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 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?