ashapnair

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

CORY

While utter pandemonium reigned in the Corporation Council on Wednesday, there was this one man in the crowd who was watching the entire scene with academic enthusiasm. For Cory Manhood, it was a new chapter in local self-governance. Cory has been frequenting the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation for three months now. He’s been to four Council meetings too. Not for fun, but to jot down some important lessons. The local body and its functioning is one of the main topics of this PG Anthropology student’s research paper.
Cory flew down all the way from Australia, where he is a research student at the University of Adelaide, for the field work of his thesis - political governance. Why he chose the City Corporation, is equally interesting.
“I wanted to use a local lens to study the wider subject of political governance. India is the biggest democracy and Kerala is one of the three states where a Communist rule is on. I wanted to see how a local Communist government is working within a wider Capitalistic (probably he meant the Congress) framework. It was actually one of my Professors in the Adelaide University who suggested Kerala and particularly Thiruvananthapuram,’’ Cory explains.
He, however, seemed taken aback by the din in the Council and the way the meeting stopped short of an altercation. “So this is how an issue finally ends without meeting a solution,’’ he smiles.
Cory has been closely following the issues of Vattiyoorkavu ward,  where he stays. Vattiyoorkavu councillor Hapykumar has been lending all help. Cory took a round of the ward, met people, dropped in when the ward committee was meeting, learned the issues. And in the Council, he has been keeping an eye open, to see if the issues really figured.
But Wednesday’s action gave him ample opportunity to dwell on some other aspects of his study. “Being an anthropologist, I was studying their body language, dress codes and behavioural patterns,’’ he says.
Joby, a native of Kovalam, has been translating the procedures for him. But, Cory has been doing a lot of learning on his own. “I have been going through the decentralisation and People’s Plan. My study mainly focuses on how the state and the individual work for the benefit of each other. One thing I saw and understood at the Council is that people’s participation is important in local governance. You need to participate if your presence needs to be acknowledged,’’ Cory seems to have got the point.
He even spends a couple of hours twice a week with the people who throng the footpath just outside the Corporation office to help with the filling of applications.
Cory is in the city with his Norwegian wife who is into social work. In three months, his field work will get completed. Once back in Australia, he needs to submit his thesis and continue his research for another two years.
Till then, Thiruvananthapuram Corporation will remain one of Cory’s laborious lessons.
anil.asha@gmail.com

VISMAYAS FACEBOOK

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Lieutenant Colonel Mohanlal must be a proud man now. His young brigade in the city is marching towards global recognition.
Vismayas Max, the animation studio owned by the actor, has been picked by
the international social networking community Facebook to create its video applications, which would reach nearly 250 million Facebook users around the world. It’s for the first time that Facebook, which is ranked second in the world as the most used social network after My Space, has outsourced the creation of video applications. Around 30 video greetings lasting 30-35 seconds done by Vismayas have already been uploaded by Facebook in its site and they are turning into a hit in Australia and USA. They are all set to be launched in India next month.
At the Vismayas Max studio in Vellayambalam, the ambience is that of subdued happiness. “The feeling is great, to work for an international client. But we are grounded in reality. Right now, we are pumping in 24x7 into work, with no sleep and no extra activity, to meet the schedules. The music is sent to us one day and in three days we are to return the animated clip. It’s an understatement to say it’s hectic,’’ says K.D. Shybu, Creative Director of Vismayas.
The clips carry several themes, like romance (I love you songs), apology (I am sorry), gratitude (thank you), fun (just for fun items) and classic (that brings a smile on your face).
Music for the video greetings have been done by renowned Israeli musician Nir Danan, a young and creative man whose music would be an out-of-the-box treat for Indian ears. “Some of the sound tracks that come are so exceptional that we were initially nervous if our animation would match its grandeur,’’ says Vinod, Academic head of Vismayas.
The animation characters are not any less adorable. Enrique, the cat, was the first animation character that Vismayas did for the project. A fat cat with a guitar, it can wish you a happy birthday in the most appealing way.
However, it’s Pong Panda that has turned out to be a huge hit with Facebook users abroad. One has to see the cute Pong with big round eyes, singing its heart out for an apology with ‘I am sorry’ , to believe its instant popularity.
The latest character that the Vismayas team has churned out is that of Jamal, the camel. With its red cap on, the camel looks so naive and yet so uncanny.
“There is a kind of positivity that radiates from the characters, which we were told from Facebook is to kindle a kind of harmony among its users. Once launched in India, we hope to bring Indian themes into the applications for the market here,’’ says Pramod, marketing head of Vismayas.
It’s a 52-member Vismayas team, right from its creative head to the trainee, who are racking their brains to come out with amusing animations. They have only completed 32, and 500 are in the offing. All they speak now is about Pong and Jamal. And listen to Zen chants to keep themselves going.

VRC

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It is not always education and opportunity that are missing for the physically-challenged in the society. Often, it’s the feeling of security and independence too.
In a novel venture, the State Vocational Rehabilitation Centre (VRC) for the Handicapped has decided to provide them just that. A job club, that will primarily aim to remove the fears of the physically challenged about their employment skills and secondly strive to promote group employment concept, will soon be launched for the physically-challenged in the State.
The idea is simple. And the arrangement is informal, according to the VRC officials.
Initially, a group of 20 persons, both physically and mentally challenged, will form the club and put their job skills which they have acquired from the VRC into best use to earn a living - be it plumbing, welding or fixing electronic appliances.
What they fear to do alone, they might make it as a group, the VRC officials believe. Even the public can make use of the service of the job club.
“Once they get over their fears, they will be able to stand on their own feet. It’s an interim arrangement, where they will learn c-operation, coordination among themselves and through that co-ordination with others in society.
It’s part of our group employment promotion programme,” State VRC Deputy Director (Rehab) V. Satheesachandran Nair said. In the next stage, the job club will be integrated with the VRC’s own Cooperative Society for the Handicapped to generate employment.

KALARI

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: ‘’Have you ever wondered how a mahout controls a mammoth elephant with a plain stick? The elephant is not afraid of the stick; the animal, in fact, is afraid of the mahout, who knows its every ‘marma’ and thrusts the stick at the right spot if it disobeys.’’
Vijayakumaran Asan was speaking to his newly gained students at Peroorkada GHSS. A batch of frail-looking, thin girls who were, however, adamant and excited about learning the traditional martial art form of Kalaripayattu.
 The girls lined up in a row ten minutes after the school clock struck 3.30 pm. The youngest and the thinnest girl in the group, Abhilakshmi, had already changed to a leggings and top, casting away her uniform. But the others were still in the white and green combination. In a few minutes, the weary looking group charged into action, learning the first lessons of Kalaripayattu.
 By narrating the elephant-mahout relationship, the Guru only wanted to highlight why kicking
at the right ‘marma’ was important in Kalaripayattu. ‘’Follow my hands and take yours to the same direction. Otherwise, it is a lost art if you can’t hit the ‘marma,’’ he could be heard saying.
 For the last four years, the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan has been giving training in martial arts under its Girls Education Programme.
However, the Peroorkada GHSS had largely stayed away. But this time, having decided to join, it opted for Kalaripayattu, one of the first schools in the city to go in for the traditional martial art. Many others had opted for Karate, swimming and aerobics.
 ‘’Nowadays, it is better if girls knew self-protection skills. And Kalaripayattu
is one of the best martial
art forms to be learned,’’ said headmistress Laila Moni.
 The school comes under the North Urban Resource Centre. Block programme officer Suchitra, who monitors the programme, said the Attingal Girls High School had also opted for the martial art and the girls had hugely benefited out of it.
 Physical trainer at Peroorkada GHSS Asha is the most excited of all. ‘’The girls are mostly from weak families, some of them don’t have either of the parents to take care of them. Though we tell them through words to be strong, it is different teaching them a martial art and equipping them to meet any difficult situation,’’ she said.
 Abhilakshmi, a 10-year old, said she loves to learn the martial art and we ask why. ‘’I can use it on anybody who comes to fight with me,’’ she replied.
 It is the team from VS Kalari Sangham, Kudavoor, which is teaching the girls  Kalaripayattu.
 The programme has been titled ‘kalarimuttam’ by the school and would include 40 hours of training lasting 20 days. Only a week into the training, the girls are only falling on track,  but at the end of it all, they are confident of emerging strong, this time physically too.

ROAD OR WATER?

A mega project of the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) has seemingly upset the plans of the Kerala Road Fund Board (KRFB), posing the big question - drinking water or motorable road?
The Peroorkada-Vazhayila road, where road-widening work is nearing completion under the Thiruvananthapuram City Road Improvement Project (TCRIP), is part of a major pipe-laying project of the KWA.
The KRFB and TRDCL (Thiruvananthapuram Road Development Company Ltd), the concessionaire of road development work in the city, are up in arms against the KWA move to dig up the renovated road. The KWA maintains that it is a proposal almost two years old, involving huge money and, above all, one that will bring in more volumes of water to the city from Aruvikkara. With drought looming large over the city, the project cannot be abandoned, KWA officials assert.
The KWA has written to the KRFB seeking permission to dig up the road for the pipe-laying which has miffed the road officials. ‘’There is a pipeline road adjacent to the Vazhayila road which was exclusively carved out for laying pipelines. KWA could use that road. Or there are improved technologies to lay pipes without cutting out a road from one end to the other. Without considering other options, the move to dig up the repaired road when work on it is 80-90 per cent over is really bad,’’ said a top TRDCL official.
The TRDCL has already spent more than Rs 5 crore on the development of the 1.4-km Peroorkada-Vazhayila stretch which once used to be a nightmare for motorists. However, the KWA proposal has already moved forward and is expected to be on track from January 15. Under the project, cement pipes are to be replaced by metal pipes for which the first set of pipes has already arrived.
‘’It is a government project, meant to increase water supply to the city. The road officials are well aware of its magnitude and it’s not a project drawn up overnight. The pipes had to be tailor-made, for which we had placed orders almost a year ago. Moreover, we are compensating the KRFB with an amount of Rs 6.5 crore out of the total Rs 48-crore project just to cut the road and restore it. Had we got any other option, we could have saved the large sum,’’ said KWA Chief Engineer Sreekumaran Nair.
According to KWA officials, the pipeline road is not an option since it already has three pipelines going through it. A fourth one could derail the existing live pipelines. Moreover, the road is a service road with a KSEB transformer there and issues like encroachments plaguing it, officials said.
The KWA has already written to the District Collector to allow traffic diversion on the road from January 15 in view of the pipe-laying project.
However, the road officials have communicated their strong displeasure over the digging of the road, which is seeing better days only recently. It remains to be seen if a middle path evolves.

RING COMPOST

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: While his neighbours are losing sleep over the garbage mounting in their backyards, Raveendran Nair leaves his worries dumped in two cement pipes that convert waste into manure.
‘Pranavam’, his home at Peroorkada, is the place to visit if you are one of those who are still waiting for the Kudumbashree woman to turn up to collect kitchen waste.
It was Mayor K Chandrika who, floored by the waste management in Pranavam, urged us to find out more. K Raveendran Nair and wife B Chandrika have been trying out this version of ring-composting for three years now.
Two cement pipes, one-metre long and of 10-inch  diameter, have been kept in the backyard, with a part of the pipe under the ground. Dump any waste, except plastic and cloth, into this and keep a lid over the ring’s mouth.
"Do not add water, but it’s okay to dump curries or watery items. For a single family, one such pit would be enough to dump waste for two months. When it is full, use the second pit. By the time it is full, the first would have turned into manure. We dry it and use it for terrace cultivation,’’ the couple explains the process.
For the last 15 years, Chandrika has been into gardening and terrace cultivation. The couple has stopped buying vegetables from outside for long now.
Everything, from cauliflower, green gram, lady’s finger, brinjal, chilli, cabbage, amaranthus, ‘puthina’ to snake gourd - you name it, and Pranavam grows it.
 Not just that, 15 varieties of bonsai plants - right from golden shower, banyan and tamarind - can be spotted here. Orchids, pineapple, sapota, gooseberry and even a cardamom plant all the way from Munnar have been grown.
"We go for training, seminars and anything that deals with cultivation and composting. We found this method cost-effective, rather simple, and not at all smelly. If not flats or hotels, at least independent houses can use this,’’ says Raveendran Nair. It is another matter that few in the neighbourhood have opted for the method even after his success.
"People love to sit and cry over an issue, they would not take a single and simple step to resolve it. Why should we wait for the Corporation to do this? We are not saying that everyone should start terrace farming, but at least waste management should be done by ourselves,’’ says Chandrika.
The couple has been visiting residents’ associations offering to demonstrate the composting method to the residents as a service (and not for a fee).
Raveendran Nair, a retired joint registrar of Co-operative Societies, and his wife are only eager to help others to turn to composting. Chandrika, who quit teaching to concentrate on bringing up their two boys and devote time for the terrace home cultivation, eagerly shares their contact number for those who need their help. Call 0471-2438822 or visit Pranavam, NCC Road, GSSRA-129, Peroorkada PO for more details.

PADANAVEEDU

After touching the lives of children in the adivasi colonies of Wayanad and Kasargod, the ‘padanaveedu’ or students’ guidance centres initiated by the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) are taking roots in the capital too. SSA is all set to open 60 padanaveedu centres in the district with 10 of them coming within the Corporation limits.
While bringing children closer to schools was the aim of the centres in Northern districts, the focus will be to encourage the process of learning when it reaches Thiruvananthapuram. In the last ten days, nearly 70 centres have been opened throughout the State with nearly five of them getting opened in Thiruvananthapuram this week. Interestingly, the only one centre in the State which will be run by SSA state office directly also falls in the city.
The centre to be opened at a public building in the Keezharanoor-Keezhemangatukonam area of Nedumcaud region in the city where a large population of SC/ST students study will be run by the State office of SSA to get a hands-on experience of the implementation of the concept. The other centres are run by the Block Resource Centres (BRCs). It was in 2006 that the concept of ‘padanaveedu’ was first launched in the state by SSA.
A centre - it may be an old library hall, a vacant room or a side corner of a large Government building in an area - where students belonging to SC/ST and minority sections, can gather and share what they have learned, after school hours. Not a tuition centre nor a parallel education system but, a process of making education easy through collaborative learning. In the adivasi colonies where parents’ having an eye for childrens’ education is almost next to nil, the concept had scripted success with the centre turning a parent, guiding the children and motivating them to go to school.
In Palakkad, where there are more than 300 such centres, it had become synonymous with the cultural and social development of a backward child. ‘’In Thiruvananthapuram, we have brought a little change to the idea. Bringing children to schools is not the biggest issue here but, making the learning process enjoyable and easy for every sect of children. So we have chosen such areas with a school kept as a central point.
Already facilitators have been given training, we are giving lectures to parents too on the positive sides of sending their children to such centres,’’ a State SSA official said.
 So far, a centre has come up under Kaniyapuram BRC at Chellamangalam and one at Pothencode. Centres will be opened at Kattakkada, Kanjiramkulam, Nedumcaud and Athiyanoor in the coming days. The idea is to open at least four centres in each of the 14 BRCs in Thiruvananthapuram.
anil.asha@gmail.com

ashapnair

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

CORY

From Australia to study City Corp

VISMAYAS FACEBOOK

Mohanlal’s facebook link

VRC

Job club for differently-abled planned

KALARI

Making girls stronger

ROAD OR WATER?

Road or water? Fate of TCRIP road in balance

RING COMPOST

A model worth emulating

PADANAVEEDU

‘Padanaveedu’ centres to come up in capital