Overtime for tailors as demand for uniforms peaks

A tailor stitching uniforms in his shop at East Fort yesterday. By Faris Arakkal TAILORS are busy stitching uniforms as schools are getting ready to open in the coming week. They are working overtime to make the maximum out of the season. Previously, there was only one pattern in school uniform, but now it has become a trend to introduce more patterns. As a result, the number of the uniforms has increased and parents have to meet additional expenses on them. Tailors in the city charge Rs 120 for stitching a shirt and Rs 180 for a pant for boys while for girls it is around Rs 160 for a pinafore and Rs 150 for a churidar. The rate changes according to the length and width of the uniform. James, who has been in dress making for more than 20 years, used to work till late night during the season. Parents are a bit relieved as schools have opened a new system of providing the uniform directly. But there are complaints against the school management for making huge profit in this business. Since parents are not ready to take the risk of finding a good dress maker, they don't raise their voice against the management. When most of the tailors have the policy of making the hay while sun shines, City Tailors Thrissur, which has been in the field for 50 years, never takes up school uniform works. "I couldn't sleep a minute last week" says Praveen, who is the only tailor in his area. The season brings maximum crowd to his shop and often disputes occur with customers, adds Praveen. Though All Kerala Tailors Association has issued a price list for stitching each dress, none follows it. They all have different price tags! "Readymade uniforms in textile shops lack quality and are stitched out of bad polyester materials" says Naseer, who is a tailor form Vadookara. Naseer has got orders from different schools this year also. A few parents even approached the tailor at the time of their children's annual exam.

Kuttikalam and puppetry come alive AFTER 18 days of sojourn into the world of theatre, a group of 22 kids staged a play, Kuttikalam (childhood days), resurrecting the old comedian Charlie Chaplin's rough childhood at Hari Sree Vidhya Nidhi School, in Poonkunnam. Chaplin who lived in London had suffered a poverty ridden life. The play is a narration of the slices taken out from his childhood to death. Kuttikalam is penned by Sreejish Pochara. Thalaam cultural trust organised the workshop for the students under the age of 15. It is a workshop, being conducted yearly by the trust. Children were trained in to script writing, direction, and acting. Theatre artiste Suresh Mechery who provided the students with various techniques of theatre performances is happy with children's performance. "Most of them are simply superb," says Suresh, who is a full time theatre performer. He has directed plays in different parts of the state. It was also an unforgettable experience for the children to play a puppet show, as the workshop constituted training in puppetry, too. "It's a pioneering workshop held in a school in the state," says Rajan Pootharakkal, who have taken up puppetry as profession. He introduced puppetry to children with a new style of storytelling. The workshop started on May 8 and children have been in action all through the days. Now they all are actors, directors and scriptwriters!

Feeling the heat? Cool down here!

By Faris Arakkal The rattling of vehicles comes to a halt here, on the road side. Most of them apply breaks here to relax this scorching heat. The trees along the roadside of Puzhakkal padam opposite to the Lulu Convention Centre has become a hub for refreshment of travellers. Roadside vendors with a wide variety of edibles await them. The road which meets the highway brings numerous passengers a day, most of them on a long drive. Roadside vendors have their kitty full of summer's popular choices like sugar cane, water-melon, lemon juice and fruits. "Travellers walk in here not only to wet their throats but also to experience a breeze," says Unnikrishnan who sells bottled mangoes and amlas seasoned in salt here. He comes here in the morning around eight and leaves by six in the evening. But when monsoon reigns supreme, he has to find another work for the daily bread. However, for Biju, who is running a fruit shop for the last 13 years, has no other means of income, so he will earn his bread here itself in the monsoon too. "It's a means of my livelihood, not profit," says Biju. They exploit the sweltering heat but not the travellers, adds Biju. The easy parking slot adds to the luxury of these vendors. The pilgrimage seasons are the times when both road sides are swarmed by vehicles. Tired heavy vehicle drivers have the lucky chances to doze off under the shades. Sharafuddeen has come down to Thrissur from Kottakkal to sell small gadgets like pipes and air pumps. For him, it is easy to occupy a space here under the shade as he would not be caught under the snarling traffic in the city. All vendors bring water from the nearby public water supply at Muthuvara. When monsoon adds misery to their life, they are more worried about the changes that may be enforced by the authorities.

Shopping spree Parents and children are getting ready for the new academic year.

A family selecting an umbrella for their young son at a shop at High Road yesterday. By Faris Arakkal ROSE wants a small umbrella with red dots while Reshma needs the transparent pink one. With only one more week left for the schools to ring the long bell, all the shops in the city are witnessing brisk sale. Bags and umbrellas are most needed. Most of the shops at High Road are crowded in the evenings with parents busy selecting the best for their kids. It's again a Chinese revolution in the school market. From pen to umbrella, there are varieties of Chinese products in the market. Umbrellas with sceneries, club logos and various funny designs are the fashion this time. Small pocket umbrellas and ordinary size Chinese ones have been introduced. Last year's hit, nano umbrellas, are also available in the market. An umbrella costs around Rs 300. School bags Diesel and Scoobee Day are in great demand. "Most kids now walk into shops asking for particular brands,"says a shopkeeper. More straps and pockets are the characteristic feature of the bags in demand. One side bag is simply gone now. The school kit, which includes water bottles, is available in fluorescent and transparent styles. The city is all ready to accomplish the taste and choice of the kids. But parents are yet to turn up. Hence, shopkeepers are waiting for the rush next week.

Manakody's Chittappan, a helping hand for everyone

Sidharthan He is a helping hand for all the families who don't have male members at home.

IT was raining cats and dogs on that day. Sidharthan was then three years old, shivering with acute fever. His mother was holding him tightly in her arms. Whenever lightning flashed across the sky, she further tightened her hold. But it didn't help Sidharthan's rising temperature. The mother was helpless to reach the nearest doctor.
Years passed. Sidharthan is now blind and known as Chittappan, the Malayalam equivalent for father's brother. He has been a Chittappan for the whole villagers, who gave him the nickname out of love. Sixty-three-year-old Chittappan now lives in Manakody, 8km from the city.
Sidharthan is a helping hand for all the families who don't have male members at home. He brings grocery for them. He goes to the ration shop.
His day starts with a bath in the nearby river. Though blind He knows every nook and corner of the village. After the shower, he reaches the teashop and then his work starts.
He lost his eyesight due to fever when he was only three years old. Then, the child did not get proper treatment and it was too late by the time they consulted a doctor.
After years, Chittappan attended many eye camps, but in vain. He does not regret his lost eyesight but for his lost education. Nobody was ready to teach a blind boy. Thus he became an illiterate. But he throws his ears to learn things. He listens to the reading of newspaper at the tea shop. So he has a good understanding of the political developments in the world.
His mother died 13 years ago, leaving him alone in the world. She was his eyesight. Still, he had to live a life.
Every marriage, house-warming, funerals in the village was attended by Chittappan. After lunch, he dozes off for a while and then some music. In the evenings, he would be busy at the ration shop. "People say I always wear a smell of kerosene," Chittappan said.
Chittappan never claims he is a teetotaler. Whenever he is offered a puff of cigarette or beedi, he would be very happy. However, he is not particular about smoking.
Having sharp hearing capacity, he makes out the people in the village from distance. He has five siblings. His only income is the monthly pension allotted for the blind.

AN UNHEARD LULLABY IN THE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS

It’s the time for eight month Raja to toy with his bear, cat and elephant at home. But raja is now sleeping in the cradle under the shade of a small tree in the Tholkappiar campus of the University Of Madras. He has been experiencing this status since his mother Kavitha got her job under the contract scheme in the University campus. Raja sleeps, plays, eats here with his mother.

Kavitha reaches the University by eight and starts watering grass, removing waste and the dead leaves out of sight. In the midst she rocks her raja in to sleep with her lullabies. At noon they both will fill their belly from the University canteen. Then for a leisure time after lunch they both will initiate a game. After four with a second round of cleaning and watering she leaves the university to her home near to the old secretariat building. Thus her day finishes in the university

Kavitha hails from the district Vellore with his husband who has a horse employed in the Marina beaches. She being the second wife of her husband used to have fights with the previous one on daily chores. Her husband hates her toiling for earning, but kavitha finds her soul alive while at work. She agrees that she sometimes beats her man out of anger. “But it’s an act of defense”, says Kavitha

Kavitha had her schooling up to third standard but she knows a little to read English. She believes it as a blessing of the erstwhile job she had near the high court. When she earns 2000 rupees a month she is satisfied that she will have her kid surrounding all the time. She has three other girl children and often they come to see their mother and “then it would be a playground for all”, she smiles.

After this contract work, she will have to move for another job. She fears for her eight month Raja. She is in search of a job which would keep her son with her. But the fate will play the card which can never always satisfy her maternal feeling.

ROBY DAS’ THIRD COLOURED VIEWS


“No inner meanings it reflect”, says Roby Das a self-trained photographer from Kerala whose photographs is now showcasing at Lalita kala Academy here in Chennai. He adhere life in his clicks, not meanings. Frames he carved are anecdotes of land and people. Almost seventy refined photographs are hung in the gallery

A trip from Srinagar to kanyakumari on a solo motorcycle gave him enough beauty and charm for him to click. But being a ‘human being’, he distributed one lakh pamphlets on traffic safety rules in English and in languages of the state he crossed, first time an individual has tried this feat. Hence his name has been included in Limca Book of Records, of the March 2011 edition

“I have to run and click those frames before they vanish from this world” laments Roby Das on the degrading river and paddy fields of the country. He wants to fill his frames with all the curves, length and breadth of nature. He is now fuelling himself for another journey for this. When others travel for a click, his journey gifts him with excellent clicks.

Roby first mounted a solo exhibition of his fifty photographs at AIFAC, Rafi Marg, and New Delhi in the year 2008, followed by one at Ashok hotel, New Delhi. An exhibition of twenty portraits, “faces of India”, held at the constitution club on the occasion of Independence Day, another one “Dawn and Desk” at Trivandrum, Kerala. Next one waiting to be show cased at Bangalore. Roby das hails from a Small hamlet called Sreekandapuram Kerala

His portraits would be in show at Lalita Kala academy from 7th Monday to 13th Sunday of this month. Some of them are all set to sale.

MAY I GET IN?

The estranged, the dirty, the havoc of our noisy mansion, that’s what the folk say about our room. But its finest moments i cherish in my hostel life. When I reply that I am one of the roomies, ‘they’ frown and ‘they’ sometimes look down upon me. Gathering those incidents and late night trifles we enjoyed, I have nothing more in store for ‘them’ than a an advice “go have a blast in room no 12 before you bid farewell to the hostel”

Smoky nights with mixed tunes of Akon and Rafi never lured us in to sleeps. When all others start snoring in to their sleeps, room no12 wakes up. There were distinguished guests who loved to have a sleep here. In fact it’s a known true that it’s a place where “smokers meet”. I have witnessed those puffs which they arithmetically shape and will shoot in different forms of circles and cubes.

The lover’s corner of the room is heavily emotional, names carved on the walls with their loved ones is the best cited examples. Everybody walk in and decorate the wall with names of self or others. Salman Khans and Aishwarya Rais stood mute on the walls. Even the censored images of actors on the wall acknowledge the inner sanctity of the roomies.

Nobody might have slept with an empty belly, I assure. The hacked carrots and tomatoes from the mess kitchen would have really satisfied their bellies. Late night patrolling in to the nook and corners helped learning a lot. We were the lovers of darkness; we were in search of that enlightenment, the reality behind those dark lives!!!

After noon we roomies curl ourselves to the beds and will sleep as dead. When there are no duties to be done, when there are no promises to keep, it’s better to sleep. ..

Fragile hearts they carry, they would sit in front of mobile YouTube and are often seen crying watching heart rending climaxes. How cathartic effective they are, but all these stories are never known to the outside world, never..

When living with these souls, it’s me learning a lot. Whenever anybody enquires behind the doors “may I come in”?, Room no12 has no answer other than “yes you are in”…….

SHORNUR PASSENGER

INGLORIOUS PLEASURES

STAGNANT MIND

AND A PACIFIC SEA BEFORE.

A LEGAL KEY OPENS

THE HAPPINESS,BUT REMOTE

CRY OF A SOLITUDE MOTHER

AND THOSE IRON SOUNDS AND SMELL.

OH I HATE, I HATE ...

SHORNUR PASSENGER

CITY JOURNAL JAN28

In love with Indian classical music

By Faris Majeed

"TABLA found me rather than me finding tabla", says Heike Dijker, a musician from Holland who has been travelling through the Indian music since years. He is creating magic with his fingers on his tabla for a new venture.

After his high school education, he was slowly attracted to music. He started loving and worshipping music more than anything. His quest for music brought him to India and made him a disciple of the renowned musician Fayaz Khan. There he met his disciple Ustad Philip V Francis.

When Fayaz Khan was his guru, Ustad Philip was his 'guru bhai', says Dijker. Guru bhai is the person with whom he shares and discusses everything about music. In India he was lured in to the rhythm and beauty of Hindustani and classical music. He found his soul in it and wanted to live in it. Thus he became part of Indian music now.

Being a fusion maestro he has performed at various stages and once rocked with the Bollywood composer Shankar Mahadevan and the renowned flutist Ravi Chandra Kulur. He has travelled around to find various musical genres of the world. In fact, it was his desire to "to bring cultures altogether on a deeper level' led to his musical journey.

He is currently in Thrissur with his unique blend of classical Indian violin and tabla with the Western Makalu string quartet. Lenneke Van Staalen, Carolien Hulshof, Annerieke Nentjes, Marieke Brokamp, Sanne Van der Horst will assist him in this pioneer venture.

His programme, East Meets West, will be staged today at 5.45pm at the Regional Theatre, as a tribute to Ustad Philip V Francis, a legendary composer and tabla player who died in 2008. The programme is organised by Piano.

CITY JOURNAL JAN25

Joggers' park More women take to walking \Staff Reporter


An increasing number of women are now joining the tribe of walkers, arguably the easiest and gentle exercise routine.

Walkers were once seen as stereotypes. But now, they come in all ages and shapes. They belong to all age groups, social levels and economic background. And you see them everywhere, at every nook and corner of the city. And the interesting change has been presence of women in all groups.

Visit, for instance, the park at Ayyanthole, near Collectorate in the evenings, say around 5pm. You can see plenty of them enjoying a walk. They take at least 10 rounds at a time. "We are still young and want to keep fit forever," says Meena, one of the strollers in a group.

According to then Institute of Health, an average adult needs at least 10,000 steps a day to maintain a healthy weight. "I have been walking for the last 15 years and has burnt almost 30kg of fat," says Khadheja, who will turn 60 sometime this year. She had been suffering from diabetics and the doctor's advice to go for a walk everyday made her a chronic walker.

Housewives choose evenings, as they are usually tied up with the household chores in the mornings.

A recent study has found that breast cancer can be cured by walking. It may be a bit

far-fetched and Chandini Raj feels that most women walk mainly to have a shapely body.

Thankamani, who joins her diabetic husband for the morning 'ritual', feels that "women are more prone to diseases and need more strength and mental stability. So, they come for a stroll."

"Walking, along with some light exercise, strengthens bones and muscles and helps us keep diseases like arthritis and osteoporosis at bay. In fact, 50% of all deaths occurring in United States are of heart diseases. Scientific evidence suggests that participation in regular physical activities reduces the risk", sources indicated.

The corporation stadium near Vadukkunathan Temple is also crowded with women walkers - most of them office-goers or those who have help at home.

There are groups of women who walk up to 3-4km to the city and back. Lathika, a house wife from Manakkody, walks 3km daily. She says it gives her good sleep and of course mental freshness.

When many exercises and curatives need a doctor's consultation, a regular stroll needs a strong determination to 'we can do it' attitude, some of the walkers feel.

CITY JOURNAL JAN25

'Dreams help us achieve our goals'





Staff Reporter

Faris Majeed

"KNOWLEDGE unites us and that oneness comes when we find ourselves. Through dreams we reach that goal", said Oscar award-winner Resool Pookutty.

The musician who brought fame to our homeland, Pookutty was interacting with

students of Sakthan Thampuran College of Mathematics and Arts, during the silver jubilee celebrations of the college.

A man who believes in tradition, Pookutty acknowledges the fact that words which have been handed over through the ages in the form of Vedas have transformed into sounds. When all are equipped with calibre, only some reach heights. He wanted to provide a platform to those who were talented to excel, he told

the students about his new venture.

He praised Bollywood for its success and popularity. But he rued the fact that though Bollywood was the biggest film industry in the world, it had not made any great contribution. No great camera or lenses were produced in India. We owed everything to others.

According to him, teachers had to be trained in such a way that students could be taught to find 'art in oneself'. This was his message to the students.

Prof Menon handed over a memento to Pookutty. Music composer Alphonse Joseph and singer Anoop Shankar, both alumni of the school, too were present.

CITY JOURNAL JAN22

PREPAIRE FOR LIFE, NOT JOB- DAWN DEKLE



Dawn Dekle interacting with students at the Hari Sree Vidhya Nidhi school yesterday.
By Faris Majeed
SP Jain Centre of Management's global BBA programme dean Dr Dawn Dekle yesterday said that goal of each student was to be prepared for life, not just for their first job." She was interacting with students from different schools at Hari Sree Vidhya Nidhi School auditorium Poonkunnam.
Dekle explained that SP's was the only global BBA undergraduate programme in the world to have a dual- campus, dual-country model.
A PhD holder from the Dartmouth College USA, Deckle is the winner of the most inspirational teacher award in 2005. She is in India now introducing the programme at different schools.
At the programme, students spend their first two years in Singapore learning about business in Asia followed by another two years in Sydney experiencing the financial hub of Australia. Students from various customs and cultures of six continents are converging at the centre.
Around 84% of the students from the institution, with over 20 years of experience, got their selection on the campus itself, said Dekle. There was no fee charged to apply for the programme through online. Half of the students get scholarship, but there were only 32 Indian students who pursue the course now. Apart from the BBA graduation, the SP's offers MBA, but only for those with a compulsory three year experience.
Dekle's lecture, accompanied by a power-point presentation, was met with numerous queries from the audience. When a student raised her doubt "why dual model", she explained that the dual model created a better understanding among its participants of multinational business settings.
Students from Kailasa Vidhya Nikethan Mullakkara, Hari Sree Vidhya Nidhi school Poonkunnam, Devamnatha Public School Patturaikkal, Chinmaya Vidyalaya Kolazhy, Gurukulam Public School Venginissery were also present.

CITY JOURNAL JAN20

After onions, flower prices skyrocket


Staff Reporter

IT'S THE season of celebrations and flowers are an inevitable item. Jasmine, with its sweet fragrance, is among the bestl.

However, its sky-rocketing price has made it unaffordable to most people and dampened the spirit of celebrations not only within the city but elsewhere too. In fact, Thrissur, and the temple town of Guruvayoor, being the topmost importers of jasmine flowers, are witnessing an acute shortage of the flowers.

Jasmine which comes to Kerala is commercially grown in Coimbatore, Madurai, Dindikkal and Sathyamangalam in Tamil Nadu. But unseasonal heavy rains destroyed not only the crop bu the dreams of jasmine farmers. For the customer, it was a double whammy: non-availability of the blooms and high price.

The city saw a kg of jasmine being sold for Rs.2500 last week. Flower merchants are expecting it go up further.

Other flowers too have become dearer. "One single lotus now costs Rs.5. It was Rs.20 in Coimbatore not so long ago," said Sreejith, who sells flowers at Swaraj Round.

Flowers are always in demand. Other than personal needs, temple ceremonies also require large quantities of fresh blooms. When it's the season of marriages, the demand sky-rockets, putting further pressure on the price.

Faisal, who got married last Saturday, will remember the day more for a wrong reason. On the day of the niqah, he was anxiously waiting at the rail station for the Tea Garden Express to bring the all-important flowers. He dreaded the thought of the consignment not arriving, as it often happened lately.

Increased demand for flowers because of Pongal and the emerging demand for jasmine flowers abroad are said to be the the other reasons for the ever-increasing price. According to traders, a snowfall in the season could further worsen the situation.

In the absence of the traditional jasmine, pretenders have arrived in the market. But the fragrant Bangalore jasmine does not match up and the demand is low. If the price of the flower increases further, they could possibly become a new yardstick for measuring the affluence of people at weddings - a la gold.

CITY JOURNAL JAN21

Illegal posters plague collectorate wall




By Faris Majeed
After the district administrative headquarters at Ayyanthole became ground for protesters, the wall that surrounds the collectorate is now filled with posters and banners. And in an ironic twist, the posters are pasted below an order of the collector prohibiting the same.
Almost all parties and unions make use of the wall. Waste bags can be seen lying in front of the entrance. When approached regarding the posters, a student wing leader said: "If others can do it why can't we." The collector's order has been pasted at seven places around the fence, but to no avail. During the last local body elections, several campaign fluxes were also seen on the walls.
The West police station adjacent to the collectorate seems to be blind to this public violation of the law. A nearby tea shop owner says that posters are pasted at around midnight. Renjith, a student remembers a flux on the same fence two years back certifying that it's not a new phenomenon.
The ceaseless rallies and protest marches also result in traffic jams in the area, complains an auto driver.

A poster pasted below the order prohibiting the pasting of posters on the collectorate wall