Apple-a-day scam: The story unfurls
What we heard was a snake coaxed Eve to eat an apple from the forbidden tree in the Eden, and with that started the woes for mankind.
Later it was said that an Apple-a-day keeps the doctor away. And now we have this new form of Apple, that simply managed to swindle millions from different people across Kerala and ironically that includes doctors too.
Well! We are talking about Apple-a-day properties- the new face of the biggest land scam in Kerala (Over Rs. 100 crores). If we have to believe the early story of Adam and Eve, and that Apple was symbolic for immortality and tempted man to commit sin after sin, Apple-a-day, builders did just that- woo people from far across middle-east asking them to invest in proposed ‘Garden of Eden’ in God’s own Country. This company promised plush Villas and flats. The modern Adams and Eves pumped in all their hard earned money for a life in Eden, were just waiting to see the day of light when they realize that this time the serpent was the Apple itself.
These are the pictures of the site in Thycattussery panchayath near Cherthala, Alappuzha district where they proposed flats for Rs.5 lacs plus a Tata Nano car for the occupants. All they did here was land piling to eye wash investors and left it for the stray dogs to defecate.
Please visit us for more interesting stories on how Apple-a-day converted marshy land to look perfect for construction and how they managed to coax investors to eat their Apple. The fact remains that these lands were never ever suitable for construction.
This being one of the most sensational news in Kerala the story has spread far and wide, even featuring in the Wall Street Journal. The victims of Apple-a-day property also have a Facebook page.
Kerala’s tourism- Bekal pulls the strings!
Bekal- A source of attraction for historians, tourists and nature lovers has hit the bull’s eye when Bekal Resort Development Corporation (BRDC) is on its way to groom it as an International Tourism destination of Kerala.
Situated in the Northern most part of Kerala, Kasaragod, where fishing is the only source of livelihood, this striking beauty is noted for its sandy beaches, the 300 year old ancient Bekal Fort, near proximity to the two airports and the friendly socialising people.
Last month on behalf of the promotional efforts, a documentary film known as ‘Bekal’, produced by BRDC was screened in the Kalabhavan Theatre, Thiruvanthapuram. The script directed by Mr.C.P.Padmakumar pictures the many nature and man made attractions.
The film shortlist the main and the nearby attractions of Bekal, the employment source, the investment options and policy of BRDC and the major investors in the region.
This year also saw the inauguration of ‘Beach Camp’ by the minister of Tourism, Mr Kodiyeri Balakrishnan. In the Beach Camp, the first property of KTDC Hotels and Resorts in Bekal, 30 cottages are coming up in two hectares of land that is situated between the Bekal beach and The tsunami park.
Though it is regarded as a small region, it plays a prominent part in bringing limelights to God’s own country- Kerala. In another few months we might find Bekal as one of the top destinations in South, maybe more, let us hope so!
Kerala Tourism – It’s KeralaTravel Mart time again!
Kerala being Asia’s new age tourist destination and India’s tourism super-brand is expecting the biennial event Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) which is starting from Sep 23rd to 26th. Expected to be attended by a record of 2000 delegates from India and Abroad, it is conducted in Bolgatty Palace Hotel at the Bolgatty Island in Cochin.
Known to be the only tourism event in the sub continent, KTM brings together entrepreneurs and business travellers who are involved in the tourism products and various other services in Kerala. This is the largest gathering that is designed, planned and scheduled to facilitate meetings involving Buyers, Sellers, Media, Government agencies and others, it is likely to see a record participation of 382 sellers, 551 international buyers and 1,621 domestic buyers this year.
With the theme ‘Athithi devo bhava’, this event will focus more on homestays this year. Declared as a platform for the buyers to interact with the sellers, it is one of the largest of its kind. It is also seen to introduce a new concept ‘Speed Networking’ that intends to give maximum opportunity to both buyers and the sellers.
Riaz Ahmed, KTM president is seen to have said to the reporters that the highest numbers of participants are from UK and others from Poland, Finland, Mexico and South Africa, clearly indicating their global interest in Kerala’s tourism products and services.
The programme that is conducted once in two years will be open to the public on the last day – Sep 26th.
Programme schedule for KTM 2010
- 23rd Sep’10 (Thu)
6.30 p.m. – Inaugural Ceremony
- 24th Sep’10 (Fri)
9.30 a.m. -Inauguration of the Venue
10.00 a.m. – 6.00 p.m. -Business hours
- 25th Sep’10 (Sat)
10.00 a.m. – 6.00 p.m. -Business hours
- 26th Sep’10 (Sun)
10.00 a.m. – 6.00 p.m. -Business hours
10.00 a.m – 6.00 p.m. -Open to visitors
4.30 p.m. -Valedictory function
6.00 p.m -Mart closes
Kerala- A hub for different tourism sectors!
Tourism, tourism, tourism everywhere! Kerala is known for its tourism in different sectors. The alluring charm and the unique serenity have made Kerala one of the best tourism destinations. One can find people from different countries and locations visiting this charming state in order to explore the various tourism areas, which it is highly known for.
Whether it is the high standard of food or the simple cooked puttu (steamed rice powder preparation), vegetarian dishes and fish curry, here comes the concept of Kerala being known for its culinary tourism. Though ‘idiyappam’, stew, puttu were influenced by the Portuguese cuisines, these food items are the customary dishes in every home in Kerala.
Now lately it is seen that film tourism has also been seen as a tourism ingredient that boosts Kerala tourism. With various films from Hollywood and Bollywood like Mistress of Spices, Dil Se, Bombay and most recently Ravan (Ravanan), being shot in Kerala, one can find that Kerala provides appropriate places for all these right shots.
Eco tourism- One of the fastest growing segments in the world, Kerala has joined in the race to show that it is nestled in the bounties of nature thereby attracting foreigners and travellers. Focusing on sustainable and eco tourism development with a rich biodiversity and unmatched natural stations makes Kerala a hot spot for eco tourism. This is a concept introduced in order to make people observe and understand more about the flora and fauna of Kerala.
'Chingam'- The month of celebrations
Kerala is today celebrating ‘Chingam 1′, the beginning of the New Year as per its traditions. A great significance to the farmers, it is actually referred to as Aandu Pirappu and represents activeness, prosperity and harvest after the rains.
Chingam, a season for sports, festivities and ritual celebrations, is believed to have originated on this particular day when Lord Vishnu took the avatar of Vaamana and came to the state of King Mahabali and sent him to the nether world.
Onam the harvest festival of Kerala is celebrated in the month of Chingam which corresponds to the month of August or September. One can find people wearing the traditional attires to schools and offices and also the start of the floral design competition to commemorate the Chingam celebrations leading to the state festival of Kerala – Onam.
Hindus welcome the month of Chingam by going to the temples followed by feasting and celebrations. The first month in the traditional Malayalam calendar- Chinga Masam or Chingam Month is busy with fairs, marriages, feasts and especially shopping for the people.
In Cochin, The Atthachamayam Festival is conducted every year on Atham asterism of the Malayalam month Chingam in remembrance of the renowned victory of the Raja of Kochi. It adds a lot of colour to this city and people are drawn to the culture of this beautiful place during this period.
A date with a cool Kerala cuisine!
Each part of Kerala has their own unique cuisine and as anywhere else in the world, the Kerala cuisine is influenced by the traditions, culture and the changing lifestyles of its people. Attracting the tourists with its culinary specialties, Kerala offers one of the tastiest foods on earth. However if you need to really appreciate Kerala cuisines, then you need to have a taste for chillies- hot and spicy.
A typical Kerala breakfast can be anything from Puttu( steamed rice with coconut scrapings, due to abundance of coconuts) and bananas or peas, Appam, Idlis and Dosas. Lucnh and dinner is mainly rice with either veg: Thoran( chopped vegetables and grated coconut), Avial( a mix of all vegetables), Pachadi(different types: papaya, pineapple or lady’s finger) or rice with meat: usually chicken or beef.
Talking about Kerala cuisines, i encountered a different experience when i was on my way to Bolgatty Palace. After a long day with my cousins who had met for a family get together, we thought of taking a stroll outside and enjoy a quiet evening. On our way to Boat jetty, Kochi, back of Marine Drive, we came across a small push cart that had a vendor selling one of the most tastiest “sarbath” i had ever had!
I was so smitten by the taste, that i wanted to know more details about the shop, how he made and what was his luck factor. Meeting with Shaji ekka(the owner), he had lots to say about his small business. This small way side outlet had come a long 21 years with the bees that surrounded the shop as his lady luck. Besides selling, he was a very friendly person and informed us that once the ice that topped the juice was over, he packs up for the day. Needless to say, my cousins said that it was one of the most crowded places and best known in Kochi when it comes to a chilling “sarbath”.
Cochin Twestival 2010 – Tweeples swooping down on Kochi!
The Twitter bug has overtaken Kochi today with tweeples from all over Kerala swooping into Somewhere Else Cafe in Kadavanthara, this evening, the 25th of March 2010. So if you’re an avid tweeter you should make it to Cochin Twestival and have a Tweetup which is a festival with a DJ and even a stand-up comedy act to enjoy.
Twestival is a one-of-a-kind charity event which will help raise funds and create awareness for supporting the education of underprivileged children across the globe, including India in 2010.
The Cochin Twestival has its heart in the right place and the profit from the sale of T-shirts will go to Concern Worldwide, an international nonprofit and humanitarian organization supporting education projects for underprivileged and neglected children. This what the organisers have to say on the website:
Cochin Twestival has grown from just an idea to something more in the past few days. From just a handful of volunteers, the people of Kerala have joined in to volunteer help and make it a huge success.
The enterprising team of Cochin Twestival include Kenney Jacob(@kenneyjacob), Andrine Mendez @Andrine_Mendez), Binny VA(@binnyva), Ivin Gancius,( @ivan457), Thariq CP (@thariqcp ), Jayadeep Gilroy(@jAyaDEEpGiLrOY), Ranjith K Avarachan, aka @zeqox , Arun Sadanand, (@sadu_arun), Ashwin, (@4sHwiN), Cijo Abraham Mani( @cijoaj2003) Sharat Sreenivas-(I_Sharat) Nitin @hollowmaniac and Sajan Mani ( @vmsajan).
Archana Kavi of Neelathamara fame is the celebrity guest slated for the Twestival and the venue, Somewhere Else Cafe is the only free Wi-fi cafe in all of Kochi and has provided free welcome drinks.
From our team at KarmaKerala.com we wish Cochin Twestival all the best and hope that this becomes a regular event and more and more tweeples join in and help make a difference. With education let there be light and let’s help educate a new generation of people with this effort.
For your own Cochin Twestival T-shirt, visit Myntra and follow this link to donate to Concern Worldwide.
Happy tweeting and enjoy your Twestival and make a difference.
Union Budget 2010: Nothing to cheer for Keralites
Union Budget
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!
Aqua Show 2010 an institutional event
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.
Collage by: Vinish P Varghese
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.
Kerala's own drunkards
Give me more..
For God’s sake don’t ask me how, but Parasuram threw his axe in the wrong direction and that created Kerala and later blamed it on God saying ‘Its his country’ (Gods own country). Kerala the land of coco(nuts) is famous for its landscapes, Backwaters, Beaches, Houseboats and Hill stations. National Geographic traveler reads ‘ Kerala is more popular than Taj Mahal in tourist circuits’. But, today I shall highlight one more thing that Kerala is famous for.
If you happen to stroll on any road in any city of Kerala and you’ll see people standing in a queue, well this is it. You will see guys from all walks of life rich/poor/young/old/middle age waiting patiently. Obviously they are not here for ration (we do not need it). It is for a distilled drink that contains no added sugar and has at least 20% or above ABV. Technically we call it “Liquor”, simple. We Keralites believe that literally for any occasion, liquor and more liquor is the best way to rejoice.
Thankfully these liquor outlets are located at all major points in the city making it easy for the drunkards to bump into the non-drinkers thereby tempting them to give in. Driver’s nightmare, if you happen to drive this way, not because you have to continuously honk the boozers to move off the road, but for the temptation.
100% literate (come on we know to read and write alphabets), the intellectual Malayalee says there is no ill effects of drinking alcohol.
No Liquor no Kerala – this is one state in India, which is fully dependent on drunkards for survival. Kerala holds the dubious record of consuming maximum liquor. Ironically liquor is the second largest source of income -’A whopping 150 crore each year.
Strange are the ways of Kerala, like; the above Axe-effect, we have a King called Mahabali. No one know what his business is, but His Excellency is smart enough and prefers to stay underground. They say he comes out during Onam when the liquor sales goes up.
It’s a sad-STATE-of-affair, being a drunkard state, Kerala also has the the highest divorce and suicide rates. Finally, we are not laid-back people, see us in action if we are on a strike or on a protest or in front of liquor shop and you can see the adrenaline rush. God’s own Country, can’t complain.