Aqua Show 2010 an institutional event
Published February 16, 2010 | The city was once again in the buzz with the ongoing India International Aqua Show 2010. This ornamental fish and accessories exhibition and trade fair has been organised by the Department of Fisheries, Govt. of Kerala and is witnessing a massive turn out every day. Being an ardent lover of aquatic animals me along with my friends were also among those thousands of people who came for this spectacular event.
It was a unique opportunity for me and all others to be a part of such a show which exhibits a rich variety of ornamental fishes and accessories clustering under one roof. This five day long event started off on Feb12 and culminates on Feb16 drawing exhibitors,breeders, traders and visitors from across the country. Even with an entry ticket for Rs 40 for adults and Rs 15 for kids, has not deterred the enthusiasm of the city goers who seemed quite excited for witnessing this grand event. We any how took the entry passes and made our way to the long queues which had a couple of twist and turns before finally culminating to the exhibition dome.
As we along with all others were eagerly waiting to make it to that exhibition arena, announcements were on full swing, requesting people to have patience and maintain the queue. The wait was quite a bit tiring, though the organisers do availed few temporary wood benches along the queues for rest, but it seemed quite inadequate for such a huge gathering. Thanks to the musical event which kept us entertained while we were moving in the queue. It was really a rare scene to watch kids, teenagers, adults to old aged people all waiting so desperately for having a sneak peek to those aquatic creatures.
Key Features of Aqua Show 2010 :
- Perfect platform for breeders and traders to meet under one roof.
- Opportunity to marine colleges to participate and showcase latest techniques for breeding.
- To facilitate the exchange of ideas regarding new trends in fisheries.
- Encourage entrepreneurs of the state towards the untapped potentials of fishery sector.
- Motivate and inform people regarding the possibilities of employment in this sector.
- Popularise fish breeding and ornamental fish keeping among the masses.
With the objective of encouraging hobbyists, breeders, traders and entrepreneurs, the Government of Kerala has been organising this annual event regularly over the last five years. And it is quite evident that people have started recognising the possibilities of ornamental fish keeping and breeding which is a commendable thing. As we made it to the exhibition dome we were amazed to see so many varieties of fish in different size and colours.
Though photography was strictly prohibited, still many people managed to click these wonderful breeds with their mobile cameras. As we moved along we saw many salt water fish and other aquatic plants and creatures, starting from star fish, lobster, crabs to other varieties. It was truly amazing to watch such a collection of ornamental fishes at one place, but it was ‘Miss Kerala’ who fascinated all with its scuttle curves and cute shape, this beautiful fish gained a huge popularity among all fish enthusiasts in the show.
There were also lot many stalls showcasing and selling a variety of fish products, fish tanks of all shapes and sizes; from the traditional ones to those ultra modern tanks which can lift up the look of your living room. With lot many offers and discounts, it seemed a smart deal to buy those attractive fish tanks at affordable rates.
The Aqua Show in Kochi has always been a major event in the realm of Ornamental Fisheries and attracts people from all walks of life. Like every year this year’s show too stood out to be a great event, providing a forum for interaction for the breeders and traders about new methods and use of technology in fish breeding.
Economic slowdown brings Backwater cruise industry on the top list for Tourists
Published February 16, 2010 | 
Many of India’s not-to-miss tourist experiences like a stay at the Lake Palace or a ride on the Palace on Wheels are often noted as something which does not fit the budget of the middle-class. However, the economic slowdown has brought about a great change to the wishes and taste of the ordinary people to exploit and enjoy at least one experience within their reach — Kerala’s houseboats.
For long sought after by the rich foreign tourists, the backwater cruise industry in Kerala has woken up to new levels with the help of domestic tourists who had virtually kept it afloat when the waves of the global economic slowdown had hit hard on the Indian shores by 2008-end.
Now cheaper by atleast 20 per cent (if not more), than the period preceding the slowdown- An overnight cruise through the coconut lagoon is an experience which even the National Geographic Traveler has ranked ahead of viewing the Taj Mahal. At present a single bedroom houseboat can be hired along with all the meals for a couple at just Rs 6000 a day whereas there were days when the same ride would have cost one Rs 10.000- 15,000. These overnight cruises provide as much pleasure to tourists as compared to a ride on the Palace on Wheels; something that beats above the eyes of an ordinary tourist and would cost around Rs 2,00,000 per person per week.
India’s longest lake spread of over 1,512 sq.Km- the Vembanad Lake is where the typical backwater cruise takes tourists on a 40-km journey, with a stopover at night by idyllic fishing villages where people and tourists alike can shop from a floating market ‘Triveni’ operated by Kerala Consumerfed. With rates no longer being restricted, the cruises are likely to attract a lot of interest from the northern states, especially from Maharashtra, Delhi, Gujarat and Haryana. Based on their budget, tourists can make their choice from one, two and three bedroom houseboats. Motherships (i.e. houseboats with ten bedrooms) suit those who love luxury perfectly.
There are plans to create new landing points between Ernakulum and Alappuzha by the end of 2010-11 to ensure that crowds are avoided and do not spoil the fun. Adding to this, new backwater circuits in Kayankulam and Astamudi are also developed, so that people from Thiruvanthapuram in the South need not travel all the way up to Alappuzha for a backwater cruise. Listed among the world’s ten ‘Enchanting Escapes’ by AsiaSpa, the spa and the resort magazine- Kerala’s houseboats are quite in demand amongst the tourists and are also evenly spreading out delivering their premium experience to many.
'Love' for sale
Published February 15, 2010 | 
In Cochin, Valentine’s day was marked by the impressive entry and exit of the Cupid. Though saint Valentine lived thousands of miles away from Kerala and died for causes not effecting the local public, it is interesting to note that we also have started celebrating this day with fervour and fun thanks to globalization and Western influences.
The legend goes that this day is celebrated in remembrance of the deeds of St. Valentine, a priest who was executed for having refused to fall in line with the unattested law of Roman Emperor Claudius II, allegedly ordering young men to remain single . The Emperor brought out this law to grow his army, believing that married men do not make competent soldiers. The priest valentine however secretly performed marriage ceremonies of young men who were in love and when the Emperor came to know about this, St. Valentine was imprisoned and later executed.
Valentine’s day in Cochin was all about parties, gifts and entertainment. Nonetheless in many streets of Cochin, love was put up for sale virtually. Heart shaped red balloons, red roses , heart shaped pendents and small gift articles were sold by way side hawkers who made the busy interjections their temporary shops. Some were seen enthusiastically displaying the wares to the passengers in the vehicles waiting for the traffic signal. Most of them rolled down the tinted glasses to take a closer look at the wares and many customers were eagerly grabbing them too as these were sold at a fraction of the market price.
However, I doubted whether these people who bought these goods were actually glorifying the concept of love- one of the most beautiful virtues of man! For an ordinary pair of eyes, it all looked a well orchestrated sales trick targeted against the susceptible common folks, who will fall for anything new or interesting. As they say Love is blind and so are the many traditions that go with it!
In memoriam…
Published February 11, 2010 | Remembering K.N.Raj and Gireesh Puthenchery…
The day in Kochi seems rather moody and glum. It’s a bit cloudy, not at all pleasant like the sunny days that we have been having. Maybe Nature is in mourning, Kerala having lost to Death yesterday two men who made their presence felt, of course in different fields.
It was noted economist K.N.Raj and popular lyricist Gireesh Puthenchery who, with many unknown and unsung Malayalees, bid adieu to this world yesterday.
K.N.Raj, born in Thrissur in 1924, is a man to whom we owe a lot. Having been the financial advisor to many of our Prime Ministers, starting from Pandit Nehru to P.V.Narasimha Rao, he had played a major role in moulding our economy and thus influenced our day-to-day lives, maybe without our knowledge. The man who was invited, at the young age of 27, by the then Prime Minister Pandit Nehru to help draft India’s First Five-Year Plan and the economist who no doubt one of the best of developmental economists we had, was a teacher too, having groomed many eminent economists. Dr.Raj was also the founder of The Centre for Development Studies (CDS), Thiruvananthapuram, which is one of the foremost development economics research centres in India. He breathed his last yesterday at the age of 85, following a brief illness and a cardiac arrest.
Gireesh Puthenchery’s death comes as a blow to the members of the film fraternity here, who are yet to revive from the shock made by the death of noted actor-director Cochin Haneefa. Gireesh Puthenchery, who was just 48 when he breathed his last yesterday, was one of the most prolific of lyricists in Malayalam Cinema in the recent years. The man who gave us some memorable songs like “Aakaashadeepangal Saakshi…” (Ravanaprabhu), “Kannunattu Kaathirunnittum…” (Kathavasheshan), “Oru chiri kandaal…” (Ponmudipuzhayorathu), “Innale ente nenjile…” (Balettan), “Varamanjalaadiya…” (Pranayavarnangal), “Gange…” (Vadakkumnathan) and many trendy, popular numbers too passed away yesterday after suffering a brain haemorrhage. Gireesh Puthenchery was one of the most active lyricists in the past two decades in Malayalam Cinema and also made his mark felt as a scenarist, having penned the script for films like ‘Vadakkumnathan‘ and ‘Pallavoor Devanarayanan‘.
Karmakerala pays tribute to the departed souls and takes the occasion to remember their contributions towards enriching our lives.
Maha Shivaratri Festivities
Published February 11, 2010 | 
Maha Shivaratri, is being observed with religious fervour all over Kerala tomorrow. It falls on the 14th night of new moon during the month of ‘Kumbham’ ( February-March). The devotees keep fast all night and chant the sacred Panchakshara mantra, “Om Namah Shivaya” and remain awake. The fast is broken only the next morning after the nightlong worship. Sivarathri is celebrated in remembrance of Lord Shiva who consumed the deadly Kalakoodam poison to save the world from annihilation. Special Poojas and prayers will be held during the festival.
The main celebration is at the Siva temple at Aluva on the banks of River Periyar. Thousands of people congregate here to attend the function irrespective of caste or creed including people from abroad, who come here to know more about the ancient culture of Kerala. Aluva is only around 20 kilometers from Ernakulam and is well connected by road.
During Sivarathri, people also perform obsequies to the departed souls on the river banks in the morning succeeding the holy night. The religious discourses and cultural presentations keep the pilgrims awake all through the night. There will be a lot of entertainment options and craft and arts shops as well in the fair that will be on for the next 2-3 weeks. Special bus services will cater to the surging crowds in the next few days and all the arrangements have been completed on the river banks of Aluva to ensure a hassle free experience for the pilgrims who throng this spot from far and wide.
Alappuzha-Kollam boat service re-launched
Published February 10, 2010 | The Alappuzha-Kollam boat service, which used to attract tourists in large numbers and which was stopped in 1996, has now been re-launched, after a long gap of 14 years.
The Alappuzha-Kollam luxury boat service of the State Water Transport Department (SWTD) has been re-launched yesterday, February 9th, with the State Coir and Cooperation Minister G. Sudhakaran flagging off the service. The luxury boat service, which is sure to attract tourists once again, has halts at Thottappally , Thrikkunnapuzha Coir Village , Aayiramthengu, Amruthapuri and Chavara too.
State Transport Minister Jose Thettayil has said that the State Water Transport Department had launched 14 new steel service boats in the last one year and five more would be launched before March this year. The forthcoming 2010-2011 State budget will have provisions for 13 more boats, he reminded.
The Alappuzha-Kollam inland water route has always been one of the most sought-after routes by those who reach Kerala for backwater tourism, especially as it covers almost the whole of Alappuzha and Kollam districts and gives one the full feel of what life along the backwaters of Kerala is.
The trip is one of the best things that visitors to Kerala can enjoy and cherish in their memories for ever.
Good news indeed for the people of Kerala as well as for visitors!!
Fleecing in the name of donations!
Published February 9, 2010 | 
It was a lazy Sunday afternoon and we were all in the midst of a siesta when the door bell rang relentlessly. Answering the door bell, we saw a group of people in crisp white cotton khadi attire, which clearly spoke of their identity. They were activists of some regional political party, about which we haven’t heard much.
The person who looked like the leader, barged indoors and soon the other members followed the suit. He made himself comfortable on the couch and pulled out some catalogs and paper cuttings from a thick file to make us aware of their activities and the party principles. We were least interested to go through all those heaps of papers and seeing our indifference may be, the group leader started briefing about their social service schemes to us. We sat there as mute spectators helpless and resigned to our fate on a well cherished holiday! Seeing the blank stares on our faces, he pulled out a donation slip and asked for 500 rupees in connection with the inauguration function of their new building in the heart of Cochin . When we told him that it is way too high, he started raising his voice and left in a jiffy without accepting the amount that we gave them.
Our suspicion on their acts and arrogance proved right later in the day when we met the same group in a way side beverages outlet, jostling to get their daily quota. May be those wads of currencies that he pulled out from his stuffed pocket were sourced by unscrupulous means and deeds. Someone should take a cue from these people on how to mint money without doing anything!
The general public is destined to mutely put up with all these tantrums because not many would dare to raise a finger against their misdeeds as these men are grouped under influential trade union organizations and political parties. No wonder that these school drop outs show off the latest cars and live in palatial houses which in itself will tell you about the advantage of having a lucrative income sans the sweat of the brow!
Big B's take on the airconditioned 'Mundu' after he visits Kerala
Published February 9, 2010 | 
Amitabh Bachchan was in Kochi to inaugurate Oscar-winner Resul Pookutty’s foundation to help the poor. The Big B not only made a donation but also seemed to have enjoyed himself in Kerala. He seemed to have taken a fancy to the Kerala attire ‘mundu’ and has waxed lyrical on his blog. Here’s the bit about the mundu.
“Keeping in tune with the phrase ‘do in Rome as the Romans do’, I order some extraordinary crafted dhoti and sari to be worn at the evening formal function. The sari of course for the ladies in the house. Typical Kerala designed motifs on them through gold and silver threads.
So, I wear the dhoti or munda as it is more colloquially known for the evening and I think there is an appreciation of it.
The ‘dhoti’ in all its pristine glamour, tied up around the waist by shear will power and some dextrous use of the stomach muscle, else it slips down and opens up !! It is just a piece of cloth, no buttons, no belts, no clips nothing. Simple elegant convenient and with its own characteristic charm and above all – air conditioned at all times !! The fall of the main design as a strip down the front to be positioned on the right hip and just around the right knee. Rules of culture!”
He goes on further about Kerala, Mohiniyattam and Kathakali in his blog and even met with our superstars Mammooty and Mohanlal. There are rumours of an Amitabh appearance in a Malayalam flick any time now.
Yes, we do appreciate the fact that you did wear the traditional attire and looked the part and it sure was fun reading your take on the mundu experience.
By the way, Mr Bachchan its Mundu and not Munda... oh well actually its neither only south Indians can pronounce it right!
The land of alcoholics is also a land of the most devout – An interesting contrast!!!
Published February 8, 2010 | Reading through the blog “Unity in Diversity at its best“, I was reminded of the church festival, I recently attended. Unlike most of the other states, Kerala is one which celebrates church festivals with great fervour and it is not only the Christians who look forward with much earnest to the church festival in their locality but it is also equally anticipated and enjoyed by Hindus and Muslims in the area.
Most of the localities have a church, each dedicated to a Saint and the feast day of the patron Saint is celebrated with much pomp and splendour. What begins with the hoisting of the flag continues with week-long prayers, novenas and religious services in honour of the Saint and each day’s expense (for the crackers, singers etc) is borne by different families (whether they are affluent or not) in the locality who see it as a matter of prestige and try to outshine one another. The festivities finally culminate with a huge religious procession with display of fireworks and lowering of the flag.
The St. Mary’s church festival I had been to, was the most famous one in Kanjirapally and is always a much awaited one as it is a famous church, and this festival reflects the fact. The huge procession which covered almost the entire town lasted for more than 2 hours and saw a flood of people (an estimated 50, 000) joining in. There were another thousand that stood by the roads to watch the entire procession.
What impressed me was the discipline with which the festivities were conducted. The long stretch of people formed two lines (those bearing the golden and silver crosses first, followed by people carrying huge red, pink and blue umbrellas. The van carrying St.Mary’s statue came right at the end of the procession, luxuriously decorated with flowers and illuminated with lights. Ten music bands accompanied the people at different stretches in the procession and each tried to outperform the other (they knew that the organizers will keep a track of their performance and that it would play a major role in their bookings for the next year)!
There were fireworks (a real feast to the eyes) at various points through which the procession passed, sponsored by famous jewellery and merchandise shops, the auto and taxi drivers association and other affluent families as well. The not-so-affluent greeted the procession by lighting candles and giving cool drinks to the tired people in the procession.
If there’s anyone who makes the most of the these church festivals, it is the travelling vendor who sell sweets, bajjis, merchandise, toys and all sorts of knick-knacks. Their small shops are arranged in such a way to attract one and all!
I retuned home, having a cotton candy in my mouth, the display of fireworks still before my eyes and the thought of how the land of alcoholics is also a land of the most devout!
Palakkad to become India's first fully electrified district
Published February 6, 2010 | 
It will be a proud moment for the people of Kerala when Palakkad will be announced India’s first fully electrified district.
It will be on February 16 that Sushil Kumar Shinde, the Union Power Minister will make the announcement at a function to be held at Ottappaalam in Palakkad district.
This comes as a blessing for the remote tribal villages in the district, where it was a rather hard thing drawing electric lines. The Kerala State Electricity Board has drawn a 12 km long power line to take electricity to the tribal hamlets of Moolagangal, Vechupathy and Vellamkulam. The remote tribal areas of Parambikulam forest like Kadar Colony, Earth Dam and PAP Colony have also been electrified. This move by the government of Kerala would reportedly prove instrumental in providing uninterrupted power supply to the Kanjikode industrial belt and the proposed Rail Coach Factory at Kanjikode.