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.