Bob Geldof in Trivandrum

Bob Geldof of Band Aid fame, performed at the conclusion of the the Hay Festival in Trivandrum, Kerala. at the open air Nishagandhi auditorium. Enthusiastic fans braved the intermittent  showers to enjoy the performance.

Elephants

Recently, the  Government of India declared elephant as a national heritage animal. This will help in stepping up the measures for their protection.  Kerala has a large number of elephants in captivity. There are also many instances of ill treatment of  pachyderms leading to violent reaction from them. This enactment will, hopefully ensure  humane handling of these animals.

Elephant parade held in July 2010 at the Chandrasekaran Nair police stadium, Trivandrum

A child watching the elephant line-up

Local body elections and Woman Power

The elections to the local bodies of Kerala will be 23rd October. 50% of seats are reserved for women.

Wall posters of candidates in my ward.

Tagore Exhibition on Wheels

The Indian Railways, dedicated a whole rake of air conditioned coaches to showcase the life and works of Rabindranath Tagore on his 150th Anniversary. The rake went from station to station all over India and was in Trivandrum in the second week of October.

Visitors viewing the Tagore exhibition on rails at Trivandrum Central Station, Platform #1.

Tholpavakoothu - Puppet play

'Tholpavakoothu' - shadow puppet play with leather puppets was sponsored by Indian Council of Cultural Research, Trivandrum at the Theerthapada mandapam, East Fort on Saturday, 19th June 2010. Pulavar Ramachandran and his team performed 'Ramayana'. This unique form of art,  with its skilfully manipulated  animated leather figures was well appreciated by the select audience. The commentary was in a mixture of Malayalam, Sanskrit and Tamil. Perhaps, they could have tried out some innovations in the vocal and musical support, like including female voice.

Vyloppilli Samskriti Bhavan

Now I am on the mailing list of Vylopilli Samskriti Bhavan.

During the last Nangyar koothu performance, I dropped my lens pouch in the Koothambalam. I could retrieve it three days later thanks to Ms. Annie, the programme officer and other friendly staff of the Bhavan. Annie has also put me on the mailing list for the monthly programmes. No more straining to read the "Today's Engagement' column in the Hindu.

Last Saturday, I missed the Chakyar Koothu by Margi Chakyar. The next two programmes are Malayalam Drama and poetry evenings. I may give them a go-by.

Third International Documentary & Short Film Festival of Kerala

The Third International Documentary & Short Film Festival of Kerala was inaugurated on 11th June. It will go on till the 15th. Most of the shows will be in the Government owned twin theatres, Kairali and Sree, located in the busy Thampanoor area close to the train station and bus terminus.

The inaugural film was The Children of the Pyre - the life, laughter and lament of the children of the funeral ghat Manikarnika at Varanasi.

On Saturday, I watched Kabira Khada Bazaar Mein - of the Kabir series by Shabnam Virmani. The 94 minute film beautifully explores the conflict between the sacred and the secular, by highlighting the dilemma of a Kabir panth mahant, Prahladji. The mahant was present during the screening and was available for interaction after the show.

The festival website is at: http://www.iffk.in/

Friend in Need Society

'Friend in Need Society' building in May 2008 (above) and now (below)

The building of the Friend in Need Society at Pattoor had caught my attention ever since I came to Trivandrum for it quaintness and apparent antiquity. So I was really concerned to see the building on the verge of demolition for widening the road. The picture on the top was taken in May 2008. Somehow, due to bureaucratic red tape or due to resistance for acquisition from a nearby church, the building  survived for two years more. The picture below shows the condition of the building today. Will it be there tomorrow?

Now that the building is almost part of history, does anyone know what the  'Friend in Need Society' was and how old was it? I searched the web, but could not get any lead. If anyone has some information, I would like to know.

Nangiar Koothu at Vyloppilli Samskriti Bhavan

The koothambalam shaped auditorium at Vyloppilli Samskriti Bhavan regularly hosts several cultural events. The event on last Friday (21st May) was solo Nangyarkoothu performance by the accomplished Smt.Kalamandalam Sindhu - Sreekrishnacharitham -Govardhanodharanam.  She was accompanied by Margi Ramanunni, Sajikumar on Mizhavu, Kalamandalam Mohanan on Thimila and Kumari Amritha on thalam.

Kollam : Boat ride for Rs. 5

Click on the image for more pictures. ---->

Where can you get a One Hour boat ride in the backwaters for Rs. 5? You can have it Ashtamudi kaayal. The boats of the Kerala Water Transport Corporation takes you from the boat jetty near the Kollam bus stand to Guhaanandapuram - a journey of over one hour for just Rs. 5. Of course, it is not as luxurious as a houseboat costing about Rs1000 for one hour. But is is quite adequate and you do not miss on any of the sights. The boat stops at intermediate jetties with names like, Kadavur, Panamuttam, Sambranikodi, Pallikodi bridge etc. So, you also get to interact with the locals who are happy to meet and converse with you. Next time you are in Kollam, try it. You can return in the same boat for the princely sum of 500 paise!

Neyveli Santhanagopalan at Swati Tirunal Jayanthi

It was Neyveli Santhanagopalan on the 7th day of Swati Tirunal jayanthi at the Karthika Thirunal Theatre, Trivandrum. He was ably accompanied by HN Bhaskar on violin, Prof. Parassala Ravi on Mridangam and TV Vasan on Ghatam.

Here is a partial list of his kutcheri;

MaayaaTita Swarupini (Maaya mowLa GowLa) (Ponnaiah Pillai composition. This was a deviation from the convention as most artistes stick to Swati compositions during the Swati Jayanthi.) Palukavemina (Poornachandrika), Padmanabha paahi (Hindolam) and Pankajalochana (Kalyani ?) .

Due to the poor ventilation  in the auditorium, we could not stay during the 'thani'. The picture quality is also not very good because of  the limited lighting on the stage.

Sri Swati Tirunal Jayanthi

The 197th Swathi Thirunal Jayanthy and 68th Anniversary of Sri Swati Tirunal Sangita Sabha is being held between 28th April and 9th May, 2010 at the Karthika Thirunal Theatre, East Fort, Trivandrum.

Following is schedule of some of the performers.

28th April: Bombay Sisters

29th April: Sreevalsan Menon

2nd May : Rudrapattanam Brothers

4th May: Neyveli Santhanagoplan

5th May : Dr.Ranganath Sharma

7th May: Madurai GS Mani

9th May: TV Gopalakrishnan

I was able to attend the concert of Srivalsan Menon on 29th.

Here is a partial list of songs from his concert.

Jaya jaya padmanabha : Sarasangi

Paripaalayam - Reeti gowla

Paalayamam -Khamas

Anjaneyane -Saaveri

Paramapurusha - Vasantha

RTP- Kaapi , (Misra chaapu)

(sorry, no pictures, as I had not taken my camera. Let me see if the phone cam picture is good enough to post.)

Liminal Space - a bronze work by KS Radhakrishnan

KS Radhakrishnan, the renowned artist, exhibited his magnum opus in bronze, 'Liminal space' at the Kanakakunnu palace, Trivandrum. Though this was smaller than the exhibits at Mumbai and Kolkata, it did not fail to impress. For Radhakrishnan, who spent his early days at Shantiniketan, the muse is the Santhal couple, Musui and Maiya who appear in all his works in various sizes and shapes. More details at: http://beta.thehindu.com/arts/art/article407754.ece
and
http://ksradhakrishnan.com/images/Liminal_Figures_catalogue.pdf

Gavi, Eco tourism

Gavi

Gavi is still unspoilt tourist spot. It is about 200 Kms from Trivandrum. It is 26 Km from Vandipperiyar which is a small town between Mundakkayam and Kumili (for Thekkadi) .
The Kerala Forest Development Corporation offers eco tourism packages to this lovely spot. http://www.gaviecotourism.com/index.html
The booking for the package can be done at their counter in Kumili and also on the website. However, on has to buy the entrance passes at the Vandiperiyar Forest checkpost as this comes under the Periyar tiger Reserve.
The package includes, breakfast, lunch and dinner, overnight stay, trekking, boating and a jeep safari. Overall, it was well organised and the staff was very friendly and helpful. I also liked the Forest department involving the local community in all the activities as guides, maintenance staff etc. Since we went during the off-season, we could see only a few elephants and bisons. Despite all precautions, including leech socks and  liberal appilcation of salt, we were bitten by leeches during the trek. Beware, medical facilities are very limited and telephone cennectivity is very poor.Overall we were satisfied, but I came away with the feeling that tourism is being emphasised at the cost of ecology and safety.
More pictures can be viewed at:  Gavi Pictures


Reception area

Herd of elephants

Old lady by the jewlery showroom

Right below the life size display of an elephant trio, this old lady was warding off the morning sun, trying to sell an assortment of snacks and other knickknacks.What a contrast she makes with the jewellery ads and promotions!

Elephant display at East Fort

This life like display of elephants with full regalia was to promote a jewellery showroom in East Fort neat the Anandapadmanabha swamy temple.

Rajasthan Crafts Fair

The third craft fair was the Rajasthan Craft Fair at the Rajsekaran Nair (Police) Stadium by the Rajasthan Hastakala Samiti.
The exhibits were very similar to the ones in the VJT hall, including the Orissa tribal painitngs.

Kerala Artisans' Development Corporation, Craft Mela at VJT Hall

Simultaneously there are three craft exhibitions going on in Thiuvananthapuram this week. I had already reported about the Gandhi Shilp Bazaar at Kanakakunnu. The other one is the Kerala Artisans' Development Corporatio's Craft Mela at the VJT Hall.

Bangles in Boxes                                                                                                            Bangles on stand

Tribal art from Orissa - ceramic on canvas

 Orissa art - applique

Craft Exhibition

Collage of some exhibits at the Gandhi Shilp Exhibition at the Kanakunnu palace grounds.

Natural bird nests for sale

This is Kuttappan at his stall selling bamboo products.- bamboo ek tara, bamboo drums, lampshdes, wine mugs, penstands etc. Kuttappan comes from Ramakkalmedu in Idukky district. Legend has it that Lord Rama halted at Ramakkal medu in search of Sita as this place overlooks a vast valley and some towns of Tamil Nadu.

Carnatic vocal concert by Pattabhiram Pandit

Pattabhirama Pandit at the Swati Tirunal Sangita Sabha on Tyagaraja Day.

Russian Ballet

The Russian Ballet group Altai performed at the Tagore Auditorium, Trivandrum on Friday, 25th March 2010 to commemorate the 35th Anniversary of the inauguration of the Russian Cultural Centre in Trivandrum. The troupe of over 25 members performed a variety of dance forms to a rapt audience.

Senegalese Band

BBC Sound System, a Senegalese band based in France performed at the Nishagandhi open air theatre, Trivandrum. They played a blend of African melodies, hip hop and salsa. Their lively performance was appreciated by the goodly weekend crowd squatting in the amphitheatre galleries.

Kadinamkulam, poor man's Vembanad

Thanks to Google maps, I discovered Kadinamkulam on a Saturday evening. It is just 12Kms from Kazhakuttam, the seat of Technopark. You proceed on NH 47 and turn into Vettu road. It takes you to the junction at St. Andrews. Turn right (North) at St. Andrews and proceed for about 4-5 Kms to Mariyanad Kadinamkulam lake is just 1 km from this junction. For locals, this just an everyday sight, but to me it appeared like a poor man's Vembanad. A country boat can ferry you to the other bank (Mrukkampuzha) in about 15 minutes.On the way from Kazhakootam you can also enjoy the isolated beaches at St.Andrews, Vettiyathura and also some magnificent churches and one or two small temples.

Kilimanoor Palace of Raja Ravi Varma

Kilimanoor is about 40 Kms from Trivandrum on the MC Road (to Kottayam). Kilimanoor was the place where Raja Ravi Varma was born and brought up. Even while working in Bombay or Baroda he used to visit his town at least twice a year to coincide with the festivals in the temples of the town and the palace. According to the family, his visit was a great occasion of the villagers as he always carries gifts for many of them. Swathi Thitunal has also spent a part of his childhood here. The property is owned by the family . Recently, the Government has given a grant for the restoration. There are plans to start an eco-friendly artists' village.


A portion of the palace which Ravi Varma constructed, but could not occupy as he died before the designatged date.

Main entrance to the property.

Chakyar Koothu

Chakyar Koothu at Margi

Dull

Not much activities on the cultural scene in the last few days.

Johnny's Midnight goggles- A one -man operatic thriller

From Opera-Midnight Goggles

Mathew Sharp in "Johnny's Midnight Goggles" directed by Pete Wyer. At Vylopilli. Organised by British Council.

Nadaswaram Maestroes

From Drop Box

A function was organised at the Mascot Hotel to launch a website on the legendary Ambalapuzha brothers. (www.ambalapuzhabrothers.org). State Education Minister, MA Baby, Kavalam Narayana Panicker, Nedumudi Venu and other dignitaries were present. The function was followed by Nagaswaram recital by Thiruvizha Jayashankar.