 2, 1955. Kutty, a renowned Kathaprasangam exponent of that time, passed away in July this year. It was also from the same venue that Kutty presented his debut Kathaprasangam Magdalan Mariam on December 2, 1951.

Chenkolum Chenthamarayum was written by Thirunainarkurichi Madhavan Nair who had penned the famous song Atma vidyalayamay sung by Kamukara Purushothaman in the 1955 film Harishchandra .

The All India Radio, Thiruvananthapuram station, had broadcast Kutty's Kathaprasangam Chenkolum Chenthamarayaum live in 1956.

The famed Avial band's music program will be held at the Venue - 1 of Kollam Fest today evening. Ticket price cost Rs. 100.

Cartoonists, under the banner of the Kerala Cartoon Academy (KCA), joined hands on Monday to express solidarity with the people of the State on the Mullaperiyar issue by organising a cartooning programme in association with the Kollam Press Club.

Chairman of the academy Prasannan Anikkad said an amicable solution to the issue without affecting the federal structure of the country should be reached at the earliest. “The solution should not lead to a confrontation between Kerala and Tamil Nadu. At the same time, the concern of Kerala is very serious and the academy expresses solidarity with it,” he said.

More than 15 cartoonists from all over the State took part in the event. They drew cartoons on the spot. Visitors were also encouraged to draw cartoons on the issue.

Cartoons on the Mullaperiyar issue which had appeared in various newspapers were also exhibited. Secretary of the KCA B. Sajeev said the academy had designed a blog exclusively for cartoons on the Mullaperiyar issue.

Mr. Sajeev said cartoons on the issue could be posted on the KCA blog damtoons.blogspot.com on condition that it did not propagate hatred between the States.

“It means that the cartoon should not be anti-Tamil. The aim is to make the world realise the tragedy that can flood the beautiful State of Kerala if a solution is not found.”

He said the cartoonists recognised the importance of water requirements of Tamil Nadu. “More importance is given to the precious lives of the people of Kerala.”

The programme was inaugurated by Mayor Prasanna Earnest. Press Club president Raju Mathew presided and secretary Biju Pappachan welcomed the gathering.

The first cartoon was drawn by M.M Monai. Cartoonists Sukumar, Nathan, and P.V. Krishnan participated. Senior cartoonist Samuel was honoured at the function.

Environmentalist and associate professor of zoology at S.N. College here Sainudeen Pattazhy has been awarded the Doctor of Science in Zoology degree by the Washington-based Western Advance Central University.

Prof. Pattazhy has published 10 books. He is also on the expert committee constituted by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests to study the possible impact of communication towers on the environment.

The love for music and music systems has made a youth in Kollam city come out with an innovation that makes music more musical for the ears.

V. Sreekumar, 28, who made the innovation, calls it the passive matrix sound system with a special circuit.

He said it was a system developed for sound enhancement through the special circuit called the passive matrix sound circuit, which he had designed and developed.

“The circuit separates the vocal and instrumental music in two different channels which is played through the left and right channels and the subwoofer providing a theatre effect,” he said.

Apart from the three basic controls of bass, treble, and volume, Sreekumar has introduced two other controls for vocal and music sound enhancement. The unique feature of the system is that it is not IC (integrated circuit) based, making it cost effective.

It is compatible with input sources like DVD, MP3, audio CD, and USB. In the market, almost all home theatre systems render theatre quality in DVD only.

As it is not IC based, chances of overheating are very less. The sound quality is good even when speakers of few diameters are used and it can be easily connected to any amplifier. Sreekumar says he intends to patent the invention.

World famous Television anchor, the Pogo TV Mad program fame Harun Robert's show at Kollam Fest today.

Called 'Robe' by children across the world, Harun has spell bound lacks of audiences by his crafts from garbage and waste stuffs.

The workshop will be of 3 sessions 10:30, 2:30, and 4:40.

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/1353/harunrobertatkollamcity.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/221/harunrobertatkollamcity.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

Sohan Roy has already become a world famous director through the much talked about and controversial film "Dam 999"

Sohan Roy from Punalur Airakkonam is following the footsteps Rajiv Anchal and Rasool Pookutty who have already made their marks at Hollywood.

He is yet another great artist from Kollam district and especially from the Punalur - Anchal belt a region producing amazing artists to the film and music industry.

http://img810.imageshack.us/img810/2584/sohanroyanotherkollamhe.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/810/sohanroyanotherkollamhe.jpg/)

DAM 999

This movie abt a collapsing dam is directed by a Kollamite(Punalur). Mr. Sohan Roy.

My cousin is also a part of this as the still photographer for the Ramoji film city schedule.

Kollam Fest extended to January 1st, 2012 due to public demand

Kollam Fest is becoming a huge hit and the co-operation from the public is tremendous and more than the expectation of the organizing committee as per Kollam mayor. Due to the high demand of the public, Kollam Fest that was planned for a month is being extended to January 1st 2012. Kollam Fest started on November 10th.

A 9 storeyed ship that can accommodate 656 people will embark its journey towards Lakshdweep on December 28 and will come to Kollam Port on Decemeber 30th.

The fare of the ship journey will be announced after the final discussion with the shipping company in a few days. This will be the first time in the history of Kollam Port such a big passenger ship journey is being planned.

http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/1705/luxuryshipfromkollamtol.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/36/luxuryshipfromkollamtol.jpg/)

Call it creating magic from waste or treasure from trash, Rob aka Harun Robert helped a group of kids bring out their artistic talents during a workshop for them at the venue of the Kollam Fest on Saturday. With simple craft materials, he demonstrated how things of beauty could be easily created.

He taught children how to make things of beauty from waste materials and soon many of the children discovered that a ‘Rob' was in them too. And the children cheered him with applause each time he made a work of art.

He demonstrated in five simple steps how an angry shark took shape on a piece of paper. Many kids carefully followed the steps and succeeded in creating angry sharks as ferocious looking as the one Rob had drawn.

Rob said through his art-show workshops he aimed at helping children learn more techniques in art.

He said that through his way of art, he did a lot of recycling and encouraged children to engage in it. On the three-session workshop at Kollam Fest, he said the sessions were great and such workshops for children helped him get instant feedbacks.

The sessions were mainly to teach the kids the basics of drawing and through the process tap their hidden talents.

Later talking to reporters, he said for most parents it was always the same pursuit — to make their children a doctor or an engineer, and it was difficult to make people understand that art also offered a lot of opportunities. But things were steadily changing. A lot of parents had started encouraging their children's artistic pursuits.

His TV show MAD (music, art and dance) had made some valuable contributions in this connection. Through the show, he said, he tried to find out what children wanted, what was the feedback and what they really enjoyed.

Source - The Hindu (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article2705996.ece)

World famous Television anchor, the Pogo TV Mad program fame Harun Robert's show at Kollam Fest today.

Called 'Robe' by children across the world, Harun has spell bound lacks of audiences by his crafts from garbage and waste stuffs.

The workshop will be of 3 sessions 10:30, 2:30, and 4:40.

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/1353/harunrobertatkollamcity.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/221/harunrobertatkollamcity.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

Call it creating magic from waste or treasure from trash, Rob aka Harun Robert helped a group of kids bring out their artistic talents during a workshop for them at the venue of the Kollam Fest on Saturday. With simple craft materials, he demonstrated how things of beauty could be easily created.

He taught children how to make things of beauty from waste materials and soon many of the children discovered that a ‘Rob' was in them too. And the children cheered him with applause each time he made a work of art.

He demonstrated in five simple steps how an angry shark took shape on a piece of paper. Many kids carefully followed the steps and succeeded in creating angry sharks as ferocious looking as the one Rob had drawn.

Rob said through his art-show workshops he aimed at helping children learn more techniques in art.

He said that through his way of art, he did a lot of recycling and encouraged children to engage in it. On the three-session workshop at Kollam Fest, he said the sessions were great and such workshops for children helped him get instant feedbacks.

The sessions were mainly to teach the kids the basics of drawing and through the process tap their hidden talents.

Later talking to reporters, he said for most parents it was always the same pursuit — to make their children a doctor or an engineer, and it was difficult to make people understand that art also offered a lot of opportunities. But things were steadily changing. A lot of parents had started encouraging their children's artistic pursuits.

His TV show MAD (music, art and dance) had made some valuable contributions in this connection. Through the show, he said, he tried to find out what children wanted, what was the feedback and what they really enjoyed.
http://img838.imageshack.us/img838/125/harumrobertkollamfest2.jpg
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City Police Commissioner T.J. Jose launched an interceptor vehicle for the district on Saturday. The facility will enable the traffic police to zero in on traffic violations such as signal jumps, speeding, rash driving, drunk driving, and driving without helmets.

Equipped with a laser camera, the interceptor can focus and zoom on a speeding vehicle to obtain and record its accurate speed, using which the vehicle may be booked. The surveillance camera that can rotate 360 degrees can identify illegally parked vehicles and also those which have been previously booked.

Mr. Jose said the vehicle, purchased at a cost of Rs.20 lakh, would be manned by specially trained officers.

The Amrita University's Centre for Wireless Networks and Applications is organising an international conference on ‘Wireless technologies for humanitarian relief' at the Amrita School of Engineering at Amritapuri, near here, on Monday. R. Chidambaram, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, will inaugurate the meet and deliver the keynote address. Representatives from at least 15 countries would attend and about 56 papers would be presented. Deborah Estrin, Professor, Centre of Embedded Network Sensing; Dawn Song from the Computer Science division attached to the University of California; and Ian Akyilidz, editor-in-chief of AdHoc Networks Journal, would address the gathering.

Source - The Hindu

Dubai to host richest Twenty20 competition along the lines of Indian Premier League

Dubai: Dubai will stage the richest domestic Twenty20 cricket tournament in UAE history in the shape of the Kerala Premier League (KPL), which is set to begin from January 20 at the International Cricket Council Global Cricket Academy grounds.

The tournament is organised under the auspices of the Dubai Cricket Council (DCC).

The prize money for the winners of this tournament is Dh60,000 — the highest prize to be offered to a domestic team.

The tournament will be held along the lines of the Indian Premier League and has Indian pacer Shantakumaran Sreesanth as the brand ambassador.

South Indian superstar Bharat Suresh Gopi, along with actress Bhamaa, are also brand ambassadors.

Announcing the competition at a press conference at the India Club yesterday, Suresh Gopi said: "This is just the beginning of a tournament which is set to become one of the biggest in the region.

"In a year's time this tournament will become Dubai's Premier League and will go on to become the Middle East Premier League. I am delighted to be part of it."

C. T. K. Nasir, one of the event's directors, added: "The tournament will take off with eight teams representing eight districts of Kerala. Each team should have a minimum of three Kerala players and one Under-22 player. The rest of the players can be from among the UAE's registered players. Each team can also field two overseas players."

Unique tournament

Mohammad Lokhandwala, secretary of the DCC, said: "Sixty-four players will be made available for auction like the IPL. The highest bidder will get the best player. It will be a unique tournament."

The management team comprising Paul T. Joseph, Roy George, Jathinder Menon, Anand Kumar, Thomas Philip, Sanu Mathew and Nasir will oversee the tournament, which will eventually become a 16-team event made up of 14 districts of Kerala and two zonal teams. The prize tag for each team is Dh25,000. The contract period for playing in the tournament is five years.

Yogi Group, who lifted the Gulf Super Sixes Cup on Friday, the Consolidate Shipping team, one of the giants in domestic tournaments, Westar Shipping and Wings Group have already purchased teams like Thrissur, Alleppey, Calicut, Waynad and Kannur.

Fact Box

Participating teams: Trivandrum Royals, Kollam Kernels, Rajas Pathanamthitta, Alleppey Ripples, Kottayam Crusaders, Idukki Spices, Kochi Diwans, Thrissur Dynamites, Palakkad Harvestors, Malappuram Knights, Calicut Zamorins, Kannur Veerans, Wayanad Highlanders, Kasargod Leopards, Malabar Sultans, Travancore Maharajas.

Total prize money: Dh155,000
Winners: Dh60,000
Runners-up: Dh30,000
Third prize: Dh10,000
Cash prizes starting from Dh500 for every man of the match
Special awards like best batsman, bowler, fielder: Dh3,000 each

The Amrita University's Centre for Wireless Networks and Applications is organising an international conference on ‘Wireless technologies for humanitarian relief' at the Amrita School of Engineering at Amritapuri, near here, on Monday. R. Chidambaram, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, will inaugurate the meet and deliver the keynote address. Representatives from at least 15 countries would attend and about 56 papers would be presented. Deborah Estrin, Professor, Centre of Embedded Network Sensing; Dawn Song from the Computer Science division attached to the University of California; and Ian Akyilidz, editor-in-chief of AdHoc Networks Journal, would address the gathering.

Source - The Hindu

R. Chidambaram, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Union government, has said that there is a strong disconnect between research, development, and delivery system in the country that is being looked into by the government.

He was inaugurating a three-day international conference on ‘Wireless technologies for humanitarian relief,' organised by the Centre for Wireless Networks and Applications of Amrita University, at Amritapuri, near here, on Monday. “One of the reasons for this disconnect is the perceived disequilibrium between academic achievements and inability of the corporate sector to commercially exploit them,” Dr. Chidambaram said. He said the delivery of research and development invariably failed in rural areas owing to the inability to have a dialogue that could be understood by the rural people. Measures were being proposed for the involvement of local people in the application and delivery of research and development (R&D) innovations.

He stressed the need for wireless technologies for e-governance, disaster management, telemedicine, electronic education, utilities sector, child-elder tracking, and drug delivery.

He said the National Knowledge Network (NKN) was an optical fibre network through which the government wanted to connect all knowledge-related institutions in the country. In his welcome address, P. Venkat Rangan, Vice Chancellor of Amrita University, said Mata Amritanandamayi had been the driving force behind the success of the university in applying technology for humanitarian work.

In his address, Swami Amritaswaroopananda Puri spoke on the relationship between science and spirituality, and said that far from being competitive they were collaborative in their search for human well-being. Nearly 250 delegates from 15 countries are participating in the conference.

District Collector P.G. Thomas inaugurated a five-day handloom Mela organised by the District Industries Centre (DIC) on the Kollam Press Club Maidan on December 20.

As many as 34 handloom cooperatives from five handloom circles in the district are participating in the event, the organisers said.

As part of the programme, the DIC is also organising a value-added agro food Mela at the venue.

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During Hotel Raviz Inaugration

The Christian fisher folk living in the Tangasseri-Vaddy fishing hamlets of Kollam city have a unique tradition on celebrating Christmas. That is only day of the year male members of the community take their family into the sea as part of their Christmas celebrations.

Families wake up early in the morning and after breakfast prepare a brunch which they pack up. Then entire families which even comprise grandparents and young kids board the traditional crafts and sail into the sea.

It is a celebration on board and the all the family members sing songs which are mostly religious as they sail. At intervals they also pray. Relatives are sometimes seen sailing together in a fleet of traditional fishing crafts.

And that is the only occasion the women and children of the fishing community get the opportunity of close encounter with the horizon they see from their hamlets on the sea shore. Though the sea is usually calm during Christmas time, the sail gives them an idea about how strenuous it is for their male folk to earn their livelihood.

Somewhere close to the horizon they have brunch and return back singing. It all takes close to two hours and when they reach the shore they are in the right mood to enjoy a sumptuous Christmas lunch as they also look forward to the next sail to the horizon on Christmas next year.

Source - The Hindu (http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/kerala/article2747863.ece)

The fisher folk living in the Tangasseri, Vaddy fishing hamlets here have a unique tradition of celebrating Christmas — on the day the male members of the community take their family members into the sea.

After an early morning breakfast, the family members, including grandparents and children, sail to the sea on traditional craft. They celebrate on board, singing, praying and eating the food they take with them. Relatives often sail together in a fleet of traditional craft.

It is the only occasion when the women and children of the community get an opportunity to venture out into the sea, and get an idea about how strenuous it is for their male folk to earn their livelihood.

After around two hours, they return, ready for the Christmas feast and yearning for another opportunity to sail closer to the horizon they admire from the shore.

The Christian fisher folk living in the Tangasseri-Vaddy fishing hamlets of Kollam city have a unique tradition on celebrating Christmas. That is only day of the year male members of the community take their family into the sea as part of their Christmas celebrations.

Families wake up early in the morning and after breakfast prepare a brunch which they pack up. Then entire families which even comprise grandparents and young kids board the traditional crafts and sail into the sea.

It is a celebration on board and the all the family members sing songs which are mostly religious as they sail. At intervals they also pray. Relatives are sometimes seen sailing together in a fleet of traditional fishing crafts.

And that is the only occasion the women and children of the fishing community get the opportunity of close encounter with the horizon they see from their hamlets on the sea shore. Though the sea is usually calm during Christmas time, the sail gives them an idea about how strenuous it is for their male folk to earn their livelihood.

Somewhere close to the horizon they have brunch and return back singing. It all takes close to two hours and when they reach the shore they are in the right mood to enjoy a sumptuous Christmas lunch as they also look forward to the next sail to the horizon on Christmas next year.

Source - The Hindu (http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/kerala/article2747863.ece)

Annual Tangy Bash, the alumni meet of the Infant Jesus Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School, Tangasseri, will be held at the school from 4 p.m. on Wednesday.

The IJHS Alumni Association that organises the meet has requested the participation of all former students in the meet. For further details, contact association secretary S. Ajit over phone (number: 98471 66072) or general convener S. Ambili (phone no: 98473 00179), according to a press release issued here.

Source - The Hindu (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article2751045.ece)

Kollam Bishop Stanley Roman will hand over the scholarships and merit awards for students hailing from economically weak families at a function to be held at the Bishop Jerome Nagar Auditorium on Wednesday.

The awards and scholarships are sponsored by the Catholic Welfare Association, a charitable forum constituted by philanthropists of the Kollam diocese in 1981. At Wednesday's programme, scholarships and merit awards to the tune of Rs.2 lakh will be distributed to 170 students living in various areas of the Kollam diocese.

The maiden Mayyanad A. John Memorial Literary Award, instituted by the CWA, will be presented to Sebastian Pallithode of Alappuzha for his book The Life and Times of Pope John Paul II.

Mega show by Kalabhavan Mani and Nadir Shaw will be held at the main venue of Kollam Fest at Ashramam maidan at 6 PM today.

On 29th December, there will be a Comedy show by Suraj Venjaramoodu and team.

On 30th December, Idea Star singer fame Antony and party will present a musical program.

On 1st of January 2012, Kottayam Nazir will present a comedy show. As 1st of January 2012 is the last day of the fest, there will be a felicitary function and prize distribution.

Source - Mathrubhoomi (http://www.mathrubhumi.com/kollam/news/1359836-local_news-kollam-കൊല്ലം.html)

CIOL and Dataquest present the Ninth Business Technology Forum, C-Change 2012. This Annual forum creates a platform that brings together the top 100 CIOs and business leaders for a peer-to-peer interaction, learning and knowledge sharing about technology from business perspective.

The 2012 edition of C Change will focus on the journey ahead for the enterprises and showcase how a CIO can take advantage of the present business environment to create new values and newer partnerships for the benefit of his enterprise.

C-Change 2012 Venue - The Raviz

Date: 23rd - 25th February 2012

Source - CIOL (http://www.ciol.com/cchange/2012/default.aspx)

It was a demystification session for a group of children at Kadappakada Sports Club Auditorium here on Wednesday.

Snake-handler Vava Suresh, accompanied by 10 reptile friends, (including venomous cobras, kraits, and vipers) displayed unusual camaraderie to take fear off the minds of children.

The session was aimed at introducing snakes to children and, in the process, shedding the fear of these reptiles in them.

Mr. Suresh told the children that the fear perception (of snakes) was largely based on superstitions and false beliefs.

There was a way to deal with snakes, as was the case with all animals, and if handled in the right manner snakes would not pose any danger to other beings.

The programme commenced with children watching, in apparent trepidation, the reptiles crawl over Mr. Suresh.

But as the programme progressed, the children walked over to Mr. Suresh and touched the snakes and, some of the bold ones, venturing to wear them as garlands round their neck.

Mr. Suresh told the young crowd how to know a venomous snake from a non-venomous one. The children came to know that there were approximately 165 species of snakes in India and Kerala was home to 40 species. At least four of these 40 were venomous species.

The snake which greatly attracted the children was the ‘spectacled cobra.' The children were told how and when the cobra spread its hood.

The children went home happy and a tad more bold and informed.

Source - The Hindu (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article2756692.ece)

The instrument is a modified version of Hawaiian guitar

Hindustani classical guitar player Kamala Shankar kept a huge audience at the SN College for Women here spellbound with her performance on Wednesday.

The programme was organised by the Society for Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture Amongst Youth.

Dr. Shankar has attracted worldwide attention by successfully converting the western Hawaiian guitar into the ‘Shankar guitar' which has overtones of the classical veena. The instrument is in fact a hybrid of Hawaiian guitar and the Indian sitar. She began her programme by introducing the Shankar guitar to the audience.

The instrument is made from a single block of wood with thick walls and no sound hole. The instrument is named after Lord Shankara. She is the first woman to transpose Indian musical traditions to a western Hawaiian guitar to present Hindustani classical music.

She began training at the age of 6 under her mother and later under Pandit Amarnath Mishra. She completed ‘Sangeet Prabhakar,' equivalent to Bachelors in Music, at the age of 12. She is married to Pandit Rajeev Janardhanan.

Source - The Hindu (Hindustani classical guitar player Kamala Shankar kept a huge audience at the SN College for Women here spellbound with her performance on Wednesday.)

The TOI, in association with Mathrubhumi, will be launched from Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alleppey, Kottayam, Kochi, Trichur, Palakkad, Malappuram, and Kozhikode.

Bennett Coleman & Company Limited (BCCL), in collaboration with Kerala's No. 2 Malayalam daily Mathrubhumi, will launch its flagship English daily The Times of India (TOI) in Kerala, on February 1. The daily was originally expected to make its entry in Kerala in mid-2011.

The TOI will be launched simultaneously from nine locations where Mathrubhumi is already present, including Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alleppey, Kottayam, Kochi, Trichur, Palakkad, Malappuram, and Kozhikode. Apart from these nine cities, Mathrubhumi has a printing location in Kannur.

As per the strategic tie-up between BCCL and Mathrubhumi, the two media entities will work in tandem across response, content and circulation departments. The TOI will use Mathrubhumi's distribution network that has 11,000 agents spread across Kerala.

Source - Link (http://www.afaqs.com/media/story.html?sid=32854_TOI+to+launch+in+Kerala+on+February+1)

KOLLAM: Shailesh Naik, secretary to the Union Earth Sciences Department, has said that the wireless sensor technology for detection of landslides developed by the Amrita University can be replicated in other landslide-prone areas of the country, including the Himalayan region. He was speaking at Amritapuri near here during the inauguration of the Amrita Wireless Network Centre the other day. He reviewed the landslide detection system installed at Munnar by the university. He urged the university to concentrate on work in areas of earth sciences such as monsoon modelling, earthquake modelling, mountain weather modelling, which have a great bearing on the country’s well-being.

He said that such technologies will be of great importance to the country’s agriculture and economy.

The North-East region often witnessed abrupt variations in weather. rendering helicopter flights quite unsafe. Early warning systems could be of great help in streamlining air transport, he said.

Source - IBN Live (http://ibnlive.in.com/news/amrita-wireless-network-centre-opened/225825-60-116.html)

Final frontier: TOI goes to Kerala

For a long time, Kerala has been the final frontier for The Times of India. Over the years, as we steadily expanded in the south - TOI is now the overwhelming leader among English-language newspapers in Bangalore and has strong editions in Hyderabad and Chennai - we were often asked, 'When are you going to Kerala'?

It was a logical question. After all, the justly-renowned Kerala model is a shining example for the rest of the country.

The India Human Development Report 2011 placed Kerala on top of the index for achieving the highest literacy rate, quality health services and consumption expenditure of people. Kerala's birth rate is 14 per 1,000 population and falling. In comparison, India's rate is 25 and that of the US is 16. Kerala's infant mortality rate is 12 per 1,000 births versus 53 for India and 7 for the US. Life expectancy in Kerala is 75 years compared to 64 years in India and 77 years in the US.

We could go on rattling off statistics but the import is evident: the state is not only blessed with bountiful beauty, it also boasts of an educated, empowered and socially conscious people. In short, just the kind of readership any newspaper would love to have. So why had the world's largest English-language daily - a newspaper that is such a deeply ingrained habit in millions of Indians that they cannot imagine starting their day without it - not yet set up base in Kerala?

As of today, the question is redundant. At the Times Group, we have always taken pride in the fact that the extent of our achievements is matched only by the scale of our ambitions. And so, we are reaching out to not one or two but 10 cities in Kerala. Starting this morning, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, Kottayam, Pathanamthitta, Malappuram, Palakkad, Thrissur, Alappuzha and Kollam will wake up to The Times of India every day.

A launch on this scale is unprecedented in the history of Indian newspapers. But then, creating landmarks is something we have become accustomed to.

Readers in Kerala too will now be introduced to the unmatched combination of robust news coverage and insightful analysis that has made TOI the dominant leader in English-language newspapers. In addition, we are providing a superb value-for-money offering: readers who subscribe to both TOI and leading Malayalam newspaper Mathrubhumi will save up to Rs 50 a month.

As has been our practice everywhere, we are committed to providing our readers in Kerala free and fair journalism, without any hidden agendas. It will be our endeavour to make what is important interesting. Beyond the daily dose of news, we will seek to empower our readers by anticipating crucial inflection points, and by mapping societal change. We will champion causes dear to their hearts and partner with them to make the Kerala miracle even brighter. It has taken us a long time to answer the question, 'When are you going to Kerala?' But now that we are finally here, we intend to make sure the wait was well worth it for our readers.

Source - The Times of India (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/thiruvananthapuram/Final-frontier-TOI-goes-to-Kerala/articleshow/11706483.cms)

Four acres of private land acquired at Ramankulangara

The Kollam city Corporation has decided to hand over four acres of land acquired in 2010 for housing the Kollam Kendriya Vidyalaya (KV) to the district administration.

Delay in handing over the land had raised fears that the KV, now functioning without a proper building, could be closed down by the KV Sangathan.

Recognising the need that land was required for creating a permanent complex for the KV allocated for Kollam, the Corporation acquired four acres of private land at Ramankulangara at a cost of Rs.1.35 crore.

Lease

The land has to be given to the KV Sangathan on lease for the purpose. But as per rules, the KV Sangathan cannot enter into a lease with local bodies. The lease has to be entered into only with the district administration. Since the Corporation failed to hand over the land to the district administration with the District Collector as the custodian, uncertainty loomed large over the fate of the school.

The school which has 473 students up to class 9 functions with just seven classrooms and has no facilities for a library and science labs. Wednesday's Corporation council decision will enable the Collector to acquire the land from the Corporation and then go ahead with the formal procedures to start the construction of the school complex.

The decision has come as a relief to the students, teachers, and parents.

A grand cultural procession from the Saint Joseph's Convent Girl's High School grounds to the SN College grounds on Wednesday evening marked the commencement of the five-day Kerala University Youth Festival here. More than 5,000 students from 250 colleges would compete in 63 events.

The procession had floats portraying contemporary issues.

A float depicting the tragedy faced by a young woman during a train journey drew the attention of onlookers.

A huge dragon was also a major attraction. Students from various colleges in the city took part in the procession. Inaugurating the festival, Assembly Speaker G. Karthikeyan said students' organisations had the responsibility to show students the right path. They should function as model organisations. The trend to keep campuses free from politics was gaining currency in the State and students' organisations were partly to blame for this, he said. Campuses should be free from the influence of caste, religion, and other divisive thoughts, he added.

The arts competitions of the festival were inaugurated by actor Ananya. University Pro-Vice-Chancellor J. Prabhash hoisted the festival flag. University union chairman M. Harikrishnan presided over the function.
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Trivandrum, 28 February 2012: Kerala University Youth Festival, the largest youth festival of Asia will be held at Kollam from February 29th to March 4th, 2012.

Around 5000 talented youth from more than 250 colleges affilitated to the University of Kerala will participate in the week long festival . Competitions will be held in 63 cultural events at eight venues which include Sree Narayana College, Sree Narayana Womens College, Fatima Mata National College, Vellapally NatesanShastipoorthi Smaraka College of Nursing, Karmala Rani Training College and TKM Engineering College.

http://www.trivandrum.co.in/

Now unreserved tickets and Sleeper class tickets can be booked at "Indo Travel Help", at Karbala Jn, near Kumar Theatre.

The counter will be inaugurated this week by the Mayor.

The new counter is expected to ease the long queues at the unreserved ticket counters in the Rly Stn..



Source: Deepika e-paper

The pongala ritual of the Puthiyakavu Sree Bhagawathy temple here will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday. Temple committee office-bearers said thousands of devotees from various parts of the State would take part in the ritual. Melsanthi T.N. Abilash will light the ceremonial hearth at 10 a.m.

The ritual marks the conclusion of the 12-day festival of the temple. Pongala kits were being distributed from the temple.

The ritual will be performed along an earmarked area of the city and the organisers had created 25 blocks for the purpose. As many as 150 ‘sevaks' attached to the temple will supervise the conduct of the ritual. The areas earmarked include the Chinnakada traffic round, Press Club maidan, railway goods shed complex, Chinnakada overbridge, clock tower area, East police station complex, RMS ground, the Karbala road, the QAC road, the SP office road, the FCI godown road, and the Puthiyakavu temple road.

The 15-day Deshinganad Mela, an all India exhibition, will begin at the Cantonment Maidan here on April 1.

The festival organised by the Kollam District Development Authority Samiti will be inaugurated by KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala. A public meeting in connection with the inaugural function will be inaugurated by Speaker G. Karthikeyan.

General convener of the festival K. Ramabhadran said the event would be an industrial, agricultural, and handicrafts exhibition.

The police, excise, industries, and health departments, Artisans Development Corporation, Regional Cancer Centre, Milma, Kerafed, IRDP, LIC, and Kudumbasree apart from the Railways, Capex, and BSNL are participating in the event.

A fruit and flower show has also been organised in connection with the mela. Mr. Ramabhadran said a unique food festival is another highlight of the event.

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The Baby John Foundation, in association with the Confederation of Indian Industries, is organising a job festival at Chavara on March 31 and April 1. The Chavara Boys High School grounds and the Chavara Government College grounds are the venues.

Over 150 companies are taking part in the event, which is being organised at the initiative of Labour Minister Shibu Baby John. Tata, US Technologies, HDFC, UAE Exchange, and IBS are among the multinational companies attending the event. – Staff Reporter

City Police Commissioner Debesh Kumar Behera has announced new traffic regulations in the city.

As per the new regulations, vehicles will not be allowed to proceed towards Kallupaalam from Chamakada. Vehicles intending to proceed towards Lakshminada from Chamakada will have to take the Pukayila-Pandakashala bridge and reach Lakshminada.

Parking of vehicles will not be allowed along the Kumar Junction-SMP Theatre Road when the SMP level crossing remains closed. Vehicles intending to proceed towards Nair's Hospital Junction from Chemmamukku will have to turn left from Kadappakada junction, then turn right from the Market junction and take the Sports Club Road.

The bus stop in front of Sankar's Hospital will be shifted to the waiting shed ahead. Up and down bus stops at the same point along any road will be relocated and these points include Anchukallumoodu, Vellayittambalam, Medayilmukku, Polayathodu, Kallumthazham and Pallimukku.

The autorickshaw stand at Kadappakada will be shifted to the four-lane road. Traffic control systems will be installed at Kappalandimukku junction. Parking will be allowed only along one side of the Paikada road. Parking will not be allowed along the National Highway from SBI junction to the Reserve Police Camp junction.

The Railways will be directed to find more place for parking of vehicles arriving at the Kollam railway station. The median from Kadappakada junction will be extended to Market junction to prevent vehicles from taking U-turn.

The St. Joseph's Convent-Thuyyam Church road, the RK Textile Junction-Parvathy Mill road, the High School Junction-Kottamukku road and the Trinity Lyceum-Canara Bank junction road will be made one-ways.

Playback singer K.J. Yesudas will be honoured with the Swaralaya-Devarajan Master award at a function to be held at the Swaralaya Open Air auditorium here on April 13. Playback singer P. Susheela will present the award, which carries a cash prize of Rs.50,000, citation and trophy, to him. Playback singer M.G. Sreekumar, winner of this year's Yesudas Award, will be honoured at the function. A music programme led by Mr. Yesudas and Ms. Susheela will follow. As a prelude to the event, a competition on singing songs tuned by the late music director G. Devarajan will be held on April 10 at the Kadappakkada Sports Club Hall.

For details, contact: 0474-2748185.

The biggest cultural festival of Kollam ...the Kollam Pooram will be held at the gigantic Ashramam Maidan as part of the annual celebration of Ashramam Sree Krishna Swamy temple on April 15th.

Source - Mathrubhoomi (http://www.mathrubhumi.com/kollam/news/1543261-local_news-Kollam-കൊല്ലം.html)

President's Trophy will be held on the third Saturday of September yearly.

District Collector P.G. Thomas said that this year's President's Trophy Boat Race on Ashtamudi Lake will be held on September 15. The decision was taken at a meeting attended by, among others, Mayor Prasanna Earnest and Kollam M.P. N. Peethambara Kurup.

The meeting also decided to conduct the race every year on the third Saturday of September. The maiden President's Trophy Boat Race was inaugurated on August 30 last year by President Pratibha Patil. The meeting decided to launch a major publicity campaign to promote the race. Billboards announcing the race will be installed at airports, bus terminals, and railway stations in the State. Attempts will also be made to get big companies to support the race, Mr. Thomas said.

The race course of the lake would be dredged in time for the race. The Inland Navigation Department has been entrusted with the task. A high-level meeting would be called next month to chart out plans for the successful conduct of the race, the Collector said. The meeting was attended by Additional District Magistrate O. Raju, Assistant Police Commissioner Thomson Jose, and Deputy Mayor G. Lalu.

A bronze statue of Kathaprasangam exponent V. Sambasivan, who died in April 1996, is being installed in front of his house at Kacherimukku in the city. The statue will be formally unveiled by actor Madhu at 3.30 p.m. on April 13.

The statue will be unveiled at a cultural meeting to be presided over by former editor of Janayugam Thengamam Balakrishnan.

At the meeting, Pirappancode Murali will deliver the Sambasivan commemoration address. CPI(M) district secretary K. Rajagopal will speak.

Sambasivan's son Vasanthakumar Sambasivan told the media that three kathaprasangam- related books would be launched at the function.

The statue was made by sculptor Varkala Mani.

Sankaracharya of Sringeri, Sri Bharati Tirtha Mahaswamiji, will be in Kollam on April 14 and 15 as part of his Dakshina Bharatha Vijaya Yatra programme.

A ritualistic reception is being planned for him on his arrival at the Kottarakulam Maha Ganapati temple here at 6 p.m. on April 14.

He would be taken in a grand procession to the Brahmana Samajam hall where the Sankaracharya would deliver his benedictory address.

After that, the Sankaracharya would conduct Chandramoulishwara Puja and bless the devotees. At 7 a.m. on April 15 after the Sri Sarada Chandrmoulishwara Puja, the Sankaracharya would grant darshan to devotees. Devotees would also get the opportunity to conduct Pada Puja. Those intending to conduct the puja should register themselves in advance.

A bronze statue of the Kathaprasangam exponent V. Sambasivan, who passed away in April 1996, is being installed in front of his house at Kacherimukku in the city. Madhu, actor, will unveil the statue at 3.30 p.m. on Friday at a cultural meeting.

Thengamam Balakrishnan, former Editor of Janayugam , will preside over the meeting. Pirappancode Murali, Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader, will deliver the Sambasivan commemoration address. CPI(M) district secretary K. Rajagopal will speak. Three Kathaprasangam-related books would be launched at the function.

A bronze statue of Kathaprasangam exponent V. Sambasivan, who died in April 1996, is being installed in front of his house at Kacherimukku in the city. The statue will be formally unveiled by actor Madhu at 3.30 p.m. on April 13.

The statue will be unveiled at a cultural meeting to be presided over by former editor of Janayugam Thengamam Balakrishnan.

At the meeting, Pirappancode Murali will deliver the Sambasivan commemoration address. CPI(M) district secretary K. Rajagopal will speak.

Sambasivan's son Vasanthakumar Sambasivan told the media that three kathaprasangam- related books would be launched at the function.

The statue was made by sculptor Varkala Mani.

Captivated by the smell of fresh print

Book-lovers seem to have sniffed out the smell of fresh print at the Public Library complex here, and the crowd, from all age groups, shows it is irresistible.

The annual Kollam Book Festival, organised by the Kollam District Library Council, began at the complex on Wednesday.

The week-long festival aims to promote the reading habit, especially among the younger generation.

P.K. Gopan, President of the council, said nearly 50 publishers were taking part in the festival. Thousands of books, both Malayalam and English, crowd the stall shelves. English classics and contemporary books occupy prime slots. Rebates are offered on purchases.

Lenin Rajendran, film-maker, inaugurated the festival, which has converted the whole library complex into a world of books. D.C. Books, Saindhava Books, Prabhat Book House, and Deshabhimani Book House are all participating.

Mr. Gopan said that during last year's festival, book sales touched Rs.1.5 crore. This year, the organisers expected the turnover to touch Rs.1.75 crore.

In connection with the festival, various literature-oriented programmes have been organised.

Source - The Hindu

District Collector P.G. Thomas has said that tobacco use is a habit that does no good but brings misery to society.

“Therefore the habit has to be given up” he said while launching the “Tobacco-free Kollam” scheme at a function here on Thursday.

The harm of tobacco use was that it was not only harmful to the user, but also to others who do not use it. So it was high time that people give up smoking tobacco and chewing tobacco products.

In order to get rid of the evil, more and more people should join the campaign against tobacco-use and those addicted to the use of such products should set an example by getting rid of it, Mr. Thomas said.

Kollam Corporation councillor G. Anandan administered a pledge against use of tobacco.

The Collector also distributed boards announcing that “smoking banned here” to the police for being installed at public places.

The board contained a phone number through which the public could inform the police in case they see anyone violating the ban.

Source - The Hindu

On Sunday, all roads in the city led to the Asramam Maidan, the venue of the colourful Kollam Pooram, the grand finale of the annual ten-day festival of the Asramam Sree Krishna Swamy temple.

A festive mood gripped the city early on the day and the whole maidan was packed with people by 3 p.m., including a good number of foreigners, to witness the Pooram ceremonies.

The festivities began with the Pooram Ezhunallathu ritual by 7.30 a.m. Tuskers accompanied by traditional percussion ensembles came in small Poorams to the Sree Krishna Swamy temple from various temples in the city. The Andanawalleshwaram temple, Koikkal Sreekandan Sastha temple, Uliyakovil Bhagawathy temple, Sree Narayanapuram Subramanya Swamy temple, Kadappakada Sree Dharma Sastha temple, Sree Munneshwara Swamy temple, Thumbara Sree Devi temple, Erattakulangara Sree Maha Vishnu temple, Sree Sankara Kumarapuram Subramanya Swamy temple, Kannammathu Sree Bhadra Devi temple, Puthupally Madaswamy temple, Asramam Sree Marariamma temple, Pattathanam Subramanya Swamy temple, and Chekode Kalariyil Sree Krishna Swamy temple took part in the Pooram. Close to 45 tuskers arrived as part of the small Poorams.

Source - The Hindu (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article3319167.ece)

Thousands witness Kollam Pooram

KOLLAM: Braving the heavy downpour accompanied by thunder and lightning, thousands of enthusiasts thronged the Asramam Maidan to witness the Kollam Pooram extravaganza which marked the culmination of the annual Vishu festival of the Asramam Sree Krishna Swami Temple here on Sunday evening.

Fifteen caparisoned elephants each from Thamarakulam Sree Mahaganapathy Temple and Puthiyakavu Sree Bhagavathy Temple featured in the Kudamattom ceremony.

To the excitement of the people gathered at the Asramam Maidan, ornamental umbrellas were switched one after one by both sides. Heavy rain and thunder began after the ‘kudamattam’ ceremony began. However, it did not mar the enthusiasm of thousands who gathered at the maidan.

The ‘melam’ and ‘kudamattam’ was broken in between owing to heavy downpour and resumed after half an hour.

The pooram ceremonies had begun earlier in the day with ‘pooram ezhunnallathu’ from 14 temples arriving at the Sree Krishna Swami Temple. The tuskers which participated in the ‘ezhunallathu’ were given a ceremonial bath, which was followed by a sumptuous meal on the temple premises.

The ‘ezhunnelippu’ of the deities, Thamarakkulam Maha Ganapathy and Puthiyakavu Sri Bhagavathy were held at 2 p m following which the tuskers from both sides were paraded to the maidan and lined up facing each other.

The dazzling fireworks marked the completion of the pooram ceremony.

Source - IBN Live (http://ibnlive.in.com/news/thousands-witness-kollam-pooram/249167-60-123.html)

Nedumpana panchayat of Kollam district has won the ‘Swaraj Trophy’ for the best panchayat, 2011-12, in the State.

Besides the trophy, the panchayat will get special project assistance of Rs. 25 lakh. The Karakulam panchayat in Thiruvananthapruam district, Mutholi panchayat in Kottayam district, Chottanikkara panchayat in Ernakulam district, Nochad panchayat in Kozhikode district, Chembilode panchayat in Kannur district and Madickai panchayat in Kasaragod district won first places at the district level. They will get special assistance of Rs. 10 lakh each, besides trophies, Minister for Panchayats M. K. Muneer, who announced the awards said.

The Minister also announced the panchayats that excelled in implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme last year. The Chenkal pancahayt in Thiruvananthapruam district came first at the State level. The second and third places went to Adimali and Rajakumari panchayats in Idukki district.

Mr. Munneer said that the awards would be presented at the valedictory of National Panchayat Day celebrations to be held in Thiruvananthapruam on April 24 afternoon. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy would inaugurate the celebrations in the morning.

The system for payment of property tax through post offices and web service for accounting in local self governments would also be inaugurated on the occasion. The release of documentary on panchayats prepared by IT@School, special edition of Panchayat Raj Magazine, presentation song of ‘grama yatra’ and logo of clean and green village project would also take place on the occasion.

He said that the a seminar on 12 Five year Plan and Local Self Governments and a debate on problems faced by local self governments would be held on the eve of the Panchayat Day. Nearly 2500 delegations from the local self government would attend.

He said that the government proposed to take strong measures to ensure holding of grama sabhas. An office centre would be set up for the grama sabhas in each panchayat and action would be taken against ward members who failed to convene grama sabhas.

Source - The Hindu (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Thiruvananthapuram/article3332409.ece)

The renowned surgeon and Olympian Theodore Howard Somervell had worked with the London Missionary Society Boys Brigade Hospital at Kundara.

British surgeon and 1924 Olympic medal winner Theodore Howard Somervell, who was a legend in Kanyakumari district when it was part of the erstwhile Travancore kingdom, has a Kollam connection too.

He had worked as a surgeon with the London Missionary Society Boys Brigade Hospital at Kundara, near Kollam, from 1923 to 1949.

Established during the early 1900s and managed by the South Travancore Medical Mission (STMM), it was a major hospital at that time. The society established the hospital at Kundara as it was a flourishing industrial township at that time.

Somervell (1890 to 1975), a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, had served in India ignoring a promising medical career in Britain. He initially served at the STMM Hospital at Neyyoor in Kanyakumari and then began visiting the Kundara hospital once a month.

Then he came every week to perform surgeries when the number of patients increased. A unique operation theatre was constructed for him. Surgeries were performed here under sunlight. It had glass tiles on roof to enable sunlight light up the theatre. The theatre now functions as a neo-natal care unit.

A surgery then was considered something miraculous and people were curious to see it.

In order to satisfy their curiosity, the operation theatre had a glass window through which people saw the “saheb” performing surgeries. It is said that Somervell charged a small fee for that, which was used for charity.

A souvenir of the hospital brought out in 1970 had a photograph of people peeping into the theatre through the glass window.

“I remember the visits to Kundara very well, they were the busiest days I had ever spent in my life except for the few days in France during the 1914-1918 war,” Somervell had written in the souvenir.

In 1938, Somervell had initiated a fund collection drive for healthcare in Travancore and donated £1,000 to the Kundara hospital. The amount enabled it to become a 50-bed hospital. Dr. Somervell Memorial CSI Medical College at Karakonam was named in his memory.

Somervell had authored a book Knife and Life in India . He won an Olympic medal for achievements in mountaineering. He was also a known painter.

Source - The Hindu (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article3467673.ece)

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Ganesh Kumar to launch scheme today

To be launched on experimental basis at Pathupara

Fruit and flowering trees, forest trees to be grown

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Minister for Forests K.B. Ganesh Kumar will formally launch on Monday the Vanadeepthi scheme of the Forest Department at Pathupara under the Pathanapuram forest range.

The scheme envisages rural afforestation by reviving natural forests.

Vanadeepthi will be launched on a five-hectare spread at Pathupara. It was earlier a social forestry spread where acacia and eucalyptus were grown.

These trees were recently felled and provided as raw material to Hindustan Newsprint Ltd.

People living in the vicinity of Pathupara then wanted the green cover of the area to be revived with endemic trees and they approached Mr. Ganesh Kumar.

Minister takes steps

The Minister convened a meeting of forest officials to translate the plea into a scheme. That led to the idea of Vanadeepthi, which is being launched on an experimental basis at Pathupara.

Social Forestry Department officials said that saplings of fruit trees, flowering trees, and selected forest trees would be planted in Vanadeepthi project areas.

Depending on the success at Pathupara, the scheme would be extended to other areas of the State.

The inaugural function will be presided over by Piravanthur grama panchayat president K. Jose. Kodikunnil Suresh and N. Peethambara Kurup, MPs, will speak.

Chief Conservator of Forests K.A. Muhammed Noushad will welcome the gathering, and Assistant Conservator of Forests I. Siddique will present the report.

St. Sebastian's Island in Ashtamudi Lake in Kollam is less than a km from Dalawapuram on the mainland. But reaching Dalawapuram is a herculean task for the forty families who are the permanent residents of the island.

Lack of a regular ferry boat service is their main problem. To overcome this, almost all families on the island own small rowboats. At any given time of the day, some of these boats can be seen lying tethered at the jetty of the island and some at the opposite bank, on the mainland.

Anyone can row any of these boats to reach the mainland and back. It is a ten- minute row, one way. But this does not offer a permanent solution to the islanders' connectivity problem.

Some twenty school students on the island are the worst hit. Many of these students are too young to learn rowing, especially through the vast lake where tidal waves are strong.

When it is time for school, students can be seen waiting on a boat for an adult to arrive and row them to the opposite bank.

Since school timings do not match office timings, the students are often delayed and things are worse during monsoon. There are some students who have already learnt the art of rowing and manage things on their own.

So it is not an unusual sight at Dalawapuram to see a lone student in uniform confidently rowing a boat through the lake.

But their parents are not at ease. They say many of the children study at schools which are more than 10 km away from Dalawapuram. But it is the one km distance through the lake that worries them. They say they had given several requests over the years to the authorities for sanctioning a ferry boat service to the island.

But there has been no positive response so far.

Source - The Hindu (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article3507799.ece)

The 11-day mango festival organised by the Thiruvananthapuram-based Mango Growers Association will begin at the Cantonment Maidan here on June 16.

The organisers said several varieties of mangoes from Kerala and from other parts of the country would be on show for sale in more than 50 stalls at the festival.

They also guaranteed that all the mangoes brought for the festival would be ones ripened naturally by using hay. Care would be taken to ensure that artificially ripened mangoes were not brought for the festival. The association discouraged consumption of such mangoes because they were a health hazard, the organisers said.

Quality mango saplings would also be sold at the festival. People having at least five mango trees at home could become members of the association.

Each year, the association would hold the festival in a district. Last year, it was at Thiruvananthapuram.

It is mango time, and an 11-day National Mango Festival that began at the Cantonment Maidan here on Saturday is proving to be a real crowd-puller.

The festival, organised by the Thiruvananthapuram-based Mango Growers Association, aims at showcasing the grandeur of the king of fruits.

The organisers said over 40 varieties of mangoes from different parts of the State and the country had arrived at the venue, and more were expected in the day to come.

Direct sale

The festival provides a platform for mango growers to display and sell mangoes directly to consumers. It is intended to promote mango farming and consumption.

The organisers said mangoes displayed at the festival were farm fresh. They had taken care to ensure that no artificially ripened mangoes were brought to the festival venue.

The heady aroma of ripe mangoes and the fruit slices offered by farmers to tickle the taste buds seem to be irresistible to the hordes of people visiting the festival. One can have the pick of mangoes in various shapes and sizes with colours ranging from red and peach to golden and green. Apart from mango growers from Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu, those from various parts of Kerala are showcasing their produce at the festival.

The varieties on display include Alphonso, Neelam, Banganapalli, Mallika, Kotturkonam Varikka, Malgova, Lal Mitta, Dilpasand, Dasheri, Ali Pasand, Kalapadi, Thenvarikka, Sakkarakatti, Kilichundan, Sapotta, Muvandan, and Chandrakaran to name a few. However, things have not been very promising for them for the past two years, say the mango growers. V.G. Sitarasu, president of the Tamil Nadu Mango Growers Federation, told The Hindu that export prospects of mangoes, especially from the south, remained poor. This was mainly because the market for mango pulp had come down alarmingly. Prices were low even in the domestic market. This year, both the crop production and the prices were low.

Source - The Hindu (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article3540900.ece)

The Salil Chowdhury Foundation is organising various programmes here on June 21 to celebrate the World Music Day. Foundation office-bearers George F. Xavier and Gopan Neeravil said that the programmes would be held at the Public Library Hall.

It would start with a light music competition, ‘Kaathil thenmozhiyayi,’ for high school students at 9 a.m. Participants could select any song in any language tuned by Salil Chowdhury. Students interested in taking part should report by 9 a.m. with an authorisation letter from the school authorities. Cash prizes would be given to the first, second and third prize winners.

In the afternoon, tabala artiste and assistant professor at the Travancore Medical College Sumit Dutta would address a seminar on ‘Music: unknown and must know aspects.’

In the evening, ‘Ishtaganavedi,’ a programme which would provide a platform for anyone to either sing or play a musical instrument, would be held. The valedictory function to be held later on the day would be inaugurated by playback singer Lathika.

For details, contact Mr. Xavier at 93876 76757.

Source - The Hindu

More than 40 cents already reclaimed: environmentalists

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Says dredging on as part of National Waterway work

Land mafia spreading rumours: chairman
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Chairman of the Karunagapally municipality M. Anzar has said that there is no move on the part of the civic body to reclaim a portion of the Kannetti Lake through a landfill process.

He told a press conference here on Monday that allegations to the contrary were totally baseless.

Mr. Anzar said that dredging work was being carried out on the lake by the Inland Navigation Department with government permission as that course formed part of the Kollam-Kottapuram National Waterway-3. The sand collected was being dumped at a wetland site, attached to the lake, which was under the ownership of the municipality.

The sand would be shifted from the site later to be utilised for development activities within the municipality, he said

The wetland site was a puramboke of the lake and the dredged sand was being dumped there temporarily so as to prevent the sand from reaching the land mafia. Mr. Anzar alleged that huge tracts of the lake and the Pallikkal river that emptied into the lake had been encroached upon, which made many to believe that the dredged sand could be used as landfill to reclaim the encroached portions.

The land mafia was spreading rumours that the lake was being reclaimed. He said that the municipality had not prepared any project for the wetland site as alleged.

But environmental activists refused to buy the municipality’s version. They said that already more than 40 cents of the wetland had been reclaimed. Various laws, including the Coastal Regulation Zone and the Kerala Paddy Fields and Wetland Conservation Act, were applicable to the area.

The district unit of the Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad in a resolution urged the authorities to suspend the activity, and to save the wetland. The resolution said that under no circumstances a refill process could be permitted on wetlands protected by various laws and covered by the CRZ. The Karunagapally municipality was acting in violation of the law of the land, the resolution alleged.

Eco activists say mangroves are cut to facilitate work

Residents of Sankar Nagar in the city have alleged that though the newly constructed the Asramam link road, laid through Ashtamudi Lake, has eased the traffic congestion in the city to some extent, the road has made life miserable for them, especially during the rainy season.

At a press conference here on Monday, Sankar Nagar Residents’ Association president Joseph Babu and secretary K.S. Sardar Sahib said that before the construction of the road, rainwater used to flow freely into the lake through a stream on the northern side of the colony.

After the road was laid, about four acres of the lake on the eastern side of the link road got cut off from the water body and turned into land, preventing the flow of water through the 10-km-long stream into the lake. During the monsoon time the stream is constantly in spate.

While constructing the road, no study was taken up to assess the quantity of rainwater flowing into the lake from areas like Sankar Nagar. Only a small culvert was constructed on the western side of the road to enable the flow of water into the lake, Mr. Sahib said.

Also, the culvert was constructed some 500 m away from what used to be the confluence point of the stream with the lake. Moreover, the culvert and the stream had not been linked so far. This had resulted in Sankar Nagar and the adjacent Pullikada Colony getting flooded during the rainy season, Dr. Babu said.

About 100 families reside in Sankar Nagar and more than 400 families in the Pullikada Colony. It was in the wake of this situation that the association brought the issue to the notice of the District Collector and other authorities.

Dr. Babu and Mr. Sahib said that following directions from the authorities, clearing of the bushes that grew in the newly formed land was taken up last week to enable the construction of drainage to link the stream to the lake.

“But a group of so called environmentalists stalled that work by preventing the workers from clearing the bushes, following which the work had to stopped.” Uncertainty loomed large over the construction of the drainage. They said that with the monsoon progressing, the area faced the threat of getting inundated.

Environmental activists, on the other hand, said that it was not bushes, but well-growing mangroves planted in the area by students of the Kollam SN College and the Forest Department as part of a mangrove propagation programme declared by the State government, that was being cleared.

For practical solution

They said the link between the stream and the lake could be constructed without disturbing the mangroves. Moreover, what had choked the stream was not the mangroves but plastic and other garbage dumped at the mouth of the stream. The activists called for a more practical and environment friendly solution to the issue.

Source - The Hindu (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article3545173.ece)

Children in a Kollam school devised a cradle to collect books to start a school library.

Call them little children barely out of the cradle. But nothing can stop them from reading books. That is why they pushed a cradle around asking people to deposit books in it.

Celebrating the Reading Week on Tuesday, students of Balika Mariam Lower Primary School here set an example. The cradle was their idea to collect books to start a school library.

They kept the decorated cradle at the Sarada Madom junction near the school and stood around holding placards calling upon people to deposit all children’s books lying unused at home in it. “It was like an ‘Amma Thottil’ [cradle kept at State welfare homes to deposit abandoned children] for books lying discarded or orphaned in houses,” Clenny Pius, teacher at the school and coordinator of the programme, said. Mr. Pius said that a week ago, students and teachers of the school had met the heads of the departments of three colleges located at the junction, seeking books to fill the cradle. It was G.L. Lilly, Head of the Malayalam Department of Sree Narayana College for Women, who inaugurated the cradle.

Professor Lilly made a start by depositing 15 children’s books in it. Then the students took the cradle and placed it under the shade of a tree, attracting people’s attention. Some who knew of the exercise beforehand came with books and deposited them. Others went home to bring books and still others promised to come with books the next day. One eager soul presented 57 books; he did not wish to disclose his name and had bought the books after asking the teachers to give a list of 57 titles to mark the 57th anniversary of the school.

Nasser S AI Hajri Corporation (NSH), the flagship company of RP Group of companies, will launch its operations in LNG and mining sectors in a big way next month.

At a meet-the-press programme here, RP Group chairman Ravi Pillai said the company would inaugurate its office in Perth on July 5. Former Australian cricket team captain Steve Waugh is the brand ambassador of the company.

Pillai said the group set up two companies in Australia- NaSAH Australia Pvt Ltd and OGM. Apart from providing jobs to the locals, the company plans to create 1,500 jobs annually for Indians.

The Ravi Pillai foundation has also decided to hold another mass wedding ceremony – it had done one a while ago- in 2013.

Couples would be given assistance including wedding dress, a financial assistance of Rs 1.5 lakhs and employment in India or abroad.

Interested couples who fulfill the prescribed criteria based on financial and other norms could contact the office at 3rd floor, Ravis Arcade, near Iron Bridge Kollam – 691001.

Students of a Kollam school have contributed 10 poems to the e-library of Wikipedia

Ten children’s poems that are more than a century old can now be read by anyone across the world, courtesy the students of Government SNDP Upper Primary School here.

The students, as part of the Reading Week celebrations, have contributed the poems, compiled by poet and essayist Kerala Varma Valiya Koil Thampuram in 1910 as a textbook for primary school students of the erstwhile kingdom of Travancore, to the e-library of Wikipedia.

The textbook titled ‘Padya Padavali’ was also the first collection of Malayalam poems for children.

The students, who were guided by their teachers A. Gradison and S. Kannan, have completed the typing work. The poems will be formally launched into the e-library by writer Ezhumattoor Rajaraja Varma at a function to be held at the school on Monday evening.

The poems selected are ‘Prarthanakal’ by Kerala Varmma Valiya Koil Thampuran, ‘Koel’ by A.R. Raja Raja Varma, ‘Samayam’ and ‘Kali’ by Pandalam Kerala Varma, ‘Pusthakam’ by K.C. Keshava Pillai, ‘Thengu’ and ‘Vazha’ by Azhakathu Padmanabha Kurup, ‘Gurubhakthi’ by Naduvathur Achan Namboodiri, ‘Ente Amma’ by P. Padmanabha Pillai, and ‘Prabhatham’ by Oduvil Unnikrishnna Menon.

Source - The Hindu (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article3567660.ece)

Kollam: Creating a new record in the history of education sector, Amrita University’s indigenous E-Learning platform, A-VIEW (Amrita Virtual Interactive E-Learning World) is all set to train 10,000 teachers across India in the next two weeks. A-VIEW is been used by IIT, Bombay for a workshop on ‘Introduction to Research Methodologies’ for 10,000 teachers from June 25 to July 04, 2012. Union Minister for Human Resources Development, Shri Kapil Sibal inaugurated this mega training workshop today.

In a release, Prof. Kamal Bijlani, Director, Amrita E-Learning Research Lab said, “IIT, Bombay would be providing the methodology for the training where a group of teachers gather at a centre and there will be several centres spread across the nation attending the workshop, while Amrita will be providing the technology (software platform)”.

The Minister addressed all the participants through A-VIEW during his live interaction and congratulated IIT Bombay and Amrita University team for pioneering this new initiative. In his keynote address, he said the quality of students ultimately depends upon the quality of teachers. He added that Amrita University’s A-VIEW allows the student community and the teachers to be interactive.

Prof. Deepak Phatak, the leader of the national workshops, IIT Bombay said, “We have received tremendous response from various participants (faculties); the teachers were amazed that the knowledge of National experts is available at their doorsteps.”

IIT, Bombay joined hands with the Amrita University, which has developed A-VIEW after years of research for effective online teaching by providing a live classroom experience. Already more than 12,000 teachers were trained in several workshops since June 2010 by using regular internet connectivity using A-VIEW.

Prof. Bijlani added that more than 100 leading Universities / Institutions have expressed their interest to conduct regular online classes at their campuses through A-VIEW. This National initiative is being funded by National Mission on Education (NMEICT), which falls under the Union Ministry of Human Resources Development.

Source - KeralaITNews (http://keralaitnews.com/state-scan/other-cities/5083-amrita-universitys-e-learning-platform-a-view-to-train-10000-teachers)

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To promote ornamental fish farming


Fish species feeding on vector larvae to be distributed

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The Kollam District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) is organising a 10-day ornamental fish and pet show at the Cantonment Maidan here from Friday.

District Collector P.G. Thomas told mediapersons here on Wednesday that the show was organised to promote ornamental fish farming and rearing of pets.

The show also aimed at promoting the farming of fish species that feed on mosquito larvae. These fishes could be introduced into ponds, wells and other water bodies as an effective vector control measure, Mr. Thomas said. The species of fish would be distributed to the visitors.

In addition to ornamental fish species, various fresh water, brackish water and marine fishes would be on show. Alligator Gar, known as the “river monster;” the shovelnose catfish; the red tail catfish; flowerhorn; and arowana, considered auspicious in China, would be on display.

Cockatoos, lovebirds, Java sparrows, finches, macaws, African grey parrots, ornamental fowls, pheasants and pigeons, besides various breeds of cats, rabbits, goats and dogs would be displayed at the pet show.

On July 13, a dog and cat show would be organised. DTPC secretary K. Prasad and members Ashtamudi Venu and Prasad Nanappan were present at the press briefing.

As the Indian film industry celebrates its centenary, the TKM College of Engineering is joining the celebrations by organising a three-day film festival on the campus from July 7.

The festival christened TKMFF 12 will be inaugurated by film director Jayaraj.

College union chairman Vishnu Nair M.T. said multilingual movies promoting social awareness and films that would familiarise the audience with technical innovations would be screened.

As part of the festival, several parallel events will also be held.

This will include interactive spot questionnaire based on the movies screened and technical aspects of film-making. There will also be an interaction with film director Lenin Rajendran on the concluding day.

Alex Thomas, a class X student of Infant Jesus Higher Secondary School, Tangasseri, here is the State topper in the computer skills examination conducted by the Macmillan International Assessment for Indian Schools (IAIS) in August last year.

The IAIS is an educational measurement and assessment service that helps students realise their potential to grow and reach international standards. It is offered in partnership with Education Assessment Australia, a unit of the University of New South Wales (UNSW).

A gold medal and certificate from the UNSW was presented to Alex by school Principal Rev. Silvie Antony at a function held at the school on June 5. Alex is the son of Thomas Alexander and Asha Pushpam. — Staff Reporter

Source - The Hindu (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article3618739.ece)

A 10-day ornamental fish and pet show organised by the District Tourism Promotion Council which began at the Cantonment Maidan here on Friday has brought colourful and unusual pets under a single roof.

Visitors were introduced to new pets from the animal world and this includes the “river monster” or the Alligator Gar.

Cute species of chicken that would make wonderful pets in addition to laying eggs were among the attractions. But the hitch is that their price tag starts from Rs.20,000 a pair, said one of the visitors.

Visitors also get the opportunity to see the rare Kadaknath breed of chicken, native to Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh. The other ornamental fowl breeds on show include the bantam and the Polish caps.

There is a pair of macaw with a price tag of Rs.1.5 lakh. Other birds of the wild like the silver pheasant and the golden pheasant are also big attractions of the show. There are at least 15 exotic species of colourful birds exhibited as pets.

The dogs on show range from the cuddly poodles to the ferocious Rottweiler. The aquarium wing of the show is equally captivating with eels, angel fish, gold fish, catfish, guppies and two fish species which breed on vector larvae.

Even the glossy black and snowy white mice on show have all the qualities to make fine pets at home.

Source - The Hindu (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article3618733.ece)

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To promote ornamental fish farming


Fish species feeding on vector larvae to be distributed

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The Kollam District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) is organising a 10-day ornamental fish and pet show at the Cantonment Maidan here from Friday.

District Collector P.G. Thomas told mediapersons here on Wednesday that the show was organised to promote ornamental fish farming and rearing of pets.

The show also aimed at promoting the farming of fish species that feed on mosquito larvae. These fishes could be introduced into ponds, wells and other water bodies as an effective vector control measure, Mr. Thomas said. The species of fish would be distributed to the visitors.

In addition to ornamental fish species, various fresh water, brackish water and marine fishes would be on show. Alligator Gar, known as the “river monster;” the shovelnose catfish; the red tail catfish; flowerhorn; and arowana, considered auspicious in China, would be on display.

Cockatoos, lovebirds, Java sparrows, finches, macaws, African grey parrots, ornamental fowls, pheasants and pigeons, besides various breeds of cats, rabbits, goats and dogs would be displayed at the pet show.

On July 13, a dog and cat show would be organised. DTPC secretary K. Prasad and members Ashtamudi Venu and Prasad Nanappan were present at the press briefing.

Initiative will benefit around 20,000 fishermen in Kollam district

Labour Minister Shibu Baby John, on Sunday, inaugurated a programme which provides daily marine weather forecasts for seagoing fishermen in Kollam district. The forecast will be broadcast thrice a day through Radio Benziger, a Kollam-based community radio station. In his address, Mr. John said he would strive to extend this ‘unique initiative’ across the State. Kollam Bishop Stanley Roman delivered the benedictory address and Mayor Prasanna Earnest spoke.

The broadcast, the first of its kind in the country, is expected to benefit at least 20,000 fishermen of the district and several migrant fishermen operating from the harbours of Tangasseri, Shakthikulangara and Neendakara in addition to several minor fish landing sites along the Kollam coast.

John Thekkayyam, the architect of the programme, said that in spite of having a 7,500-kilometre coastline and a marine fisher folk population of 3.57 million spread across more than 3,000 marine fishing villages in the country, there was no regular marine weather broadcast for fishermen.

He said that all weather forecasts were directed at farmers and the general public. This, despite the fact that marine fishermen worked in an environment where the weather had the potential to turn hostile any moment. Such weather broadcasts were common in developed countries, he added

Mr. Thekkayyam, a former merchant navy navigation officer, said marine weather data received from the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services would be translated into simple Malayalam for being broadcast through Radio Benziger.

The programme is conceived and promoted by the Rotary Club of Tangasseri. The broadcasts, which will forecast swell, wind, and tides, will be in the morning, noon and at night for the next 24 hours.

But if wind with a speed of more than 38 km an hour is forecast, it will be broadcast frequently.

Safety tips

Club president Shaji Vishwanath and secretary Lester Fernandez said that in addition to the weather forecast, the club would also provide sea safety tips for fishermen through Radio Benziger. These broadcasts will be available to fishermen residing along the Kollam coast from Thanni in the south to Azheekkal in the north and for more than 30 km into the sea.

Source - The Hindu (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article3618742.ece)

Social worker Kulapadam Manikandan passed away on Monday at a private hospital at Anchal.

He was 49. Manikandan, a taxi driver, was known for his service to destitutes and road accident victims. On Monday while on a trip, he felt uneasiness and was rushed to the hospital, but could not be saved. Manikandan was also a blood donor. He, along with his two sons, had conducted campaigns on prevention of road accidents.

The news of his death shocked people in Nedumpana and Kulapadam. Shops downed shutters as a mark of respect to him. The funeral will be held on Tuesday.

Anoop Jacob, Minister for Food and Civil Supplies, will launch the Kollam chapter of the Association of Food Scientists and Technologists (India) at a function to be held at the TKM Institute of Technology at Karuvelil, near here, on July 19.

The Kollam chapter of the AFST(I) will be linked to the Department of Food Technology attached to the TKM Institute of Technology.

The AFST(I), headquartered at the Central Food Technology Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysore, is reportedly one of the largest professional and educational organisations with over 2,500 food scientists and technologists as members.

Principal of TKM Institute of Technology K.K. Abdul Rasheed said the inaugural function would be presided over by Shahal Hassan Musaliar, chairman of the TKM College Trust.

G. Vijayalakshmi, president of AFST(I) and Principal Scientist of the Food Microbiology Department attached to the CFRTI will deliver the keynote address.

Elaborate arrangements are being made at the Thirumullavaram beach area in Kollam city for the smooth conduct of the Karkidaka Vavubali ritual.

Thousands of devotees arrive on the beach between Tuesday night and Wednesday to perform the Vavubali Tharpanam. Vavubali is an important ritual observed by Hindus in Kerala in the month of Karkidakam. The ritual involves people offering Bali to the departed souls. The ritual is performed by men, women, and children.

The district administration has reviewed the progress of the preparations so as to ensure the smooth conduct of the ritual. Arrangements made by various religious agencies for devotees arriving there for the ritual have also been reviewed by the district administration.

District Collector P.G. Thomas said the police and personnel from the Fire and Rescue Services would be posted in strength on the beach and along the roads leading to the beach. He said that security arrangements in the area would come into force from Tuesday. Lifeguards would also be posted on the beach and sufficient KSRTC bus services would be put into service, he said.

The beach and surrounding areas have already been cleaned by the sanitation staff of the city Corporation. Sandbags are being laid where the terrain leading to the beach is rough.

The Vavubali area will be declared as a beggar-free zone on Tuesday and Wednesday. To ensure the smooth flow of devotees through the Thirumullavaram road, vendors have also been banned along the road.

Kollam in Kerala is India's new suicide capital

Kollam: Even as Kollam city gained the dubious distinction as the suicide capital of the country by recording the highest suicide rate among the 52 major cities, the authorities remained blissfully unaware of the new status. As per the 2011 data compiled by the National Crime Records Bureau, the suicide rate in the city with a population of 11.1 lakh stood at 39.3 per cent, with 436 persons committing suicide in the year gone by.

The top officers in charge, including the district collector, city mayor and city police commissioner, when contacted by Express, seemed to be in the dark about the ‘record’ set by the city. Some expressed shock while others raised doubts about the figures.

“As per my knowledge the suicide rate in the district has been showing a downward trend. But I am not sure about the figures in the city,” said District Collector P G Thomas. Mayor Prasanna Earnest said that it was new information for her, quickly adding that the City Corporation would soon announce new projects aimed at the prevention of suicide.

Ironically, this derogatory tag coincides with the city’s recognition as a mega city. Kollam, along with 18 other cities, was included in the list of mega cities by the NCRB while bringing out the annual crime figures for 2011.

Kollam district’s brush with notoriety based on its rising suicide rate had prompted the Home Department to start a counselling centre, ‘Pratasya’, in 2010. A toll-free number was also launched along with the centre inaugurated by then Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan. However, it has remained a non-starter. “The centre could not be opened for want of qualified counsellors. We are trying to revive the centre,” City Police Commissioner Debesh Kumar Behera said.

However, this has not caused much surprise to a clutch of NGOs functioning for the prevention of suicide. “According to unofficial studies we have conducted, suicide has been on the rise in the city for the past five years. Kollam is most vulnerable to suicide owing to the poor economic stability of the working class in the city, who depend on the traditional but ailing sectors like cashew and coir. The increasing rates of alcoholism and divorce are other reasons,” said Fr Jose Puthenveedu of St Joseph’s Guidance Centre, an NGO working for the prevention of suicide.

But more Keralites opt to live

Kerala has a good reason to feel relieved. The state, which was once termed as the suicide capital of the country, has broken free of the image. Coming out of the hot seat, the state is now fifth in the pecking order of suicide incidence as per the latest report of the National Crime Records Bureau.

Kerala was topping the list for several years but it came down to the fourth position last year. Now, Puducherry has topped the list of states and union territories with the highest suicide rate, followed by Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Chhattisgarh. The fourth highest suicide rate was reported in Sikkim. As per the data, Kerala has a suicide rate of 25.3 percent. In Kerala, as many as 8,431 cases were reported in 2011, down from 8,586 in the previous year, a 1.8 percentage decline.

Source - IBN India Live (http://ibnlive.in.com/news/kollam-in-kerala-is-indias-new-suicide-capital/272266-62-126.html)

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Spread of colours at handloom fair

The exhibition, Rajasthan Cotton Fab-2012, will be on till July 30

The handloom mela, Rajasthan Cotton Fab-2012, being held at the Jawahar Balbhavan here by Rajasthan-based Taj Bahuddeshhiya Sahakari Samiti Limited (TBSSL) is drawing crowds.

The mela offers a host of handmade items. The price tag ranges from Rs.10 to Rs.15,000 with a discount of up to 20 per cent. The products on offer include hand-block printed, Bhagalpur, and Jodhpur churidar materials; Jaipur bed sheets; and khadi shirts.

The sari section has a wide range of ethnic varieties, including Bandhani, Chanderi, Bengali, kantha worked, Azamgarh, Banarasi and Hyderabad saris.

Embroidered dress materials from Kutch; Lucknow chikan-worked cloths; Saranpur wooden handicrafts; Udaipur wooden toys; Jaipur lacquer bangles; Jaipur tops and traditional baby wear are also available. The TBSSL regularly organises exhibitions and craft melas across the country so as to enable artisans and weavers sell their products directly to customers and earn a better price for their products, instead of depending upon middlemen who often fleece them.

Kollam, July 28 (PTI): Karumalil Sukumaran, Congress leader and former chairman of Kollam Municipal Council, died in a private hospital today, family sources said. As head of the civic body, Sukuamaran had played a vital role in the development of the town, which was elevated as a city corporation after 2000. Sukumaran (71) had been keeping indifferent health for some time. He is survived by his wife and two sons. He had served as the civic chief from 1980-87 and had been councillor from 1968 to 2000.

It was during his tenure that Kollam town hall and many other civic amenities were built. Sukumaran was also on the KPCC executive committee for several years and was a keen trade unioninst.

Source - IBN Live

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Source - The Hindu

Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) chairman Vineet Joshi will inaugurate a two-day workshop for the Principals of CBSE schools here on Friday.

Cleetus Austin, chairman of Navdeep Public School that is hosting the workshop, said that it was part of the “Strategic management and leadership” programme for principals of CBSE schools.

Principals of more than 90 CBSE schools from the country and abroad would attend the workshop.

The workshop would be led by professors Jim Tognolini and Gordon Stanley from the University of Oxford and Jon Twing, senior executive vice-president of the U.S.-based Pearson Assessment and Information.

The Bishop Jerome Professional Entrance Coaching Centre jointly managed by Infant Jesus Anglo-Indian Higher Secondary School and the Trinity Lyceum was inaugurated by Kollam Bishop Stanley Roman on Wednesday.

The centre will function from the campus of the Bishop Jerome Institute of Engineering. Institute director Rajesh Martin and former Principal of Fatima Mata National College G. Henry spoke.

Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) chairman Vineet Joshi will inaugurate a two-day workshop for the Principals of CBSE schools here on Friday.

Cleetus Austin, chairman of Navdeep Public School that is hosting the workshop, said that it was part of the “Strategic management and leadership” programme for principals of CBSE schools.

Principals of more than 90 CBSE schools from the country and abroad would attend the workshop.

The workshop would be led by professors Jim Tognolini and Gordon Stanley from the University of Oxford and Jon Twing, senior executive vice-president of the U.S.-based Pearson Assessment and Information.

The centre will be formally inaugurated by Kapil Sibal in New Delhi on August 9


Tie-up with the U.S.-based Pearson Foundation


CAER to develop international capabilities

Vineet Joshi, Chairman of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), has said that the Centre for Assessment, Evaluation, and Research (CAER) created by the board will be formally inaugurated by Union Minister for Human Resource Development Kapil Sibal at a function in New Delhi on August 9.

Mr. Joshi was talking to The Hindu here after inaugurating a two-day international workshop for principals of CBSE schools at Navdeep Public School here on Friday.

Mr. Joshi said the CAER would support the CBSE in research-based interventions at the school level. Since technical expertise was required for the same, the CAER would function under a public-private partnership with Pearson Foundation, a United States-based non-profit organisation.

The CAER was expected to develop international capabilities and resources for CBSE schools and their teachers. It would establish best practices in school-based assessment and conduct research on policies and programmes that could improve teaching quality and strengthen student learning. The research capability and assessment resources to be created would be of international quality, Mr. Joshi said.

The CAER would have three basic departments. One would be for research and assessment, the second for professional development and leadership, and the third for publications. Other aims of the CAER included establishing assessment standards to improve student learning, improving the skills and competencies of existing and aspiring heads of CBSE schools, and conducting research and giving advice on introduction of new teaching approaches, he said.

The workshop is being organised by the CAER for assessing and providing feedback on student learning as part of the CBSE’s strategic management and leadership programmes.

In his inaugural address, Mr. Joshi said that heads of schools should be able to create an everlasting bond between the students and the schools.

The inaugural function was addressed by Sadhana Parashar, Director (Training) of the CBSE. Navdeep Public School chairman Cleetus Austin welcomed the gathering. Senior Principal Preetha Cleetus introduced the dignitaries and Principal Gouri Nayar proposed the vote of thanks. Principals of CBSE schools from the States of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka, besides Kerala, are attending the workshop.

The workshop is being led by professors Jim Tognolini and Gordon Stanley from the University of Oxford, and Jon Twing, senior executive vice-president of Pearson Assessment and Information.

Test was conducted by NSS volunteers

A test of the water quality in over 200 wells of Mylam and Pattazhi grama panchayats in Kollam district has revealed alarmingly high coliform bacteria levels.

The test was conducted by the National Service Scheme (NSS) volunteers of the Thamarakudi Siva Vilasam Vocational Higher Secondary School.

The two-week exercise was conducted with the help of kits supplied by the Communication Capacity Development Unit.

Polluted

The result indicates that groundwater in the panchayats remain completely polluted.

Reclamation of wetlands, paucity of rains, location of septic tanks near wells and low seepage of water into the ground have together triggered the situation, according to the NSS volunteers, who prepared a report in this connection.

The test reports have been given to the wells’ owners. The volunteers advised them to boil water from these wells for 15 minutes before drinking it. The test revealed that bottled mineral water too contain coliform bacteria.

Soure - The Hindu (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article3736654.ece)

Kollam Jesus Boat club started their practice and prepration at the Ashtamudi Lake eyeing a fourth Nehru Trophy Boat Race title this year.

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As part of the Green Friends initiative of Mata Amritanandamayi Ashram, Hiroshima Day was observed on Tuesday by planting saplings on the ashram premises.

A statement issued by the ashram said that Mata Amritanandamayi’s devotees from all seven continents took part in the programme.

They planted saplings of banyan trees, neem and tulsi (basil) to spread the message of peace across the world.

The statement quoted Mata Amritanandamayi as saying that nature was nothing but God’s visible form which we experienced through our senses. By loving and serving nature we were worshipping God himself.

Green Friends was established by the ashram with the aim of preserving and protecting the environment. Its projects are ‘Amrita Vanam’ to promote afforestation, ‘Kavinte Raksha Nadinte Raksha’ to protect sacred groves, and so on.

Source -The Hindu

Poet Kureepuzha Sreekumar, Kerala Sahithya Academy award winner this year, was given a reception at the Collectorate here on Wednesday.

At a function held in this connection at the collectorate conference hall, Collector P.G. Thomas presented a memento to Sreekumar.

In his address, Sreekumar highlighted the pathetic condition of Ashtamudi Lake. He said the lake had triggered the imagination of several poets. But this aquatic beauty was today in a highly polluted state. He wanted all concerned to join hands and revive the glory of the lake.

Reclamation and dumping of plastic waste were destroying the lake. All citizens of Kollam had a duty to protect the lake, he said.

At the function, the poet declared that he along with his wife and son were donating their eyes and gave an undertaking to the Collector in this connection. The function was presided over by Additional District Magistrate O. Raju. District Information Officer K. Abdul Rasheed welcomed the gathering.

Source - The Hindu

Grand Circus is coming first time to the city and the first show will be inaugrated by the Kollam Mayor on Fiday.

The circus will be there for 25 days at the cantontment maidan with al,ost 30 items displayed by 200 circus artists.

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Source - The Hindu

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The 57th annual general body meeting of the Cashew Export Promotion Council of India (CEPCI) will be held here on September 7.

CEPCI would also organise Cashewotsavam 2012 on the occasion, CEPCI Executive Director and Secretary K. Sasi Varma said here. A business session would allow suppliers, dealers, and service providers in the industry to interact with manufacturers in the country. The event would comprise lectures, presentations, and an exhibition.

G. Madhavan Nair, former chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation, will inaugurate the Mechanical Engineering Department of the UKF College of Engineering and Technology at Paripally on Thursday. Chathannur MLA G. Jayalal will inaugurate the National Service Scheme unit of the college the same day.

S. Basant, chairman of the college, said the college was under the management of the Universal Knowledge Foundation, a charitable trust. He said the arts club of the college would be inaugurated by Madhu Balakrishnan, singer, on Friday. This year’s first year classes would be formally inaugurated by Additional Director General of Police R. Sreelekha on Saturday.

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A show of Bengal cotton saris organised by the Kairali showroom of Kerala Handicrafts Development Corporation Limited at Chinnakada as part of its Onam festival sales has turned out to be a crowd puller.

Dramatist Nilambur Aisha has been selected for the maiden O. Madhavan Foundation Award.

The award was announced by actor and O. Madhavan’s son Mukesh at a press conference here on Thursday. Ms. Aisha was chosen for the award in recognition of her contributions to Malayalam drama. The award carrying a purse of Rs.25,000 and a trophy will be presented to her at a meeting to be held here on August 19 to commemorate the 7th death anniversary of Madhavan.

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