Kollam (Kerala), Jan 29 (ANI): Former All-India General Secretary of Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) Baby John passed away at a hospital here on Tuesday. He was 88.

John was suffering from a prolonged illness, and is survived by his wife Annamma, two sons and a daughter.

Famously known as ''Kerala Kissinger'', John was a key figure in the coalition politics of Kerala for several decades.

He had severed as minister handling different portfolios in coalition governments led by the C Achutha Menon, K Karunakaran, A K Antony, E K Nayanar and P K Vasudevan Nair.

In mid 1990s, he suffered a stroke when he was serving as Irrigation Minister in the E K Nayanar Ministry. Since then he had been confined to his home.

John was born in the coastal hamlet of Chavara in Kerala's Kollam District in 1920. He was the son of Sebastian John and Mary John.  (ANI)
--MP

Kochi, Jan 28 (ANI): Impressed by the classical splendour of Bharatnatyam, Simone Brero, a German scientist, has devoted her life to this dance form by running a school in Munich to teach Indian dance.

In 1997 after watching a Bharatnatyam performance that caught her imagination to extent that she decided to master the beautiful dance form.

Then she began her hunt for an appropriate teacher who could impart the nuances of this unique dance form, which involves both mind as well as the body.

"Actually it was going hand in hand because I was learning the dance while I was studying for my biotechnology studies and I think dance was always in me and it just came out," she said.

She chose to learn this scintillating art form under the tutelage of Shyamala, a well known Bharata Natyam exponent and founder of the Dharani School of Performing Arts in India.

"That was my turning point into the world of dance and music from a scientist. But I had to return to Germany soon as I was pursuing my studies in biology," she added.

Simone has been coming to India regularly since 2000 to learn dance at the Dharani School. To improve her abhinaya, which means meaningful gestures in dance, she took lessons from Padma Bhushan awardee Kalanidhi Narayanan.

After finishing her post-graduation in molecular cytogenetics in 2003, Simone returned to India for a long-term stay and had her arangetram (first performance on stage).

The same year she started her dance school in Munich.

Today, she has 70 students. Apart from Bharatnatyam, she also teaches the Punjabi folk dance form Bhangra. (ANI)


--
MP

--MP

Labels: Tourism

Kochi, Jan 21 (ANI): India, China and the United States are meeting
today at the School of Communication and Management Studies (SCMS) at
Muttom, near here for a three-day international conference on economic
and strategic relations.

Sessions on Sino-India relations and US, Indo-US relations and China,
India-China-US Energy Triangle, Sino-US relations and India would be
held during the meet.

Thirty-five delegates, including former External Affairs Minister
Jaswant Singh and Adviser to Prime Minister Dr Sanjay Baru would take
part in the conference.

The Centre for National Renaissance, New Delhi; Fairbank Centre,
Harvard University; and Institute for International studies and Centre
for China in the World Economy, Tsinghua University, China are the
organisers of the conference. (ANI)
--MP

Kochi, Jan 19 (ANI): Kochi port in Kerala has been confirmed as the second stopover for the Yachting Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09.

It is for the first time that India would be hosting such a prestigious sailing event.

The Volvo Ocean Race is one of the world's most demanding and daring team sporting events, having seven yachts and featuring 11 ocean legs, including seven inshore races and shorter stopovers.

The race is scheduled to start in Alicante, Spain in October 2008. It will cover a total of 39,325 nautical miles and touch 12 ports.

Besides Kochi, other stopover ports include Cape Town, Singapore, Qingdao,
Rio de Janeiro, Boston, Galway, Goteborg and Stockholm before coming to an end at St. Petersburg, Russia, in July 2009.

An MoU to the effect was signed by Volvo Ocean Race Director Andy Hindley and Cochin Port Trust Chairman N. Ramachandran in the presence of Kerala Minister for Home, Vigilance and Tourism, Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, here on Friday.

"We are satisfied with the infrastructure we have found here. We need to build on learning and understanding process. We need not have actually come here if the infrastructure was not available," said Hindley.

Authorities expect that the event, to be staged in Kochi from December 3-10, would give a major boost to tourism in the state.

"I am seeing Volvo Ocean Race as a great vehicle for Kerala tourism to reach across to a segment, which is our preferred segment and to whom we have not ever addressed in ad campaigns. The advantage which Kerala will get is not merely through number of people who will come to see the event, but it is the spin offs that the event will generate in terms of more of media interest and more operators organising packages," said V. Venu, state's tourism secretary. (ANI)
--MP

Kochi, Jan.16 (ANI): Kerala's major port city Kochi is all set to host the Volvo Ocean Race, the world's premier offshore marathon ocean race, during the first half of December this year.

Kerala Tourism Department, Cochin Port Trust and the Volvo organizers will sign the final agreement to host the world premier Volvo Ocean Race on Friday (January 18) here at Bolgatty Palace.

The event will make the city a stopover on the new race route through the Middle East and Asia.

In April '07, race organisers had signed a Letter of Intent with Kochi, as part of an agreement to host the world's premier offshore ocean marathon in India.

N. Ramachandran, the Chairman of the Cochin Port Trust (CPT), said that the port along with Kerala Tourism would be giving its full backing for the stopover by providing all required facilities to the organisers.

Ramachandran added that the race would not only benefit, the Port but the entire tourism sector of Kerala.

The port will provide of berthing facilities by developing a special berthing village and grant all kinds of marine support and assistance during the race.

Around 10 teams with hundreds of accompanying boats and yachts will be berthed at the BTP jetty for over 10 days. After Kochi they will head towards Singapore, said Jijo Thomas, the Cochin Port Trust's Public Relation Officer.

The race will help in popularising Kerala as a major tourist destination on the world map. It will also be a big boost to the cruise tourism sector in the country. (ANI)
--MP

Kochi, Jan 12 (ANI): Security has been tightened at the shrine of Lord Ayyappa on Sabarimala Hills two days ahead of 'Makaravilakku' festival, which marks the end of the pilgrimage season.

About 3000 police personnel, including 200 personnel from commandos and bomb squad have been sent at the temple complex and at the base camp Pampa.

Monitoring devices like scanners, metal detectors and hidden cameras have also been installed to keep an eye on miscreants.

To keep the crowd in control on the occasion of 'Makaravilakku' on January 14 when a huge rush of devotees is expected to visit the temple, a crowd-management plan has been designed, Inspector General Arun Kumar Sinha said.

Restrictions would be imposed on the trekking to the temple from the afternoon of January 14 to ensure a smooth passage for the procession carrying "holy jewel" to be adorned on the Lord's idol. (ANI)
--MP

Kochi, Jan 12 (ANI): Thousands of hindu devotees who visit Sabrimala temple round off their pilgrimage after a visit to the famous Ermuley Petta Thullal mosque at Kottayam district of Kerala.

There's a strong belief that for the completion of Sabrimala pilgrimage one should visit and offer coconuts to the nearby Ermuley Petta Thullal mosque before going to the Darmasastha temple.

'Petta Thullal' is a mass frenzied dance accompanied by loud music created by traditional instruments of the region.

The Ermuley mosque is opened only for a day for hindu pilgrims of Sabrimala so that they can offer prayers and perform rituals.

The ancient temple of Darmasastha is a very important pilgrim centre for Hindus as well as Muslims.

Darmasastha temple is dedicated to Lord Ayyappa.

The ' Petta Thullal' of 'Kanni Ayyappas' (who are going for the first time) is an important festival, which is held in December/January.

There is an ancient mosque, which is dedicated to 'Vavar' considered to be a friend of Lord Ayyappa. The devotees going to Sabarimala visit this Mosque also.

Before starting the dance and procession to the nearby Vavar mosque at Sabarimala, pilgrims smear their body and faces with different colours.

The Muslim devotees put ashes and sandalwood paste on the forehead of every Hindu pilgrim once they reach the mosque. (ANI)
--MP

Kochi, Jan 7 (ANI): The Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF), being held for
32 days from January 24, has launched a promotional campaign here
today.

The Chief Operating Officer of the Festival, Ibhraim Saleh, said that
the Festival had overwhelming response last year from Kerala, with
about 250,000 visitors. "We hope that more visitors come this year
too," he added.

The inaugural function also unveiled an unprecedented array of raffle
prizes amounting to an estimated Rs. 33 Crores.

The prizes includes 32 Kilos of gold valued at Rs. 3.52 crores, 90
Lexus Cars and 1,00, 000 cash .

Around 3.5 million tourists visited the Fair in 2007 and the officials
expect the number to rise by 10-15 percent this year. People from 200
countries visited the festival last year. . The total retail turnover
was Rs. 11,200 crores , and jewellery worth of Rs. 1200 crores were
sold.

The festival aims to promote Dubai as the ultimate global shopping and
tourist destination by creating world class events and retail
promotions. (ANI)

-AA

By Juhan Samuel

Kochi, Jan 8 (ANI): The northern parts of Kerala have virtually come alive with the onset of the much-awaited Theyyam season that witnesses festivities and ritual dances.

The rituals take centre-stage in houses, sacred groves called Kaavu and in temples in Kerala's Kannur and Kasaragod districts during this season.

The Theyyam season began in the Malayalam month of `Thulla' and will last till the onset of the monsoon season in May.

Thousands of village artists are busy making colourful headgears, costumes, and face designs for the traditional festival.

A senior artist said that the festival is catching up with people in the southern parts of the state as well.

"The Theyyam season has already begun. Not only in the northern, but also in the southern Malabar region of Kerala it is being observed," said Krishnan Mashe, a senior artist.

Tender coconut leaves are used in making costumes and headgears, which hold an important place in the ritual.

Theyyam or "daivam" (god,) captivates the psyche of the people as performers "transform" into deities and receive offerings from devotees.

Kaliyattam, as Theyyam is popularly known in the Malabar region, is an age old ritual dance, accompanied by "thottams" (narrative songs) and drumbeats.

There are nearly 400 "Theyyams" representing various local deities, and legendary and mythological characters.

A single dance performance comprises of over 15 people, including artists, drummers and singers.

The cost of conducting a Theyyam performance starts from Rs. 35,000 and can go up to Rs. 35 lakh.

The entire cost of the performance is borne by the designated temple committee from the money collected from villagers.

"All the expenses to conduct a ritual are borne by the respective temple committee. The villagers pay their designated shares on household basis," said Kunjappa Nair, a temple Committee Member.

The dance performed in front of deities in temples present a visual feast. (ANI)

--
-AA

By Juhan Samuel

Kodanad (Kerala), Jan 5 (ANI): An elephant camp located here in the Malayatoor Forest Division is under Herpes virus threat, which has already taken lives of two young baby calves.

The camp, which was once a hot tourist destination in the Kerala map for being a unique elephant orphanage, is facing tough time with the outbreak of the viral disease.

Forest officials have started transferring elephants to nearby areas to avoid worsening of the situation, and have sprinkled bleaching powder and phenol to control the infection.

"It is a very shocking thing that has happened in our centre, and not only me all the other mahouts here are worried and disappointed due to the death of babies," lamented K Vargheese, who is a mahout here.

Niranjan, a two-year-old male calf was the first victim of this deadly virus, who showed symptoms of Hemorrhagic Septicaemia or Herpes that affects the circulatory functions, blood vessels and finally leads to the malfunction of vital organs.

On December 26, the calf succumbed within hours of its symptoms was reported.

Two days later, another one and half-year-old female baby elephant Aswathy, who was kept near the dead calf, also showed same symptoms of facial oedema and died.

The blood samples of the elephants have been sent to Chennai Veterinary College for further examination and the results are awaited, said Dr. E.K. Easwaran, Forest Veterinary officer, Kerala forest and Wild life department.  

Kodanad, set on the southern banks of the Periyar River amid the beautiful high ranges near Kochi in Kerala, is one of the largest elephant training centres of Kerala. (ANI)
--
-AA

Kochi, Jan 5 (ANI): The Jet Airways on Saturday started daily direct
flights to Kuwait and Bahrain.

Jet Airways will fly to Kuwait and Bahrain from Kochi. It will also
fly daily to Bahrain from the commercial hub of Mumbai, and to Kuwait
from New Delhi.

Announcing the launch from Kerala sectors to Gulf Sudheer Raghavan,
Executive Vice President - Commercial, Jet Airways said: "We are proud
to be the first Indian Private sector carrier to fly to the Gulf."

And as part of the inaugural offer Jet is offering promotional fares
on these new sectors for the month of January.

Over two million people of Kerala origin live in the Gulf countries. (ANI)
--
-AA

New Delhi, Jan.4 (ANI): "We want to engage the (Indian) diaspora at every level through Pravasi Bharatiya Divas," stated Vayalar Ravi, Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs.

The 6th PBD will focus on development of the common man and rural women. The Prime Minister of India, Dr Manmohan Singh, will inaugurate the convention, and President Pratibha Devisingh Patil will deliver the valedictory address and confer the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award. Mauritius Prime Minister Dr. Navinchandra Ramgoolam will be the chief guest.

Addressing a curtain-raiser press conference for the 6th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, which is jointly being organized by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, the Delhi Government and the Confederation of Indian Industry from January 7 to 9, Ravi said the theme of the convention would be "Engaging The Diaspora: The Way Forward".

Education and healthcare are major agendas of the Government, especially for rural areas, Ravi said.

"The PBD will project these social issues and enable overseas Indians to express their ideas and ways of possible participation. A single window system will allow concrete participation from persons of Indian origin and non-resident Indians with the block level as the basic unit for philanthropy and investment. While thousands of NRIs are working today in the social space, more organized efforts are needed and the single window system will provide this," he added.

Other issues that will be addressed during the conference are women empowerment through microfinance and child welfare. Investments and business engagement sessions are also part of the program. As the issues of overseas Indians differ from region to region, working sessions for Gulf, Asia-Pacific, Africa, Europe, and Americas will be held.

Ravi also stressed that the problems of women's marriages to NRIs will be addressed. Chief Ministers of five states have confirmed participation so that they can present their development opportunities to NRIs.

"I believe this PBD will give NRIs the opportunity to become a partner and participate for rural areas in India," he concluded.


Twelve Union Ministers and six Ministers from overseas will take part in the proceedings. Among the luminaries addressing the convention are Thomas Abraham, Chairman, GOPIO Inc, USA; Dato Seri Samy Vellu, Cabinet Minister of Works and President, Malaysian Indian Congress; Madan Murlidhar Dulloo, Foreign Minister, Mauritius, Lord Karan Billimoria, CBE, Founder and Chairman, Cobra Beer Ltd, UK; and Vijay Eswaran, Group Managing Director, Qi Group, Hong Kong.

The Prime Minister is expected to launch the Overseas Workers Resource Center (OWRC), a helpline for emigrant workers, and announce measures for the welfare of NRIs. Key initiatives of the PBD include the Marketplace by the Overseas Indian Facilitation Center for business promotion, and exhibitions by 17 states and 50 private exhibitors.

Key Plenary sessions are on social development challenges of health and education, investment and infrastructure, trade and business opportunities, partnerships with states, and diaspora philanthropy. Working sessions will be held on the knowledge economy, culture, and women empowerment and leadership as well. Social areas and issues will be the primary focus of the convention.

Over 1000 delegates from 43 countries are expected to attend the convention. (ANI)