Honey and Mango Festival at Kanakakunnu

Kanakakunnu is usually a beehive of activities. This time, however, there were real beehives as part of the Honey and Mango festival. A great initiative and generally well organised. The entry fee was a nominal Rs.10. However, there were the usual problems of parking, poor layout etc. The crowd was manageable on Saturday morning. Wonder what it would have been in the evening.

It was great opportunity to see, pick, taste and choose many varieties of mangoes and honey.
Next time the organisers should think of better layout and parking facilities. (or should there there be offsite parking with pick up facilities?)
Another dangerous practice was workers carrying heavy crates of mangoes through crowds of visitors. Couldn't they have separate access for loading and unloading? 

Urban Forest in 100 square feet at Asian School of Business

The campus of Asian School of Business at Technocity is already well known for its energy efficient design. Now in an ambitious move, ASB has tied up with Afforestt a social business driven by young engineer Subhendu Sharma to have an urban forest in a thousand square feet. It is expected to have a 100 year equivalent growth in 10 year. See news report: http://bit.ly/13TEVIb.

ASB patron Mr George Thomas plants a sapling while Mr.Subhendu Sharma watches

Look out for updated photoes on the growth at: http://bit.ly/1coXT0x

Tree walk Trivandrum

Thiruvananthapuram is one of the greenest state capitals in India that I have lived in, but it is slowly losing its green cover due to the relentless pressure for development and other demands.
To sensitize the citizens of the city about trees, their role and their current status, some nature lovers of Trivandrum led by Anitha, Veena and Shanthi organised a tree walk from the museum gate to Nanthancode on Sunday, 28th April at 7 am.
The organisers and some enthusiastic volunteers identified several trees which many of us would normally ignore in a casual walk. Aana pulichi, pappadamaram, rain tree, rudrakhsa tree, manjadi, mara keera etc are some of the trees identified.

Another walk is scheduled for next Sunday, 5th May at 7 am from the Senate house gate towards legislative assembly.

Hope this idea will sustain and develop into a major social movement to keep our Trivandrum green.

Backward Front - an oxymoron

One of many wall paintings in Trivandrum The first line in Malayalam reads "Pinnokka Munnani", literally, Backward Front. An oxymoron, if there is one.

Roller skaters of Kawdiar

 

Roller skating is catching on like wild fire in Trivandrum. A small group of enthusiastic kids with their parents and coach were seen outside the Kawdiar palace gates. With the schools closed for summer, there is spurt in the number of skaters as can be seen from the pictures above. 

By the way, there was another small group near Enchakkal on the bypass service road. Whatever happened to them?

Tallest Flagpole in India

The tricolour flutters from the tallest flagpole in India at the Kanakakunnu palace grounds, Thiruvananthapuram.
This was due to the efforts of Mr. Naveen Jindal and The Flag Foundation of India. 
The flagpole, 206 feet high is perhaps the tallest in the country and was inaugurated in February 2013 after several uncertainties.

Pacman sunset

Anyone remember Pac-man, one of the early computer and video games? The circular PacMan with a wide mouth chomps pellets through a maze, while avoiding enemies who pop up at random.
This setting sun captured from a hillock on  Kunnumpuram near Kovalam resembles the Pac-Man.

Pac-Man like setting sun over Kovalam