Feel the difference with an Ayurvedic massage in Kerala!
Published June 22, 2010 | 
Never been to God’s own country, Kerala? Or had visited but never tried an Ayurvedic massage, saving it for a rainy day? This is the right moment to treat your senses, enjoy a cool relaxation and watch the rain before you get in to do something else. The right season where the body makes best use of these massages, here is your chance to explore an exciting possibility. So stretch out your arms and here comes our specialists, using a series of techniques to purify your body, mind and soul.
The oldest surviving complete medical system in Kerala for almost 5000 years, Ayurveda is based on the application of various natural healing methods and the practices that emphasize extension of life span, prevention of diseases and rejuvenation of our body systems.
With the monsoon playing the cards,’doshas’ or the problems of the body surface, accumulating the body beyond the desirable limit and out of control. Once the body is weak, it needs rejuvenation and the only treatment is an Ayurvedic massage to detect these troubles and to make the body strong.
An infusion of herbs blended on the basis of ancient scriptures and modern science, Ayurvedic massage has been drawing tourists and has been a source of benefit to Kerala’s economy. Being the nerve center of medical tourism in India, Kerala has the privilege of being known as the land of the origin of Ayurveda, adding to the hospitality and warm heartedness of its people.
Abundant in innumerable varieties of herbal plants and medicines, an Ayurvedic massage in Kerala would be quite an experience. So anybody who wants to enjoy a relaxing day, can check on us at Karma Kerala, as we are best known for providing great ayurveda packages.
Kerala stops Montblanc from selling pricey Mahatma Gandhi pens
Published February 24, 2010 | 
Montblanc known for its famous pens the world over is used to bringing out collector’s pens in the name of famous people and celebrities. However, when they came out with a pricey Mahatma Gandhi pen, The Centre for Consumer Education in Kerala filed a lawsuit.
This lawsuit was an ideological one, for Gandhiji was a man of austerity and this was hardly the way to honour him, according to the opponents.
This was despite the fact that Gandhi’s great-grandson Tushar Gandhi had endorsed the idea. His charitable foundation has already received a donation of $145,000 from Montblanc and will receive between $200 and $1,000 for each pen sold. The BBC had this to report:
Just 241 of the handmade pens will be sold, reflecting the number of miles Gandhi walked in his famous march against salt taxes in 1930.
Each pen comes with an eight-metre golden thread that can be wound around the pen, representing the spindle and cotton Gandhi used to weave simple cloth.
So what is the price of the Mahatma Gandhi pen you may be wondering – ONLY $24,000 (£16,000) or roughly 12,00,000 rupees!! The gold and silver limited edition pen includes an engraving of Gandhiji.
Now if this is beyond your reach there are the much cheaper ball point ones for $3000 or a measly 1,50,000 rupees and there are only 3000 of them made!!
This is just an example of the stuff the rich and famous lap up to amuse themselves and I’m left wondering what would Gandhiji have said about this whole issue? “Hey Ram”, perhaps? 
The Tiger – A magnificent animal needs your help!
Published February 17, 2010 | 
The country is being urged to support the magnificent tiger our national animal which is now just 1411 in number. A dismal number when once the jungles of India were full of them, sending shivers down a human’s spine if he were to go to the jungle for firewood.
Yes the Tiger was the lord of the jungle and the fear kept humans away from the forests. The beautiful, ferocious animal was in fact helping to conserve nature from human encroachment – one of nature’s own conservationists!
But we are to blame, human encroachment led to tigers being called man-eaters. In the book “Man-eaters of Kumaon” Jim Corbett had this to say about the tiger -
Human beings are not the natural prey of tigers, and it is only when tigers have been incapacitated through wounds or old age that, in order to survive, they are compelled to take to a diet of human flesh.
A tiger on a fresh kill, or a wounded tiger, or a tigress with small cubs, will occasionally kill human beings who disturb them; but these tigers cannot, by any stretch of imagination, be called man-eaters,though they are often so called.
Like always ignorance, fear and superstition in our minds have been the cause for the tiger being endangered today.
Last year I had the chance to see a magnificent Bengal tiger in a zoo in Malaysia. There were no cages, it was an enclosure with a pond and a few trees, and a moat to prevent the tiger from getting at the visitors. While all animals there seemed to have lost their spirit and seemed tame, the tiger was definitely a wild one- he kept pacing up and down making growls. He was a sight to behold, all other animals paled in comparison including the lazy African lion.
From the Shere Khan of Jungle Book by Kipling to being the pet of Lord Ayyappa in Kerala, the tiger has always been a fascination to us all. The Tiger is our national animal because it is a great symbol of India’s glorious past.
Every state in the country except Gujarat has a tiger reserve and the government is today making a change in this. Join the cause, do your bit, blog, Tweet or join clubs to help save the tiger. We cannot let such a beautiful animal, so much a part of our history and national identity, go extinct!
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.
Kerala gets its first high-altitude sports training centre
Published March 14, 2008 | 
Munnar : There is a new reason to smile and to cheer for all those keralites with a penchant for sports. The first ever high-altitude sports training centre in the State of Kerala will be inaugurated by State Sports Minister M. Vijayakumar at Munnar, this Sunday.
Located at an amazing altitude of 1460 metres from sea level, it offers state of the art training facilities such as athlete tracks, volleyball court and hostel facilities for sports persons .
This is the second high-altitude sports training centre in India, the first one being in Himachal Pradesh. The Indian sports personnel qualified for Beijing Olympics will be the first batch to undergo a 40 day training camp in this centre. The work of this centre was started way back in 1995 and so far a sum of 57.9 million has been spent by the government on this training centre.
In the next phase of expansion other facilities such as swimming pool, synthetic tracks and techno-gym will be added, making it a full fledged training facility to meet the aspirations of the sports loving populace of the country. Lack of international quality training facilities is cited to be one of the major reasons for the appalling performance of the Indian team in many International sports meet. Facilities like these can go a long way in improving the caliber and mettle of the local players at par with the best.
Azadi Express in Ernakulam
Published January 2, 2008 | 
Jan,2: Azadi express the lively train that is converted as the exhibition on wheels reached Ernakulam, it draws more visitors because of its huge collection left for display in it. The government of India as a remembrance to the 150 year old freedom struggle give shape to Azadi express. The train has beautifully painted exteriors that depict the national flag and freedom struggle. And the interiors includes eleven compartments that displays a rare collection of photographs, models, sculptures and video footages to give you a real ambiance of travelling in a time machine right from the pre-independence era. The displays re-enact the struggle and pain that the ancestors bear to get the freedom for the nation.
Not only freedom struggle the Azadi express also includes the post independent changes that happened in India, its evolutionary phases and the achievement in prominent fields like agriculture, industry, defence, science and technology and infrastructure. There are adequate numbers of volunteers in each compartment to clear the doubt of the visitors. The last compartment is left for display and sales of books related to freedom struggle, handlooms and handicrafts.
Each of the compartments has a theme they are Kompany Raj, the lightning, fire spreads, azadi, new dawn, India on the move and vibrant democracy respectively. This categorisation helps the visitors to get a clear picture about the highs and falls of the nation in various periods. The Azadi express starts its journey from Delhi on 28th September, 2007 and it is now halted in Ernakulam and will complete its journey on 11th May, 2008 by reaching Delhi. School children benefit a lot from Azadhi express as it brings the text book words to visuals that help them to feel close to the history of the vibrant democratic country like India.