KeralamAnywhere.com

Amarnath Yatra Registration Commences online

2012-05-11T06:41:00.001-07:00

Amarnath Yatra Registration Commences online

Pay homage to Lord Shiva and Maa Parvathi by Amarnath Yatra. For 2012 registration for Amarnath Yatra has begin. Book your Amarnath yatra now. The cost of amarnath yatra application per individual in Rs 15. One person can book maximum of five tickets.You can have the option to choose the yatra route either Baltal or Chandanwari Pahalgam.

AMARNATH YATRA DATES FOR 2012 :- 25 JUNE 2012 TO 02 AUGUST 2012

Website Screenshot:

e-Registration for Shri Amarnathji Yatra 2012 can be done through the following web portal – https://jkbank.net/apps/yatra2011/

Perfect gift for this Mother's day 2012

2012-05-10T10:10:00.000-07:00

A perfect mother's day gift this year for your lovely lady!

The term did not exist up until a few years ago. We gift our parents on their birthdays and wedding anniversaries. However, since the beginning of millennium, there is almost a day observed for everything we come across, be it buying gold or saving earth!

In our family we look out for every single opportunity to make it a celebration and gift each other their wishes and likes. Over the past years, everyone in our family started becoming gadget lovers, right from my young buddy to my old man. We slowly started with TV, music systems, computers, home automation and now everyone is a fan of a technology. We have mini groups within our family based on brands, operating system, and what not!

There was one only person who always kept herself away from complex things and technology and this time we wanted her to join us. So, we decided on a gift to her, which she is in need of.

We argued on several things from a chimney to an ipad and finally zeroed in on Samsung Galaxy Y. This seemed to be a perfect gift in terms of usability, affordability.

She liked the gift very much as she was able to use Skype and receive calls from her relatives. We taught her how to use the camera, which she is planning to use it for her blogs to take pictures.

This became a perfect mother's day gift this year! Share your ideas and the gifts you've planned for your mother!

Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Nitya Annadana Sanghika Seva Samajam, Puttur, Andhra Pradesh

2012-05-07T08:07:00.001-07:00

Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Nitya Annadana Sanghika Seva Samajam, Puttur, Andhra Pradesh

This temple is located on the Tirupati-Chennai Highway between Nagari and Puttur. It is a beautiful white temple, situated on a hill top with easy access via road and short route via foot steps for footers.

It is a two-story temple that was inaugurated in February 2012 and has been been well-built and been maintained by the Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Trust. Its location on the hilltop makes it an ideal place for unwinding stresses mentally and physically. The temple authorities are also in the process of building other amenities for lodging and to serve large number of devotees. They soon are planning to start daily Annadhaan for the devotees and the needy.

It is definitely a wonderful place to drop in on the way to Tirupati. This temple also seems to be supporting morally and financially the families located in and around it.

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Vazhakku Enn 18/9 2012 Movie Review - Best Film of 2012

2012-05-04T01:11:00.000-07:00

Vazhakku Enn 18/9 2012 Movie Review - Best Film of 2012

The much anticipate movie from the Kaadhal director is out and has received exuberant response from all classes of audience.

The great success after simple Kaadhal and an average success after Kallori, director Balaji Sakthivel and his team are back on the news and in the limelight with their new flick Vazhakku Enn 18/9. Balaji Sakthivel is noted not only for his realistic style of film making, but also for his observation skills and ability to transform these observations into a neat celluloid version that attracts viewers. Surprisingly, Vazhakku Enn 18/9 is an out-and-out love story. The film deals with how the concept of love has changed today, beginning with the so-called 'boyfriend-girlfriend' culture. The film is produced jointly by Thirupathi Brothers and UTV Motions Pictures; and has newcomers Sri, Mithu Murali and Urmila Mahanta in the lead roles.

The the script is which is about over everything and the real hero is the screenplay. Director Balaji Sakthivel has once again proved that it is not necessary to have big star's dates to make a good film. The director has used the first half to narrate the background information of all the characters and the story progresses in the second half. Unlike the regular perception that Vazhakku Enn... is an intense rural drama, the film is an intense love story which is pure and simple. Balaji Sakthivel's screenplay is well supported by S. D. Vijay Milton's camera works. He has used a Canon EOS 7D digital camera for the filming of this flick. Another major highlight of the flick is the soundtrack composed by noted guitarist R. Prasanna. Gopi Krishna's editing could have been better. On the flip side, the second half could have been tweaked a bit to increase the pace of the film. Awards are for sure, but now it would be interesting to see how audience welcome it!

Perfect casting! Sri, who played the lead role in TV serial Kana Kaanum Kaalangal, has done an excellent job as Velu. Malayalam child star Mithun Murali is equally good but his dubbing could have been better. Urmila Mahanta is innocent and naive; Manisha Yadav is perfect for the role. The rest of the star cast Muthuraman, Chinnasamy, Senthil, Rani, Rithika, Goutham, Vidhya Eeshwar and Anjali have done their roles very well.

Sometimes, the too real a movie gets, too violent the script becomes! However, this defect was not at all present in the movie. The movie, like Kaadhal, definitely leaves an impact after it is over.

Balaji Sakthivel team has presented a well-made reality flick again. Undoubtedly, this movie will make a mark in the history of reality cinema and it would be of no big surprise, if this is going to be the best film of the year 2012.

The movie easily gets a 5 out of 5 rating on every aspect!

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Malayalam filmmaker Navodaya Appachan (Maliyampurakkal Chacko Punnoose) passes way, the 3D man who produced country's first 3D movie

2012-04-25T23:09:00.000-07:00

Tribute to the man and genius who introduced 3D to India and produced the first 3D movie in India

Malayalam filmmaker Navodaya Appachan (Maliyampurakkal Chacko Punnoose), the man who produced the first Indian 3-D movie, My Dear Kuttichathan, passed away at the age of 87 at a private hospital in Kochi on Monday evening following age-related illness.

Founder of the famous Navodaya Studio and Kishkinta, India’s first water theme park, Appachan was also the producer of South India’s first 70-mm movie (Padayottam) and first cinemascope film Thacholi Ambu. He began his career as a filmmaker with his brother Kunchako at Udaya Studio in Alappuzha, his birth place.

Appachan was instrumental in launching several actors in Malayalam cinema, including present-day megastar Mohanlal. As a producer and director, Appachan had taken bold steps and made several experiments in Malayalam cinema. The Kerala Government had honoured him with the prestigious JC Daniel Award for outstanding contribution to Malayalam cinema.

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Kerala Family Tour Package - 5 days/4 nights - Rs. 6000 INR

2012-04-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

TOUR PROGRAMME TO KERALA FROM CHENNAI

From 10/08/2012 (9 p.m.) to 16/08/2012 (6 a.m.)

Onward and return journey by train in sleeper class

Visiting Spots:

1. Alappuzha Nehru Trophy Boat Race by motorboat.

2. Raamankari, Chennankari, Punnamada, Pathiramanal by Houseboat/Motorboat.

3. Alappuzha Light house, Rakthasakshi mandapam, Kainakary, Kuttanad, Changanassery – the NSS centre, Thiruvalla, Pathanapuram – the adjacent towns, thick forest and hilly places, Punalur suspension bridge, Thenmala – Forest area and dam, and Thiruvananthapuram – the capital of Kerala by road.

4. Famous and world-rich Shree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, the International Airport of TVM, famous Bheema Palli, Sankumukham/Kovalam Beach by road.

5. Return to Alappuzha by NH-47 covering Varkala Sivagiri madom, Kollam, Kayamkulam, Thottapalli spillway (Connecting Vembanad Lake with Arabian sea), Purakkad fishing spot, Ambalapuzha and Punnapra.

Shopping at Alappuzha, “the Venice of East”.

The strength of the proposed tour group will be around 25 members.

Tour charges will be Rs. 6000/- per head (Inclusive of train fare, boat charges, luxury coach charges, food (veg and nonveg), accommodation, and entry charges). No charges for children below 5 years. Children above 5 years will be treated as adults.

Halting stations will be communicated on confirmation. Tour period from 10/08/2012 to 16/08/2012 indicated above is seasonal and inflow of tourists and foreigners will be expected in large numbers to Kerala. Reservation of train tickets, food, M/B or H/B and luxury bus are to be booked well in advance. The above dates are felt very convenient as the departure is on 10/08/2012 (around 9 p.m.), 11th being second Saturday, 12th being Sunday and 15th being public holiday. Working staff/school going children have to adjust 13th and 14th only. They can report back to duty/school on 16/08/2012.

Interested members may contact the organizer on his cellphone #9042812815 for further details and for booking at the earliest.

The bookings will be closed on or before 08/05/2012.

Ambattur-Tiruvallur Malayalee Samajam Ad-Hoc Committee Formation April 22, 2012

2012-04-23T06:42:00.001-07:00

Ambattur-Tiruvallur Malayalee Samajam Ad-Hoc Committee Formation April 22, 2012

Representatives of Malayalee Samajams from Ambattur to Tiruvallur area met at Greenfields - The Great Gateway Resort on April 22, 2012 to form an ad-hoc committee to represent the whole area (from Ambattur through Tiruvallur).

The meeting was conducted under the leadership of Mr. Hi-Tech Manoharan. The purport of this meeting is to have one voice for all the Malayalee Samajams in the Ambattur-Tiruvallur area. Since this committee will be representing such a large population, their views are bound to have significant importance in CMA (Chennai Malayalee Association) meetings.

We wish them all the very best for their future endeavors.

http://www.KeralamAnywhere.com

Mango City of Kerala, Muthalamada, Palakkad, Kerala,

2012-04-22T23:58:00.000-07:00

Mango City of Kerala, Muthalamada, Palakkad, Chittur Taluk

Muthalamada Panchayat of Palakad is located on the Kerala-Tamilnadu border, in Chittur taluk, known as the ‘Mango city' of the State for its early mango harvest and large-scale export, which uses hi-tech technology in sorting, grading, ripening, packing and export of mangoes and reportedly produces 1.1 lakh tonnes of mangoes annually.

The first modern facility for mango processing and export in the State — Chittur Agro Park — began functioning in Muthalamada in May 2010 with technical support from the Indian Institute of Horticulture Research, Bangalore.

The Horticulture Mission Kerala has recognised it as a model unit for process and export of mangoes. In 2010, The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has provided financial assistance to set up the Rs.50-lakh Agro Park. Mango growers can bring their product here and get them sorted, graded, ripened and packed for export or to send it to cities like Mumbai and Delhi for a good price.

The Agro Park employs ethylene-based ripening , which is recognised internationally as a safe method for ripening fruits. The Park has ripening and pre-cooling chambers. This mangoes can be kept for three weeks without damage, said Becker Palliparambil, exporter of mangoes to the Gulf countries and the persons behind the new Agro Park.

Mangoes are exported to West Asia among other countries. There are many varieties of mangoes which are in high demand abroad in Muthalamada. The farmers themselves are unaware of this fact. The value of mango trade in this "Mango City" is over Rs. 150 crore annually. Approximately 2700 hectares of land are under mango cultivation, while the actual area could be more than the stated figures. Even paddy fields are now being converted into mango plantations. Seemingly, middlemen from North come to this "mango city" as early as August and book the yield of next season well in advance.

Interesting and unknown facts about Muthalamada Mango City:

Myriad of mango varieties
Mango trade of 150 crore
1.1 lakh tonnes of mangoes produced annually
2700 hectares of mango plantations
Middlemen earning more than the farmers
Mangoes exported to West Asia.

So, those who are living in and around Palakkad may visit this place and enjoy the upcoming season.

Parvathy Omanakuttan sizzles in Billa 2 Calendar

2012-04-20T23:20:00.001-07:00

Parvathy Omanakuttan sizzles in Billa 2 Calendar

The actress shows off her sexy avatar which is in sharp contrast to her role in her upcoming flick, Billa 2. She opposites the ultimate star Ajith Kumar in Billa 2.

Parvathy Omanakuttan sizzles in Billa 2 Calendar

The makers of Billa 2 have made a calendar specially for the Thala flick featuring two hottie heroines, Parvathy Omanakuttan and Bruna Abdulla. This image of hers is in sharp contrast to her role in the movie say industry insiders.

The photos were clicked in Goa. It seems the makers came up with the novel idea since they had two models-cum-glamour queens in their film.

Parvathy Omanakuttan (പാര്‍വ്വതി ഓമനക്കുട്ടന്‍) is an Indian model and actress who was crowned Miss India World in 2008 and later became first runner-up as Miss World Asia & Oceania at the Miss World 2008 competition.

Bruna Abdullah

And as for the audio launch, it’s most likely to happen on Thala’s birthday on May 1. The talk about town is that there will be no big event for the audio release and it’s likely that the CDs will hit the stores directly.

source: web, TOI.

Akshaya Tritiya 2012 - History, Myth, Offers, Significance!

2012-04-20T22:13:00.001-07:00

Akshaya Tritiya 2012

Akshaya Tritiya 2012 falls on Tuesday April 24th. Akshaya means "never diminishing." There are many legends signifying the importance of Akshaya Tritiya. It is believed that Goddess Lakshmi blessed Kubera the lord of wealth on this day and hence his wealth never diminishes. People offer special poojas to Goddess Lakshmi to bless them with never decreasing wealth. Another legend goes that this is the day Kusela, childhood friend of Lord Krishna, was blessed by Krishna by taking the sweetened rice flakes that Kusela had brought for him. The moment Lord Krishna eats the rice flakes, Kusela's family is blessed with all wealth and richness.

According to Hindu myth, Akshay Tritiya was the day when Lord Ganesha, began writing the epic Mahabharata dictated by the sage Ved Vyasa. The birthday of Parashurama, the sixth incarnation of god Vishnu also falls on this day. This was the very day when the Ganges descended to earth. Another legend has it that during the time of Mahabharata, Lord Krishna gave the Akshaya Patra to the Pandavas, who were then on exile, the Akshaya Patra was a bowl that would forever supply food in abundance.

The popular belief is that there are 33 crore gods according to Hindu mythology. It would not come as a surprise if each and every day of the 365 days in the India Calender did not have some significance or the other with respect to mythological legends. I am not an atheist but just I believe that everything has become business in today's world. As kids we never heard of Akshaya Tritiya, but for the past so many years, the gold jewelry business people have left no stones unturned to attach so much importance to this day. It is very clear that these are advertisement gimmicks to lure customers to buy gold. This year it is not gold but platinum that is being suggested to be bought.

It is wise to invest in gold and platinum but one should not be gullible enough to fall for such blind beliefs and incur unnecessary expenditure. Such actions may or may not give you "never diminishing wealth" but definitely it will diminish your peace of mind.

Kerala Jewelry - Traditional Ornaments of Keralam

2012-04-16T22:01:00.000-07:00

Traditional ornaments of Kerala

In the matter of dress and ornaments, Kerala presents through the age a picture of astonishing variety. Simplicity and elegance of dress is a trait of the Malayali character. The common male dress is the white 'mundu' or cloth which is worn around the waist. A small upper garment ie. 'thorthu' is also worn over the shoulder.

Ornaments of different patterns are used by women of all communities and castes. These ornaments are for the neck, the arm, the nose, and the ankle. The oldest ornament of the 'Nair' women for the neck was the serpent's hood, so called after the shape of the pendant. Among other necklaces were 'nalupanti', 'addiyar', 'puthali', 'avil mala', 'patakkam' etc. The ornaments for the nose were 'mukkuthi' and 'nattu'. The 'Namboothiri' women do not wear costly ornaments. The 'Kaasumala' and the 'oddyanam' were the most characteristic of their ornaments.

Kerala Ornamental Designs have made a special mark in the history of jewelry making. The jewelry patterns having its origin in Kerala are unique and classical. These designs tend to lean towards creating a bigger look at the jewelry and have a dark yellow stint to them.

Keralites are one of the very few people in the world to wear golden anklets, while other consider wearing golden ornaments below the waist line to be ominous.

Kerala remains on top among the states where gold ornaments play a vital role in a wedding. Kerala marriages continue to include highest quantities of gold as sridhaan.

Traditional ornaments continue to influence even present gold designs and patterns of Kerala Jewelleries.

Kasu Mala (Kaasumala)
Palakka Mala
Nagapada Thali
Karimani Mala
Mullamottu Mala
Manga Mala
Cheruthali (Thalikoottam)
Addiyal
Kashali
Poothali
Jhimki

These above-listed ornamental forms remain an evergreen influence. Every household boasts of owning at least one of them. Even though it comprises only about 5% in case of the daily gold business, traditional gold ornaments remain a main asset of Kerala families.

Foreign and domestic tourists buy gold from Kerala. They are attracted by the variety of special traditional designs, mostly Kasu Mala, Palakka and Jhimki which are very popular among gold lovers around the globe.

Following traditional ornament pictures are artist's impression of traditional Kerala jewelleries graphically created in designer's perspective. They are not photographs of any actual gold jewelry.

Kasu Mala

Palakka Mala

Nagapada Thali - 1

Nagapada Thali - 2

Karimani Mala

Mullamottu Mala

Manga Mala - 1

Manga Mala - 2

Kazhuthila

Cheruthali

Avilmala

Avilmala - 2

Kandassaram

Kingini

Kuzhiminni

Pulinakhamala

Kumbilmala

Pathakkam

Lakshmimala

Poothali

Kuzhalmothiram

Thoda

Mukkolakkallu

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Credits: KeralaGold

Kerala Summer Vacation - a complete family package

2012-04-15T00:14:00.001-07:00

Summer Vacation in Kerala- a complete family package.

Come summer and the first thought on everyone's mind in the family is vacationing. One does not have to think hard to choose a place. Kerala - God's own country is the right place for the whole family. For the adventure seeking members what more than trekking the Sahyadris.

A pleasant houseboat tour along the backwaters of Kerala will be a revitalizing and soothing experience for all those who have been slogging all round the year to beat deadlines at their work.

The beaches in Kerala also offer exotic experience for everyone with its unique taste of seafood.

The Chinese fishing nets are just awesome.

For all those who want to soothe their mind and body can avail of Ayurvedic body massage by experienced specialists that really rejuvenates the body.

The summer season provides abundance of fruits in Kerala. Jackfruits, mangoes, pineapples are in plenty during this season. Foodies would love to visit Kerala at this time of the year. Jackfruit itself is an ingredient in many recipes like jackfruit chips, chakkavarattiyathu (kind of jackfruit jam), chakka eriseri made from 'not the fully ripe ones' and chakka aviayal to name a few.

Last but not the least to mention gold ornaments suitable for all seasons and designer sarees for all occasions for the ladies.

There is an array of religious festivals like Thrissur pooram etc coming up in the coming month and is a visual treat and a novel experience too.

Now this is what I call a complete family package for a summer vacation. So what are you waiting for. Go ahead and pamper yourself and your family to a summer vacation to Kerala.

Guruvayur Vishukani 2012

2012-03-29T13:49:00.000-07:00

Guruvayur Vishukani 2012

Vishu, which falls on April 14, 2012, is considered as the astrological New Year by Keralites. Actual Malayalam New Year falls on Chingam 1st which is in mid August.

The day begins with Vishukani, which means the first sight on Vishu day. Lord Krishna's idol is decorated and new clothes, coins, gold ornaments, fruits, vegetables, dhaanyam (cereals), konna flower, coconut,mirror, kumkum, Nilavilakku etc are placed in the puja room and people wake up to this sight on Vishu. Such a ritual is to signify the fact that their whole year will be prosperous by beginning the year with such bountiful sight. Then comes the Vishu kaineettam. The eldermost member of the household distributes money to the other members of the family. As children we loved this particular ritual during Vishu especially because we used to get a lot of money just before the summer vacation.

Guruvayur is one of the most famous Krishna temples in India. Here the deity is in the form of Unnikrishnan (a little boy). Vishukani here is very elaborate and people flock to get a glimpse of their most revered God on this auspicious day. Special arrangements are made at Guruvayur to accommodate the influx of devotees on this particular day.

No festival is complete without the sumptuous sadhya.

Paalpayasam is a major attraction of the feast.

Astrologers make predictions on Vishu day for the whole year and it is called vishufalam.

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Thrissur Pooram - Vadakkumnathan Lord Shiva Temple - May 2012

2012-03-28T02:50:00.001-07:00

Thrissur Pooram

Vadakkumnathan Lord Shiva Temple

Thrissur Pooram is one of the most striking and aesthetically colourful festivals in Kerala. The prominent venue of the pooram festival Vadakkumanathan Temple, which is recently recommended by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESO) to include in its list of World Heritage Sites.

This festival is celebrated once yearly on the pooram day which falls in the month of Medam, somewhere between April and May month. The festival's history dates back to the 18th century and introduced by Sakthan Thampuran, then Maharaja of the Cochin State. The procession of large collection, close to 50 or more, of decorated elephants is the most prominent event in Thrissur Pooram, followed by ezhunnellippu programme, a ritual depicting the visit of the Goddess Devi from the Paramekkavu and Thiruvambadi temples to the Vadakkunnathan temple.

Another remarkable event of the Pooram festival is the Panchavadyam in which hundreds of artistes from several disciplines, such as Thimila, Maddalam, Trumpet, Cymbal and Edakka, participate and add color to the festivity season. The Pooram begins with offsetting of the 'Pandemelam' at noon in which several hundreds of artistes plays esthetical tunes pleasing the God as well as the disciples.

The elephants that participate in the procession are decorated with nettipattam (decorative headdress), beautiful crafted umbrella, the kolam, decorative bells and ornaments, etc. Several types of processions are carried out during the course of the festival and they are Kudamattom (umbrella showing competition), Elanjitharamelam (drum concerts), spectacular firework displays are the cynosure of Pooram that draws unbelievable number of people to the city.

Another eye-catching event is the fireworks, which starts much early in the morning before the dawn, approximately about 3 o'clock and lasts till the whole day ends.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcrpLm6yqpWuLx4xOReJkdSQvWdkQMthILZWcrG9TxW2OPR8hz3arOxF0-Qb5h_jx5Frjmr_Tsgtzry3T7A-PTY7oSQnGlfavqtDZ5Q6pmaKWVHBBoaaW2Jyvv5Dzriv168RyXCwSg-iM/s1600/Thrissur+temple+pooram+festival+kerala+india+trichur+malayali+asia+2011+photos+pictures+snaps.JPG

Constituent temples of Thrissur Pooram are Paramekkavu and Tiruvambadi, which are situated in the vicinity of the Vadakunnathan temple. Other Temples include:
Kanimangalam Sastha,

Chembukkavu Bagavathy,

Panamukkumpally Sastha,

Pookkattikkara - Karamukku Baghavathy,

Laloor Baghavathy,

Choorakkottukavu Bagavathy,

Ayyanthole Bagavathy

Nethilakkavu Bagavathy.

Elamkavu Attuvela Mahotsavam 2012 - Kerala

2012-03-26T10:54:00.001-07:00

Elamkavu Attuvela Mahotsavam 2012 - Kerala

The Attuvela Mahotsavam is a two-day water carnival on the river Vadayar culminating at the Elamkavu Bhagavathy Temple in the ‘Meenam’ month of the Malayalam calendar. This temple is located around 6 km from Vaikom en route to Kottayam. It took place on March 24 and 25, 2012. This festival celebrates the visit of Goddess Bhagavathy of Kodungalloor who is believed to be Elamkavu Devi's sister.

The main attraction of the Attuvela Mahotsavam festival is the procession of lit up canoes that carry huge temple replicas through the water towards the Elankavu Bhagavathy Temple. Goddess Bhagavathy who is the presiding idol in this temple is worshipped during this Mahotsavam. Many small canoes that are beautifully decorated with vibrant colours, and percussion music accompany the procession.

Another important ritual during this festivity is the Garudan Thookkam (Eagle hanging). The speciality here is that this is also done on small boats accompanying the procession. In Garudan Thookam, people who dress up as Garudan perform the dance and are hung from a shaft with hooks hooked to their skin. According to mythology, after slaying Darika, Kali was still thirsty and insatiable. To quench her thirst, Lord Vishnu had to send Garuda to Kali. A dancing and bleeding Garuda finally is able to pacify Goddess Kali with drops of his blood. This ritual is performed in this belief to appease the Goddess.

The Attuvela Mahotsavam Festival , 2012 was attended by thousands of people making it an even more memorable event. The beautifully illuminated canoes carrying Elankavu temple replica is a visual treat to the eyes of the on lookers.

Credits:
Mrs. Eswari Amma of KrishnaVilasam
Mr. Arjun
Mrs. Shylaja Sreekumar
KeralamAnywhere Admin

©www.keralamanywhere.com

Onam Festival 2012 - Onam in Kerala

2012-03-26T05:12:00.001-07:00

Onam Festival in Kerala

Onam is the most important festival in Kerala, which is a one-of-its-kind and celebrated throughout the entire state irregardless of any differences, whatsoever. Onam is when the entire state parties, with a myriad of events such as boat races, cultural activities, such as songs, dances, festivity cuisines, as much exotica as one can take. Onam is celebrated in gratitude for the bounties of the land, for all that nature provides for the people. On a slightly different level, the festival also keeps alive the legend of a benevolent ancient ruler called Mahabali, who, it is believed, again visits his subjects - the people of Kerala - during Onam.

History of Onam:
As history stands, Kerala was ruled by a king Mahabali who otherwise being a good ruler was egoistic. Under his reign, Kerala witnessed its golden era as everybody prospered and were happy. Since he was a cruel king, Mahabali’s growing popularity made the Gods uneasy and hence they used his one shortcoming against him to end his reign. However, Gods granted him a boon that he could visit his people once in a year and it is his visit that is celebrated as Onam every year in Kerala.

How onam is celebrated?
For the festival, preparations start as much as 10 days in advance. Festivity preparations are not confined to temples, but to each and every single home. Homes are revamped, cleaned and thresholds are decorated with flower mat called a 'pookalam'; everybody’s in new clothes, and there’s much feasting on delicacies such as the immensely popular rice pudding, payasam.

Pookalam:

Pujas take place in homes and temples, and grand processions that include richly caparisoned elephants, dancers and musicians, wend their way through towns and villages, accompanied by fireworks and cheering crowds.

The most important feature of Onam celebrations is a grand feast known as Onasadya that is prepared on Thiruonam which is the important day of celebrations. The feast is essentially a nine course meal featuring 11 to 13 dishes and is traditionally served on a banana leaf.

Kathakali performances and boat races - locally known as vallamkali - are also permanent fixtures during the Onam celebrations. The towns of Kottayam and Aranmulai are, in particular, famed for their Onam boat races.

Onam Rituals
Onam is the most important festival in Kerala and people of Kerala start preparing for Onam days ahead. Although the festivities for Onam last for ten days the two most important days of the festival are the first day and the last or the tenth day.

The first day or Atham is considered as an auspicious day by the people of Kerala as it marks the beginning of Onam. The most important feature of this day is the making of pookalam (floral carpet) which is made by the girls of the house while the boys gather fresh flowers required to make a pookalam.
The pookalam is made in order to welcome the spirit of King Mahabali in whose honour the festival of Onam is celebrated. Everyday fresh flowers are added to the pookalam design resulting in a huge flower carpet on the tenth day.

After offering their morning prayers people sit down to enjoy the scrumptious breakfast of steamed bananas and fried pappadam. This is a fixed breakfast during the ten days of Onam festivities.
Thiruonam or the tenth day of Onam is considered as the big day when entire Kerala is decked up with fresh flowers and everyone wishes each other ‘Thiruonam Aashamsakal’ which translated means Onam wishes to everyone.

People make conical figures of sticky clay and paint them red. These figures are then decorated with rice-flour and water and then placed in the front courtyard and prominent places in the house.

Onam Celebration:

Onam Dances
Another remarkable thing of Onam is its various dances that are performed during the course of festivities. Some of the prominent dance performances are Kummatti kali - The Mask Dance, Pulikali / Kaduvakali, Kathakali, Thumbi Thullal and Kaikotti kali.

In 2013, Onam falls in the month of September and on 16th.

sources: web

Indian Cinema & Press Media- getting adulterated?

2012-03-24T07:30:00.003-07:00

Indian Cinema & Press Media - getting adulterated?

Today, while glancing through the supplementary edition of a famous newspaper, a quarter page article titled "Can Sunny Leone be the next Silk Smitha?" was an eye-catcher. There have been lot of updates about this so-called "adult star" in the recent times all over the media. With great surprise about what is special with this actor, further reading the article which had many excerpts of statements by several directors from Bollywood and Kollywood leaves you in shock and surprise . These directors have unanimously stated that they are ready to cast her when they come across a suitable role.

Who is this Sunny Leone? She is an artist who has acted in several porn movies and have posed nude for several adult magazines in foreign countries, such as USA, Canada.

Pornography in India? Pornography in any form, way, or fashion is prohibited and is an offense punishable by law in India. Indian law prevents publication, selling, circulation, possession of adult magazines such as Playboy, Penthouse and offenders are punishable by law. Needless to say, as like every other illegal thing, shops and publishers continue to publish erotic stories and pictures and circulate them illegally, without warranting much attraction from the eye of law.

When pornography is banned in India, what about a pornstar? As part of evolution of film industry, separate associations for directors, producers, actors, co-artists, skilled workers, etc. exist to define rules and regulations in order to maintain peace in the film industry and to solve disputes. More commonly, we read news about actors being banned for alleged violations of rules set by associations, be it for nonadherence to keep up the call sheet schedule, slander, libel or bad-mouthing.

As our film history stands, we have had glamour artists and, in the more years, item numbers, but they have all added a pinch of glamour to it and not explicit sexuality at all.

This type of articles promoting a porn star, when pornography is banned, must be condemned and prohibited. More shocking are the statements of film directors.

What film industry is up to? As the title stands, "Can Sunny Leone be the next Silk Smitha" It is really a shame comparing our film artists of any sort with a porn star.

Everyone will agree that there are a large number of talented artists in India and there is no reason for bringing a porn star into an industry, unless they are going to shoot real pornographic films.

Press behind money? Publishing these types of articles on a quarter page which has news about other popular cine celebrities is highly unwarranted and objectionable.

Press media must act responsible and not publish these kind of "cheap" things just for the sake of sensation?

With the prevalent competition among press media, and the increasing circulation of newspaper, and as statistics read, Indian has the second largest circulation and newspaper readers in the world, publishing unworthy articles will deliver wrong message to the public.

What results will a kid get in Google if he searches for Sunny Leone? The first thing would be pornstar.

What happens if a kid wants to know what is pornography and who is an adult star?

Concluding this with hopes that someone somewhere from a press media or film industry will read this and react to this.

Jai Hind

Yahoo vs Facebook - Yahoo sues Facebook for potential patent infringement

2012-03-23T09:03:00.000-07:00

Patent Fights

As Yahoo struggles to keep up with younger competitors, the Web portal company is weighing a new tactic: threatening legal action over its patent holdings.

Yahoo is seeking to force Facebook into licensing 10 to 20 patents over technologies that include advertising, the personalization of Web sites, social networking and messaging, people briefed on the matter told DealBook.

The two companies spoke on Monday to discuss the issue, with Yahoo contending that Facebook is infringing on 10 to 20 patents, according to these people, who were not authorized to discuss the issue publicly. Yahoo is asking Facebook to pay licensing fees or risk facing a lawsuit.

“Yahoo has a responsibility to its shareholders, employees and other stakeholders to protect its intellectual property,” a Yahoo spokesman said in an e-mailed statement. “We must insist that Facebook either enter into a licensing agreement or we will be compelled to move forward unilaterally to protect our rights.”

Barry Schnitt, a spokesman for Facebook, said in a statement: “Yahoo contacted us the same time they called The New York Times and so we haven’t had the opportunity to fully evaluate their claims.”

Patent fights are nothing new in Silicon Valley, with the realm of smartphones having become the most visible backdrop for such battles. Google paid $12.5 billion for Motorola Mobility last year largely to get access to the phone maker’s intellectual property. And a consortium of companies led by Apple and Microsoft paid $4.5 billion for more than 6,000 patents held by Nortel, the defunct communications equipment maker.

Apple, Samsung and other smartphone makers have also been locked in an array of courtroom brawls around the world over various patents.

But intellectual property battles have yet to arise en masse among social networking players.

It is unclear when Yahoo and Facebook began discussions over possible infringement of the former’s intellectual property. But Yahoo’s saber-rattling happens to come at a delicate time for Facebook, which is preparing to go public this spring in one of the most anticipated market debuts in years.

Yahoo talked up the value of its more than 1,000 patents late last year, amid a strategic review that included potentially selling a stake to outside investors.

The patents at issue include some of the first awarded to Yahoo, people close to the company said. It also gained a trove of intellectual property from the 2003 purchase of Overture Services, a search-advertising company that sued companies like Google over patent issues.

In its statement, Yahoo said that other unspecified Web technology companies have already licensed some of the patents in question.

It is unclear how much money Yahoo could wrangle out of any potential agreement with Facebook. After purchasing Overture, Yahoo settled the acquired company’s battle with Google in 2004, receiving 2.7 million shares in the search giant before it went public.

Last year, IEEE Spectrum, a technology publication, rated Yahoo’s patents as the most valuable among those for communications and Internet services.

Some investors believe that Yahoo’s intellectual property could give the company ammunition against Facebook. Eric Jackson, a managing member of the hedge fund Ironfire Capital, argued on Forbes in November that the Web pioneer should use its patent armory to wring a handsome payout from Facebook.

HP All-in-one PC HERO SKUs Omni 120-1110il & 120-2110il

2012-03-23T09:00:00.001-07:00

HP - AIO “HERO SKUs” Omni 120-1110il & 120-2110il

by Suji » Fri Mar 23, 2012 4:55 pm

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Omni 120-1110il - Black

: Launching for the 1st time ever – AIO “HERO SKUs” Omni 120-1110il & 120-2110il; hp1.png (157.88 KiB) Viewed 26 times

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സുജിറ്റ് മേനോന്‍ -

Agent Vinod - Movie Review - 2012

2012-03-19T11:46:00.001-07:00

Agent Vinod (2012 film)

Agent Vinod is an impending movie soon to be released starring Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor. This move is written and directed by Sriram Raghavan. Saif Ali Khan produce this movie the banner of Illuminati Films. Kareena does opposite to Saif Ali Khan. This movie was originally set to be released in December 2011, but was delayed due to mixup of schedules.

The audio was released on February 22, 2012 and was reported to have received a mixed response. Pritam composed 13 numbers for this movie, and the track "Steal the Night (I'll Do the Talking)" is said to be a partial interpolation of the 1978 chartbuster "Rasputin", composed by German disco group Boney M.

Theatrical Trailer

This title is all over the news and headlines, obviously, because of the on-screen couple's off-screen relationship. We will have to do a watchful waiting to see the response of a full-length spy-based Indian movie. This genre is nothing unfamiliar to Indian cinema, though always with a blend of suspense-thriller ingredient to it. We have had little to no well-packed James Bond-type movies on screen. While superhero movies have been well received here, let us see if the spy trick works here.

Next Generation Full HD 3D LED TV with Passive Polarized Glasses from LG

2012-03-19T10:03:00.001-07:00

Full HD 3D LED TV with Passive Polarized Glasses from LG

LG seems to have rolled out a few 3D variants models recently that come with 2 pairs of glasses. Reportedly, these glasses, known to be "passive glasses" which are polarized, work without battery or any power and is similar to anaglyph glasses, but polarized. Polarized passive glasses are the most advanced form of passive glasses that can be used on a home TV set.

Also, LG claims it to be flicker-free which is a significant feature for reducing strain on eyes and provides 4 of them and a replacement would cost you only 800 bucks just in case.

Remarkable Features:
1. Passive glasses - which does not require any battery or charging, which makes it weigh less than the traditional polarized glasses as well as the cost which is 1/3 less than the original polarized.
2. True motion picture - 400 hz
3. Built-in Media player-like features - enabling users to view movies and pictures via USB.

2012-03-15T22:13:00.000-07:00

Congruence of Samajams in Avadi

On March 11, 2012, Board members of 12 Malayalee Samajams in and around Avadi and Ambattur organized a meeting at Hotel Preetha Garden. This meeting was presided by Mr. Hi-Tech Manoharan, who is an ardent patron of arts and an active social personality. The members passed a resolution to work in unison in order to voice the concerns of Malayalees residing in Avadi and Ambattur area (considerable number) and also to send a request to the Central Government to provide a scheduled stop for Mangalapuram Chennai Mail at Avadi.

Source: Member

KeralamAnywhere.com

Pathiramanal - an Island in Kerala, Alappuzha District

2012-03-11T09:17:00.002-07:00

Pathiramanal Island

Pathiramanal from the other side of the bank

Pathiramanal is a small island in the Alappuzha district. 'Pathiramanal' implies the meaning 'Sands of night'. This is one of the must-see destinations to be included when one is touring Alappuzha. The scenic beauty is marvellous that it is treat for the eyes when viewed from far and a paradise when you go there.

Island from the other side:

Shore of Pathiramanal Island

The Pathiramanal Island is calculated to have an area of about 28.505 ha and located approximately 13 kms from Alappuzha and around 4 kms from Kumarakom, a houseboat destination. The lake is situated in the midst of Vempanad lake.

One can reach the island by way of a motor boat which takes about 30 mins from the Alappuzha town. Bet that the 30 minutes would be one of the life's best moments. Alternative ways to get there is by boat transport via the Muhumma-Kumarkoam route, which takes about 40 mins. Either way, again, the travel time to get there will be a great experience that one must not miss.

The island is a paradise, not only for us, but also for the birds and is a visual treat for the photography, especially those who emphasis on birding. It is claimed to be a home of around 91 local species of birds and 50 migratory birds.

So, what are you waiting for, include this in your tour itenary and let us know about your experience?

KeralamAnywhere.com