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Kerala News Archive: February 2005
Govt denies IT practical exam was introduced hastily
Friday, February 25, 2005 | APA
Kochi: Kerala government has said the "IT soft examination" conducted by it for class ten students of state schools was introduced in a "slow'" and "careful" manner and denied it was held "hastily."
In a counter affidavit submitted before the Kerala High Court, K Snehalatha, Project director, Directorate of Public Instructions (DPI), stated that the computer literacy study in government schools was introduced by the central government in 1995-96. A task force, under former space scientist, Prof U R Rao, had been constituted in 2000.
All the students who appeared for SSLC examination were trained in the syllabi from class 8th onwards and since then they have been appearing for the practical examinations, it was submitted.
The project was introduced in a "slow" and "careful" manner on the basis of expert opinion, it was stated. The counter was filed on a petition by Kerala Vidyalaya Vikasana samithi, challenging the government's decision to conduct the examination.
Kerala forms `entrepreneurship clubs' in colleges
Friday, February 25, 2005 | APA
Kochi: The Industries Department in Kerala has formed 'entrepreneurship clubs' in 194 colleges to spread an entreprise culture among students in the State, known for unemployment amid the abundance of skills and literacy.
The institutions included 18 engineering colleges and 41 polytechnics among others formed during the last two years period with a total membership of 5820 and a couple of club members had already turned entrepreneurs, State Industries Director T.O. Sooraj told a press conference.
The department in association with the Kerala Institute for Entrepreneurship Development is organising a convention here on February 25, to be attended by the representatives from 150 institutions.
Leading and successful entrepreneurs would present papers besides setting up a platform for the students to interact with them at the convention, to be inaugurated by Industries Minister V.K. Ibrahim Kunju.
The clubs were formed to sensitise the students on the economic and industrial development, change the negative mindset on taking up entrepreneurship as a career, educate on various dimensions of the industry, guide them to formulate project and develop managerial skills through different activities like workships, site visits, interactions and seminars, Sooraj said.
The clubs would be formed in another 25 institutions this year and the members would be given sector-based training in areas like food, rubber and herbal processing.
Campus politics: Universities submit draft rules to HC
Friday, February 25, 2005 | APA
Kochi: Six universities in Kerala have submitted draft rules in the Kerala High Court to stop campus politics.
Registrars of Kerala, Mahatma Gandhi, Calicut and Kalady Sanskrit Universities, Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) and Kerala Agricultural University and the principal education secretary appeared in court on a contempt case filed by Fr Mathew Maleparambil, principal of St Thomas College, Pala.
A Division bench comprising Justice K S Radhakrishnan and Justice K Padmanabhan Nair adjourned the case to March 9 for further hearing.
Declaring organisational activities of student bodies inside the campus as illegal, the court had directed the Government and Universities to frame rules to give effect to the directives enumerated in the judgment dated February 20, 2004.
In the contempt of court case, it was alleged that the Government and universities had failed to implement this judgement.
Kerala Varsities directed to formulate rules by March 3
Friday, February 25, 2005 | APA
Kochi,Feb 21 : All universities in Kerala were today directed by the high court to formulate rules and regulations by March 3 in accordance with the court's judgment banning politics in campuses.
A division bench, comprising Justice K S Radhakrishnan and justice K Padmanabhan Nair, issued the direction on a contempt of court petition filed by the Association of Private managements which complained that government and universities were not complying with the directions of the high court judgment on conducting campus elections to various students unions.
A division bench had earlier directed universities to 'depoliticise' the campus and conduct student union elections in Parliamentary form. The managements were given liberty as to how the election was to be conducted.
However, according to the association, the universities did not comply with the judgment and they filed a contempt case.
Pursuant to an earlier direction of the high court, higher education secretary, P J Thomas and registrars of all universities appeared in the court today.
The court examined the draft rules submitted by some universities and observed that those were 'inadequate' and asked them to formulate rules and regulations agreeable to all. PTI
Grading system proved to be a success in Kerala: Basheer
Friday, February 25, 2005 | APA
Kerala Education Minister E T Muhammed Basheer said the Kerala experiment with grading system and continuous evaluation had already proved to be a success.
Inaugurating an international conference on '''examination reforms for quality'' organised by the Council of Boards of School Education (COBSE) here, he said there would be greater emphasis on teacher training, parent awareness and helpline programmes when grading system was implemented.
B S Baswan, Education Secretary to the Government of India, who presided over the session, stressed the need for education to be market-oriented and evaluation to be objective.
Addressing the conference, Sajen Peter, Secretary to the General Education Department of Kerala, said consensus and joint action of the education boards were necessary for initiating exam reforms.
COBSE is a voluntary association of all the school Boards in the country. CBSE, ICSE and all State Boards of Education are its members.
[Agency]
Direct flights from Malaysia Airlines
Thursday, February 24, 2005 | APA
The Malaysia Airlines would start direct flights from Kuala Lumpur to Kerala by the end of this year. The Airline would operate tri-weekly flights from Kuala Lumpur to Thiruvananthapuram International Airport and the Cochin International Airport. The new move by the Airline is also expected to boost the tourism industry. The Airline already operates flights to Mumbai and Chennai. It also operates four flights a week to New Delhi, three to Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Kolkata and two to Hyderabad.
Air India Express service from April
Thursday, February 24, 2005 | APA
The Air India would operate budget services to various Gulf destinations from April with 25 to 30 percent reductions in rates said the Chief Minister, Mr. Oommen Chandy. The Union Civil Aviation Minister has given an assurance in this regard, the Chief Minister informed the Assembly. The Union Minister of State for External affairs has agreed to consider the State Government’s request to appoint Keralite officers in Gulf consulates. An enumeration of Non- resident Keralites in UAE would be conducted by the Department of NORKA, the Chief Minister said.
Daily service to Mumbai from Air Arabia
Thursday, February 24, 2005 | APA
Air Arabia, the UAE Airlines would now operate daily flights to Mumbai from March. The new service is expected to be of great help to the Malayalee expatriates. According to Mr. Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohd Al- Thani, Chairman, the Airline has secured the necessary permissions and the services would start in the middle of March. Details of flight schedules and fares would be announced soon. Air Arabia now connects 12 countries and 16 destinations in the Middle East, North Africa and the Indian subcontinent.
NRI Cell in State Police Department
Thursday, February 24, 2005 | APA
An NRI Cell would be started in the State Police Department to deal with the issues related to overseas jobseekers from Kerala. A senior officer would be appointed as the Head of the Cell. This was disclosed by the Chief Minister, Mr. Oommen Chandy in the Legislative Assembly. The Cell would also deal with issues of property disputes of NRKs in the State. The minister also said that strict norms would be implemented for sending women for overseas jobs.
Online registration for Certificate attestation restarted
Thursday, February 24, 2005 | APA
The ROOTS have restarted the online registration facility for certificate attestation. The facility was temporarily stopped due to works for full computerization of attestation procedures. Tokens are available from the website www.norkaroots.net on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 AM. Tokens can be taken for working days from Monday to Friday. Only 150 tokens would be given for a day and the facility would automatically stop when tokens are issued for a week. The new facility is expected to be of great help to visa holders who are in urgent need for attestation.
NORKA Bhavan to be opened in State capital
Thursday, February 24, 2005 | APA
NORKA Bhavan to be opened in State capital
A centre to coordinate the various development and welfare activities for the Non-resident Keralites, ‘NORKA Bhavan’ would be opened in Thiruvananthapuram, the Chief Minister Mr. Oommen Chandy informed the State Assembly. The State Government has submitted a set of proposals to the Union Government to modify the existing emigration laws. This would help in preventing many malpractices conducted by some recruiting agencies, the Chief Minister said. The State Government has also requested to post Labour Welfare Officers in the Indian Embassies. Other suggestions in the proposal include making it mandatory to obtain prior permission to publish overseas job recruitments.
State Government for voting rights for NRIs
Thursday, February 24, 2005 | APA
The Chief Minister, Mr. Oommen Chandy said in the State Assembly that the State Government has requested the Centre to include the names of NRIs in voter’s lists and to grant them voting rights. The State Government has suggested inclusion of a separate section in the voter’s list in which NRIs names with passpo a separate section in the voter’s list in which NRIs names with passport numbers are included. The Chief Minister said that those who are present in the State at the time of election could vote. Producing passports for voting is mandatory and this would prevent malpractices, the Chief Minister said. The Government would also study th
Pattanakkadu Purushothaman passes away
Tuesday, February 22, 2005 | APA
Eminent playback singer Pattanakkad Purushothaman died at the medical college hospital here today following a cardiac arrest. He was 54. He is survived by his wife and four children.
A five-time recipient of the state drama and singer awards, Purushothaman had given voice to more than 3000 drama songs.
Purushothaman, who made his debut in the film world with a song in Vezhambal, had sung for more than 82 films. The cremation would take place here tomorrow.
Palm Oil case: SC rejects Karunakaran's plea
Tuesday, February 22, 2005 | APA
The division bench of the Supreme Court today rejected the plea submitted by senior Congress leader K Karunakaran to leave the palmolein case to the constitutional bench.
In the plea, the leader stated that the earlier verdict of the Supreme Court that the permission of the Lok Sabha Speaker was necessary for the trial of the people's representatives was unclear and so he had asked to remove the vagueness in the verdict.
Global trade in medicinal plants growing
Tuesday, February 22, 2005 | APA
PTI
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Despite its inherent strength in Ayurveda and other ethnic systems of medicine, India accounts for only a small portion of the world trade in medicinal and aromatic plants which is dominated by China.
While China held a handsome 40 per cent share in the $60 billion world trade in medicinal plants, India accounted for a share of just USD 100 million, according to Kerala's annual Economic Review.
Global market for medicinal plants has been growing at a brisk pace of seven per cent annually, capitalising on the growing awareness of herbal and aromatic plants worldwide.
The United States accounted for nearly 50 per cent of the export of Indian medicinal plants and products. India's share in the US imports of pharmaceutical preparations had steadily been increasing since 1998.
The National Medicinal Plants Board had prioritized 32 plant for development, formulating schemes and guidelines for financial assistance applicable both for governmental and non-governmental agencies.
One of the problems faced by the sector is destructive harvesting and inefficient, imperfect and informal marketing by pharmaceutical firms, the review noted.
Out of the annual consumption of raw drugs, 50 per cent are from roots, 15 per cent fruits/seeds, 12 per cent wood, 9 per cent whole plants, 7 per cent bark/stem, 4 per cent leaves and 3 per cent flower.
Kerala has Rs 6 bn gold reserves
Tuesday, February 22, 2005 | APA
IANS
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala is firming up plans to fully exploit its huge gold reserves, estimated to be worth in excess of Rs 6 billion ($137 million).
The gold reserves, identified way back in 1962, are mainly centred in and around Nilambur forests in Malappuram district and at Attapadi in Palakkad district.
"Right now a feasibility study has commenced and it is being done by the Mineral Exploration Corporation of India, which has been sanctioned Rs 17.7 million for this by the central government," M M Nair, deputy director general of the Geological Survey of India, told reporters here Sunday.
The gold in Kerala, according to official studies, is of the highest quality with the gold content being 13.88 grams for every tonne of ore.
"Only after the feasibility report is presented will we know in detail how the mining of gold should begin in Nilambur and Attapadi," said N Krishna Kumar, director in the Department of Mining and Geology.
"Already Karnataka-based Hutti Gold Mines has shown interest for mining at these places and we are expecting other companies from the country and abroad to put up their proposals."
Nair said once mining operations commenced, issues like protection of the environment too would come up.
"To exploit one natural resource, some changes in topography like cutting down of trees is bound to come up but the feasibility study will certainly look into these aspects. The prime concern will be sustainable development," said Nair.
Kumar said once the feasibility report was ready, the Department of Mining and Geology would give the final license for gold mining.
"The Kerala government is expected to get a royalty of 12 percent and this is an issue which could be further negotiable," said Kumar.
SBT strengthens Kuwait operations
Tuesday, February 22, 2005 | APA
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala's premier bank State Bank of Travancore (SBT) has entered into rupee drawing arrangements with the UAE Exchange Centre, Kuwait, one of the leading exchange houses in the Gulf nation.
Under the new arrangement, NRIs in Kuwait can make remittances to more than 300 SBT branches in India.
The SBT now has drawing arrangements with six exchange houses in Kuwait.
22 contestants vie for Miss Kerala crown
Tuesday, February 22, 2005 | APA
PTI
KOCHI: Over 20 contestants will vie for the 'Miss Kerala' crown to be held here on Feb 26.
Organised by the Impresario Event Marketing company and 'Parachute Advansed,' the pageant will showcase the beauty, talent and personality of 22 contestants.
The contestants would undergo a rigorous five-day grooming session, conducted by top professionals from across India, before the finals, the organsiers said in a press release here.
BMW defers decision on India operations
Sunday, February 20, 2005 | APA
German luxury carmaker BMW has postponed until May a decision on setting up a manufacturing plant in India.
"I have been informed by the company that the decision would now be taken at their board meeting scheduled in the first week of May," P.H. Kurian, managing director of the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation, told IANS.
This is the third time that the decision has been deferred. The company was to decide on launching its India operations at its board meeting in November last year but the decision was deferred until January and now until May.
Kerala is high on the company's list of possible locations for setting up their car plant.
Senior officials of the Munich-based firm have visited Kerala four times over the past year to scout for probable locations and study the local infrastructure.
One possible reason cited for the delay is that after BMW's huge success in joint venture operations in China, the auto giant is reconsidering similar operations in India.
[IANS]
AICC to toughen its stand on indiscipline in Kerala
Sunday, February 20, 2005 | APA
The Congress High Command seems to be preparing for tightening its grip over the party leaders indulging in indiscipline in Kerala, which is slated to go to assembly polls in a year.
The AICC has sought a report from PCC president Thennala Balakrishna Pillai in the context of open remarks made against the party and its leadership by some leaders belonging to the faction led by former Chief Minister and party veteran K Karunakaran.
Against the backdrop of the Karunakaran group declaring an open revolt against the Congress-led government, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy held discussions with party President Sonia Gandhi and her political secretary Ahmed Patel yesterday.
Chandy, who held a 45-minute-long meeting with Patel today, refused to give details of the discussion.
However, AICC sources indicated that the High Command would no longer take lightly any indisicipline in the Kerala unit of the party, where groupism bogged it down in the last Lok Sabha elections in which all its 17 candidates were defeated by the rival Marxist-led front.
Sources said Chandy's stand was that no more concession needed to be given to the Karunakaran group, which had recently raised some fresh demands with regard to appointment of chairmen of state-owned corporations and boards.
Sources said the High command had agreed with Chandy's stand against favouring with any posts to those who were given party tickets for the last year's Lok Sabha elections.
Chandy today said such a stand was originally taken by K Muralidharan, the son of Karunakaran, when he was the President of the PCC two years ago.
"AICC is awaiting the report of the Pradesh Congress Committee on the disciplinary issues coming up in recent times in the state.
Further action will be taken on the basis of the report," sources added.
Chandy made out a strong case for holding organisational elections in the state, where such an exercise has not taken place due to intense groupism in the past ten years.
During his meeting with Patel, Chandy explained the rehabilitation measures taken by the government after the December 26 tsunami.
On the reported charge of Karunakaran that Chandy had accommodated only his people in the two functions attended by the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at Kochi and Kayamkulam yesterday, Chandy said both the functions were organised under the auspices of the Central government. "Even I am sad that much of what I said was not implemented."
[Agency]
Kerala gets assurance on pepper import issue
Sunday, February 20, 2005 | APA
Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy Thursday got assurances from the central government that pepper imports would be checked to protect the interests of farmers.
Chandy told reporters the pepper growers were facing great losses because of large-scale import of inferior quality pepper, which was being sold in the country and also being exported after blending with high quality pepper grown in Kerala.
"Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath has agreed not to allow import of pepper and have the advance import licences cancelled," said Chandy, who arrived here Wednesday with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after the foundation laying ceremony for the Vallarpadom container terminal at Kochi.
"Stopping imports would help stabilise pepper prices in the domestic market," he said.
On a brief visit to hold pre-budget discussions with Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, Chandy also met Kamal Nath and Minister of State for Railways R. Velu.
The central budget is to be presented Feb 28 while the railway budget would be announced two days earlier.
Kamal Nath said that Kerala's demand for assistance to boost pepper exports, which were hit by low prices in the domestic and global markets, would have to be considered in accordance with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) guidelines.
During his meeting with the railway minister, Chandy was assured that the ongoing electrification of the Ernakulam-Kollam route would be completed March 31 while the Kollam-Thiruvananthapuram track would be done before September.
On the demand for early completion of the doubling of the 307 km railway track from Shornoor to Mangalore, Chandy was assured that work would be completed in the next fiscal year.
"We have also requested the railway ministry for adequate funds to complete the doubling work of the Ernakulam-Kottayam-Kayamkulam and Ernakulam-Alleppey-Kayamkulam sectors," Chandy said.
The Kerala government is keen on early completion of the railway infrastructure projects to improve transport network as part of efforts to boost tourism.
[IANS]
Ravi Vallathol, Archana wins Film Critics Award
Sunday, February 20, 2005 | APA
Ravi Vallathol and Archana have won the best actor and actress awards, while "Avicharitham" has been selected as the best serial for the visual media awards announced by the Film Critics here today.
Award for second best serial went to American Dreams. Manasam telecast by Asianet was selected as the best telefilm. Award for the most popular serial went to Megham. Mallika and Anoop Menon were honoured with the awards for second best actress and actor respectively.
KK Rajeev got the best director award for his work Avicharitham. Master Jijiv gets the best child artist award (Kadamattathu Kathanar). Ragaadramai, produced and directed by Byju G. Melila won the award for Best Music Album. Kalanju Kittiya Muthu is the second best telefilm while the documentary on KM Mathew bagged the best documentary award.
Karunakaran blasts Oommen Chandy
Sunday, February 20, 2005 | APA
Senior Congress leader K Karunakaran today blasted Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy by saying that Oommen Chandy is acting like a dictator.
Karunakaran lambasted Chief Minister Oommen Chandy for his 'superiority'.
Speaking to media persons at his residence here today, Karunakaran accused Chandy of two-facedness in administration.
"Oommen Chandy speaks one thing and does something else," Karunakaran alleged.
"The 'I' faction will not demand anything from this Chief Minister.The Congress president knows the party constitution and what is happening here," he said.
"The 'I' faction's only demand was to hold organisational polls in a democratic manner. We will accept anyone chosen by Congress workers," he added.
Probe clears cops in firing on tribals: Antony
Sunday, February 20, 2005 | APA
Two years after a controversial firing on tribals in Kerala's Wyanad district, former chief minister A.K. Antony has said he felt vindicated by an inquiry that gave the police a clean chit.
A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe report has blamed 153 tribals for the situation leading to the firing by police in the Muthanga forests following the abduction of two of their personnel.
Antony said Friday that the CBI report had "brought the truth out".
Soon after the incident the Antony government had been blamed for the "police excesses" in which one tribal was killed.
Antony said at a function, "While some said 11 tribals died in the police firing, other said 20. After two years, I am certain none would point fingers at me any more."
On Feb 19, 2002, police had opened fire on tribals who had taken possession of a part of the Muthanga forests. They were protesting against the delay in the allotment of land as promised by the Antony government.
Vinod, one of the two policemen taken hostage by the protesting tribals, had died of injuries allegedly sustained in custody.
The opposition had alleged that 20 tribals were killed and demanded a judicial inquiry. Antony, however, had gone in for a CBI probe.
Though the CBI report has absolved the police, Janu - one of the accused in Vinod's murder, said the Muthanga struggle had at least led to a better understanding of the issues of tribals.
[Agency]
Kerala to have 24-hour Christian channel
Saturday, February 19, 2005 | APA
Kozhikode, Feb 18 : Complete with bible quizzes, mass services and testimonials of people saved by faith, Shalom TV will be launching its 24-hour Christian channel in Kerala Feb 25.
The channel, which would have gospel-related cultural, educational and devotional programmes in English and Malayalam, would also show animated cartoons based on biblical stories for children, channel officials said.
"This is probably the first channel of its kind in the world. The channel would be headquartered here, and there would be no news, entertainment or any current affairs programme for at least one year," said Santo Kavilpuradom, general manager of Shalom Television.
The Rs.60 million channel, has already got tactical support from the Syro Malabar, Latin and the Malankara divisions of the state's Catholic church.
(IANS)
PM promises Sabarimala package
Friday, February 18, 2005 | APA
Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 17 : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has agreed to provide a special package for the Ayyappa temple in Kerala's Sabarimala hills and to convert it to a national pilgrimage centre, the temple authorities said.
According to them, Singh who met Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president G. Raman Nair Tuesday, also accepted an invitation to visit the shrine.
The temple authorities also urged the prime minister additional land and a national status to the shrine.
"The first demand was to see 500 hectares of forest land near the holy shrine handed over to TDB. The second was to declare Sabarimala as a national pilgrimage centre and the third an invitation to the prime minister to visit the shrine," Nair told IANS.
According to Nair, Singh has assured him to personally oversee the Sabarimala package.
"He has agreed that he would visit the temple this season itself," said Nair.
The peak Sabarimala season begins mid-November and extends to mid-January. Millions of devotees of Lord Ayyappa from different parts of the country visit the temple during the season.
(IANS)
'Let people assess govt's performance'-Oommen Chandy
Wednesday, February 16, 2005 | APA
PTI
KOCHI: Refuting former KPCC chief K Muraleedharan's charge that he was "functioning unilaterally", Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Sunday said he had been taking decisions only after holding discussions with all concerned.
"I have been discharging the assigned responsibilities to the best of my abilities. Let the people decide on the performance of the UDF Government so far. I have limitations but I am satisfied with the performance of the government and myself," he told reporters on the sidelines of a function.
However, he declined to respond to a question on Muraleedharan, who on Saturday announced his resignation from the ruling UDF's liaison committee, saying "I do not want to make any comment now".
Replying to a query on the allegation of corruption against the government by some Congress leaders, Chandy said "such type of threats will not work with me. I will not give in to intimidations," he added.
"I am not going to make any changes in my functioning", he said adding let people assess performance of the government. Anyone could make an allegation.
Asked whether he was getting ready for a confrontation with the 'I' group owing allegiance to senior Congress leader K Karunakaran, he said "I am not for confrontation with anybody or any group".
It was for the party to decide on disciplinary action, he said.
Kerala to seek assistance for farmers
Wednesday, February 16, 2005 | APA
Kerala will seek special assistance from the Centre to help the crisis-hit farmers and to revive the traditional industries sector.
Briefing newsmen after the state Cabinet, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said the meet finalised the details of the financial assistance to be sought from the Centre during the two-day visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Kerala.
He said the state had already taken up the matter of an assistance package for the farmers and was hopeful of getting it sanctioned at the earliest.
The farming community and the traditional industries sector, the two main contributors to the state economy, had been hit badly by crisis and there was an urgent need for their revival, he said.
[Indo-Asian News Service]
Mohanlal's 'Udayananu Taram' going house full
Wednesday, February 16, 2005 | APA
Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 7 (IANS): For superstar Mohanlal this year appears to have begun on a good note with his latest offering "Udayananu Taram" going house full in theatres across the state.
Though Mohanlal celebrated his silver jubilee in Malayalam films last year, none of his films made an impression at the box office.
"'Udayananu Taram' is on its way to becoming one of the biggest grossers this year. It has attracted every section of the audience," said producer Kireedom Unni.
The story revolves around the film industry and the egoistic tendencies of those who matter in the film world.
Mohanlal plays the role of an assistant director, Udaybhanu, who tries to launch himself as a full time director and is busy writing his own script. Giving him company in his attempts to enter filmdom is ace character actor Sreenivasan who is an aspiring hero but fails because of his looks.
Sreenivasan smuggles out Mohanlal's hard written script and claims it as his own work. He hands over the script to a famous film director (played by Lohithadas). Sreenivasan is cast as the hero in the film and becomes a superstar overnight, leaving Mohanlal in a shambles.
But Mohanlal finally succeeds in his maiden directorial venture by casting Sreenivasan, but not before a lot of twists and turns.
South Indian actress Meena is Mohanlal's heroine in the film.
Speaking to IANS, veteran producer Sureshkumar, who had produced several of the actor's earlier films, said the success of "Udayananu Taram" meant a lot to the entire industry.
"This is a clear indication that people would come back to the theatres if there is a good film. A success like this is certainly a morale booster for producers like us," said Sureshkumar, who is working on a new film with Mohanlal titled "College Kumaran".
The actor is currently shooting for a short Hindi film in Mumbai.
Malayalam Superstars in new look
Wednesday, February 16, 2005 | APA
Chennai, Feb 4 (IANS): It is the new-look season in Malayalam cinema.
First, it was Mohanlal's cropped hair with rimless specs for Ranjith's forthcoming film "Chandrolsavam" that caught everybody's attention.
Not to be left behind, rival Mammootty got himself a hippie moustache with a "Dil Chahta Hai"-style goatee and new hairstyle in "Taskaraveeran".
But now actor-producer Lal has sprung the real surprise with his depiction of a bald, stooping, 70-year-old man in "Bangalavil Autha" to be directed by newcomer Shanthivilla Dinesh.
Pattanom Rashid, who transformed Dileep into the ugly bucktoothed hunchback in "Kunjikoonan" a couple of years ago, is the makeup in-charge for "Bangalavil Autha" too.
'Penne...' tops Malayalam music charts
Wednesday, February 16, 2005 | APA
Kochi, Feb 2 (IANS): Clever filming has placed a song from "Udayananu Tharam" at the top of this fortnight's Malayalam music charts.
The top five Malayalam songs are:
1. "Penne En Penne": Film: "Udayananu Tharam"; Music: Deepak Dev; Lyrics: Kaithapram; Singers: Afsal and Shalini Singh. This hilarious number shot in the Ramojirao Film City, Hyderabad, shows Sreenivasan and Meena dancing in a typical 'filmi' style, leaving the audience in splits.
2. "Minnale Minnale": Film: "Vesham"; Music: S.A. Rajkumar; Lyrics: Kaithapram; Singer: K.S. Chitra. The continuing popularity of the film has sustained the appeal of its music, particularly this song.
3. "Komalavalli": Film: "Immini Nalloral"; Music: M. Jayachandran; Lyrics: Gireesh Puthenchery; Singers: Vijay Yesudas and Jyotsna. Jayasurya and Navya Nair dance to the unusual rhythm of this song.
4. "Parayathe Ariyathe": Film: "Udayananu Tharam"; Music: Deepak Dev; Lyrics: Kaithapram; Singers: K.J. Yesudas and K.S. Chitra. This lilting tune rendered by the two most revered singers in the industry has a magical effect on the listener.
5. "Ishtam Ishtam": Film: "Amrutham"; Music: M. Jayachandran; Lyrics: Kaithapram; Singer: K.S. Chitra. Yet another of those seductive Chitra songs. Need one say more?
Mohanlal as College Kumaran
Wednesday, February 16, 2005 | APA
Mohanlal as a College Kumaran? Are you surprised? Hold on, he will be enacting Kumaran, a college canteen owner in the Rajasenan directed film 'College Kumaran'.
Director Rajasenan is working on the story and the shooting schedule is not yet fixed. He told NOWRUNNING.com "It will be a humorous story and all the ingredients to thrill the audience are included in the film".
When asked about his recently released film "Immini Nalloral" Rajasenan said that the reports are very good and he hopes it will be a hit.
"College Kumaran" is Rajasenan's first movie with Mohanlal and Suresh Kumar is producing the film for Revathy Kalamandir.
I just became Shahina: Meera Jasmine
Wednesday, February 16, 2005 | APA
Chennai, Sep 3 (IANS): Meera Jasmine, winner of the national award for best actress, attributes her success to her ability to become in her mind the character she portrays.
"I start thinking like her. Then even my body language changes," Meera Jasmine told IANS in an interview.
The 22-year-old, who won the award for her sensitive portrayal of 15-year-old child bride Shahina in T.V. Chandran's "Paatham Onnu Oru Vilapam", believes she achieves this complete transformation only because of the blessings of god.
You have been acting mostly in commercial ventures. Why did you accept a film like "Paatam Onnu Oru Vilapam"?
I don't categorize films as commercial or art. According to me, there are only two types of films: good and bad. I only want to do good characters in good films. This has been my attitude right from the beginning.
It is true that I may not get good characters from all the languages all the time. For example, now, I am not getting good characters in Tamil but I have some good characters in Telugu. I hope somebody in Tamil would create good characters for me now that I have won the national award. Fortunately for me, I got a character like Shahina in Malayalam.
I signed the film not because I was planning to do a parallel cinema or an art film. It just happened.
Was it because you felt empathy for Shanina that you decided to portray her on screen?
Yes. I, somehow, liked the girl Shahina and that was the only reason why I accepted the film. When I heard her story I felt empathy and sympathy for her plight.
Were you aware when T.V. Chandran told you about the plight of Shahina, a girl forced to marry an older man who already had a wife, that such things happened in our society?
I only knew some Muslims married off heir daughters at a very young age but nothing more than that. I haven't even been to Malappuram (the setting of the story) before. The place I was born and brought up is totally different from Malappuram. So, only when T.V. Chandran sir told me the story in detail did I realise the enormity of the situation. I then felt very bad for the girl.
Shahina is a Muslim school girl from Malappuram and the dialect that she speaks is totally different yours. What kind of preparations did you do, or did you just follow what the director said?
Generally, I don't do any preparation or rehearsal. What I do is I think about the character a lot so that I become the character in my own mind. Once I become the character in my mind, I start thinking like her. Then, even my body language changes. I feel I could achieve this only because of the blessings of god.
I also try to think how I would have reacted if I were in that position. I believe that human emotions are the same for everyone whether she is a Hindu or a Christian or a Muslim. Similarly, I tried to relate to what Shahina faced in her life.
This is what my guru Lohitadas taught me when I did my first film. I had had absolutely no background in acting. What he told me was to try to be Shivani, the first character I did. He also asked me to learn everything about the character, even what is not there in the film so that I could become the character fully. From then on, I have been following what he taught me. I try to be the character. If I have won the award now, it is only because of what he has taught me in my first film.
How did you react when you heard the news that you had won the national award?
You may find it odd but I behaved in a bizarre way. I just cried. Don't ask me why I cried. I felt like crying and I cried for quite some time.
You have won this award at a very young age. Do you look at it as a big responsibility?
Yes, it is a big responsibility. Hereafter, my films and characters will be scrutinized more. It is true that I have always selected only good characters but I have to be very, very careful now.
After you won the award, you said it was all because of almighty. Are you a strong believer in god?
Yes, a very strong believer. Tell me, if god had not decided it, would I, a total stranger to films, a nobody from a small town, have got a chance to act in films? Now, I get such a big award too. I fully believe that there is a force above that is pushing me and guiding me to do these things. I have no other word to describe that force except god
Banglowil Autha
Wednesday, February 16, 2005 | APA
Lal is acting as seventy-year-old Banglowil Autha, who earned crores with his determination and he doesn't care anybody. Shanthivila Dinesh directs the story and Reghunath Paleri is the writer. The life story of Autha is told in a humorous way.Bhavana, Siddique, Jagathi, Rajan. P. Dev, Indrans, Kochupreman, Subair, Bindhu Panicker, Kovai Sarala, KalaRangini are the supporting casts.
Krityam'
Wednesday, February 16, 2005 | APA
Prithviraj is playing a double role in 'Krityam' a new film by Viji Thampi. Pooja, the Tamil actress seen in JJ and Attahasam is the heroine. One of Prithvi's character is living in music world and the other one is a professional killer. Jagati, Siddique, Salim Kumar, Thilakan, Anil Menon, Harshan, Kalpana are the other cast. Novice musician Udayakumar is giving music to the lyrics of Girish Puthenchery. Shooting will start in January 2005.
Five Fingers
Wednesday, February 16, 2005 | APA
Kunjako Boban and Karthika are the pairs for the new film 'Five Fingers' directed by Sanjeev Raj. This is an unusual campus story. Manu (Kunjako Boban), Meera (Karthika), Rafeek (Sudheesh), Mathai (Ashok Bobby), Joji (Vijayakumar) are college friends and are called five fingers. The story is all about the love and hatred among the five. Saji Nanthiat is producing the film for Nanthiat Films. S. Suresh Babu is the writer.
Jagathi, Saikumar, Manoj. K. Jayan, Janardhanan, Binish Kodiyeri, Madhupal, Riyas Khan, Shajon, Vijaya Kumar, Sajan Palluruthy are the supporting casts.
Chandrakkala Manathu
Wednesday, February 16, 2005 | APA
Chandrakkala Manathu
Vinsoor the assistant of Vinayan is coming up with an independent film 'Chandrakkala Manathu' casting Kalabhavan Mani against a new face Neeba along with Kovai Sarala, Jagathi, Jagadheesh, Indrans, Kochupreman, Kalpana, Bindhu Panicker and Ponnamma Babu.
Chandrakkala Manathu
Wednesday, February 16, 2005 | APA
Chandrakkala Manathu
Vinsoor the assistant of Vinayan is coming up with an independent film 'Chandrakkala Manathu' casting Kalabhavan Mani against a new face Neeba along with Kovai Sarala, Jagathi, Jagadheesh, Indrans, Kochupreman, Kalpana, Bindhu Panicker and Ponnamma Babu.
Hide & Seek
Wednesday, February 16, 2005 | APA
Mukesh is acting a movie named 'Hide & Seek', directed by Prabhakaran Muthanna and produced by Harikrishnan Vallikavvu in the banner of Southern Creation. Madhu Sreevidya, Jagathi, Cochin Hanifa, Mala Aravindan, Oduvil Unnikrishnan, Bindhu Panicker and Urmila Unni are also in the squad.
Thommannum Makkalum
Wednesday, February 16, 2005 | APA
Lal creation's 'Thommannum Makkalum', directed by Shafi is underway in Kochi. Lal and Mammootty (Sivan and Satyan) are the two sons of Thomman (Ragan.P.Dev). Janardhanan, Salim Kumar, Kochupreman, Mohan Jose also playing worthy roles in this film. Benny P Nayarambalam handles the writing part and Alex Paul tunes the lyrics of Kaithapram. Camera is by Sanjeev Shankar.
Finger Print
Wednesday, February 16, 2005 | APA
Sathish Paul, the assistant of Sidhique is directing his first film named 'Finger Print'. It is a crime thriller casting Jayaram as a police officer investigating a murder. The screenplay is from Sidhique. For the first time Jayaram is appearing as an investigating officer. Gopika is the heroine. Indrajith also plays an important role. Saikumar, Nedumudi Venu, Mala Aravindan and Indrans are some of the actors in the film.
Eminent Tamil cameraman Guna will handle the camera. Sabu Cherian, who produced 4 the people, is producing the film.
Biju menon in double role
Wednesday, February 16, 2005 | APA
Biju Menon can be seen in double role in the film named 'Aprakaran Thanne' directed by Kannan, who has directed 'Chayam'.
Biju can be seen as Sudhakaran, an ordinary man searching his roots and Vasooty, a sixty-year-old person.
Mammootty, Mohanlal are great friends: Auditor
Wednesday, February 16, 2005 | APA
Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 15 (IANS): Mammootty and Mohanlal, the reigning superstars of Malayalam cinema, may appear archrivals to the world but are in truth the best of friends who discuss their problems with each other.
So says M.B. Sanil Kumar, 42, their financial consultant for three years who keeps in regular touch with them.
"I am really surprised to hear that the general impression in the state is that the two are archenemies whereas the reality is the other way round," Kumar said.
"Others may not know them, but they know each other. Of the 270 films each that they have done in a career spanning two-and-a-half decades, they have worked together in as many as 55."
Kumar says they have no problem in having the same auditor. His biggest appreciation is reserved for the fact that they never ask him about each other's affairs.
Apart from being great actors, they were superb in handling their finances. Their net worth was more than Rs.500 million, Kumar disclosed to IANS.
Kumar is a regular at their homes too.
"I had lunch with Mohanlal on his father's birthday. And whenever I am in Kochi, a visit to Mammootty's house is a must".
Mammootty has shifted base from Chennai to Kochi, and Mohanlal is likely to follow suit.
Both have also been openhearted when it came to charity and have helped educate a large number of people.
Kumar shied away when asked who he thought was the better actor.
"My principle is not to watch any of their movies when I hear it is a flop. Why should I dilute my impressions about them?" asked Kumar.
His remuneration is calculated on the amount of time he spends with each. "One thing I can say is that it is not the same," Kumar said.
Mammootty to act for M.T script
Wednesday, February 16, 2005 | APA
Babu Pisharadi (Babu of Anil-Babu team) is going independent. Renowned Malayalam writer M.T Vasudevan Nair will script his first film starring Mammootty.
Mammootty's last film with M.T was 'Sukrutham' and their earlier project 'Oru Vadkkan Veeragatha' fetched Mammootty his first National Award for Best Actor. M.T, who was away from the industry for a long time, recently scripted and directed an offbeat film named 'Oru Cheru Punchiri'.
In Director Babu's venture, M.T is scripting a family story targeting all kind of viewers, and will be produced by Shobhana Parameshwaran Nair.
Nayanthara signs another Tamil film
Amidst countless offers from the Malayalam industry, Nayanthara has taken up yet another Tamil assignment. Madhavan will be the hero of her third Tamil film. Named 'Swarnamukhi', the film is directed by Adiman.
Nayanthara's splendid screen presence in 'Ayya' and as the heroine of Rajanikanth in 'Chandramukhi' took her to the top of the charts in the Tamil industry is now a very sought after actress. She is one of the few Malayali actresses to get accepted in more than one language.
Her current projects include Pramod Pappan's 'Thaskaraveeran' starring Mammootty.
Makalkku
Wednesday, February 16, 2005 | APA
Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 14 (IANS): Filmmaker Jayaraj is now taking a real life story made famous by a photograph to celluloid.
After the mainstream and highly successful "4 the People" and its Tamil and Telugu remakes, it is time for him to turn to good cinema. And he is doing so with "Makalkku".
In 1990, T. Rajan Poduval, a well-known photographer working for Malayalam newspaper Mathrubhumi, had photographed a woman patient sitting in the veranda of a mental hospital in Thiruvananthapuram.
She was seen clutching a bundle close to her body. Also visible were two tiny legs hanging out of the bundle. Fourteen years later, Rajan met the same woman and her child at the same hospital. The baby had grown up to be a beautiful teenager, and the mother also had improved. That became possible with the help of a particular doctor.
Jayaraj, a national award-winning director, has two other National award winners acting as the doctor and the mentally challenged woman: Suresh Gopi and Shobhana respectively.
Suresh Gopi won a national award for his performance in Jayaraj's "Kaliyattam".
After a long gap, Shobhana appeared in a Malayalam film again in "Mambazhakalam". "Makalkku" is going to be an entirely different experience for the two-time National Award winner as she speaks only one word in the entire film: "Killeri".
Jayaraj has alternated between aesthetically good films like "Kaliyattam", "Bheebhats" or "Santham" and commercial ventures like "Millennium Brothers" and "4 the People".
Kerala to get Central investment worth Rs 20,000 crore
Wednesday, February 16, 2005 | APA
Kochi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday assured industrial investment worth Rs 20,000 crore to Kerala, including two major projects for which he would lay the foundation stone on Wednesday.
These were the Rs 2,118 crore International Container Transhipment Terminal here and the Rs 7,584 crore second phase expansion of the public sector NTPC power plant at Kayamkulam in Alappuzha district.
The Rs 1,600 crore LNG terminal coming up here shortly was another Central project expected to boost the industrialisation of the state.
Briefing mediapersons after a State Cabinet meeting, during which the Prime Minister was present, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said the Prime Minister had come to Kerala with concrete results and not with mere promises, as had been Kerala's lot in the past.
Dr Singh had adopted a very favourable approach to the problems raised by the State government and had promised to monitor progress with regard to the implementation of his assurances.
''I am accompanied on my visit to Kerala by my Principal Secretary T K A Nair, hailing from the state, and he will take care of monitoring the assurances given to Kerala'', the Prime Minister said, according to Chandy.
Assurances of financial help to compensate the cut imposed on Kerala by the 12th Finance Commission in the educational and health sectors, in view of the progress made by the state in these areas, had also been made by the Prime Minister, Chandy said.
Kerala Governor R L Bhatia also participated in the Cabinet meeting, he said.
The Prime Minister also said that he would look into the state government's demands for release of forest land for development of the Sabarimala hill shrine, in view of its national importance, Chandy added.
B
Chitra: bridging north-south film music divide
Wednesday, February 16, 2005 | APA
Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 29 (IANS): From a child who got a music scholarship she wasn't formally qualified for, to being a Padma Shri winner, southern Indian playback singer K.S. Chitra's story is one of talent as well as destiny.
Today she has over 12,000 songs in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Bengali and Oriya to her credit. And now she has won one of India's highest civilian awards.
As a child, Chitra is remembered to have sat up in the cradle singing P. Susheela's "Priyathama, priyathama" incoherently. Her tryst with music started then.
Her late father, Krishnan Nair, a music teacher, was extremely delighted to see his daughter's interest in music at such a tender age. Chitra would listen to elder sister K.S. Beena learning 'kirtanas' (classical compositions) from her music teacher. In the process, she learnt a few herself.
She has always confessed that it was music, not studies, that attracted her even when she was in school. She would walk on the terrace with a book in hand, pretending to study, when all the while she was actually humming a song she had heard at the temple nearby.
Chitra's father decided to apply for a central government scholarship for those taking up classical music seriously. The condition was that the student should have undergone at least two years of classical music training. But it was only elder sister Beena who had learnt Carnatic music for over two years, Chitra was only a listener.
Nevertheless, her father wrote in the application that Chitra too had been learning. She was called for the interview and asked to sing a song. She sang one in the Thodi ragam, and won the scholarship for seven years.
From then on, she started learning Carnatic music seriously from Omanakutty, sister of the famed Malayalam music composer M.G. Radhakrishnan.
Her family had had no association with films, and not even in her wildest dreams did she think of entering the film world. Her fondness for film songs ended with sitting at the back of a hall, listening to programmes by the famous Yesudas and Sujatha.
Chitra believes it was her destiny to become a film singer.
The two studios -- Tharangini and Chitranajani -- that came up in Thiruvananthapuram showed her the first lights to stardom.
She was literally trembling with fear the day she was to sing a duet with Yesudas. Till then, she had only seen and admired him from far. And now she was standing next to him, in the same room, and singing a duet with him.
In 1982, when music director Ravindran Master asked her to go to Chennai to sing Malayalam songs, Chitra stepped out of Kerala for the first time.
Ilayaraja gave Chitra her big break into Tamil films through his film "Nee Thaanaa Antha Kuyil". But it was "Sindhu Bhairavi" that brought her acclaim in the Tamil industry.
Her entry into the world of Hindi film music was with the song "Saathiya, ye tune kya kiya" in the film "Love". Since then, she has sung for "Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya", "Aks", "Ashoka" and "Rangeela" among other films, bridging a prominent north-south divide.
Chitra has the distinction of being the first female singer in south Indian playback singing history to be honoured as the best singer in all the four south Indian language film industries.
She has won the national award for best playback singer five times.
Chitra has also won the Kerala state award for playback singing more than 12 times.
After a wait of over a decade, Chitra was blessed with a baby girl just a year ago. Her happiness has now perhaps become complete with the Padma Shri for singing.
Malayalam News
Mammootty to act for M.T script
Mohanlal's 'Udayananu Taram' going house full
Malayalam Superstars in new look
'Udaynanu...' tops, 'Vesham' retains position
'Penne...' tops Malayalam music charts
Chitra: bridging north-south film music divide
Superstar Suresh Gopi returns after three years
Mammootty bags film critics award
Anthikad urges former Malayalam heroines to return
Mohanlal as College Kumaran
'Udayananu Tharam' strikes same old chords
More Malayalam News
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Karunakaran meets PM on Kerala visit
Wednesday, February 16, 2005 | APA
Kochi, Feb 15 : Senior Congress leader, K Karunakaran today met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here.
A beaming Karunakaran, however, refused to share with the media about his discussions with Singh, who is on a two-day visit to the state.
'I held talks with the PM, but I will not share the same with you,' he told reporters.
Karunakaran had last week accused Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy of functioning unilaterally. PTI
Body exhumed at church to identify cadaver
Tuesday, February 15, 2005 | APA
Thiruvalla, Feb 15, 2005
Police Tuesday exhumed a body buried at a church graveyard last year after a complaint that a cadaver displayed at a medical college exhibition resembled it.
Police said the relatives of K.P. Kurian, 80, had claimed to have seen the cadaver at the Thiruvalla Pushpagiri medical college in January.
Kurian was buried at the Kaviyoor Sleeba church near here on June 21 last year. Top police officials, doctors and church authorities Tuesday watched as the grave was opened.
Kurian's widow Thankama who was shown the body, however, said it was too decomposed to be identified. Police have recorded her statement.
Officials said forensic experts have collected samples from the body and the results of a DNA test would be known in six months.
Till then, the suspense over Kurian's body remains.
The controversy had rocked the Kerala assembly earlier this month. Opposition leader V.S. Achuthanandan raised the issue and Chief Minister Oommen Chandy promised an inquiry.
Soon after, the issue was lapped up by the media and the police filed a complaint.
But the Thiruvalla Pushpagiri medical college authorities have said that they got the cadaver from an old age home and had followed all procedures.
[Indo-Asian News Service]
LIC to expand foreign operations
Tuesday, February 15, 2005 | APA
LIC to expand foreign operations
Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 15, 2005
After its stellar performance in the 2004-05 fiscal, the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) is all set to shore up foreign operations with new offices planned in the Middle East, East Africa and South Asia.
LIC's new managing director T.S. Vijayan said despite competition from 13 international firms in the country, the company still had a 90 percent market share in the number of policies sold.
"As on Jan 31 this year, we have recorded a 36 percent increase in premium growth over the same period last year. The premium collected touched Rs.63.5 billion ($1.4 billion) while the number of policies sold stood at 14.61 million that has an insured amount of Rs.1.12 trillion ($25.5 billion)," said Vijayan.
Regarding expansion of foreign operations, he said LIC would soon set up base in Saudi Arabia in partnership with a local firm, the al-Hokair Group.
"In Dubai, we will have our own branch office along the lines of the present operations that we have in Bahrain. In Saudi Arabia, the rules do not permit opening our own office; so we have to go in for a local partner," said Vijayan.
The company is also looking at expanding its East African operations.
"We are already operating in Kenya and we are going to shortly commence operations in Madagascar, Tanzania and a few other East African countries. This would be managed by our LIC Mauritius office," said Vijayan.
LIC is also planning to open offices in South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries that include Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal Pakistan, Sri Lanka, as and when the insurance operations are opened up there.
[IANS]
Kerala sees Rs.300 bn investments
Tuesday, February 15, 2005 | APA
Kerala is to get fresh investments worth Rs.300 billion ($6 billion) in the next one year, Chief Minister Oomen Chandy said Monday.
"This would include projects already announced and major projects from the centre. Kerala has got a major boost from the centre in investments," the chief minister told reporters after launching a "one-year action plan" for the state.
The centre-supported projects include the Vallarpadom Container Terminal and Stage II of the National Thermal Power Corp Ltd, both to be launched Wednesday by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The one-year plan - "Kerala Fast Forward" - will emphasise on poverty eradication, agriculture, tsunami relief and new schemes to improve education and healthcare.
A nano-technology centre with NRI funding is in the offing.
Reduction of liquor sales by cutting retail outlets and working days as well as controlling advertisements is also planned.
Chandy added: "We are working on schemes to lessen alcohol consumption in the state."
As part of Kerala's golden jubilee celebrations, a five-year programme will be launched Nov 1, the chief minister added.
[IANS]
Jaundice cases on the rise in Kerala
Tuesday, February 15, 2005 | APA
Taking a serious note of the alarming rise in jaundice cases in parts of Kerala, the Government has put hospitals and health centres on high alert to contain the spread of the disease.
As per official statistics, slightly over 1400 cases had been reported in the last few months and nine persons had died, mostly in Kottayam district.
Besides gearing up the hospitals and medical community belonging to the three main systems--allopathy, homoeopathy and ayurveda- an inter-departmental awareness campaign has also been launched as unclean drinking water is found to be the main source of the hepatitis viral infection.
The highest number of 1300 cases were reported from Kottayam followed by 300 in Thrissur, 74 in Alappuzha and 30 in Kasargode. The official casualty figures include six in Kottayam and one each in Alappuzha, Thrissur and Kasargode.
Besides ensuring sufficient supply of medicines to hospitals in the disease-prone areas, a campaign to administer preventive medicine had also been launched, a spokesman in the Health Minister's office told.
Over three-lakh people had been given homoeo preventive medicine in Kottayam followed by 15,415 in Thrissur and 6013 in Pathanamthitta.
[Agency]
800,000 women may attend Kerala temple festival
Tuesday, February 15, 2005 | APA
Come Feb 24 and all roads here would lead to the Attukal Bhagavathi temple, where around 800,000 women are expected to cook an offering of rice, jaggery and coconut at an annual festival, said temple officials Monday.
The preparation of this porridge - traditionally called pongala - is part of a 10-day temple festival beginning Wednesday.
The organisers said the pongala would be offered to temple goddess Attukal Bhagavathi, who is believed to be the incarnation of Kannaki from the Tamil epic Silappathikaram.
It is believed that after destroying Madurai in Tamil Nadu, Kannaki travelled to Kerala, where she rested for a while at Attukal. Women are said to have cooked the pongala to appease Kannaki.
"Last year 700,000 women arrived. And from the inquiries this time, the number of visitors may be 800,000," said R. Sukumaran Nair, secretary of the temple trust.
The organisers said that women of all religions as well as from other countries take part in the ceremony every year.
[IANS]
Voters lists with photos for Kerala polls
Tuesday, February 15, 2005 | APA
People voting in the Kerala assembly elections in April next year will have their photographs on voters lists, the Election Commission says.
The move, which will be replicated nationally, is seen as a further step to ensure free, fair and impartial elections in India.
"We have completed a new step in all 140 assembly constituencies of Kerala, of having voters' photographs on the voters list. The photo of the voter would be displayed along with the name in the voters list," Deputy Election Commissioner A.N. Jha told BBC Hindi.
"We also want it to expand to other states after Kerala," Jha added.
"India's 52-year-old electoral system is widely appreciated across the world. To bring about further improvements in this, two things are important which require immediate attention: the voters' list and the photo identity card programme.
"There is a need to strengthen both. The root cause of all the trouble in the electoral process stems from the above mentioned two factors, therefore the (Election Commission) is tackling the ills," Jha said.
Asked why the commission had been unable to ban the entry of criminals in the electoral fray in states like Bihar and Jharkhand, Jha replied: "The commission has sent a proposal to the centre in which we have said that persons against whom any serious charges of criminal nature are pending and against whom the court has taken cognisance, such persons should not be allowed to take part in elections."
[IANS]
B Ed case: charge sheet against League leaders
Tuesday, February 15, 2005 | APA
The Kozhikode Vigilance Court and special judge M R Gopalakrishnan Nair today decided to frame charge sheet against three Indian Union Muslim League leaders accused in the case.
The court had made no mention of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, a witness in the case.
The case against three leaders from Wayanad was based on a complaint that they had allegedly demanded Rs 2.5 lakhs for sanctioning a B.Ed. college in Wayanad.
Kapila Vatsayan to converge in Kerala
Tuesday, February 15, 2005 | APA
Preparations for Prithvi 2005, the first ever ecofriendly summit in India are are on full scale with one week left for the event.
Kapila Vatsayan, Chairperson, Asia Project, India International Centre, New Delhi to environment friendly auto manufacturers will converge in Kerala for this country's largest summit on eco-friendly products, technologies and initiatives.
The Meet, to be held in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala from 19-28 February 2005, is gaining global attention by the sheer presence of dignitaries and exhibits from across the world.
M.C.Mehta, the country's best known advocate of environmental issues in the country will be attending the summit. Winner of many international laurels, Mehta was acclaimed for his efforts for environmental conservation and maintenance, by none other than Bill Clinton. He became famous after the Taj issue in which the State government's move to allow night watch in Taj was disallowed by the Supreme Court of India.
Prithvi 2005 is an initiative of Swadeshi Science Movement, an NGO. State governments of Kerala and Madhya Pradesh, Oil & Natural Gas Commission (ONGC) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) are the major partners of the summit, which brings together the entire green lobby from India and aboard in a single platform.
Oommen Chandy, Chief Minister of Kerala is the chief patron of the summit and Priyaranjan Dasmunsi, Union Minister for Water Resources is the patron alongwith Prof.J.Chandra, Mayor, Corporation of Thiruvananthapuram.
The organizing committee is gung ho about the whole affair after having received the confirmations from internationally renowned scientists from research institutes of repute, manufacturer, corporate heads, etc. from around the globe."Prithvi 2005 by all means is equal to or more than what we witnessed at the Rio Summit and like the Stockholm initiative to be held by this year end. There is no parallel to this, in terms of participation from small scale producers to international corporates", says Prof. M.G.K. Menon, Former Minister for Science and Technology, Govt. of India, New Delhi and the Chairman of the organizing committee, Prthvi 2005.
Relevance of bio diesel and Jatropha as a potential bio fuel for future will be discussed in the summit. Manju Sharma, Former Secretary of Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India will be the keynote speaker in the session.
Literally every player in the eco friendly transportation is involved with Prithvi. K.L. Thapar, Chairman, Asia Institute of Transport Development, New Delhi, B.P.Chandrasekharan, National Rural Road Development Agency, New Delhi, Commr.R.M.Nair, Inland Waterways Authority of India, Uttar Pradesh etc. will share their experiences in the ecofriendly transportation sector, during the event. Experiments in transportation and usage of ecofriendly fuels in Pakistan are also yet another attraction of the summit. Delegates from countries like Nepal, Senegal, Iran, Ghana, etc. will also participate in the event.
Display of tribal agricultural produce by adivasis from the interiors of Arunachal Pradesh will be another highlight. More than 500 stalls earmarked for exhibition of various ecofriendly products have been sold out. Book exhibition by active publishing houses of environment related theses will add academic flavor to the Summit.
With the country's major scientific organizations including Council for Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), Govt. of India, Coconut Development Board, Oil & Natural Gas Commission (ONGC), Kerala Science Council for Science, Technology & Environment (KSCSTE), Tata BP Solar and other major organisaitons like Khadi & Village Industries Commission , Konkan Railways and the like exhibiting the latest advancements in the respective areas, the Prithvi 2005 is all set to become a remarkable event in the scientific history of India.
Manmohan Singh on two-day visit to Kerala
Tuesday, February 15, 2005 | APA
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrived here Tuesday on a two-day visit to Kerala during which he will perform the groundbreaking ceremony for a container terminal and inaugurate a power plant.
The Prime Minister, accompanied by his wife, arrived by an Indian Air Force aircraft that landed at the Kochi naval base at 3 p.m.
Kerala Governor R.L. Bhatia, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and his cabinet ministers and former chief minister A.K. Antony, received him.
From the airport, Singh was driven to the picturesque Taj Malabar Hotel on Willingdon Island.
Later Tuesday, Singh dedicated the nation the Navajyothisree Karunakara Guru research Centre for Ayurveda and Siddha, set up in the ancestral home of former President K.R. Narayanan at Uzhavoor in Kottayam.
After that, he will attend a meeting of the Kerala cabinet, the second time a Prime Minister will be doing so.
In the early 1990s, then Prime Minister P.V. Narashima Rao took part in a cabinet meeting when K. Karunakaran was Chief Minister.
After the cabinet meeting, Singh would meet MPs from the state and also select office bearers of the state Congress.
On Wednesday morning, he is scheduled to lay the foundation stone of the long-delayed Vallarpadom Container Terminal.
He will also inaugurate the second stage of the National Thermal Power Corporation unit at Kayamkulam before departing for New Delhi.
[Indo-Asian News Service]
Kerala teachers call off boycott of Class 10 practicals
Friday, February 11, 2005 | Editor
Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 11 : The practicals for information technology (IT) in Kerala's Class 10 examination will begin next week after teachers Thursday called off their agitation.
Education Minister E.T. Mohammed Basheer said Friday that the Kerala State Teachers Association (KSTA) had agreed to use of the Soft Exam software developed by a Kochi company for the exams.
The KSTA, which is backed by the opposition Communist Party of India-Marxist, had opposed the software, saying the Kochi company was a front for IT major Microsoft.
The practical exam carrying five marks was scheduled for Feb 9 but had to be postponed.
"The talks were successful and the IT practical examination would now be held Feb 17 to 28 using the Soft Exam software," Basheer told reporters Friday.
The minister, who met the KSTA leaders Thursday, said: "It has been decided that this software would be used only this year. Next year a state government agency would develop another software."
Basheer said the use of free and open software would also be explored.
The Kochi company had been paid Rs.1.1 million for the Soft Exam software.
--Indo-Asian News Service
Heroin worth Rs 2.50 crore seized, two arrested:
Friday, February 11, 2005 | Editor
Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 10 : Police have arrested two persons and recovered narcotics worth Rs 2.50 crore from their possession at the Thambanoor Bus station here today.
Ibrahim (50) and Moyudeen (38), hailing from Tamil Nadu, were arrested and remanded to judicial custody by a court, Narcotic Control Bureau officials said.
The heroin was concealed in a secret chamber inside a briefcase, officials said.
The drug procured from North India was meant for sale in Sri Lanka, they said. PTI
CM is in neck deep trouble
Friday, February 11, 2005 | Editor
Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 11 : Chief Minister Oommen Chandy is finally finding out that ruling Kerala is no easy job, more so when you head a faction-ridden party.
When he assumed office in August last year, it seemed to be a glorious beginning.
Although he replaced A.K. Antony, who is reputed to be among the cleanest politicians in the country, Chandy's mass contact programmes were a huge success and he vowed to take the government closer to the people.
But with two scandals erupting and two ministers resigning, things are not looking rosy any more.
His decision not to include veteran politicians T.M. Jacob and R. Balakrishna Pillai in the cabinet earned him their wrath. They have been hitting out at him at every opportunity.
And after lying low for a while, former chief minister K. Karunakaran has ignited inner party trouble again, going to the extent of threatening to topple the Chandy administration.
The first major trouble to hit the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) was the 'sex scandal' linked to Industries Minister P.K. Kunhalikutty of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).
For nearly two months the issue rocked the state. Once tsunami waves lashed the state and grabbed headlines, Kunhalikutty quietly put in his papers.
If Chandy thought the worst was over, he was wrong. The Kerala High Court made remarks linking Forest Minister K.P. Viswanathan with the sandalwood mafia.
The miffed Viswanathan immediately announced his resignation, that too in the assembly. This was on Wednesday.
Chandy has admitted that the resignations of two ministers in just six months do affect him.
The chief minister was also forced to retrace some decisions he announced in a seeming hurry.
The first was a new liquor policy. Within days of its announcement, it triggered a huge public outcry. So he revoked the decision.
Chandy then came with a ban on lotteries. This too was revoked Wednesday.
"I am driven by my conscience, and my style of functioning is to act fast without delay. In the process I may make mistakes. Since I do not have any false prestige, I correct myself," he said here.
About Karunakaran, he said: " I am not one who is going to be cowed down by threats."
Chandy needs to tread carefully because the local bodies poll is scheduled in September.
And it may not be easy. In local bodies polls the opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) has always emerged the winner. Even now LDF runs more than 60 percent of local bodies.
The more important task on hand is how to tackle Karunakaran, who blows hot and cold all the time.
--Indo-Asian News Service
Kerala requires 9,491 MW power during 2016-17
Friday, February 11, 2005 | Editor
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Electricity Minister Aryadan Mohammed told the State Assembly that Kerala would be requiring 9,491 MW power by 2016-17 as per the projection of the Central Electricity Authority and the State Electricity Board had taken up several projects to meet the requirements.
Replying to questions by P.J. Joy(Cong) and others, he said the Board was providing more importance to hydel projects and 18 projects, with a total installed capacity of 440.35 MW, had to be completed during the Tenth Plan period.
The Board would take up implementation of another 20 hydel projects with a total installed capacity of 549.80 MW during the Eleventh Plan. Besides, increased allotment of power was expected from the Kayamkulam Thermal project of the National Thermal Power Corporation when its installed capacity was raised to 1,950 MW.
Answering supplementaries, Mohammed said nuclear power projects could not be set up in the state because of the density of population. But the state was eligible to get power from the Koodamkulam nuclear plant being set up in neighbouring Tamil Nadu.
As per the Gadgil formula, the State was eligible to get power equivalent to 14 per cent of the installed capacity of the plant. He said the government would go ahead with the Kannur power project designed to generate 513 MW of power. The project was inevitable to meet the voltage drop in the northern districts.
Mohammed said the liability of the Electricity Board had come down to Rs 4,500 crore from Rs 5,000 crore in 2003-04.
No plan to set up power plant in Kerala
Friday, February 11, 2005 | Editor
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala has no plan to set up nuclear power plant considering the state's high density of population but expected 14 per cent of electricity from the Koodamkulam nuclear station in Tamil Nadu as the state's share, Electricity Minister Aradan Muhammad informed the assembly on Thursday.
The state would, instead, seek the possibility of tapping the hydel sources maximum without causing stress to the environment, Muhammad said in reply to questions.
He said the financial position of the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) had steadily been improving with the revenue deficit coming down over the last four years. If the present trend continued, the Board would begin making profit in two years.
It may not be smooth sailing for Federal Bank
Sunday, February 6, 2005 | Editor
KOCHI: Though Federal Bank has a new board at the helm following the Company Law Board's (CLB) verdict on Saturday, the indications are that it may not be smooth sailing for the bank in the immediate future.
For one, the legal fight may not be over yet. For another, the new board with majority of directors reportedly having a leaning towards ICICI Bank will have to deal with a host of not so pleasant issues.
K.P.Fabian, former IFS officer and son-in-law of Federal Bank founder K.P.Hormis, whose election to Federal Bank board has been rendered invalid by the CLB verdict, told this website’s newspaper from Delhi that he would decide on the future course of action after reading the order and gauging the response of share holders.
But he said nowhere in the Articles of Association of Federal Bank does it say that a candidate contesting for the board should not hold the post of director in another bank.
Also the Banking Regulation Act is clear that a person should not hold the post of directors of two banks. So only after getting elected, the person can choose any of the posts, he said.
Apart from P.H.Ravikumar and A.M.Salim who stand elected after CLB verdict, former Rubber Board chairman P.C.Cyriac was the person to be elected with majority votes at the last AGM in September. After that the Kerala High Court had allowed then elected board to meet once without allowing it to take any policy decisions.
They join the board comprising directors C.K.George, M.J.Subbaiah, T.N.Jayachandran and S.Santhanakrishnan. The present Bank of India CMD M.Venugopalan is tipped to join as the full-time chairman of Federal Bank after April to fill the vacancy left by K.P.Padmakumar, who retired on December 31.
However, newly-appointed Federal Bank executive director K.S Harshan sounded optimistic that the bank would be able to meet with a full board and get its support for expediting the growth of the bank.
According to him, the bank may have to look at CBS in future. “The question is when and at what investment. We will never let it affect our loyal customers. The bank will try to absorb the additional cost if any as result of CBS. He said the inorganic growth is definitely in the agenda provided the bank gets the ‘right fit’. (Agencies)
Self-generating projects, key to better road connectivity
Sunday, February 6, 2005 | Editor
Kerala, Self-generating projects, key to better road connectivity
2 Hour,4 minutes Ago
[Kerala News]: THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: When the state is reeling under a Himalayan debt, multi-crore road projects are not viable. Time has therefore come for making road-development projects self generating.
The setting up of the Road Fund Board (RFB) in 2001 was an acknowledgement of the need for mobilising greater non-budgetary resources. Generating more user charges by way of tolls and encouraging private participation is part of its mandate.
But in the eagerness to attract private money, certain factors that might lead to cost escalation seem to have been ignored by the RFB. Take for instance the 230-crore City Road Improvement Project (CRIP) currently on in the capital under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) mode. Under this system, payment begins only after the project is complete and it will be made on an annual basis for a period of 15 years.
‘‘The problem is, BOT players have a tendency to extract more concessions by projecting various risks during the implementation process. If the government do not audit their accounts, project costs will be inflated,’’ says John Mathai, former chartered accountant of a leading construction company.
Further, these private parties take loans at high rates of interest and pass it on to the client. ‘‘This can be taken care of to an extent if the payment begins during the implementation stage,’’ Mathai points out. The current practice of freezing payments till the project is over has been inflating project costs.
Experts point out wastage even in the 168,0-crore World Bank-aided Kerala State Road Transport Project. The per-square-km cost of upgrading 600 km of state highways works out to 2.25 crore.
The Pattom-Kesavadasapuram national highway stretch in the capital was four-laned for just Rs 1.5 crore per-square-km, according to economists who were part of the project.
Lack of priority is another weak area. ‘‘When the damage capability of over 90 percent of the vehicles running on our roads is zero, there is no need to develop the entire width of the road, including parking space, to cater to certain stringent standards under the KSTP project,’’ says transport economist Kurien Jacob.
The Road Fund Board is also well within its rights to introduce a fuel cess ranging from 50 ps to 75 ps per litre. This is estimated to yield a revenue of Rs 200 crore per annum.
Land bank is another ambitious idea. ‘‘The bank should take advance possession of land along the roads, develop commercial centres and generate adequate money for further development,’’ says G.Ravikumar, chief transport economist at NATPAC. If a land bank is to be realised, construction of multi-storeyed buildings abutting main roads should be stopped, he adds. As reported by The New Indian Express
Govt encouraging private sector in highway development:Baalu:
Sunday, February 6, 2005 | Editor
Govt encouraging private sector in highway development:Baalu:
[India News]: New Delhi, Feb 4 : The government today said it was looking at encouraging private sector participation in highway development and maintenance.
Addressing the third Meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee, Minister of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways T R Baalu said the government had taken measures to facilitate participation of the private sector under Build Operate and Transfer (BOT), Build Operate and Annuity and Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) schemes.
So far, a total of 32 projects (22 by the Ministry and 10 by NHAI), estimated to cost about Rs 4,694.31 crore have been taken up under BOT-toll basis, covering a length of 765.36 kms, he said. Of this, 22 projects have been completed while and ten were under progress.
The Minister said under the Annuity project, where the private party met the entire upfront cost and maintenance expenditure while recovering its investment and a pre-determined return out of the annuities payable by the client, it has awarded eight projects covering an aggregate length of 476 kms at an estimated cost of Rs 2,353.70 crore.
Of this, two projects of about 94 kms have been completed at a cost of about Rs.475 crore , the Minister said. PTI
Kerala, More than Seed Bill, shortage of seeds worry Kuttanad farmers
Sunday, February 6, 2005 | Editor
ALAPPUZHA: Whatever may be the fate of the hotly debated Seed Bill 2004, shortage of seeds is a perennial problem the paddy farmers in Kuttanad face.
This is in addition to a host of problems they encounter like profiteering agri-chemical giants, money lenders, natural calamities, pests, high human intervention in the ecologically sensitive area and cartel of Kaladiy rice mills, which purchase the major chunk of the paddy produced in the region.
Though Kuttanad produces 16.6 lakh tonnes of paddy in a puncha season, seeds are not available locally. The 35,000 tonnes of seeds needed during the season is bought from the National Seed Corporation (NSC) and from Karnataka and Palakkad at Rs 16-18 a kg.
In other words, Kuttanad farmers spend Rs 70 crore in each puncha season for seeds alone. A part of the money is later subsidised. But there is no assurance on the quality of the seeds thus purchased, even those supplied by the NSC.
Rofin, a leading farmer and an NSC agent in Kuttanad, has had several bitter experiences from the Central Government agency. ‘‘There was a mixture of different varieties of paddy in this year’s supply and that badly hit the crop. A good portion of the seeds the NSC supplied in the last few years did not germinate. I can move the consumer court against the NSC. But the case will go up to the apex court, which would mean the final verdict would take years.’’
It is in this context that the Kuttanad farmers view the controversial Seed Bill. Farmers here believe that it is yet another WTO trap. If the bill becomes a law, the Indian farmer will lose his farmland to ‘‘American companies’’, is the general refrain.
Farmers are of the impression that the Union Government has been forced to initiate steps to make a law to control the farm sector as the country is a signatory to the WTO agreement. And that it is not an earnest effort on the government’s part to boost the agricultural sector as is being claimed by the protagonists of the bill.
If the interest is genuine, debates should have been held at various levels of the polity before drafting the bill, they argue. Though the area reverberates with farmers’ protest against the bill, even the educated among them are in the dark about the content of the bill.
‘‘I understand that even after the enactment of the law, farmers are free to exchange the native seeds. But if the seeds have to be branded, they should be subjected to quality test. If they fail the test, what will be done with them? I suspect that the move is to systematically eliminate native seeds from the scene.’’
Purushothamadas, a farmer and a former CPM leader, said that much before the bill was presented in Parliament, some leading Kuttanad farmers had been approached by an agent of a foreign firm engaged in farming, seeking land for cultivation.
Rema Bai, head of the Rice Research Station, said the shortage of seeds was acute in Kuttanad. Steps should be taken to ease the situation. But both the Station and the Agricultural University, to which she belongs, were not aware of the content of the bill. As reported by The New Indian Express
Kerala minister files complaint against police official
Sunday, February 6, 2005 | Editor
Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 5 : State Tourism Minister K.C. Venugopal Saturday filed a complaint at the Alappuzha First Class Magistrate Court against Rajesh Diwan, an inspector general of police, for assault in 1997.
Venugopal told IANS: "I was an opposition legislator and he was the Alappuzha district police superintendent when he physically assaulted me. A crime branch police inquiry found nothing so I decided to file a private complaint."
However, Diwan said: "I am hearing about these developments only now. I will react when I get the court papers."
Indo-Asian News Service
Chartered flight from Russia arrives
Friday, February 4, 2005 | Editor
They were anxious when they started their journey. But when they reached their dream destination they found it safe from the Tsunami onslaught on the Asian coast. The 120 odd Russian tourists who arrived at the Thiruvananthapuram International airport were received by the Kerala Tourism officials and tour operators.
The traditional Kerala style welcome caught the fancy of tourists. Some couldn't resist dancing along the tempo of the Panchavadyam, the traditional percussion ensemble. Special arrangements were made in the airport to make the official procedures speedy. As part of this eight special desks were set up in the immigration wing.
'Keep Kovalam Clean' big hit
Friday, February 4, 2005 | Editor
The 'Keep Kovalam clean' a massive programme, launched by the Kerala Tourism in association with various agencies turned out to be a big success with the volunteers collecting 5.5 tonnes of garbage in one day. Mr. K. C. Venugopal, the Minister for Tourism, pitched in the programme. Clad in T-shirts and caps, which bore the slogan 'Less waste, More Future', the volunteers offered a commendable job. The campaign aims at the timely removal of garbage and safe disposal of garbage from the destination and nearby places.
The campaign is not just for a day but would be a continuous one, according to the Minister. He requested the participation of the public and non-governmental organizations in such future programmes. A notable feature of the programme was the mass participation it received with a turn out of around 475 volunteers. The members of tourism clubs functioning in different schools in the State, and students from the Institute of Hotel management and Catering Technology also took part in the programme.
A team of Kerala Tourism officials including the Principal Secretary, Tourism, Mr. E. K. Bharat Bhushan, Director, Kerala Tourism, Mr. B. Suman, Additional Director, Tourism, Mr. Ashok Kumar Singh and the Managing Director of Kerala Tourism Development Corporation Mr. M. N. Gunavardhanan participated in the campaign.
The area of work was divided into ten portions and 30 volunteers led by a trained person carried out the work in each portion. The Coast Guard personnel undertook the cleaning works of the Samudra, Light House, Grove and Eve's beaches. An awareness programme on safe disposal of garbage was conducted by sixty women volunteers of the Zero Waste project. Stickers and paper bags sporting messages 'No burning, no dumping and no garbage' and ' No plastic bags, ask for a paper bag' were distributed.
The campaign was organized by Kerala Tourism in association with the City Corporation, the Venganoor and Vizhinjam Grama Panchayats, the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation, the Indian Coast Guard, the District Tourism Promotion Council the Kerala Hotel and Restaurants Association and Thanal.
Classification of Restaurants by Kerala Tourism
Friday, February 4, 2005 | Editor
As part of its continued efforts to ensure quality and hygienic services at par with international standards, the Kerala Tourism has issued guidelines for classifying restaurants in the State and to provide them 'Star' status. Earlier, the Government had requested the Kerala Tourism Department to regulate the functioning of restaurants in the State. This comes in the wake of withdrawal of the scheme for Approval of Restaurants by the Central Department of Tourism with effect from July 2003. To evaluate the facilities and services provided by restaurants in the State a Restaurant Classification Committee of Kerala has been formed with the Secretary and Director of Tourism as its Chairman and Convener respectively. Other members of the committee are the principal of the Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology (IHMCT), Kovalam, representatives of FHRAI, HAI, IATO and TAAI. The classification granted to restaurants in the new scheme would be valid only for three years from the date of issue of orders. However, the classification is not mandatory to operate a restaurant in the State. New restaurants should apply for classification within three months from the completion of the project. Restaurants interested in re- classification should apply one year prior to the expiry of the current period of classification.
A traditional welcome to British tourists
Friday, February 4, 2005 | Editor
It was altogether a new experience for them. Women dressed in traditional Kerala attire received them with Thalappoli (the traditional Kerala style welcome in which women dressed in traditional attire holds lighted lamps in their hands). And the hosts welcomed them by putting sandal paste on their forehead. The traditional percussion ensemble, Panchavadyam added that extra musical element to the occasion. Thus the welcome ceremony itself was an opportunity to feel the Kerala experience for the 34 odd British tourists who disembarked from 'Island Sky', the luxury cruise liner. The tourists were received at the Vizhinjam harbour by a team of Kerala Tourism officials led by the Additional Director of Tourism, Mr. Ashok Kumar Singh, Planning Officer, Mr. U. V. Jose and the Tourist Information Officer Mr. Suresh Kumar. The tourists visited various destinations like Napier Museum, Art gallery and the Padmanabhaswamy Temple. Later in the evening the vessel proceeded to Goa.
New projects announced in Tourism industry stakeholders' meet
Friday, February 4, 2005 | Editor
arious developmental activities, which would boost the industry, were announced in the Tourism Stakeholders' meet held at the Kovalam Guest House. The meeting discussed various development programmes in the industry. The Minister for Tourism Mr. K. C. Venugopal announced a drinking water scheme for the Kovalam- Chowara tourism corridor. He also said that the famed Samudra beach near the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation's resort would be beautified and developed. The beautification works would be carried out on the model of the renovation of Gandhi Park. Parking facilities will be increased and the total cost estimated is Rs. 6.6 million. A walkway connecting Samudra beach to the Grove Beach would also be considered.
More Tourism Police would be deployed in the beach resort, said Mr. K. C. Venugopal. Kiosks, public comfort stations and parking facilities would be constructed in the 30 cents land owned by the Vizhinjam Grama Panchayat near Rajiv Gandhi Convention Centre, the Minister said. The local Panchayat could submit an alternative proposal to the current Zero Waste Project if they have any, he added.
The drinking water scheme is included in the Capital City Development Programme and would be implemented in the Kovalam- Chowara tourism corridor. The Rs. 220 million project would be implemented in two phases. In the first phase, treated water from the Vellayani Lake would be supplied to the beach resort and nearby places. The first phase would cost Rs. 120 million. In the second phase various other stretches including the Vizhinjam fishing hamlet would be included, said the minister.
The President of the local Panchayat, Panchayat members, and representatives of the Hotel and Restaurants Association also participated in the meeting. The Kerala Tourism team included the Principal Secretary of Tourism, Mr. E. K. Bharat Bhushan, Director of Tourism, Mr. B. Suman and Planning Officer, Mr. U. V. Jose.
A Royal Welcome for Island Sky's travelers
Friday, February 4, 2005 | Editor
When they disembarked at the Vizhinjam coast, the travelers of M. S. Island Sky had a surprise in wait for them. They were received in a traditional welcome ceremony led by none other than the State Minister for Tourism. The 41 tourists from the United Kingdom had earlier visited Kannur and Kochi. The State Tourism Minister, Mr. K. C. Venugopal presented a bouquet to the cruise director, Ms. Palm Kemp. A team of officials including Tourism Principal Secretary, Mr. E. K. Bharat Bhushan, Director of Kerala Tourism, Mr. B. Suman, Additional Director of Tourism, Mr. Ashok Kumar Singh, and Managing Director of Kerala Tourism Development Corporation Mr. M. N. Gunavardhanan, accompanied the Minister.
Enjoying the warmth of hospitality, the tourists invited their hosts to visit the cruise liner. The minister and the officials had a rapport with the travelers and crewmembers on board. Talking to the Minister, Captain Bangt Wiman termed Vizhinjam as a nice little port with a good weather condition. "We can offer you everything except a view of the Taj", Mr. Bharat Bhushan described the uniqueness of Kerala to Ms. Palm Kemp. The Kerala Tourism team visited different sections in the cruise liner and Captain Wiman introduced his guests to the basics of navigation.
Later the tourists visited the Kuthiramalika Palace Museum, Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Sree Chithra Art gallery and Napier Museum. The vessel proceeded to Chennai in the evening.
Nelliyampathy and Parambikkulam to get facelift: Minister for Tourism
Friday, February 4, 2005 | Editor
Two destinations in the State, Nelliyampathy and Parambikkulam would get a facelift under a 'destination improvement scheme', assisted by the Union Government, according to Mr. K. C. Venugopal, Minister for Tourism. The Minister disclosed this to media persons after a review meeting with officials of various departments at the Agriculture Department Guest House in Nelliyampathy. Developing infrastructure for the promotion of eco- tourism, farm tourism and plantation tourism in the destinations forms part of the programme. He also said that one or two prime destinations from each district would be selected for similar development programmes.
The Tourism Department has proposed to build a tourist amenity centre, 'Yatri Nivas' in the orange plantations of Nelliyampathy. The Centre has allotted Rs. 4.5 million for the purpose. The roads leading to Nelliyampathy would be developed with the assistance of NABARD at a cost of Rs.250 million. Works of the Nenmara-Pothundy road had been completed and works of Nenmara-Kaikatty stretch would begin in March, the Minister informed. Trekking facilities would be provided in Thadikkad and Seethargundu, Maampara and Meenampara would be developed. Mr. K. A. Chandran M.L.A., Mr. E. K. Bharat Bhushan, Principal Secretary, Tourism, Mr. K. Ajay Kumar, Palakkad District Collector, Mr. Ashok Kumar Sinha, Additional Director, Tourism and Mr. K. G. Mohanlal, Director, Thenmala Eco- Tourism attended the meeting.
"The awards are a tribute to Kerala Tourism's stress on sustainable development of tourism and its focused promotional strategies. This will definitely be a big boost for the State to strive harder," said Mr. E. K. Bharat Bhushan, Principal Secretary, Kerala Tourism. Tourism is increasingly becoming the mainstay industry of Kerala, offering several job opportunities to Keralites, besides bringing in big investments, contributing much to the State's annual revenue and attracting valuable foreign exchange earnings. The State is one of the few that is constantly exploring avenues for further tourism growth. Besides several new products like MICE, monsoon and pilgrim tourism, the State has launched several events like the India International Boat Show to promote the State in the Indian and international markets. "The awards further reinforce Kerala's position as India's superbrand and No.1 tourist destination," said Mr. B. Suman, Director, Kerala Tourism.
Mr. B. Suman is the new Director of Kerala Tourism
Friday, February 4, 2005 | Editor
Mr. B. Suman IAS has taken over as the new Director for Kerala Tourism. He belongs to the 1996 batch of IAS. He has studied at the Madras Christian College, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi and has been a British Chevening Gurukula Scholar at the London School of Economics. Amongst the post held by Mr. Suman are Sub Collector, Devikulam, in Idukki District, Director of Civil Supplies and Joint Secretary to the Chief Secretary in the Government of Kerala. He has also served in the Government of India as Private Secretary to the Ministers of State for External Affairs and Defence.
Kerala style eco-tourism need of hour: Justice K. G. Balakrishnan
Friday, February 4, 2005 | Editor
The achievements of Kerala in the tourism sector are commendable and now the need of the hour is Kerala style eco- tourism development, opined Justice K. G. Balakrishnan, Supreme Court Judge. Kerala has immense eco- tourism potential and it should be promoted keeping in mind the rich culture and tradition of the State. He was addressing the gathering after inaugurating the "International Conference on Tourism" organized by the Department of Commerce, University of Kerala. In fragile areas and highly populated places special care must be taken while implementing development programmes. Kuttanad and Vembanad are two such fragile areas and while developing such places the Jamaican experience should be kept in mind where the heavy flow of tourists had caused damage to the flora, fauna and biodiversity. He emphasized on local participation in healthy tourism development and pointed out that benefits for the locals should be ensured. The participation of environmentalists and other experts is also important, Justice Balakrishnan added.
'Hebridean Spirit' drops anchor again on the Kerala coast
Friday, February 4, 2005 | Editor
For a third time, the luxury cruise liner, Hebridean Spirit anchored at the Vizhinjam Harbour. The majestic vessel had 22 tourists on board from the United Kingdom who had sailed the long route to explore the verdant beauty of Kerala. The travelers spend 2 days in the State and their programme chart included various destinations including Padmanabhapuram Palace, forests of Neyyar and of course the world-renowned beaches of Kovalam. Hebridean Spirit one among the best luxurious cruise liner in the world has facilities including a spacious Sky lounge, Panorama Lounge adjoined by a library, wood paneled Argyll restaurant and a Spa making it a traveller's delight. Hebridian Spirit's visit reaffirmed the tourists' faith in Kerala as a safe destination after the Tsunami onslaught in Asia. Later the vessel proceeded to Seychelles.
National tourism Awards: Kerala takes most of the honours
Friday, February 4, 2005 | Editor
Battling it out with major tourism destinations of the country, Kerala made a clean sweep of seven national awards for tourism, once again proving its mettle.
The State clinched six awards of excellence for outstanding performances in various tourism segments, including the Best Marketed and Promoted State. While East Fort Heritage Area was adjudged the Best Maintained Tourist-friendly Monument, 'A Day with the Masters', a package tour of the Kerala Kalamandalam, the seat of Kerala's art and culture, won the Most innovative Tourism Project award.
Kerala Tourism's theme brochure 'Life in a new light' won the award for the Best Tourism Promotion Collateral Publicity Material and Panchakarma, a book on Ayurveda picked up the award for Excellence in Publishing in English. Symphony Celestial, a DVD package on Indian classical art forms, won the Best Audio-Visual Presentation Award. Apart from the excellence awards, Kerala also bagged the national award for the Best Four-Star Hotel, which went to the Taj Garden Retreat, Varkala. Mr. E. K. Bharat Bhushan, Principal Secretary, Kerala Tourism and Mr. B. Suman, Director of Kerala Tourism received the awards from Ms. Renuka Chowdhury, Hon'ble Union Minister of State for Tourism at a function held on the 25th of January at the Ashok Hotel, New Delhi.
"This outstanding achievement would not have been possible but for the trade, who in addition to creating innovative products and services, worked closely with the Government in marketing and promoting the destination," said Mr. K. C. Venugopal, Hon'ble Minister for Tourism, Government of Kerala. Kerala is today one of the most acclaimed tourist destinations of the world. Bestowed with the coveted Superbrand status by the globally renowned Superbrands Ltd., it has won several national and international awards including the prestigious Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Gold Awards – 2004 for Culture and Ecotourism.
"The awards are a tribute to Kerala Tourism's stress on sustainable development of tourism and its focused promotional strategies. This will definitely be a big boost for the State to strive harder," said Mr. E. K. Bharat Bhushan, Principal Secretary, Kerala Tourism. Tourism is increasingly becoming the mainstay industry of Kerala, offering several job opportunities to Keralites, besides bringing in big investments, contributing much to the State's annual revenue and attracting valuable foreign exchange earnings. The State is one of the few that is constantly exploring avenues for further tourism growth. Besides several new products like MICE, monsoon and pilgrim tourism, the State has launched several events like the India International Boat Show to promote the State in the Indian and international markets. "The awards further reinforce Kerala's position as India's superbrand and No.1 tourist destination," said Mr. B. Suman, Director, Kerala Tourism.
Superstar Suresh Gopi returns after three years
Wednesday, February 2, 2005 | Editor
Malayalam superstar Suresh Gopi who for "personal reasons" had taken almost a three-year break from the tinsel world is getting ready for what fans believe is a real comeback.
But the actor told IANS: "Hey, it is not a comeback because I'd never gone away. I remained aloof because of reasons that I'd like to keep to myself."
His optimism stems from the fact that he will play police officers in two highly topical films that have a bearing on recent political developments in the state, especially those linking politicians with sex scandals.
The two films are "Bharat Chandran IPS" directed by ace script writer Renji Panicker and "Shoot" directed by veteran Shaji Kailas.
After the success of all-time hits like "Commissioner", "Ekalavyan" and "Lelam", Suresh Gopi was labelled the angry young man of Malayalam films, a tag he wore for nearly a decade, beginning in the late 1980s. But after a series of flops, he decided to take a break.
"I have no expectations, no promises and no dreams, but the time has come and it has to happen and it is happening now", said a deeply optimistic Suresh Gopi.
"Filming of 'Bharat Chandran IPS' will begin Feb 10. Once that's done the next one will begin," said the star.
In a career spanning 19 years, Gopi, 46, has acted in more than 200 films.
When asked if it's now or never, the actor laughed: "If I was desperate I could have signed any number of films. But I didn't do it.
"This is certainly not going to be my last but indeed my most precious effort. I am a deeply religious person."
--Indo-Asian News Service
Chitra: bridging north-south film music divide
Wednesday, February 2, 2005 | Editor
From a child who got a music scholarship she wasn't formally qualified for, to being a Padma Shri winner, southern Indian playback singer K.S. Chitra's story is one of talent as well as destiny.
Today she has over 12,000 songs in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Bengali and Oriya to her credit. And now she has won one of India's highest civilian awards.
As a child, Chitra is remembered to have sat up in the cradle singing P. Susheela's "Priyathama, priyathama" incoherently. Her tryst with music started then.
Her late father, Krishnan Nair, a music teacher, was extremely delighted to see his daughter's interest in music at such a tender age. Chitra would listen to elder sister K.S. Beena learning 'kirtanas' (classical compositions) from her music teacher. In the process, she learnt a few herself.
She has always confessed that it was music, not studies, that attracted her even when she was in school. She would walk on the terrace with a book in hand, pretending to study, when all the while she was actually humming a song she had heard at the temple nearby.
Chitra's father decided to apply for a central government scholarship for those taking up classical music seriously. The condition was that the student should have undergone at least two years of classical music training. But it was only elder sister Beena who had learnt Carnatic music for over two years, Chitra was only a listener.
Nevertheless, her father wrote in the application that Chitra too had been learning. She was called for the interview and asked to sing a song. She sang one in the Thodi ragam, and won the scholarship for seven years.
From then on, she started learning Carnatic music seriously from Omanakutty, sister of the famed Malayalam music composer M.G. Radhakrishnan.
Her family had had no association with films, and not even in her wildest dreams did she think of entering the film world. Her fondness for film songs ended with sitting at the back of a hall, listening to programmes by the famous Yesudas and Sujatha.
Chitra believes it was her destiny to become a film singer.
The two studios -- Tharangini and Chitranajani -- that came up in Thiruvananthapuram showed her the first lights to stardom.
She was literally trembling with fear the day she was to sing a duet with Yesudas. Till then, she had only seen and admired him from far. And now she was standing next to him, in the same room, and singing a duet with him.
In 1982, when music director Ravindran Master asked her to go to Chennai to sing Malayalam songs, Chitra stepped out of Kerala for the first time.
Ilayaraja gave Chitra her big break into Tamil films through his film "Nee Thaanaa Antha Kuyil". But it was "Sindhu Bhairavi" that brought her acclaim in the Tamil industry.
Her entry into the world of Hindi film music was with the song "Saathiya, ye tune kya kiya" in the film "Love". Since then, she has sung for "Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya", "Aks", "Ashoka" and "Rangeela" among other films, bridging a prominent north-south divide.
Chitra has the distinction of being the first female singer in south Indian playback singing history to be honoured as the best singer in all the four south Indian language film industries.
She has won the national award for best playback singer five times.
Chitra has also won the Kerala state award for playback singing more than 12 times.
After a wait of over a decade, Chitra was blessed with a baby girl just a year ago. Her happiness has now perhaps become complete with the Padma Shri for singing.
--Indo-Asian News Service
'Udayananu Tharam': inside look at Malayalam cinema
Wednesday, February 2, 2005 | Editor
"Udayananu Tharam"; Cast: Mohanlal, Meena, Sreenivasan, Jagathy Sreekumar, Mukesh and Salim Kumar; Music: Deepak Dev; Scriptwriter: Sreenivasan; Director: Roshan Andrews; Producer: C. Karunakaran
When scriptwriter Sreenivasan is in form - it's a treat. It's a greater joy when he garnishes his writing with a superlative performance as an actor.
"Udayananu Tharam", directed by debutant Roshan Andrews, has the trademark Sreenivasan touch: a telling insight into the subject and a self-deprecatory humour.
Agreed that this is megastar Mohanlal's film, but it has Sreenivasan stamped all over it. "Udayananu Tharam" is a scathing commentary on life in the Malayalam film industry where quality is at a nadir because of the superstar craze.
Directors and scriptwriters, who once ruled the roost, are relegated to the background as films are made to suit stars' images and their cronies' whims.
The film is about an assistant director, Udayabhanu (Mohanlal), struggling to make a mark as a writer-director. Sreenivasan plays Rajappan Thengamoodu, a struggling actor, who steals and sells Udayan's script to a top producer on condition that he will play the hero.
Rajappan becomes superstar Saroj Kumar on the strength of Udayan's story. The scriptwriter, on the other hand, is shattered.
The dim-witted Saroj Kumar, aided by his manager Phachallam Bhasi (Jagathy Sreekumar), manipulates others to sustain his stardom.
Ironically, Udayan gets his first break on the condition that Saroj Kumar will be the film's hero.
Sreenivasan has peppered the story with real life incidents. He does not spare the two reigning superstars of Malayalam cinema, Mammootty and Mohanlal, even though the latter is the film's hero.
Udayan's character seems to have been inspired by Blessy, who had struggled as an assistant director for two decades before making a remarkable debut with "Kazhcha" last year.
Sreenivasan is perhaps a little late in tackling this subject. Last year has seen some sanity creeping back into the Malayalam film industry, although it is still to free itself from the clutches of the two ageing superstars.
Mohanlal gives a restrained and dependable performance as Udayan. But it is Sreenivasan who steals the thunder with his over-the-top act as the megalomaniac superstar.
The supporting cast, consisting of Mukesh, Jagathy Sreekumar and Salim Kumar, have done well. But the much-hyped cameo by director Lohithadas as director Prathap is quite lacklustre.
Meena makes a mark as starlet Madhumathi, who marries Udayan. Later they separate and she goes on to become a huge draw in other southern film industries. Does her character remind us of Meera Jasmine?
Deepak Dev's music fits the subject well. The film-within-a-film concept is handled deftly by debutant Roshan Andrews. He does not resort to any unnecessary gimmicks or spoofs that the theme could easily have inspired.
--Indo-Asian News Service
Anthikad urges former Ma |
