Hi I am interested to start a new thread namely "Thrissur life" which includes the social life of people of Thrissur. I invite all the members to this thread.
city journalNANMA to hold artistes' confluence
THE THRISSUR zonal committee of the Association of Malayalam Artistes (NANMA) is organising a confluence of artistes, a seminar and distribution of cultural welfare fund forms at the Sahithya Academy auditorium today at 2pm.
The function, inaugurated by percussion artiste Peruvanam Kuttan Marar, will have Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy secretary C Ravunni as the chief guest.
Forms of Kalamandalam Kshemavathy cultural welfare
fund will be distributed by giving the first copy to the
Adv PS Eswaran. District president Benny Sarathy will preside.
Kerala Kalamandalam registrar Dr Sudhrasheran will present mementos to the artistes who got awards from sahithya, lalitha kala, folklore and other academies.
Kerala Lalitha Kala Academy secretary P Sathyapal, Mullanezhi, Dr PV Krishnan Nair, Jayaraj Warrier, Ravi Kecheri, MC Thekad and Thrissur Jayan will also speak on the occasion.
city journalmonsoon music magic
MUSIC SHOWERS: Chennai based Carnatic vocalist Shreyas Narayanan singing at a concert organised by Thyagabrahma Sabha at Sahitya Academy yesterday.
By Aasish Venugopal
MUSIC aficionados of Thrissur were quite anxious that the monsoon be a cause for setting down the pace of music hub in the town. But an event arranged as a revival of an age-old music association proved it'll not be.
Shreyas Narayanan, a Carnatic vocalist from Chennai extended a two and a half hour vocal concert on Monday on behalf of Sree Thyagabrahma Sabha at Sahithya Academy auditorium. On the accompaniments, the supports were provided by Trivandrum Sampath on violin, Poovalur Srinivasan on mridangam and Vellatanjur Sreejith on ghatom. He opened his recital with an adi tala varnam in the raga begada with a short Alapana.
He moved on to Kharaharapriya with the kriti Ganapathiye karunanidhiye in adi tala itself. Next came, the oft-repeated Amba vani nannu of Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavatar in the raga Kiravani (Kirvani in Hindusthani genre and harmonic minor scale in western).
This was catered too with a short alapana which explored all the three sthayis (octaves). Muruga Thirumalmaruga Shanmukha treated with the raga harikambhoji served yet another great experience as he provided a niraval and Kalpanaswara (Kalpanaswaram is raga improvisation within a specific tala in which the musician improvises in the Indian music solfege - sa, ri, ga, ma, pa, da, ni after completing a composition) at the lyric Karunai kadale... A Sanskrit composition of Muthuswami Dikshitar Hiranmayim Lakshmim Bhajamiwas neatly dealt with an elaborate alapana of raga lalitha which evoked a meditative mood. The meaningful excerpt from the charanam sangeetha vadhya... was chosen for niraval as usual, with both first and second degree of speed followed by kalpanaswaras in doublets. Rama nine nanu of Thyagaraja in the raga huseni set in adi tala was rendered in a fast pace.
The pièce de résistance for the evening was Thyagaraja's Ethavunnara in Kalyani, tala of which is a double mode reckoning of adi tala (two kala). As it is inevitable, there was a broad delineation of the raga passing through all the three octaves with ease. Niraval was fixed at Sree Garuda... in two degrees of speed and the swaras in the first degree, triplets and doublets.
Srinivasan and Sreejith showcased an excellent taniavaratana that each phrases of srinivasan were awfully reproduced by Sreejith. Sampath exhibited a consummate artistry in following the rendition and dialogues.
Compositions that were added to Thukkadas were Kanakasabhai thirunatanam in surutti, pandarivara sakhya panduranga in misra mand; and shreyas concluded the recital with a composition of Purandaradasar, Narajanma bandhaga in the raga Madhuvanthi.
sourcecopa America fever in the city
Joy wearing Brazil jersey sells vegetables in the Sakthan market >>
By Vishnu Prasad
FOOTBALL jerseys are once again in style in Thrissur as the Copa America featuring the best of Latin American football kicks off in Argentina today.
Enthusiasm, however, has been dampened by the fact the tournament will not be telecast in the country by any channel.
Fans of Brazil and Argentina in the district, most of them have not had an opportunity to banter in recent years, are hoping for a repeat of the previous edition's final which featured the two heavyweights.
Argentina fans are now hoping to avenge the defeat they suffered on that day.
Joy, a vegetable vendor at the Sakthan market, wears his Brazil jersey these days.
"We are extremely confident of retaining the crown. There will be no bigger achievement than beating Argentina in their country," he said.
When asked about the preparations going on in the opposite camp at the market, he chose to take some friendly jabs.
"I do not think they've organised their jerseys and flags yet. They are usually very slow at this," he said.
Faisal, an Argentina fan from Ayyanthole, however disagrees.
"We have the best team in the world, with the best player in the world. No team which has Lionel Messi, Carlos Tevez and Sergio Aguero can be beaten easily," Faisal said.
He added that playing at home meant Argentina was almost certain to win the crown.
Unlike other editions of the tournament, there are other teams which are followed fervently. For instance, Uruguay's performance in the recent World Cup has won them many admirers.
"Diego Forlan won the Golden Ball award at the World Cup. I am supporting Uruguay as he is playing," said Gautam, an IT professional from Chembukkavu.
Manchester United's Mexican wonder kid Javier Hernandez has also inspired a few to back Mexico in the tournament.
TV channels though are yet to buy into this football fiesta. Copa America has found no takers for broadcast and the entire country will miss out on the games.
However, a few tech-savvy people in the city are planning to watch the tournament. "We will watch the games online through live online streams," said Vikas, an engineering student. He added that he has been watching India-West Indies series using this method.
"Anyone with a relatively fast broadband connection can use this method to watch the matches. It will not be too difficult to watch all the matches of your favourite team online," he added.
sourceVoice of Akashavani Thrissur
M Thankamani
THE LISTENERS of Akashavani have been familiar with the voice of Thankamani for the last four decades.
M Thankamani, daughter of the renowned social reformer and writer of yesteryear Mullamanagalathu Raman Bhattathiripad, is now leading a retired life at Chembukkavu. But she hates to rest and often thinks of the days in which she was busy acting, dubbing and presentation of programmes.
She joined Kozhikode Akashavani in 1964. But she had to wait nine years to get a permanent appointment in Akashavani. Meanwhile, she was transferred to the Thrissur station, which had started independent broadcast during that period. She acted in many dramas such as Indulekha and Suryakanthiye snehicha penkutty.
Recalling those days Thanakamani says, "In olden times, we had paid much attention to the pronounciation of words".
Thankamani, who proved her mettle as a dubbing artist, won the state film award in 2001 for the film Theerthadanam. Her last film is Shaji N Karun's Kuttisrank. The prominent actors for whom Thankamani dubbed were Sharada (Rappakal), Suhasini (Vanaprastham), Nirmala (Oru Cherupunchiri), Aswathy (Swom), Archana (Piravi) and Mini Nair (Desadanam, Niyogam).
But the most unforgettable moment in her life is the dubbing for Kasturba played by Rohini Hattangadi in the Malayalam version of the famous film Gandhi.
In theatre, she worked with great personalities like PJ Antony, Balan K Nair and MS Namboothiri. As a presenter and drama artist at the All India Radio (AIR), Thakamani had bagged the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy award.
She also got the 'Best Tele film presenter' award instituted by Doordarshan. It was the telefilm based on the life Gandhian cum Freedom Fighter Late Padmashri Kumaran Nair that brought the honour to her. She won national awards of Akashavani for the programmes Mounam Meettum Thampuru, Sooryayanam and Karmanyevadhikarasthe in 1982,1992 and 1994 respecitively.
Born and brought up in a Nambudiri family at Shoranur, Thankamani had her schooling at Chittur Govt Victoria Girls High School. Her ambition was to become a Hindi teacher and she completed Hindi Praveen course which was equal to BA. But she was fated to become an announcer and was quite happy in the world of sounds.
"When I accept a character, I'll mentally be with that", says Thankamani, who is eagerly waiting for characters.
sourcePrayer for Rajinikanth's comeback
Mubarak, a die-hard fan of Rajinikanth, selling lottery tickets in the city.
WITH his special cycle cart decorated with the photos of Rajinikanth, Mubarak has become a familiar face to Thrissurites. He is a die-hard fan of 'Style Mannan' Rajinikanth.
He was in the news when he offered 101 coconuts to Vadakkumnathan for Rajinikanth's recovery from ailment. He is offering 1,001 more coconuts to the God on Friday for Rajinikanth's health.
For Mubarak, a native of Tirupur, Rajinikanth is everything in his life. He named his cart, which is used to sell lottery tickets, Padayappa, one of the hits of Rajinikanth.
He said that Thee was the first film of the superstar that he had watched when he was nine years old. He watched the film Basha for 120 times! He says that Basha was screened at Tirupur for a whole year.
Mubarak says he can't even count the number of times he has watched films Chandramukhi, Sivaji and Enthiran.
He says he doesn't like any other heroes in Kollywood. Yet he was found at Girija Theatre watching Suresh Gopi film Collector. "Now, we are all set to welcome Rajini's next film Rana and no doubt it will be a super hit,'' he said.
Mubarak, who is physically challenged, has visited Rajinikanth three times, but he could not make it this time when Rajini was in hospital.
"I had gone by my cart to see him and he advised me to come by train next time. We had spent half an hour and Rajinikanth gave me Rs 20,000," he said. He has no words to describe the moment when he saw the star for the first time.
He has formed a Rajini fan club in Thrissur. He says that around 51 people will participate at in Friday's programme. He is living with his wife and has two children. Mubarak is happy now because the superstar is back with more energy.
sourceConcerted music
Come Sunday, Thrissurites will be treated to a musical extravaganza by Big Band
MUSICIAN Lex Baster said: "Any good music must be an innovation."
Following his words, a young student along with his teacher Shomi Davis are making history by paying tribute to the legends of western music world. The concert will be held on Sunday at Regional Theatre at 6.30pm. Big Band is the name of their group.
The music concert will cover a wide genre ranging from Jazz, Latin, Rock to pop and Indi pop.
This is the first time Keith Peter, who is in AR Rahman's band, performs in Thrissur.
Through the concert, they are introducing talented band set artistes along with the legendry guitarist Keith Peter.
"Band set artistes have been restricted only to marriages and festivals. There are very talented musicians among them. We are introducing such talents in this performance," said conductor of the show Shomy Davis.
Paul is the main performer of the concert. He is basically a drummer who has a good flair for all music instruments. Paul is going to join Berklee College of Music in the US for his diploma in music business for his higher studies.
"I have a passion for music instruments since my young age. After watching lots of live music concerts, I decided to make it my profession," said Paul.
"In the concert, we perform music composed by Micheal Jackson, Buddy Rich, AR Rahman and many other legends for the uplift of musical knowledge among the common people," he added.
Paul has been training under famous percussionist of South India Shomi Thomas. For this concert, they got support of Rev Fr Thomas Chakkalamattath CMI of Chetana Music Academy.
"Paul has been showing keen interest in drums since his childhood and I have experimented various styles with him. He has now become an artiste with his own style," said Shomy Davis.
Shomi Davis, who has worked with almost all legendry musicians in India and has been in this field for the last 27 years. He is performing a small portion in the concert.
Augustine is playing wind instrument, Abhijith Sreenivasan is on lead guitar and Rejith George on keyboard. PK Naushad, AK Manikandan,K Kanakadas,Ramesh MK, Ginoy KA, MK Mohanan, Shaju are also playing the wind instruments.
"As this concert is a dream come true moment for everyone of us, we will give it our best," said Shomy Davis
sourceHandicrafts, handloom on display
Handicrafts and handloom exhibition organised by Hindustan Hasthakala Gramodyog Sansthan Samithi at Sakthan Nagar.
Handicrafts and handloom from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are on display at an exhibition at Sakthan Nagar.
The fair is organised by Hindustan Hastahakala Gramodyog Sansthan Samithi.
Jute carpets, Rajasthan bed sheets, cushion covers, Jaipur ladies tops, Sharanpur wooden items, Chennapattanam wooden items, Hyderabad pearls-stones, Uttar Pradesh crockery, cloth and jute bags, Madurai cotton saris, Panipat bed sheets and Jaipur bangles are also exhibited there.
Mayor IP Paul inaugurated the fair and it will conclude on October 28.
city journalRa. One to set city screens afire today!
Shah Rukh Khan's greatly publicised Ra. One, claimed to be the most awaited film this year, reaches the city today. The film is expected to be an awesome Diwali cracker for Khan fans.
Youngsers are already jiving to the rhythm
of Chammak Challo since its audio release took place well ahead of the movie's release. Trailer of the movie has also proved a super hit with the devout.
In the city, the movie will be released in both Girija and Ravikrishna theatres.
There is widespread confusion about release of the film's 3D version. There are reports that the 3D version release may be postponed.
TM Ramakrishnan, manager of Girija, said that the movie will be released today but "it is doubtful whether it will be the 3D version. Maybe, the 3D version will be shown after the matinee show".
Sanjeev N, a college student, says, "We are so excited about Ra. One. We will catch the first show itself. Of course, this is going to be a Diwali blast!"
city journalSakthan to get new life in celluloid
The story of the legendary king of Kochi, whose exploits are an unforgettable part of Thrissur's history, will take on a new life in celluloid. The film Sakthan Thampuran will be based on a book of the same name by writer and former Kalamandalam secretary Dr Kalpatta Balakrishnan.
More than depicting the story of a great king, the film will deal with the personal conflicts in Sakthan's life.
"It will be no formula masala movie packed with stunts and such," sources close to the film makers said. Director Fasil's son and Chapakurish-fame Fahad Fasil will play the role of the king, while most of the other characters will be new faces.
The film will have a budget not more than Rs1.5cr and will feature scenes like the 'Pooram' to add colour to it.
Engandiyur Chandrase-kharan and Samson Kollady will take care of the songs.
The shooting will start in March in various parts of the city under the banner of Thrisivaperoor Films.
source6th TIFF inaugurated
Cine artiste Jayaram inaugurating the 6th Thrissur International Film Festival yesterday at Kairali Theatre.
Cine artiste Jayaram inaugurated the 6th Thrissur International Film Festival (TIFF) yesterday at Kairali Theatre. Mayor IP Paul chaired the function.
Cine artiste Samvritha Sunil, MLAs Therambil Ramakrishnan and MP Vincent, directors Kamal, Sathyan Anthikad and Priyanandanan, district panchayat president KV Dasan, Manapuram Group chairman VP Nandakumar and Press Club president Joy M Mannur attended the function.
Screening of films started in the morning. After the inauguration, the film A Prophet was screened. Therambil Ramakrishnan released the festival book and VP Nandakumar received the book.
The Mayor said the corporation will do all the financial help that the corporation can.t
sourceOperation 'Combo' at city rly station
Police and Railway Protection Force conducting a combing operation at the Thrissur railway station yesterday in order to ensure the safety of passengers in trains as well as stations.
The police, jointly with the Railway Protection Force (RPF), yesterday conducted a combing operation at the Thrissur railway station. The security check was to ensure the safety of passengers in train.
The check was done at the instruction of Inspector General of Police B Sandhya to reduce the crimes in trains and railway stations.
Assistant City Police Commissioner TK Thomas said the exercise was undertaken to instill a feeling of security among passengers, especially to prevent attacks on women passengers.
East police station circle inspector TR Santhosh, sub-inspector PV Sindhu, GSI Enasu and other police personnel took part in the operation.
city journalA sneak peek at recent best creations at TIFF
Gautam Ghose's Golden Peacock award winning film at IFFI (2010), Goa. Moner Manush is a Bengali feature film based on the life and philosophy of Fakir Lalan Shah, a noted spiritual leader, poet and folk singer of Bengal in the 19th century. Moner Manush has been regarded as one of the best creations of recent times.
I'm Not There
I'm Not There is a 2007 biographical musical film directed by Todd Haynes, inspired by iconic American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. Six actors depict different facets of Dylan's life and public persona: Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Marcus Carl Franklin, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger and Ben Whishaw are doing roles in the film.
Three Monkeys
Three Monkeys (Turkish: Üç Maymun) is a 2008 Turkish film directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan. The film was Turkey's official submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 81st Academy Awards, and it made the January short-list but was not nominated.
Aarakshan
It is a 2011 Hindi film starring Amitabh Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone. Directed by Prakash Jha, the film is a socio-political drama based on the controversial policy of caste based reservations in government jobs and educational institutions. The film also stars Prateik Babbar and Manoj Bajpayee and was released on August 12, 2011.
Inside Job
It is a 2010 documentary film about the late-2000s financial crisis directed by Charles H Ferguson. The film is described by Ferguson as being about "the systemic corruption of the United States by the financial services industry and the consequences of that systemic corruption."
In five parts, the film explores how changes in the policy environment and banking practices helped create the financial crisis. Inside Job was well received by film critics who praised its pacing, research, and exposition of complex material. The film was screened at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival in May and won the 2010 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
Melvilasom
Melvilasom is a 2011 Malayalam courtroom drama film directed by Madhav Ramdasan and written by Soorya Krishna Moorthy. It stars Suresh Gopi and Parthiban in the lead roles, and features Ashokan, Thalaivasal Vijay, Nizhalgal Ravi, Krishnakumar and Sanjay in other pivotal roles. An adaptation of Soorya Krishna Moorthy's stage play of the same name, which itself was based on the Hindi play Court Martial by Swadesh Deepak.
sourceSahitya Akademi book fest from Jan 2
Sahitya Akademi will conduct a national book festival from January 2 to 12 in the city. Around 100 publishers from all over India will participate in the fest.
Art exhibitions, seminars, remembrance programmes, book review sessions, interviews with famous writers, honouring of writers and publishing houses, poets' meeting, book releases, discussions, drama, dance and other cultural programmes will be among the highlights of the event.
Competitions for school and college students will also be organised.
sourcePuzhakkal river polluted by wastes from houses
'Industries not to blame'
It's official. The pollution in Puzhakkal river is due to local waste dumping. And the pollution is limited to "just one stretch of the river" and "not caused by industrial discharges."
Kerala State Pollution Control Board chairman K Sajeevan told City Journal that "during our inspection, we found that wastes/effluents from the nearby industries were not allowed to flow into the river". In other words, the polluted stretch owed its dubious status to waste dumping by the locals.
The latest Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data had revealed that the Puzhakkal river is one of the 150 most polluted in the country. The board prepared its latest report on polluted river stretches in India after monitoring water quality under its National Water Quality Monitoring Programme (NWMP).
"It was we who gave the reports on polluted rivers in Kerala to the CPCB for preparing the data. Just one stretch of Puzhakkal river was found polluted. A major part of the river is not affected yet,'' he said.
"That one stretch is polluted maybe because local people dump waste there. We didn't find any industrial waste in the polluted stretch, not only garbage from houses, meat leftovers, drainage wastes and so on," Sajeevan said.
He added that the board would soon propose to the district collector and the district pollution control board to take remedial measures to prevent waste dumping into the river by the public.