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Kerala’s cookery instructor makes US food festival yummy
Wednesday, 31 October, 2007
MP: Kochi (Kerala), Oct 30 (ANI): Nimmy Paul, a professional cookery instructor from Kochi is busy making last minute preparations to take part in the 10th Annual Worlds of Flavour International Conference and Festival in California.
The three-day conference starting from November 1 to 3, will be held at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Napa Valley, California.
From India, two chefs have been invited as guest culinary experts.
Nimmy has involved in the cookery field for the past twelve years and now has got many world recognitions over her ethnic style and mouth watering traditional Kerala cuisines.
She is thrilled and overjoyed, but says that "she is busy and tensed mainly to collect her own traditional mud and brass utensils, home made spices and the special rice flour which she prepared for the event".
This time she has been asked to conduct even a coconut session in which she has to show how to select a good one, how the nut is broken and its grating, apart from the food preparations.
Her husband V.J. Paul, who is very much thrilled to take part with her during the event has been busy collecting few photographs and organize a slide show while Nimmy demonstrates it during the event.
Both of them remember the last event and its success stories when there was a long queue to see her Appam, a Kerala bread made of rice and yeast..
This will be the second time Nimmy would participate in the prestigious event.
This is the second time Nimmy has been selected in a culinary show. Earlier, she took part in the 2004 event.
She thanks the New York Times which carried a cover story of her cuisines and says that "It's only because of this article she was selected the first time and now re-invited."
Apart from Nimmy Paul, Abhijit Saha, a chef of Park Hotel from Bangalore will also join the privileged group of 60 chefs from around the world.
Chefs from nearly twenty countries, such as China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia including US and India will present their country cuisines. (ANI) Labels: Top-Stories
President to arrive in Kerala today
AJ: President Pratibha Patil will arrive today afternoon on her maiden
visit after assuming office. The President would be received at the
airport by Governor R L Bhatia, Chief Minister V. S. Achuthanandan,
his cabinet colleagues and senior officials. She will inaugurate the
Clean Kerala Programme at
a function at the Central Stadium here on November one, also
celebrated as the state formation day.
Changanassery incident: Two policemen suspended
Monday, 29 October, 2007
AJ: Two policemen from KAP 5th battalion are suspended for beating up
accused in the Changanassery incident. Ajith kumar and Thoms Stanly
were served suspension order from Kottayam SP. The accused men were
yesterday taken to First Class Magistrate Court, appearing before the
media with bleeding nose, it was clearly evident that all of them had
sustained severe bruises in police custody. The First Class Magistrate
Court also ordered the police to provide necessary medical assistance
to one of the accused Biju as soon as possible.
Power charge may be hiked, says Power Minister
Sunday, 28 October, 2007
AJ: Power Minister A.K Balan today said the government is in a
position to hike the power charge in Kerala. Even if all the dams in
the state overflow, only 50% of power needed for the state can be
produced and other energy sources have be to created. Balan said that
if necessary the central agency will probe the Panniyar penstock pipe
bursts tragedy. The minister said a comprehensive examination of the
penstock pipes in the state will be conducted.
Changanassery incident: SHRC registers Su moto case
AJ: The State Human Rights Commission which had registered a suo motu
case following the ghastly incident friday, in which an ASI lost his
life in the clash between two student unions. The commission has
seeked explanation from NSS College principal as well Kottayam
District Police Suprent, seeking explanation about the incident within
10 days.Labels: Changanassery, Politics
BJP seeks removal of Home Minister and DGP
AJ: BJP president P K Krishnadas has asked the government to remove
Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and DGP Raman Srivastva.
Addressing a press meeting in Kottayam, Krishnadas said Balakrishnan
and Srivastava were trying to shield the culprits. They have done a
criminal crime and should be prosecuted, he alleged. He said the
incidents in the college campus should be investigated by a central
probe agency. A march will be taken out to the office of
Superintendent of Police on October 29th. A memorandum will be given
to Governor R.L Bhatia on November eight.Labels: Politics
Cochin Port to become an e-port
Saturday, 27 October, 2007
Kochi, Oct 27 (ANI): The Cochin Port Trust (CPT) has embarked on a comprehensive Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementation programme to be christened as 'E-Thuramukham'.
N Ramachandran, the Chairman of the CPT, recently launched 'E-Thuramukham' at a function that was attended by trade union representatives and employees.
"By implementation of E-Thuramukham, Cochin will become the first major port in India to work on a fully integrated computerised system," said Ramachandran.
The project based on SAP platform is customized for the Cochin Port Trust by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and will be completed in of ten months, he added.
This programme is to implement a fully Integrated Port Information System (iPINS) using a SAP – based ERP which will help the Port to improve its business processes and work practices, its operations, management and service.
In view of the business imperatives, international trade compulsions, the port has decided to go in for a total and integrated IT solution.
The port is integrating its operational, financial, estate and human resource systems through this project, this will have real time interface with customs, port users, banks and the port community system of the Indian Ports Association.
The system will provide single window facility to the trade for filing applications, receiving service bills, payments and enquiries.
The port is using satellite-imaging system for monitoring the geographical aspects of the port and E-Thuramukham will meet the expectations of global standards of service to the shipping and export and import community.
Famous as an all-weather natural port, it is located strategically close to the busiest international sea routes from the Gulf to Singapore and Europe to the Far East circuits.
During 2006-07, Cochin Port handled an all time high throughput of 15.31 million MTs of cargo, registering an increase of 10.28 per cent over the previous year (throughput during 2005-06 was - 13.88 million MTs).
Container traffic during the period was 2,26,808 TEUs as against 2,03,112 TEUs handled during 2005-06 marked a growth of 11.82 per cent.
This year altogether 38 cruise ships visited the Port bringing over 16,000 passengers. Cochin has had the distinction of hosting the largest number of cruise ships among all Indian Ports. (ANI) Labels: Kochi, Technology
IBS Inaugurates its New Campus at Technopark, Trivandrum
IBS Software Services, a leading global provider of new-generation IT solutions to the Travel, Transportation and Logistics industry, inaugurated its fully-owned campus at Technopark, today. The facility was inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Kerala, Shri. V S Achuthanandan. Also present on the occasion were Shri. Oommen Chandy, MLA, Leader of the Opposition, Shri. C Ajayakumar, Secretary IT, Government of Kerala, Shri. Radhakrishnan Nair, CEO, Technopark and CEOs and heads of various companies in Technopark, among others."The support of the State Government and the excellent infrastructure available at Technopark and Infopark have encouraged us to maintain Kerala as the hub for our India operations. The State is emerging as a key IT destination and IBS' growth over a decade is testimony to our belief in Kerala." said VK Mathews, Chairman & Managing Director, IBS Group. "This campus at Trivandrum, marks a beginning for the next level of our aggressive growth plans, as we aim to grow into a Rs 1000 Crores company by 2010. We also have plans to set up other campuses within Kerala in Cochin and Calicut and to open development centers outside the State." he added. The facility just inaugurated, is the first of four blocks in the IBS campus, spread over 5.26 acres of land within Technopark. With a built-up area of approx 4,50,000 square feet, the Campus will accommodate over 4,000 professionals in a spacious, self-sufficient, modern work-environment. Two multi-storey office blocks, an activity center, an open-air theater,
cafeteria and parking lots are to be completed in the next phase. The campus is expected to cost Rs 125 Cr and will be completely operational by 2009. IBS has developed the Campus under the SEZ Scheme as an approved co-developer, and the first phase has been completed at a record pace. The state-of-the-art facility, apart from accommodating developers and engineers, will house the Company's ASP datacenter from where application
services will be provided to its customers world-wide. IBS India currently operates out of two hundred thousand square feet of office space in three buildings within the Technopark, Trivandrum and two buildings within Infopark, Cochin. IBS also has two development centers outside the country in London and Washington DC in addition to its global business centers situated at Atlanta, Phoenix, London, Dubai, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Melbourne, Sydney. Labels: Business, Thiruvananthapuram
Karunakaran may return to the Congress
Friday, 26 October, 2007
AJ: Former Kerala Chief Minister K. Karunakaran said in a clear
indication that he is willing to return to the Congress Party, he had
no qualms to acknowledge the leadership of Congress President Sonia
Gandhi. Karunakaran joined the NCP year ago after merging his DIC with
it. He floated the DIC in May 2004 after he left the Congress Party
along with his son K. Muralidharan. The state Congress leadership had
said earlier that the party would be glad to welcome Karunakaran to
its fold if he openly acknowledged the leadership of Ms Gandhi.Labels: Politics
ASI killed In Violence at NSS College
AJ: Changanassery: Clashes between SFI and ABVP activists in the aftermath of college union elections took a violent turn at an institute, a policeman trying to control them being killed. Assistant Sub-Inspector Elias (47) was hit by a rod while he was trying to restore peace at NSS College at Changanassery. Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and DGP Raman Sreevastava visit the college and asked Inspector General Vincent Paul to submit a preliminary report on the incident immediately. In the search operations held by police recovered armaments from the college campus. The police have also arrested twelve people, among which four are directly involved in the incident said police sources. BJP and UDF had called a hartal in the area in protest against the incident.
Labels: Changanassery, Education, Politics
Kerala High Court complex under strict vigilance after blast threat
MP: Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 26 (ANI): Tight security arrangements have been made at the Kerala High Court premises after the court authorities received an anonymous letter last week warning of a bomb blast on Friday.
Manoj Abraham, City Police Commissioner said that besides visitors' videographed, all entrances to the High Court complex are also being monitored.
Police is also keeping a close watch on those who are entering the complex, he added.
As precautionary measures, he said that judges are only allowed to park their vehicles inside the complex.
Additional police personnel have also been pressed into service to keep an eye on activities.
Bomb-disposal squad and dog squad have already searched complex floors and nothing suspicious was found. (ANI)
BJP Reject CM Request To Call Off Hartal
Thursday, 25 October, 2007
The BJP reiterated that they will not withdraw from the hartal called on November 1st in view of President Pratibha Patil's visit to the state. The hartal was called to protest against the central govenment's neglect of the state and formation of Salem Railway division.Earlier in the day, Achuthanandan had asked the BJP state unit to call off the shutdown considering the President's visit on November 1, the state formation day. Labels: Politics
Lorry Strike Called Off
AJ: The six day long strike by the lorry owners in the state has been called off. The strike was called off wednesday after the meeting between the Cabinet sub-committee and lorry owners association. The owners' main protest was against the government's decision to increase their share of contribution to the Workers' Welfare Fund. The government assured them to solve the issue and instructed the joint RDOs in the state to sort out lapses in connection with the same.
Student Attempts To Commit Sucide
Wednesday, 24 October, 2007
Thrissur: Kerala Agriculture University college for Veterinary and Animal Science first year student attempted to commit suicide, allegedly due to ragging by senior students. The Police said that, the senior students forced him to sing obscene songs. He was found inside the hostel room with his veins cut after his hostel mates heard crying sounds from the room. Vice Chancellor K.R Viswambharan has ordered an investigation into the incident. Police have registered a case against five senior students.Labels: Thrissur
Community Police Will Coming Soon
Thiruvananthapuram: Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan told that community policing will come to existence next January to lessen the burden of policemen who are on duty in stations. He said that,plan to introduce this concept of policing in at least one place in each of the 14 districts. Policemen will be trained for this next month and detailed talks will be held with elected representatives in December to ensure that it is smoothly implemented by January, the minister told reporters after a meeting with police officials. Kodiyeri said that police stations would now conduct speedy verifications before issuing passports instead of the special branch department.Labels: Government, Thiruvananthapuram
More KSRTC Buses To TN
Kozhikode: Kerala state road transport corporation will introduce more inter-state services to Tamil Nadu. The transport minister Mathew T. Thomas said that the Corporation was also considering to introduce more buses in to the North region. The KSRTC is going to construct a ten-storeyed building at Kozhikode. The minister told reporters that there was no proposal to revise fare structure now.Labels: Kozhikode, Tourism
HC Accepts Plea Against Thamarasseri Diocese
Kochi: The Kerala High Court today accepted the plea of the parents of students of St Joseph's School coming under the Thamarasseri diocese.All schools coming under the diocese were given a holiday in protest against the statement made by Pinarayi Vijayan against the former.The court has sent notices to director of general education and the diocese after accepting the plea.Labels: Kochi, Religion
Two Nuns Killed In Kottayam
Kottayam: Two nuns were killed when some bricks and cement from a building under construction fell on them inside the compound of a convent at Nagampadom today. Reshmi from Alappuzha and Maggi from Trichur were engaged in gardening when the accident took place, police said. The bodies were kept at the S H hospital for post-mortem.Labels: Kottayam
Heavy Rain Continuing In The State
Rail, road and air traffic were affected as heavy rains pounded many parts of Kerala.Two deaths were reported from Alappuzha and Kozhikode districts. The current spell of rain was triggered by systems of low pressure formed along Kerala and Tamil Nadu coasts, Indian Meteorological Department sources said. The monsoon fury was especially severe in the southern parts of the state, including the capital city and suburbs, where roads and rail tracks submerged hitting traffic for several hours in the forenoon. Revenue Minister K.P Rajendran has instructed the district officals to remain alert. The rainfall was expected to continue in over Kerala in two to three days.
Lorry Strike To Continue
Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan and Lorry owners made a futile attempt today to bring a possible breakthrough in the ongoing strike called by the Lorry Owners Federation. The CM said the Federation is challenging the government and the Court. He said adequate steps will be taken to tackle the strike so that it does not affect public.The Lorry Owners Federation called the strike began from midnight of October 18th. The discussions between Transport Minister and lorry owners failed on Monday. The decision was taken in protest against the government’s negligence towards the association’s petition in connection with the lorry operators’ welfare fund.Labels: Business
Physicians Mega Conference At Kochi
Kochi: Around 8,000 delegates from across the country are expected to participate in the 63rd Annual Conference of Association of Physicians of India, APICON 2008, scheduled to be held here from January 10 to 13. This was the second time that Kerala is hosting this mammoth conference after 1980, when the membership of the Association was just 1,200, Dr N N Ashokan, its Organising Secretary, told reporters here. Quiz programmes, symposia and live workshops would form part of APICON 2008. About 10 experts from abroad are also expected to attend the conference.Labels: Health, Kochi
Kochi doctor creating video album on Tendulkar
Kochi, Oct 19 (ANI): With Sachin Tendulkar breaking into the top ten of the latest ICC ODI rankings, one of his fans is busy creating a video album as tribute to his glorious cricket career. Dr. C V Ranjit, a dentist in Kerala’s Kannur District, has composed and sung in 20 different Indian languages including Arabic and English. He says that it has taken him about six months to complete the album.
“The main reason to come out in 20 different languages is to popularise and make it easy to understand among the public that Sachin has thousands of fans across India and abroad,” said Dr. Ranjit. The twenty languages used are Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese, Bihari, Kashmiri, Tulu, Urdu, Arabic, English, Sanskrit and Bhojpuri.
He has used the same verses in 18 different Indian languages, including Arabic and English. The album named 'Shan-e-Hindustan', meaning the pride of India, was shot at Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Kannur. The six-minute-long album also features a song on Tendulkar sung by Dr Ranjit.
It cost over 10 lakh rupees to complete the shooting and production of the video album,” he said. Dr. Ranjit claims he met Sachin and discussed the making of the album during the ODI in Kochi between India and Australia on October 2.“The response from Sachin was 'all the best',” he said.
The turnaround from doctor to musician took place almost two years back without any formal know how of music or video album making. His first video album titled is "Shalu” and Sachin’s album this is his second. He plans to release the album by December and the audio CD's will be ready by next month.
Dr. Ranjit’s dream is to hand over the first copy of the video album to Sachin, for which he will be soon meeting him. Though he is now getting more singing and composition assignments in the film industry, Dr. Ranjit says he will pursue dentistry and music side by side. (ANI)Labels: Kochi, Sports
New Chief Priest For Sabarimala Temple
Sabarimala: P.K. Krishnan Namboodiri was selected as chief priest (melsanthi) of the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple for a one-year term.
The selection was made by draw of lots from a panel of nine candidates shortlisted on the basis of interviews conducted by Travancore Devaswom Board authorities earlier.
Hailing from Koothulli Mana in Palakkad district, 52-year old Krishnan Namboodiri had earlier served a term as the chief priest of the Guruvayur Sree Krishna temple.
M.N. Krishnan Namboodiri of Mangatt Illam was selected as the chief priest of the Malikappuram Devi shrine, located in the Ayyappa temple complex.Labels: Religion, Sabarimala
Kerala hotel's tryst with tall sandwich
Tiruvanathapuram (Kerala), Oct 17 (ANI): A hotel here has made a 50 feet high sandwich after a 10-hour long hard work in an effort to make it to the Guinness Book of World Records. Forty-two employees of the Uday Samudra Leisure Resort at Kovalam readied a record-breaking sandwich, which is eight feet taller than the previous held record made by O'Brien's, an Irish Sandwich Bar that made a 42-feet tall sandwich in 2003.
Rajagopal Iyer, the corporate director of the resort said, that the employees started making the sandwich at 12 noon on Tuesday and it was completed by 10.30 p.m."We are presenting this sandwich to the entire nation as a gift. For quite sometime now, no record has been created on food products in India. We have done this, made the sandwich and broken the world record," said Iyer.
The giant sandwich has 350 slices of bread, each slice measuring 2.5 x 2.5 feet and weighing 6 kilograms.It required 45 kilograms each of cucumber and tomatoes, 40 kilograms each of boneless chicken, sausage, ham, apple and mayonnaise sauce.
Further, around 25 kilograms of fish, 75 kilograms of lettuce leaves, 35 kilograms of onions and 150 kg of butter were used.
"We had some problem initially, but we broke the sandwich record eventually. A ground staff officer and one manager were also a part of this team," added Iyer.
This giant sandwich is all set to break the world record. Also, this attempt to make the world's tallest sandwich coincided with World Food Day, which is celebrated on October 16. (ANI) Labels: Thiruvananthapuram, Tourism
Govt. Not To Enhance Pay
Thiruvanthapuram: The Government ruled out enhancing the pay of doctors in the state, even as the Kerala Government Medical Officers' Association (KGMOA) said it will continue with its non-cooperation agitation.Addressing newspersons in Thiruvananthapuram, Finance Minister Thomas Issac and Health Minister P K Sreemathi said the entry cadre scale could not be revised and asked the KGMOA to call off its agitation. The government would hold another round of discussions with the doctors on Wednesday, Dr Issac said. The government had already taken 'necessary steps' to ensure that doctors attended to their duties.Labels: Health, Thiruvananthapuram
Criminal charges against Coca-Cola India
Thiruvananthapuram, Oct.15 (ANI): The Kerala Government has initiated the process of filing criminal charges against Coca-Cola India for spreading pollution through its distilleries.
In a notice sent to Coca-Cola India last week, the Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) asked the company to show cause as to why a criminal case should not be filed against it for polluting the environment. The company has been given two weeks to respond. The state government action comes in the wake of a longstanding demand that Coca-Cola must also be held criminally liable for the damages it has caused to the community in Plachimada, where it has a bottling plant.
Coca-Cola’s bottling plant in Plachimada, one of its largest in India, has been shut down since March 2004 as a result of community opposition to the plant. The community has accused the Coca-Cola bottling plant of creating severe water shortages and polluting the water and the soil – directly as a result of its operations in the area. “We are encouraged by the action of the government to hold Coca-Cola criminally liable for the damages it has caused in Plachimada,” said R. Ajayan, convener of the Plachimada Solidarity Committee who was key in getting the government to take action. “We are confident that Coca-Cola will be prosecuted for the crimes it has committed in India.”
Coca-Cola India has dismissed the notice, describing it as “unwarranted and arbitrary.” The company’s spokesperson, Mr. Ameer Shahul, has claimed that the plant was a “zero-discharge” plant during its operation and that all studies carried out in the last four years had found no traces of pollution. The facts, however, suggest otherwise.
The primary reason that the Coca-Cola bottling plant in Plachimada remains shut down is because it is unable to obtain the “consent to operate” permit from the Kerala State Pollution Control Board because of widespread pollution found by the regulatory agency. On August 19, 2005, the Kerala State Pollution Control Board ordered the Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt. Ltd. bottling plant in south India to “stop production of all kinds of products with immediate effect.”
The Pollution Control Board noted that the company has yet to explain the large amounts of cadmium in its sludge, which is contaminating the groundwater, making it unfit for human consumption. In addition, tests by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) as well as Outlook magazine have both confirmed the pollution by Coca-Cola company in Plachimada.
In October 2003, the Central Pollution Control Board of India also confirmed high levels of heavy metals in Coca-Cola’s sludge, which the company was distributing to farmers as “fertilizer”.
Coca-Cola’s contention that the plant was a zero-discharge facility contradicts the government as well as independent studies. “We are glad that the Coca-Cola fiasco in India is taking its natural course of finding the company criminally liable for the damages it has caused,” said Amit Srivastava of the India Resource Center, an international campaigning organization. “We also strongly feel that the Coca-Cola company should be further held criminally liable for the complete distortion of facts it is making today,” Srivastava said. (ANI)Labels: Thiruvananthapuram
Kerala houseboats, a major hit among IT savvy
Kochi, Oct 15 (ANI): The famous houseboats of Kerala, which have been popular with tourists from across the world, are now becoming popular among techies and employees from the corporate world. Manu George and Liji with their children are in a different world surrounded by serenity amidst backwaters, which they usually missed in Metros. "It’s really pleasant to be on a houseboat away from our daily hectic life. Its kind of a chill out with my family,” said Manu, who is from Delhi.
Now-a-days, there are many techies who come down from metros like Bangalore, Chennai and Delhi to enjoy a day out on a houseboat. The boat starts from the main jetty in the morning at 10.00 a.m. or as per the arrival time of guests and keep on cruising all day until the sun sets. It is anchored in a safe place where the tourists can enjoy fishing, eating or prepare food. Besides, techies can also be in touch with their office or relatives through internet on board while cruising.
The cost of hiring a single houseboat for a 24 hour ranges from Rs. 5000 to Rs 10,000. In Alleppey, most of the houseboats are equipped with A/C rooms, including attached bathrooms and a kitchen, apart from the services of two crew members and a chef. The number of tourists is fast increasing and keeping this in mind the houseboat operators are also lining up to provide them with maximum facilities on board including fishing, meals on board and ayurveda treatment for stress. And few of the Travel agents like Pulickattil House Boats and Tour operators are already working to create a new tour and rejuvenation package for the techies.
Tomy J. Pulikattil, a tour operator and owner of six houseboats in Alleppey, said, “The rush from Bangalore and other metros are mostly seen during the off season which in Kerala means monsoon time. The main reason being is attractive rates offered to them which is cheap and easily affordable.” Houseboats (Kettuvallams), which were used for transporting goods from one place to another, are also a major tourist attraction not only for domestic tourists but also for the foreign tourists.
Kerala backwaters are unique nature and are found nowhere else in the world. Backwaters are a network of lakes, canals and estuaries and deltas of forty-four rivers that drain into the Arabian Sea. Backwaters of Kerala are a self-supporting Eco-system teeming with aquatic life Over 900 km of this labyrinthine water world is navigable.
Tourism has emerged as a major sector in the State and provides employment to over one million people. Kerala is the fastest growing destination in the world. The World Travel and Tourism Council has predicted 11.6 per cent growth rate for Kerala's tourism sector up to the year 2013. (ANI)Labels: Kochi, Tourism
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