Onam is here…
Published August 16, 2010 | Onam has arrived, once again, bringing happiness to all and adding colour to life.
It was on Friday night that I travelled back home for the weekend. As I was arriving at my native place, around midnight, I could see young chaps getting ready with the ‘Aththapookkalam’, the floral carpet that’s characteristic of Onam. This sight I could see at almost every 500 metre or so in the 15 km stretch from the National Highway to my home, at Varkala, in Thiruvananthapuram district.
‘Pookkalam’, which is also called ‘Aththam’, is now done in an elaborate manner, with funds being collected by groups of young guys going from door-to-door and with flowers bought from the market, mostly brought in from Tamil Nadu. There was a time when every house sported an ‘Aththam’ or ‘Pookkalam’ from the Aththam day itself, which marks the beginning of the Onam festivities. Even now,there are people who do this, with flowers plucked from their courtyards. I too used to do it at my house, till a couple of years back, with flowers plucked from the surroundings for the first few days and then, on the last 2 or 3 days, by mixing with them bought flowers. This because ‘Aththam’ is made on the first day with 1 variety of flower, with 2 varieties of flowers on the second day, 3 on the third thus it becoming ten different varieties on the tenth day, the ‘Thiruvonam’ day, the main day of festivities.
I remember once, during my childhood, when my uncles, who were college students then, made an ‘Aththa-thitta‘ (the base or structure on which the floral carpet is laid out- made usually by smearing the ground with cow dung or with mud). They had made it as a structure with ten steps, one step for each flower. On day one, they placed flowers on the first step and it was going from down upwards on the following days. But alas, we were shocked when in a couple of days it was raining too heavily. But my uncles were not the ones to be beaten so easily. They got an umbrella, one that was as colourful as the Pookkalam itself, and put it over it, shielding it from the rains. And there we were, watching from inside the house the colourful Pookkalam, which stood with all pride in a pool of water that the courtyard had become, due to the rain.
So, that was it, the Pookkalam. Another important thing that’s still there and which was rather an integral part of the Onam celebrations was the ‘Oonjal’ or the native swing, usually made by tying down ropes from the high branches of trees. Kids swing on these, singing all kinds of songs. There are still houses that sport an ‘Oonjal‘ during Onam time.
As the Onam mood sets in, people get busy buying things for their home, especially from the grocers. Relatives are going to stream in, all kinds of dishes are to be made, the Onasadhya is to be had, payasam has to be served. They run here and there, buying things,going to the flour mill to get rice ground into rice flour. The smell of achappam, murukku, unniyappam, upperi, chips and number of other delicacies emanate from all houses.
Then with Aththam, start the laying of the Pookkalam and then begin the final preparations for the Onam celebrations. Earning members in all families take time to go buy new clothes to be gifted to others in the family, as the ‘Onakodi‘. Then, from the 8th day after Aththam, the ‘Pooradam’ day, start festivities in the grandest of manners. The Onasadhya, the traditional Kerala feast is prepared and people start going around, visiting friends, visiting relatives and forgetting their worries and problems.
On the main days of the Onam celebrations, on ‘Pooradam’ , ‘Uthradam’, Thiruvonam’ and ‘Avittam’, (the 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th days respectively, starting from Aththam) it’s mostly the coming together of all members of a family, exchanging of the ‘Onakodi‘,partaking of the ‘Onasadhya’ and then going on to indulge in all kinds of ‘Onakalikal’ (the numerous games played during Onam). While the grown-ups prefer to sit around the table and play cards and do some light talk after the sumptuous lunch and the delicious payasam, the youngsters go about playing Thalappanthukali,
Ambeyyal etc. There is also, in connection with Onam, the women performing the Kaikottikali and the Thumbithullal. Kids gather and go from door-to-door doing the pulikali, donning the garb of tigers and leopards. All this and much more add to the spirit of Onam. In our parts, in the Southern districts of Kerala, Onam extends to Chathayam, the 12th day from Aththam, which is celebrated as the birth anniversary of Sree Narayana Guru, the great social reformer. Added to this is the Irupaththiyettaam Onam (or 28th Onam), celebrated on the 28th day after Thiruvonam and which coincides with the ‘Thiruvonam‘ day of the next month as per the Malayalam almanac.
It’s all this and much more that adds to the colour, the joy of Onam, which is celebrated by Malayalees everywhere.
A lotus-shaped hermitage for Kerala
Published August 13, 2010 | 
Now Kerala will have a lotus hermitage, which resembles the Bahai Mandir in New Delhi, a famous spiritual centre. Today, President Pratibha Patil is inaugurating this architectural marvel at the Santhigiri ashram at Pothencode, founded by the late Karunakara Guru. Located near the state capital, the ashram has always been a spiritual haven for many devotees.
Shaped like a lotus flower this 91-feet structure has a radius of 84 feet and has 12 petals that face up while nine petals curl down to give it the look of a fully bloomed lotus flower. The concrete structure is wrapped with white makrana marble and is reinforced by steel bars. The construction of this structure involved a lot of labour and man days and each petal took around six months for completion.
In the middle lies the “sarakoodam,” which is a teak wood enclosure designed in the shape of a lotus bud with a marble cask inside. The flooring of which is done with a rare type of granite, the ‘Krishna sila’. There are 11 steps that lead to a pedestal, which carries the life-size golden sculpture of the guru . There will be 12 rooms in the first floor where the articles used by the Guru will be kept.
The ornate foyer add a mystical charm to the whole structure and at night, the flood lit structure would resemble a full bloom lotus under the star lit sky. In the coming days it will not only attract the Guru’s disciples and devotees but also curious onlookers who wish to take a glance at this spectacular sight, which is the only of its type in Kerala at present .
Pic sourse: The Hindu
Kochi road rage disappears on Kozhikode roads
Published August 12, 2010 | I was in Kozhikode recently and couldn’t help compare traffic in Kochi and Calicut.
In Kochi the roads are bigger than the ones in Calicut, no doubts there, and people tend to know road etiquette more than in Calicut. I know this is strange for a Kochiite – who is already showing signs of road rage reading this. But this is true!
In Calicut you find that no one follows any rules except when a traffic cop is around. And the best part about Calicut is that there’s not much of road rage, so pedestrians cross the road as and when they please and the motorist lets them go by quite unaffected most of the time.
The same situation in Kochi would have led to a cacophony of protests with cars honking, bikes revving, swears and cussing, all coming from all directions.
But in Calicut, even in Palayam Junction you find the lungi-clad men crossing the road to Moideen Palli (mosque) with not a care in this world. The motorist seems to know there’s this guy running to the mosque before the ‘Baanguvili‘. He patiently lets the man cross, allows a few bikewallahs to go ahead like he has all the time in the world.
It was amazing to observe this and even at lunch time, no one was in a mad rush there. I took a cue from them and followed what they did and allowed all to pass and for a change it felt good!
But then Calicut takes life at a slower pace, go by Mananchira Square on any weekday during working hours and you find scores of people sitting and talking on the grass. It makes you wonder how they survive? They show no sign of worries of work and other tensions and are busy talking politics or making plans, (no idea really), but it is a sight to see!
So while it pays to be a bully on Kochi roads it’s a joy to be a docile driver in Calicut and experience a tolerance that is liberating and refreshing.
Nehru Trophy Boat Race ready for August 14
Published August 11, 2010 | As Onam, Kerala’s own cultural celebration is on the threshold of each and every Malayalee, Alappuzha gets ready to welcome Onam with the grand water Olympics on August 14 2010. Kerala is going to witness the 58th Nehru Trophy Boat Race in Punnamada Lake. Honourable President, Prathibha Patil will be the chief Guest of the event. The cultural events will start today at 2 pm with a spectacular cultural procession in Alappuzha town.
This time there are 60 boats including 19 snake boats for the boat race. The race will be conducted in four heats with 16 snake boats and in the B grade section three Snake Boats will mark their participation. The races will commence at 3.15pm on August 14. Activities by Navy and a spectacular cultural float will take place during intervals. Women from foreign countries will not take part in this year’s procession.
The ticket charges start from 2000(Tourist Gold), 1000(Tourist Silver), 500, 300, 200, 150, 100, 50 accordingly. Ticket charges that are less than 500 will have a separate pavilion in the west side of the lake. If you wish to watch this historical event, get tickets from R.T.O Office, and Village offices that have ticket counters from morning 10 till evening 5. On the day of the race there will be separate ticket counters at DTPC Office, RTO Office and Boat Jetty.
Last year Champakulam Chundan won the Nehru Trophy. This year, the captain of the winning boat will receive a certificate signed by the President.
A brief history about the Nehru Trophy Boat race:
The Nehru Trophy Boat Race on the Punnamda Lake, near Alappuzha, is held on the second Saturday of August every year, and is the most competitive and popular of the boat races. On the day of this fiercely fought boat race, the tranquil lake front is transformed into a sea of humanity with an estimated two lakh people, including tourists from abroad, present only to watch this spectacular event. For the people of each village in Kuttanad, a victory at this race for their village boat is something to be celebrated for months to come.
The major attraction of the boat race is the competition of chundanvallams or snake boats. Chundans (snake boats) are an impressive sight, measuring over 100 feet in length, with a raised prow. The main highlight of this electrifying boat race is the 100 feet long boats that are decorated beautifully by the local craftsmen especially for this event. These boats can accommodate 100 people at a time. Usually the musicians and singers accompany the oarsmen to keep the participants with high spirits.
Kerala reigning on a long journey…
Published August 10, 2010 | 
Kerala- A state that has been caught in the web of paradoxes, has no parallel in any other Indian state. Gods own country has come a long way in recent years both in showing its good side as well as the bad. On one end are the firsts that Kerala has achieved. But on the other end it is a state that is caught in the trap of its various political ideologies and narrow interests myopic to the dynamic of various changes.
Let me show you how this breathtaking beautiful state is bringing pride to India in various circumstances in the future:
- Organised by the Kerala Coir Development Programme, the Malabar Coir Festival begins at the Corporation Stadium Ground on August 12th. With as much as 80 stalls that showcase various coir products including export quality materials, it is seen that this 11 day exhibition is organised in order to promote marketing and introduce new products.
- One of the fanciest in the country and believed to be the costliest prayer hall in Kerala is seen to be inaugurated by President Pratibha Patil on this Friday. The 91 foot high lotus shaped hall is named as ‘Parnasala’ and is dedicated to the late founder, Navajyothisree Karunakara Guru. The full bloomed lotus in pure white marble will be unveiled at the Santhigiri Ashram, Thiruvananthapuram.
- An organisation pioneering the green building movement- The Indian Green Building Council has brought about a significant milestone of having almost 100 fully functional green buildings in various states across the country. This milestone has brought India a good image in the international map of green buildings and a proud factor for all Keralites to know that Kerala is contributing to being Green.
- Inaugurating a substation at Mattanur in this district with as much as 30 power projects targeting a production capacity, it is seen that Kerala is in the progress of being a role model in the production of excess electricity in the country.
- A felicitation is being conducted by the Kerala Tourism department in honor of Kamala Hasan, the legend that has bagged almost 18 Filmfare awards and is known as the showman of the film industry.
But in another page in the long book of commendable factors, here comes something that showcases Kerala’s not so good side:
- Due to lack pf proper sanitation, mass bathing by pilgrims, discharge of industrial effluents, it is seen that high levels of pollution is contaminating the backwaters and rivers of Kerala. So it is very necessary for the government to take comprehensive management steps to plan and conserve nature’s gift before it is fully contaminated, by destroying Kerala’s priceless gifts.
Miss Beautiful Kerala
Published August 10, 2010 | 
Nobody knew Indu Thambi few days ago. But now she is getting all the attention, guess what! She is the Miss Kerala 2010 held in Kochi. All the girls who took part in the pageant wanted to make it big in life, so the talking and demeanor on stage was not like any other Malayali girls and it was different.
On stage the girls were all blabbering about their dreams and aspirations, some wanna work for the poor and the downtrodden and the society at large à la Sushmita Sen and Aishwarya Rai. The typical Malayali girls even seems to have practiced how to speak more convincingly when they talked about reaching the Stars, Moon and if possible a visit to the Sun for a change.
Thankfully the criteria wasn’t like you have to be born in Kerala, either one of the parents should have been born in some nook and corner of God’s own Country, so obviously the mother tongue was not a issue. But as a true Malayali most of the girls confessed in chaste Malayalam that they are pucca Malayali even though they are born and brought up outside Kerala. So, obviously when the love for mother tongue was discussed most girls may have wanted to run for cover.
Nevertheless getting back to Miss Kerala, 5 contestants made it to the final. But, before the final countdown all kind of entertainment was in place. The Bollywood rap singer Abbey Fizardo was belting out all kind of metal songs, but the poor Malayali audience even though looked and dressed like Gen-X refused to get up and sway to his music.
It’s time for the final tamasha, to choose one Malayalee damsel as the beauty of the state. Others don’t feel disheartened there are other awards too like; the best Miss Beautiful Hair, Smile, Skin, Photogenic face, Eyes, Teeth, Legs and last but not the least ‘Miss Voice’ (phew).
Finally Miss Kerala was announced and the crown goes to none other than God’s own daughter Miss Indu Thambi. The runners up as usual were waiting to steal the final show and giggled followed by hugging the winner. My god! Malayalee true spirit! It was a close contest I heard Indu Thambi impressed the jury by promptly answering the seven ingredients of the Kerala sadya. But if you take into account the Malayalee love for food it was an easy question.
Anyway the winner is announced and the show is over, most of the Malayalees had no clue and wanted to return to bed. Congrats to Indu Thambi to have won the pageant lets look forward to see you doing all the good work for the society like our previous beauties. Don’t want to sound ironic…and frankly the event represented the shifting face of the Malayali woman in terms of fashion and beauty, but as the new Miss Kerala pageant closed, I can’t help thinking – “Is Kerala missing somewhere?”
Malabar wild life sanctuary set up
Published August 9, 2010 | 
Kerala got a memorable onam gift in the form of the 16th wild life sanctuary in the state which has come up in Kozhikode. Comprising of the forest zones of Kakkayam and Pannikottor, the reserve, which is aptly named as Malabar would give further impetus to the tourism prospects of the state. To streamline the activities, new forest stations will be commissioned at Kakkayam and Pannikkottor soon.
Spread over an area of 74.22 Sq Km, this nature park has an exceptional flora and fauna. Some of the rare plant species seen in this area include orchids, grasses, ferns and various native flowering plants. Animals like tiger, elephant, wild buffalo and lion tailed macaques live in this area. This region is also home for over 148 species of butterflies, 52 types of fishes, 180 species of birds and 38 types of amphibians including a rare frog variety named Philatus Oschlandrae, which is seen only in Malabar sanctuary, which makes it a haven for nature enthusiasts.
Rampant deforestation, poaching and encroachment of forests have pushed many wild animals and plants on to the verge of extinction and initiative such as setting up nature parks would help to reverse the damage to some extent. Kerala’s main economic stay is tourism and hospitality industry and hence it is all the more important to make sure that the forest wealth is protected and preserved at its pristine best, which in turn would enhance the tourist footfalls.
Home nurses- boon or bane
Published August 6, 2010 | 
Kerala has a substantial population of the aged due to the advanced health care facilities. However, with the advent of nuclear families, the plight of the aged and the infirm parents have become pathetic. With no one to care for them, most of the aged are at the mercy of home nurses , hired from cities. By paying a hefty sum, they are hired by the non resident sons and daughters of these hapless parents. Though the normal duties of these nurses include taking care of the aged, giving medicines and food at the right times and taking care of their overall well being and safety, in many cases these things never happen. The recent newspaper reports bring out gory tales of exploitation by home nurses. As in other professions, not all home nurses can be bracketed as bad, but there are some that bring disrepute to this noble profession
This real incident that happened in Ernakulam bares out the potential risks involved in hiring home nurses. A home nurse from Kottayam was roped in to look after an aged spinster who was living alone in a big bungalow situated in a sprawling plot of over 1 acres in the middle of the city. This aged lady who had retired as a gazetted officer from the education department had substantial savings, gold and other assets as well. With no relatives around, she had bequeathed all her belongings including the house and properties to a non profit trust, ‘Brahmana sabha’ after her death in her will.
The said home nurse gained her trust in the first few days and soon began to handle her bank transactions. With a poor eye sight and a frail body, obviously the aged mistress of the home could do little to keep a tab on he financial dealings. After embezzling a substantial part of the savings, she started pestering the aged lady to part with her jewelery citing the reason of her younger sister’s wedding. Thus the maid pocketed around five sovereigns of gold as well. This is when she decided to keep a closer watch on the dealings of the home nurse and soon many misdeeds started tumbling out. However she had no option but to keep her as there was no one for her to find a replacement. One fine day, two hefty men who introduced themselves as the home nurse’s brothers forcefully took her signature on a will they made on behalf of the aged lady, according to which the house and the plot will go to the home nurse after her death. After a long spell of heated arguments and haggling, it was decided that 10 cents of land will be transfered to the home nurse’s name.
After a few months, the aged lady passed away. Soon the Brahmana sabha came up with the original will and these men with the fabricated will, which the lady had signed under duress. Now the case is in the court and with no solution in sight, the house is crumbling and the plot is overrun with wild growth and vegetation. So, in case you plan to hire a home nurse , make sure to get their credentials checked thoroughly lest you could be inviting trouble!
Miss Kerala beauty pageant ready for August 5!
Published August 4, 2010 | Kerala awaits the next beauty queen who will be crowned as Miss Kerala on August 5, 2010. It is the most anticipated event of Kerala fashion and film world which is conceived and organised by the event management company Impresario. The winner gets a shot at TV and films like Ranjini Haridas and Rima Kallingal who have shot to fame through Miss Kerala.
The 22 contestants who have been selected for the beauty pageant are readying to face the music on Thursday evening at Le Meridian. Among the contestants are girls who have flown in from Malaysia, Dubai and Bahrain. The rule of the contest is, the participants should be girls of Malayali origin (either of the parents must be Malayali) with age between 18-24 years. The event sponsors for Miss Kerala 2010 is Hairomax and this is the tenth edition of the contest. This time the organisers are trying to make things different.
The other titles in the contest to be won besides the main three include Sumangali Miss Beautiful Skin 2010, Cuticura Miss Radiant 2010, Hairomax Miss Beautiful Hair 2010, Hairomax Miss Talented 2010, Miss Beautiful Eyes, Miss Beautiful Smile, Miss Perfect Ten, Miss Photogenic, Miss Congeniality and Club FM Miss Voice 2010. Actors Anoop Menon and Ranjini, writer Anitha Nair,photographer Nisha Kutty are among the others in the judging panel. There will be four costume rounds in the contest – sari, casuals, fusion and gown. The dress designers Atit and Semu, the brother and sister from Mumbai have designed clothes for the whole pageant while keeping in mind the concept of a blend of the traditional and the western. To try for variety, this time they have gowns made of Kerala sari and for the casuals round, not with the usual jeans and T-shirts.
The pageant supports the Save a Girl Child cause and the winner will be a part of the campaign.
Off on our Travels
Published August 3, 2010 | The Karmakerala team doesn’t leave the office often, but when we get out we certainly cover the ground venturing all the way into Tamil Nadu and enjoying team time.
