“Universities are different, allow them to be so”- Prof. Suresh Chandra

“Universities are different, allow them to be so”:
Prof. Suresh Chandra

Nithin Raj

Neha C N

  “Universities are different so allow them to be so”, said Prof. Suresh Chandra. He was talking on “Role of University Science and Technology Education/Research in capacity building for construction and utilization of Biodiversity” held at University of Kerala, Kariavattom.

  Prof. Suresh said that the universities are the centers of knowledge diversity including, science and technology and humanities and its primary task is capacity building in youth.

  On the occasion Prof. S.K.Apte talked on ‘Impact Assessment on Aquatic Ecological Ecosystems in the vicinity of operating Muscular power plant’. He pointed out that the thermal discharge from nuclear plants mix with sea water.

Prof. S.K.Seth talked on “Capacity Building in relation to biodiversity, conservation, and utilization using science and technology”.

  He pointed out that the development of methods to multiply, breed and on serve the threatened and endangered species through modern technique of tissue culture and bio technology, are essential for conservation of Biodiversity.

Endeavor to protect mother earth

Endeavor to protect mother earth

Sruthy Gopal

“We do not inherit earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children”

- A Native American proverb

           

            The word ‘sustainable’ must have originated from man’s concern about the future. Every human being living in the planet has got an inherent responsibility to pay off a debt to mother Earth.

VC Dr. A Jayakrishnan releases the brochure. Also seen are secretary Dr. A R Rajan (left) and syndicate member Dr. Mohanachandran Nair

            The main objective of 81st annual session of the oldest science academy in India, The National Academy of Science is to preserve the pristine nature of the earth. The annual session and National Symposium on Sustainable Management of Biodiversity Using Science and Technology, hosted by University of Kerala, is aimed at conserving the biodiversity for sustainable development.

            Significant topics like biodiversity in the national and global perspective, bioresearch and management, eco-services, fragile ecosystems, critical scientific and technological inputs, government initiatives and capacity building will be discussed.

            “Biodiversity is interlinked with food security. In the 21st century, food security must be the first priority of the nation. The symposium will discuss critical scientific and technological inputs in biodiversity and food security”, said Dr. A. Bijukumar, Joint organizing secretary of the conference.

            To certain extent, Science and Technology has to take the liability of man’s uncontrolled exploitation of resources. The symposium offers a platform for those who think that science can contribute to the conservation of biodiversity in a better manner.

            The National Academy of Sciences India- Swarna Jayanthi Puraskars, each comprising Rs. 5000 and citation, will be awarded to young scientists presenting the best research papers in the sections of physical and biological sciences.

            The symposium brings together 400 participants from all over the country. 

Kerala to host another international science conference

Kerala to host another international science conference

Gokul P

           

After the success of National Science Conference conducted in 2010 University of Kerala is taking up a similar venture this year, the 81st conference of National Science Academy (NASI). NASI was founded by Prof. Meghanath Saha, a physicist and professor of Allahabad University, in 1930. The academy runs 15 chapters in various parts of the country. This is the second time the academy is conducting this annual conference in Kerala. The first one was 51st conference organized by the University of Cochin in 1981. The theme of the present symposium is Sustainable Biodiversity. Kerala witnessed wide spread protest against the destruction of biodiversity in the silent valley in 1970s. Anti-endosulfan campaign also reflects the scientific awareness of the civil society in Kerala. All this proves that Kerala is the ideal venue to host the 81st annual session and National Symposium on “Sustainable Management of Bio diversity using Science and Technology”.

'കാല'ത്തിന്‍റെ 'ശിലാലിഖിത'ത്തില്‍ എഴുത്തച്ഛന്‍ പുരസ്കാരവും

ദുരന്ത നിവാരണ സന്ദേശവുമായി നീതിപാലകര്‍

അധികാരവും പാവപ്പെട്ടവനും

വ്യത്യസ്തതയുടെ പാഠങ്ങളുമായി പ്രിയദാസ്

അറബിക് വകുപ്പിന് ഉപഹാരം

ഒരു വയനാടന്‍ കാഴ്ച

Thattu Dosa in Ananthapuri

Gourmandé Bites

Thattu Dosa in Ananthapuri

Sithara Issac

               

From falafel to hot dogs, golgappas to vada pav and the thattu dosas--these are the street foods of Kerala.…….Incredible! They are the only food you look for when you are hungry and when your wallets are nearly empty.

            Trivandrum is a place where people enjoy the street foods very much. Moving to the city from a village in Palakkad, I have experienced the busy night life of the city where everyone feels hungry towards 7 at night and wants to fill their tummy.  Thattu dosa is a great option for any hungry chap.

            The dosas you get in thattu kada are different from the usual south Indian dosa. It is thick, smaller and fluffier than a regular dosa. Accompanied with  coconut chutney and sambar , they are perfectly balanced. The good thing is that you get a dosa for only Rs 2! So 4 dosas would cost you 10 rupees and that’s it. And still you have an option at the thattu kadas by ordering an omelette sprinkled with onions and green chillies to get the perfect nutrition.

           

            When most street foods are oil fried and unhealthy, thattu dosas attract health watchers for its nearly zero oil content. They are instantly made in front of you, not like the reheated star hotel dosa.

           

            When thattu kadas in north Kerala sell parotas, beef and many other Kerala cuisines, dosas are the most popular item in Trivandrum.

            The street corners of Ananthapuri beckon the food hungry to relish thattu dosa and various other foodies.

Shaliar handlooms struggle for revival

Shaliar handlooms struggle for revival

Harishma A S

Trivandrum: The traditional Balaramapuram handloom is facing stiff competition from powerlooms. The Balaramapuram handloom products have high demand in the market especially for wedding and festivals like onam and vishu.

            Powerlooms in and around the district are marketing their products in the guise of original Balaramapuram handloom   apparels and  make immense profit. While most ‘Shaliars’, ( the weaver community in Balaramapuram), are not getting rebate benefits the powerloom owners reap the profits.

Even though there are many handloom societies the incentives given by the govt never reaches the genuine weavers.

            The increasing price of raw materials and improper marketing procedures add to their woes. Emergence of large number of powerlooms and lack of weavers compel the Shaliars to abandon the handlooms.

            “Handlooms are the bread and butter and beats of our lives. We don’t know any other job”, says Buhari, a handloom weaver. Many weavers in Shaliar street are now jumping into the powerloom bandwagon to make a living. “We abandon our Kuzhithari with a heavy heart. But we have no other option”, says Balasubramoniam.

Changing face of India Post

Changing face of India Post

Anila Backer

           

In an era when personal letters are becoming history, India Post is introducing new technologies for the survival of services. Though the number of personal letters is reducing significantly, there is a considerable increase in the other mails like speed posts, registered posts, including magazines. This change from service sector to commercialization is not only due to the influence of electronic media dominating the world, but also to compensate the loss of revenue from ordinary letter mails.

            Despite the traditional postal services, India Post now offers services like e-post, business post, logistics post, speed post with online tracking and financial services including savings bank, e-money order, e-payment, instant money order,money order vidhesh and international money transfer. Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, Indira Gandhi National Pension Scheme, New Pension Scheme and other insurance policies are also handled by India Post.

            Another vital introduction is the retail selling of the application forms of professional courses and UPSC appointments, gold coins and air/train e-tickets through the post offices. The introduction of the pictorial ‘meghdoot’ post cards with some space for advertisements is another achievement of the department.

     The e-post service helps in the speedy delivery of letters, and the direct mail for mass reach and distribution. The logistics post for sending large consignments will be taken by the department staff from the addressee. The business post also offfers pre-mailing services like printing, addressing, folding, inserting, enveloping, sealing, franking and mailing. These are the new major initiatives carried out by the postal department recently.

            The Indian postal department has come out with novel services to regain their lost customers. 

                                                                                                                                                       

Adaminte Makan Abu - a film of positivity

Fathima Shan

               

Film Review

For the first time in decades, a Malayalam film 'Adaminte Makan Abu' will be representing the country at the Oscars. Adaminte Makan Abu marks the directorial debut of Salim Ahamed. He has painted the sorrow and suffering of an elderly Muslim couple, who struggle to find money to fulfill their dream of going to the  Hajj pilgrimage. This film is making it to the headlines almost everyday for one or the other reasons.

           

            Some of the shots in the film are divinely beautiful, conveying a deep sense of loneliness and gloom. The movie is sure to get a glorious position in the history of Malayalam cinema..

           

            Salim Kumar, who is known for his comedy, has appeared in a serious getup in Adaminte Makan Abu. He has delivered wonderful performance, which truly deserves the national award. Zarina Wahab, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Nedumudi Venu and Sasi Kalinga have also done justice to their respective roles.

           

            Adaminte Makan Abu has won four national awards for best film, actor, photography and background music.

           

            Abu (Salim Kumar) and Aishumma (Zarina Wahab) are elderly Muslim couple living in Kerala's Malabar region.  The movie revolves around their aspiration to go for the Holy Hajj pilgrimage, and their various sacrifices like selling off their dearest animals and tree to achieve this aim. Their only son Sathaar, deserted his parents to look out for life in the Middle East after marrying a rich girl.

                       

            Adaminte Makan Abu is a family drama and Salim Kumar's excellent performance remains as the major attraction of the movie.

            The specialty of the film is that it has very little space for negativity or negative characters

            On the dawn of the Hajj, Abu tells his wife that they will go next year, and he is seen going to the mosque to pray on the morning of Hajj.

            When he is sure that he cannot fulfill his dream. he introspects his selfish decision to sell the tree to meet expenses for the Hajj. Many birds lost their habitat. This must be the reason for the cancellation of the journey, he thinks.

                                                                                                                                                      

ഫിലിം ക്ലബ്‌ പ്രവര്‍ത്തനം തുടങ്ങി

“Good talents need to be paid”

“Good talents need to be paid”

Yadu Krishnan

            “The standard of  Malayalam media is deteriorating  as owners are not paying fairly good salary to the talented journalists”, says Dr. Babu Gopalakrishnan, Director of C-DIT. Babu was chatting with students at his Alma mater,  the Kerala University Dept of Communication and Journalism.

            Babu says media should hike the pay structure of really talented journalists if they want to maintain high standard in the organization. “The condition of media people in Kerala is very poor when compared to other states. Now a days, it is impossible to make a living with an amount of Rs. 5000/- per month. Thus good talents never come forward to work in Kerala and only sub standards hang on. And it is one of the reasons why students opt to go for teaching after completing journalism courses. Media should be ready to give journalists their demands for their effort and service to the organization”.

            Mr.Babu Gopalakrishnan started his career as a journalist in Malayala Manorama and was with ‘The Observer’, Delhi. After resigning the job with Observer, he joined as vice chairman of Kerala Film Academy. He completed masters in Journalism from the University of Kerala and did his M.Phil and PhD from JNU. The activities regarding college magazine brought the journalistic talent in him to the prime line, making him realize that a journalist has more to do for the society.  “Journalists are not getting freedom in their profession, even to the level of an editor in a college magazine” observes Babu who unhesitatingly declares that he ended up his journalistic career in bitter disappointment due to these factors.

            “Journalism is now a business. It has no credibility and almost all are ghost writers for their editors”. Babu has his own examples and experience to prove this. Another painful side of current journalism is that new generation is not taking pains to prove themselves. Journalism is not seen as a passion by them as it was in the 80s. All these makes me depressed, he says.

            He shows no reluctance to express what he felt  about Kerala’s politics too. Babu is of the view that leaders like V.S. Achuthanandan are personalities who had not been covered well by Malayalam journalists in the right sense. ‘And no doubt it is because the journalists don’t have the caliber for it’, he says.

            Babu, who holds a PhD in cenema has definite views on how Malayalam film industry moves on. “The Whole thing is controlled by superstars”, he says. This heroic intrusion is seen in all the sectors of industry. So good films don’t get its own space. The film ‘Aadaminte makan Abu’ became noted only after it had won National Award. This tendency should be changed’.

            When asked about the entertainment films attempted by a few, he simply says he is not to make any comments on that. According to him there is no other society which shows this much of hypocrisy in literature, art and film. We, Malayalis never welcome scantly clad actors and sex scenes in cinema, but films which are categorized as ‘blue’ are the ones that are most screened in our state. This contradiction is really terrible. Babu further observes that there is a dearth of serious film reading among the cinephiles of the state.  The 10 days of film festival should be followed up by similar activities rather than pulling down the curtain till next year.

            Dr. Babu aims to turn C-DIT into a national institute. He is hopeful about a bright future.

Visually challenged teachers use free software

Visually challenged teachers use free software

Litty Simon

            The union human resources development ministry has lauded the general education department of Kerala for training visually challenged teachers in using free software under the leadership of IT@School project.

            According to union HRD secretary, Anshu Vaish, Kerala is the first state to succeed in the initiative. The state through its IT training has not only empowered the blind to make their profession easier but also has helped them with their daily routines. The attempt to bring the differently abled persons to the mainstream is a model for other states.

Helpers turn helpless

Helpers turn helpless

Remya Nair

            A group of self engaged scribes surrounded by layman -  a common scene in front of government offices in the city. They are in a sense, unauthorized service providers with no benefits from government. From dawn to dusk they help a number of people in preparing the necessary documents to be submitted in these offices with a small service charge.

            Nobody really knows about the hardship these scribes face in this profession. Sati, an application writer sitting in front of corporation office says that she manages to earn an average of Rs.150 per day. But a huge share of it must be invested next day in the business. The maximum service charge is Rs. 20; you may even get a concession in this rate. There are even graduates and post graduates among these people.

They are not allowed to use  bathroom facility in the offices around which they work. The whole day, these scribes are forced to sit under the burning sun controlling their basic needs.

            The forms supplied by Kudumbasree units will not be sufficient in the months of school opening and mass adalath. This makes their problems more worse. Certain groups of people have registered complaints against these scribes in Museum police station, accusing them of public nuisance and creating hindrance to the pedestrians.

                   These scribes have no registered unions and they don’t have any sort of benefits or allowance from the government. All political parties simply ignore them as they don’t have any union activities. So, a chance to get any sort of benefits from government is really feeble. And a group of people wants to drive away these scribes from the government office premises putting their lives in danger.

TUNING FOR A LIVING

TUNING FOR A LIVING:  Flute sellers at Shanghumugham beach

 

 

Photo: Sithara Issac