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It was yet another festivity in the city of Cochin last day with the cities avid tweeters converging at ‘Somewhere Else Cafe’ for the much awaited ‘Cochin Twestival 2010′ – A meet up of the twitter community in the state. This one-of-its kind Twestival is the second global Twestival which apart from Cochin was hosted in many other cities across the country including Banagalore, Hyderabad, Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Pune, Kolkata and Goa on the same day. This years Twestival happens to be the first ever Twestival in Cochin with the celeb guest ‘Archana Kavi’ (Neelathamara fame) gracing the event.
The event was coordinated by a team of young lads all from different fields and cities who with their hard work and efforts pulled up all the needed for the Twestival. Sajan Mani (@vmsajan), an organizer of Cochin Twetival 2010 (@cochintwestival ) addressed by telling how he along with few other gang members worked out day and night to make this dream come true. He even narrated his experience behind the Twestival and how last year no one showed up but this year the Twestival turned out to be a great event for Cochin. Sajan also added that, many rock bands including an international band had agreed to perform for free. But due to lack of venues and sponsors they had to drop the idea. He even expressed his gratitude for the support he got from few people who made this happen. Firstly he thanked the owner of ‘Somewhere Else’ Cafe, who agreed to lend the cafe free along with free welcome drink for the guests of Twestival. While DJ Arvee (@djarvee) also voluntarily preformed for the Cochin Twestival.
The Twestival was attended by quite a decent number of people from across the state, you can find them at http://tweeple.in/compare/1/. Twestival also supported the cause for under-privileged with the help of Concern Worldwide by generating funds for them using social media as the platform. The celebrity guest Archana Kavi (@archanakavi) remained the center of attraction with tweeters asking all sorts of questions, for which she elegantly replied. She seemed very pleased at being part of the first ever Twestival in Cochin, after proving her talent in her recent flick ‘Neelathamara’ this Delhi based Malayalee actor is at present shooting for her upcoming flick ‘Best of Luck’.
In conversation with ‘Archana Kavi’ -
1) How is twitter helpful for celebrities to make a link with their fans?
Archana – Well, Twitter does help a lot to have a one-on-one communication with our fans and we get to know what they feel about their stars and it even helps to reach out easily.
2) Can Twitter be thought as a tool for reputation management?
Archana – Not exactly, I don’t feel so, may be others might take it as a tool for building their repute for me its just a medium to stay connected to my friends, fans and well-wishers.
3) Do you reply to all the tweets?
Archana – Not for all, Like I can’t reply to a ‘hi’ to hundreds of people who wave me a ‘Hi’ each day, still I try my best to make sure I reply to most of them.
4) Do you think that twitter has come as a boon for the new celebs who can reach out to the masses easily, something yesteryear celebs missed?
Archana – Ya sort of! Now most of the celebs have a twitter account and they do tweet a lot about themselves, what they feel, what they are doing, and how they are and even reply to their fans.
Tweeples hurled plenty of questions on her with few funny questions as well, like with her second name ‘KAVI’ (Poet), have you ever written any poems lol!. Making her contribution for the cause the celebrity too contributed donation for Concern Worldwide foundation (@concern ).
Apart from Archana Kavi the highlights of the Twestival 2010 remained the stand-up comedy by budding stand-up artist Siddharth who with his funny acts forced the gathering to laugh out loud. The mega event winded off with DJ Arvee rocking the party with some of the foot-taping
tracks. The MAD (Make a difference foundation) guys were also part of this festivity and called for participation for the foundation, they even handed over questionnaires for tweeters to be filled out and returned back to know their views about MAD and to seeks willing people to join up with MAD’s initiative.
In all, it was a nice experience to be part of such an event which winded up with new ideas, noble deeds and lot of new friends and tweet pals. Kudos to all the guys behind Cochin Twestival 2010.
It was a long wait for the Keralites before the Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee finally announced the Union budget 2010. People of Kerala were expecting something to cheer about this year, but it turned out to be a disappointment for them, with the total revenue allocation for the state dropping.
Well this year’s budget seemed to be favouring more on the province from where these ministers hail from, first it was the Railway Minister ‘Mamata Banerjee showering goodies to West Bengal in the railway budget 2010. Followed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee’s proposal to include embankment schemes along rivers Bhagirathi and Ganga-Padma in the Central Sponsored Flood Management Programme, will benefit the people of Eastern state. At large the budget 2010 has thrashed the hopes of Kerala which was expecting something this year.
The left government of Kerala has termed the budget to be a corporate’s budget with nothing for the common man. The so-called common man was bearing the pressure of inflation and with this budget it seems the “Aam aadmi”(common man) has nothing to be happy. Even the Kerala government were continuously demanding relaxations to protect the domestic sector by maximizing the custom tariff of primary agricultural products but nothing came out for them this year.
Highlights of Union Budget 2010
What got dearer :
- ACs
- TVs
- Big Cars
- Petrol
- Diesel
- Cigarettes and Cigars
- Non-Smoking tobacco products
- Air Travel ( due to the rise in fuel prices)
What got cheaper:
- Mobile phones
- Medical Equipment
- Agricultural Equipment
- CFL bulbs
- Clean energy equipments like solar panels
- Set top boxes
- Compact Disc
- Toys
- Books
The budget might have triggered the sensex to crawl up by 176 point but it failed to please the people with fuel prices going up. It seems people of Kerala have to wait for the next year’s Union budget to find if they have something to cheer.
On being asked to the people about their say on this budget, they were not so excited. It seems the calculation of the common man of Kerala has completely gone down with the hike in fuel price and nothing special for the state in the budget!
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.
How many of you have ever given a thought about those millions of poverty ridden people who do have nothing to lose but still weave golden dreams. Well, if you are quizzing what their golden dreams are, then its just to live another day with adequate food and shelter.
Living with such a dream is a family who came to Kerala two years back with a hope to sustain their livelihood. There assets were few pairs of clothes, an old suitcase which never shuts and a harmonium. This family is lead by Devendra (42), Kamala (32) and daughter Sapna (13).
Though they don’t hail from Kerala nor do they have any ties with ‘God’s Own Country’ still they say, they like this place which embraced them with open arms. Now the big question comes; did they get that channel or path to sustain their life here! Music paved their way earning them their bread, but they don’t do any street shows nor they go door to door.
On the contrary this family performs in trains plying in Kerala. Their day starts early and winds up late. You can spot them in Passenger trains, Express and even Super fast trains, selling their skills for mere coins. They do have to face many abuses of those Railway Officals (T.T) who make things worse for them.
On being asked how much do they earn a day, “some time two hundred to three hundred a day while at times have to contain with fifty to hundred bucks” said Devendra. He also added that he has to bear the dis-interest of many of the passengers who do shrugs off them. But he also thanked many of those passenger who do behave nicely and even applaud their skill.
Singing on those hit Bollywood numbers and other languages in order to some how get enough money to earn their food remains the only goal for the family. No time to think for any other thing, the 13 year old girl wish to study and go to school one day.
There are many such hopeful families who comes to this state in a hope to make a living for them and their family. It may be the labourer working in any of the construction sites near to your place or any street vendor selling toys. In the rat race, many of us don’t even realise or notice such faces do exist around us.
Aren’t we all slowly becoming victims of our self-centred existence?
Almost everyone loves their names and when it reaches out to the public on a positive note then one really feels proud or honoured. Well, this race for popularity is not only shared by high profile people or celebrities who crave for the so called ‘popularity’. But these days Kerala villagers are not willing to miss out on a single opportunity to bring up their names in limelight in one or the other way.
Kerala has always been known for its rich culture and traditions, with festivals on almost week in one or the other part or region of the state. Let’s peek into the other side of these festivals which offers a golden chance for those popularity craving morons to come out to the limelight and shine out like stars. Talk about any small or big temple festival in the villages in Kerala and you can see how active these temple committee members are not discussing the programs or events, but more concern about how big and colourful their pictures are on the brochure and pamphlets.
The popularity saga doesn’t ends here, even special supplementary is issued in local newspapers with almost half page dedicated to the committee members showing off their colourful pictures and names in bold. From young to old everyone wants to look their best on the pamphlets and brochures. One more trend which is very much in practice these days is the way people love to donate things or money, ‘good indeed’, but the catch is that they want their names to be mentioned. I’ll share a recent incident which made me think, “are donations given for some gain?”
It was like any other day, but some fuss was there in my locality, later I came to know that the ‘deepasthambam’ (many-tiered lamps) placed in the ‘Aal thara’ (a Banyan tree with a base foundation considered to be sacred) in our place collapsed, soon a meeting was called by the committee and donations were asked to bring in a new ‘deepasthambam’.
“The estimate amount is around 40 thousand INR”, said one committee member, so all decided to pool in money as donation, this was all really commendable. But then came the idea of why not inscribing the names of the donors on a marble plaque and fix it for public view near the new ‘deepasthambam’ as a remembrance.
Really a small, but an eye-opening instance tells us that, villages too have been infected by the so-called popularity syndrome.

Kerala Village
In this materialistic era where artificiality and selfishness has over powered our moral values and customs, there are instances which highlight how people still believe and practice such morality in real life. A recent experience of mine made me think morality and humanity has been washed off in our so called modern society.
Well, Kerala has always known for its rich culture, traditions and hospitality, but with the changing trend this so called ‘God’s Own Country’ seems losing out its cultural heritage slowly. In the race for livelihood the city goers in Kerala have some how forgotten the values of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (which means that the whole world is a single family).
Amidst the rat-race of daily life people have programmed themselves to be least bothered with what is happening around them. For instance on the city roads if untowardly any ill-fated guy meets up with an accident, it’s upon his luck if anyone really stops, putting his work at stake to help the victim. Well this is a normal scene nowadays, which has pointed fingers over how artificial people have become and how soon they have forgotten their values.
But, in my case I feel quite lucky enough to be living in a Kerala village where people still are rooted to their values and culture to a great extinct. Now, what I am going to share with you is a personal experience which forced me to sit and think that the decision to relocate to a village rather than a city was a wise decision of my parents.
It was a Sunday morning and I was going to the near-by market on my Hero Honda motorbike. As I was about to reach the market a stray dog suddenly jumped in front of my bike. As we all knows stray dogs are known for their menace, and its the same in my village. Many riders end up in mishaps with these road side dogs and that day it was my turn. Though I tried my level best to avoid the accident, as the elders say, “what has to happen will happen”.
The collision was not so fierce, but I got severe injuries on my ankles and knees, it all happened in fraction of seconds and as it was over, the culprit dog smartly fled the scene of accident. It was a Sunday morning, even though village roads hardly have any traffic, and on Sundays the streets usually remain deserted.
After the mishap, it was at first a bit difficult for me to understand what had happened, as soon as I tried to lift my bike which was lying about 5 feet away in pain, one of the passers-by spotted me lying on the road injured. Soon they stopped and lifted me up and my bike. Soon few more other passers-by gathered and everyone was doing their best to make me feel comfortable and that genuine concern was very well clear in their eyes.
I was for a minute taken aback by the way they were concerned about my condition, it made me think of the values and helpfulness that still exists in our villages. By experiencing this I felt really happy to find that, the village people in Kerala are still unfazed by the artificial and self-centred lifestyle, which the people living in city have adopted.
I was asleep when a voice woke me up – “It’s 8′O clock!” What!!! It was another bright day and I was still sleeping. I jumped off my bed to get ready for office, though my work starts at 10 and it hardly takes me an hour to get ready for work, but I don’t want to take any chance gambling with the “traffic of Kochi”. This is a daily scene in almost every home in Kochi (Cochin).
The commercial capital of God’s Own Country, Kochi has witnessed a huge transformation in almost all aspects in the recent years. Not only political changes, but in the past five years the city has developed a lot in terms of its population, construction, and even transportation, adding to the traffic congestion. The narrow roads and unscientifically constructed pedestrian walks do have messed up the condition more for the Kochiites.
Figures have proved that the traffic of Kochi is increasing constantly at a rate of 333% each year. Another factor is the continuous rise in the number of four wheelers in the city roads adding to the woes of common man. Official records have also pointed out that about 5.5 lakh vehicles ply in Kochi and the number keeps on growing. It is also seen that about 2000 vehicles are registered in the city limit a month, out of which 85 per cent are private vehicles. The vehicles are rising in a geometric progression trend but the infrastructure is falling short to bridge the gap.
The peak of the time, between 9am to 11am remains the most high time with office goers, students, businessmen and workers all rushing for their work place. Amidst this a screaming ambulance finds its really tough to somehow manage to squeeze its way out from the bottleneck.
Traffic block has become a common scene in Kochi and the Kochiites are used to this daily. Amidst all this the poor and dilapidated condition of the city road do make life really miserable for commuters. Though the plans are in the offing for starting a sky bus service in order to curb the traffic problem but at large the administration seems really cold on this raging issue.
Malapuram, Nov 5
The journey from illiteracy to literacy!
Malapuram marks its place as a rich cultural and political heritage district in Kerala. The district which stands proudly with the largest Muslim population in Kerala has been in the news many times before, whether it’s the national movements like Khilafat or Moplah Rebellion. These days this district is again making news, but this time it’s an admirable feat achieved by one of the villages in Malappuram.
‘Nilambur Gram Panchayat’ has come up as a role model for lakhs of other villages in Kerala for becoming the first village to achieve the milestone of total primary education in the country. This laudable achievement came with nine months of dedicated and constant efforts by the Gram Panchayat.
The man behind this visionary accomplishment was the Sarpanch (village head), ‘Aryadan Shoukat’ who felt the need for some dynamic change in the education system of the village. According to him it was illiteracy which was hindering the growth and was pushing people towards backwardness and poverty.
One of the surveys carried out to know the actual status of education in the village highlighted the poor condition of education with 1500 villagers either illiterate or educated below 4th standard. The survey highlighted the dark but real side of the village which pointed out that the prevailing education system need a severe clean up.
In order to overcome this serious issue the Gram Panchayat started ‘Jyotirgamaya’ scheme which eyed to achieve full primary education for the village with the support of Kerala State Literacy Mission. In this process the facilitators were appointed and handbooks were prepared depending upon the syllabus of the State Literacy Mission. In first phase of this literacy mission workshops were launched to educate people the benefits of education.
During this mission it was also learnt that about 80% of the villagers were suffering from eye defects which was also hindering the growth. To solve this issue eye camps were conducted to make sure people face no problem while learning. In order to make this education program more successful and productive different techniques were used including cultural programmes and study tours in order to motivate the learners.
After all the hard work for nine months finally internal and external evaluations conducted by the state literacy mission and Calicut University judged the level of education and the results were satisfactory. Nilambur Gram Panchayat brought laurels to the district at last when the State Governor RL Bhatia declared the village to have achieved the total primary education status, making the dream come true for the sarpanch.
Kerala has many unique characters in its vast abode many of which are widely reflected in its society. You can find lots of peculiarities here, from its lifestyle to traditions all these features makes Kerala one of the impressive states in India. And one of the facets of this incredible land is its food culture.
This gourmet’s paradise flaunts a wide choice of cuisines, from traditional Keralian delights to exotic seafood’s. The land of spices blends a unique aroma and taste to its countless preparations tantalising your taste buds. With so much tourist influx this God’s Own Country has designed itself in a way that every guest does have lots of options to look for.
But when the matter of talk is about Kerala food how can one leave behind the series of restaurants, tea shops and local thattu kada(mobile restaurants) dotted along the busy lanes and rough terrains of the villages. These food zones or eateries are some of the most hot spots for any foodie. Here you can get a whole lot of stuffs to relish on starting from crispy dosa’s to full course traditional Kerala meal served in banana leaf.
But hey, you may find these places a bit unusual than the other restaurants and food zones you might have been before. Don’t get amazed on seeing the waiter telling you your menu for the time, well before you could even place your order which you have planned to munch on. Well, when you are in Kerala you do need to check out the time before designing your scrumptious menu. Because Kerala restaurants are very punctual about time, so you cannot order a dosa at the time of lunch, or tea at the time of dinner. Here you have to dish out your order as per the schedule of the restaurant.
So next time before slipping into these eateries do check the time twice ahead you place your lip smacking order.







