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How to do India in 17 days and take home an award
Published December 9, 2009 | That’s precisely what Miguel Quental, a young Portuguese backpacker did, last November, according to a report in the New Indian Express (dt Dec 9, 2009).
What makes his effort unique is that despite the travel advisories issued by the West post the Mumbai 26/11 terror attacks, Miguel was among the few intrepid travellers who decided to go ahead with their itineraries, terror or no terror.
A wise decision indeed, in retrosepect, it seems to the Lisbon camera operator who works on corporate and documentary films for a living.
Miguel’s India story began when he landed in New Delhi on Nov 26, 2008, armed with a base-model handycam, a gift from his dad. For the next
17 days, Miguel travelled across India, shooting places, people and anything and everything else that caught his fancy.
The result was a one-hour long video sans audio, which Miguel says was a concious decision, as he was in a ‘different’ culture, ’9,000 km away from home.’
Now for the twist in this tale. Somewhere along the line, Miguel came to know about the first ever Kerala Travel Video Festival being held by Kerala Tourism together with YouTube. And he promptly edited out the Kerala part of his India video, making it into an 11-minute video journal titled ‘Now I Know Why They Call You God’s Own Country.’
The video won Miguel the first place in the fiercely contested competition which had 200-plus entries. The competition was organised to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Kerala Tourism’s official website www.keralatourism.org
GCDA`s best kept `secret!`
Published November 28, 2009 | Here is one sight that you are unlikely to miss when you pass by the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) Complex in Kochi.
My curiosity about this rather intriguing sculpture was piqued recently as I found to my chagrin that the man responsible for it is none other that the legendary Kanayi Kunhiraman, while all this while I was under the impression that the work belonged to another equally revered sculptor –
M V Devan.
Misconception removed, I set about researching this work a bit more.
Here is what I discovered:
The sculpture is titled ‘Mukkola Perumal’ and has been executed in concrete. It was inaugurated in 1973.
Though the sculpture has become something of a landmark in the intervening years, there is no indicator of the identity of the sculptor who conceived it. Neither is the name of the work mentioned anywhere in its vicinity (at least as far as I could make out, from a distance).
As for Kanayi himself, his artistic journey has been dogged by controversies – the most noted instance being that of the ‘Yakshi’ sculpture at Malampuzha, Palakkad. Driven by the belief that imposing sculptures in public spaces are a great way to acquaint the common man with art, Kanayi has forged ahead and today, many a prime public spot exults in one or the other of his ‘monumental’ works.
So surely it wouldn’t be asking for too much of the folks at GCDA to grant give Kanayi the recognition that he and his work deserve, at least by way of a plaque?
The day the busmen played truant!
Published November 24, 2009 | Today, school children (at least those who depend on Kerala’s private bus service to reach school and back home) will be late. So will quite a few office workers. So what’s new, one might ask, tongue-in-cheek.
To be frank, there is, and (it seems to me) will be, nothing new. The private bus owners have declared a ‘token’ strike, putting thousands of commuters to distress.
As the buses stay off the roads, people are resorting to forced ‘Long Marches,’ irrespective of their political affiliations (red or otherwise!). Meanwhile, another segment of the ‘Working class’ the autorickshaw drivers are making hay.
A 10-minute ride from North Overbridge to Ernakulam South makes me poorer by Rs. 30. Quizzed about the fairness (or lack of it) of it all, my middle-aged driver is all support for the striking busmen.
And he has his reasons: the ’rich’ students who have money to splurge on everything except bus tickets, an unsympathetic transport minister who sees no reason to hike the fares to match the recent fuel hike; so on and so forth.
The man is so passionate about the whole issue that I restrain myself (with great difficulty) from asking him a moot question: Dear sir, what about us public, who are at the mercy of you and your ilk?
Meanwhile, he departs, with the cheering information that should the talks with authorities fail today, we can all expect an ‘indefinite’ strike by the busmen.
And going by his enthusiasm, I am left with a nagging doubt: will the autorickshaw drivers join the busmen, just for the fun of it all?
The best of Minicoy, now showing in Kochi!
Published November 18, 2009 | Step into David Hall at Fort Kochi this week and you are likely to be transported into a distant world, viz., the Minicoy Islands, the southernmost part of Lakshadweep, India’s smallest Union Territory.
For, on show is the ‘Minicoy Festival,’ being organised by the Centre for Action Research on Environment Science and Society (CARESS)-a Chennai-based NGO, Maliku Development Society, Minicoy, Maliku Hikimas Producers’ Society, Minicoy and the CGH Earth Group of Hotels, as part of the ongoing conservation Enterprise and Livelihoods programme in Minicoy.
Visitors can get to experience Minicoy culture, cuisine, handicrafts, games as well as a variety of fish and coconut-based products. One of the major attractions of this event is the chance to sample the unique cuisine of Minicoy to your fill. Prepared in the traditional manner by the Minicoyans, these delicacies range from appetisers to a sumptuous meal.
For those keen on handicrafts, there is much in store – miniature jahaadhonis (snakeboats used to tow sailing boats) as well as dathuru odis (sea vessels that once linked Minicoy and Kannur as well as GalleGalle and Rangoon) – are on display for sale.
All in all, a must-see for die-hard foodies and culture vultures, who happen to be in Kochi at the moment.
Men (not) at work!
Published November 16, 2009 | The labour and trade unions of Kerala have always been any industrialist’s nightmare come true. Nowhere in India can you come across a labour class which is more aware and willing to fight hard for its ‘avakaashangal’ (rights) than that flourishing in here. Their demands are quite often out of this world, and would surely make even a saint lose his halo. Strange and unheard of labour practices are their stock-in-trade, the worst of which perhaps is the ‘nokkukooli’ or a levy in return for literally watching over some one else doing their job of loading or unloading of goods.
You can find the members of this ‘smart working class’ at almost very junction in any city of Kerala. A red (or blue or green or khaki) shirt, depending on their political affiliation is their trade mark; a carelessly wrapped colourful lungi completes their working clothes. Arrogance marks both their walk and talk. Smug in the security of their numbers, they personify the age old principle of co-operation: “One for all, all for one”.
And now, it is the turn of the All Kerala Elephant Workers Union to go on strike. Their demands are heavy – they want their job contracts to be reviewed and wages raised.
Keeping in view the ever-rising prices and cost of living in Kerala, one can hardly blame the guys, but on the other hand, there may be few amongst us who have not witnessed the wanton cruelty meted out to the animals that these men are entrusted with.
No wonder then that over the years, there have been umpteen instances of elephants turning on their ‘paappaans’ (mahouts) from sheer desperation.
Now, as these elephant handlers are all set to stop work (even to the extent of leaving their haples charges chained and hungry), shouldn’t the authorities take this opportunity to make these ‘aanathozilaalis’ (elephant caretakers) accountable for their actions and link their benefits to the proper care of the gentle animals they depend on for their livelihood?
Rain pains!
Published November 12, 2009 |
Which is what a vast majority of God’s Own Men as well Women (not to mention Children!) must be wishing these days. This is all the more apparent in the city of Ernakulam which simply cannot cope with even the lightest spell of rains. A poor drainage system, chockablock with sewage is the chief culprit.
The recent downpour has had the hapless citizens left with hardly any option but to grin and bear it all. If this is the plight of roads, the condition of the open drains (aka canals) is hardly any better.
They dutifully carry all kinds of waste and sewage, as they sedately wind their way across the city. Also, most of them act as hosts to the obnoxious water hyacinth, which further block the free movement of the canal waters.
The recent rains have added to woes of the general populace in no small extent. For one, the mosquitoes which have lai permanent claim to these stagnant waters are having a field day, or rather night.
And if the ‘thulavarsham’ shows no signs of abating, the canals might simply decide to overflow their banks and cause mini-floods.
For more updates, watch this space.
Now CFLs at the price of a glass of juice!
Published November 7, 2009 | 
That Kerala has for long been a power (of the AC variety!) hungry state is well known. Equally well-known is the state’s constant demand to the Centre for this seemingly elusive commodity, only to be left holding false promises or being rebuffed outright.
However, this state of affairs may change soon, if the state electricity board (KSEB) has its way, for now, in lieu of Rs. 15 (a sum you are likely to pay for a decent glass of fruit juice in God’s Own Country!) you can take home a Compact Fluroscent Lamp (CFL). KSEB has announced the supply of two CFLs for each domestic consumer, at a quite attractive and more importantly, affordable price of Rs 15 each, a move which if implemented effectively can easily help the power-strapped state save power to the tune of 150 MW next summer.
It is also one initiative which is likely to be greeted with open arms by harried consumers who are by now reconciled with the numerous manifestations of poor power distribution, like ‘loadshedding,’ disrupted power supply and voltage that can put a yo-yo to shame.
The new scheme, under which 1.5 crore CFLs shall be distributed, is expected to benefit almost 75 lakh consumers in the state. Each CFL costs Rs 130 in the open market, and the Board’s initiative to supply them to customers at such pleasantly surprising rates is being regarded as a testimonial to its willingness to walk the talk.
This step is in furtherance of the Board’s earlier initiative under which 10 lakh CFLs were distributed to a consumer base comprising scheduled castes and Below Poverty Line (BPL) families, free of cost.
So if all goes well, God’s Own Country may soon be seen in a ‘new light’, literally.