Solar power is a wonderful thing. It costs next to nothing to produce, requires little maintenance and its raw material is never-ending. Apart from the big oil mafia, the only thing that could hinder the generation of solar power at massive scales is the unavailability of large parcels of flat land to install solar panels,…
Oppam was a much-hyped Malayalam movie starring Mohanlal, hyped because it was directed by Priyadarshan. The actor-director duo who are real-life childhood friends had once upon a time produced a string of Malayalam comedy and drama movies, all of which have become cult classics and shaped how Malayalis think and laugh, even three decades since….
So, India is a wonderful democratic country under the rule of the law and constitution that even an alleged beggar can go up to the Supreme Court and get his death sentence for murder case commuted to just seven years in prison without anyone, not the courts or the police or the government making any effort to…
People are dumbfounded at Kerala appointing retired tennis legend Steffi Graf as the state’s brand ambassador for Ayurveda. Aren’t there enough eligible Mallus in Malluland to promote Ayurveda? Why Graf when we have Sreesanth? (OK bad joke). The reason is simple. She is selected to promote Ayurveda (and Kerala) outside India and not within the…
Kerala’s once-prosperous and mighty “Red Elephant” (aanavandi) is all but skin and bones today, but nursing it back to health is not Mangalyaan-science as explained in the previous chapter. However, there is a much deeper reason behind KSRTC’s present crisis than simple financial travails. Without fixing that, any kind of solution implemented will only be temporary. In the last…
The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has a long and illustrious history that precedes even the state of Kerala or India. It starts in 1937 when the Travancore State Transport Department was constituted by HH Sree Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, the Maharaja of Travancore. The first buses were imported from England. Post independence the TSTD was incorporated as an…
Malayalam cinema today lost one of its pillars. One of the “shilpis” and evergreen actresses of Malayalam cinema, S. Sukumari fondly called Sukumari Amma by her fans and industry friends passed away in a Chennai hospital today, March 23 2013 as a result of a Cardiac Arrest. To the uninitiated, she was one of the…
By the time Std.9 was over, all energies of the Universe was directed at making us cram our everlasting lives out preparing for those final two “boards” weeks. The tension and stress was unbearable. Forget sports and so-called extra-curricular activities, even sleep had to be put aside in preparation for the coming war. All imaginable arrangements…
Ranjith does it again! The ace Malayalam movie director known for his prowess of dealing with the life and times and social issues picked right out of contemporary Kerala society gives us “Spirit”, his latest offering. Teaming up with Mohanlal, he delivers a classy outing of a movie built up on one of the most…
22 Female, Kottayam is a movie with a spine. Among the bold new movies of Malayalam cinema, it shows things that people would generally not like to see, what movie makers traditionally would refuse to show. It is a small but radically different movie, made with lots of sincerity and heart with a small star cast churning…
The hallowed populace of Malluland is widely known for their mastery over languages, the ability to assimilate any phonetic material with elan, no matter how complicated it might be, maybe thanks to the tongue twister Malayalam is generally known to be. The Malayali learns the language of the place he goes with elan, something that…
The honorable Minister for Railways Sri. Dinesh Trivedi presented his maiden Railway Budget today on March 14th 2012. This budget was expected to be a landmark one, mainly because of the Railways’ enormous fiscal deficit of and industry watchers and everyone else were watching keenly on what the Minister would do to address this. For…