Perumal Murugan on his Amma

Amma—is the first word a child utters. Amma—a term that suffices numerous meanings for us when in distress. Amma—a word which we say 100 times a day yet many a time we take her for granted. Her emotions, needs, dreams, and sacrifices are never given any importance. Author Perumal Murugan in his latest book Amma pays tribute to his mother in the most beautiful and poetic way and makes the reader question her relationship with her mother.

At the recently concluded 5^th edition of Kerala Literature Festival held in Kozhikode, the Tamil writer spoke about the reason behind his latest book, his style of writing and struggles. Murugan’s Amma captures the life of his mother, who with limited means managed to raise a family and defeat societal stereotypes like gender, religion, and poverty. “My mother was uneducated but strong-willed. It was she who took me out from a narrow world. She did it naturally. Her contribution to my writing personality has been a strong backdrop,” shared the winner of ILF Samanvay Bhasha Samman for writing in Indian languages.

Books, Literature

By Geetha Jayaraman

January 23, 2020

Ikigai: Finding joy in your life

Are you all up for ‘New Year, New Me’ motto? Have you been striving to find a perfect ‘work-life’ balance? Then Ikigai, the age-old Japanese concept is what you are looking for. Award-winning self-help writer and author of IKIGAI: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life, Francesc Miralles, who was in Kerala for the 5^th edition of Kerala Literature Festival held at Kozhikode, spoke about the importance of this Japanese concept which means ‘The reason for being’ is the reason for a happy and long life. According to him, finding the ‘Why’ of life is the most important step towards Ikigai.

“This is a book to read, think and analyse,” explained Miralles, who co-authored this book with Héctor García. He met Garcia while in search of his ikigai and learnt about the Japanese island of Okinawa, where Ikigai has its origins. Okinawa is popularly known for the largest population of centenarians in the world.

Features

By Geetha Jayaraman

January 21, 2020

K R Meera: Writers don’t have the option of being apolitical

George Orwell once said, “In our age there is no such thing as ‘keeping out of politics.’ All issues are political issues, and politics itself is a mass of lies, evasions, folly, hatred and schizophrenia.”

Leading Malayalam writer and Kendra Sahitya Akademi awarding-winning author KR Meera talks about how writers do not have the option to be apolitical at the recently concluded 5^th edition of Kerala Literature Festival held in Kozhikode. The Kottayam-based author is known for her writing on subjects that are hard-hitting and questions the role of women in the patriarchal setting.

“Every writer is a political writer,” stated Meera at the very beginning of the interview and adds, “It is very difficult for any writer to shut down from what is happening in and around society. And as a writer, we reflect on what’s happening in society through our writing. Writing’s a mixture of conscious and unconscious creative thinking— intuition and craft—it feels very unnatural to analyse it in any other kind of systematic way.”

Literature

By Geetha Jayaraman

November 21, 2019

Kondotty Sufi Fest: A Mystical Journey

The chirping of the birds in Kondotty had a sufi cadence that day, perhaps it was a sign of the soulful music we were to experience by artists Shabnam Virmani, Sumangala Damodaran and Ehsan Ali on the first day of the IQRA: Kondotty Sufi Fest.

Kondotty, in Malappuram district, has a rich heritage of mappilla pattu and sufism. The history of Kondotty is enmeshed with the lives of the Kondotty Thangals, the 18^th century Sufi exponents.

The two-day festival spread across Kondotty and its surroundings was a celebration of the rich culture of the region. Artist Riyas Komu, the curator of the festival, said, “Kondotty is a fascinating site as there were arrivals through the sea and across the land by Portuguese and Middle-Eastern merchants. The trade route was the integral link for the flourishing of local economy, arts and culture.”

Art, Culture, Features, Society

By Geetha Jayaraman

October 4, 2019

Ni Hao 你好 Chinese Traveller! Kerala Beckons

Tourism in India has generated around Rs 16.91 lakh crore ($240 billion), which is 9.2 percent of India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2018. And about 12 per cent of Kerala’s GDP comes from this sector. The state has rebounded quickly from the devastating floods and the Nipah scare in 2018, and received a large inflow of both international and domestic tourists. According to an Economic Times report, Kerala recorded a 6 per cent growth in tourist arrivals in 2018 as against the previous year. The growth in the first quarter of this year has been impressive too, with a 12.36 growth in foreign and 20 per cent increase in domestic tourists.

Kerala Tourism is now looking East trying to tap the Chinese market—targeting the young travellers—as it registers a high number of young, educated and resource-rich travel lovers. But India is yet to figure in their list of top eight destinations for the Chinese travellers. And Kerala sees very few Chinese travellers and in 2018, less than 10,000 arrived—still a significant jump from the previous year.

At the recently concluded third edition of International Conference on Tourism Technology organised by Association of Tourism Trade Organisations (ATTOI), India in collaboration with Kerala Tourism, Beijing-based tourism expert Richard Matuzevich of the World Tourism Cities Federation, who presented a session on ‘How to do Social Media Tourism Promotion to get Chinese Tourists’ stated that India can woo high-spending Chinese tourists by improving basic infrastructure and by providing exceptional service. “Chinese travellers are boosting the tourism sector all over the world and with the opening up of the market, it holds a huge market potential in India.”

Economy, Kerala, People, Society, Tourism, Travel

By Geetha Jayaraman

October 1, 2019

Street theatre fest in Kochi: Thought provoking and delightful

The stage was set for four days of debate and dialogue when the fifth edition of Kochi’s street theatre fest Theruvarangu unfolded in four different corners of Ernakulam. As the sun dipped, the voices started echoing in the quiet by-lanes, away from the bustle of the city. These were voices of revolutionaries fighting oppression, the youth questioning religious diktats, themes of socio-political issues amongst others. Theruvarangu organised by PJ Antony Foundation was inaugurated by renowned drama artiste Prasanna at the Ernakulam Public Library.

Telugu play titled Veera Telangana by Hyderabad-based theatre group Praja Natya Mandali opened the fest. Using various theatre techniques, the Telangana movement was enacted reinforcing the social, ritual, moral and emotional realities of the common people. They used the folk art form called Burrakatha, a well-known and popular technique of storytelling in the Andhra region. It focussed on the heroism of a peasant who fought valiantly against the oppression of the feudal landlord.

The story stressed that the heroism of a simple peasant could mobilize other peasants and turn into a revolution. Through music and dialogue, the play was able to awaken the audience towards anti-social elements, exploitation by capitalists and social evils. The street play also reflected on the present-day socio-political situation in the country.

Entertainment, Features, Kerala, Theatre

By Geetha Jayaraman

September 23, 2019

Vimatha Rationalia 2019: Dialogue on Gender Inclusiveness

“Culture does not make people. People make culture. If it is true that the full humanity of women is not our culture, then we can and must make it our culture.”

―Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, We Should All Be Feminists

The Yuktivadi Sangham, Palakkad organised the ‘Vimatha Rationalia 19’, a two-day event, held recently in Palakkad. The program focused on measures to weave gender equality and inclusion into “culture” in all spheres of society, mentor young women to participate in politics, and create synergies among networks advancing these issues. It had 12 women speakers and one representing the LGBT community speaking about building a safer, fairer and more sustainable future.

Daily, Featured, Gender, Religion, Society

By Geetha Jayaraman

September 20, 2019

Buyers Beware: When Investing In Waterfront Properties In Kochi

In a place that is surrounded by water bodies, how cautious should new buyers be while buying property to avoid flouting Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms? This must be on every Kochiite’s mind post the Supreme Court order to demolish four prime properties in Maradu, Kochi for violating the CRZ rules. Was there information asymmetry? Were the residents of the apartments aware that the builders had violated CRZ rules? In this case 350 flat buyers seem to have thrown all caution to the wind when they invested heavily in these water-front properties which would have cost (by a rough estimate) nearly a crore per apartment.

The Apex court’s latest directive came on September 6, 2019 questioning the Kerala Government’s failing to carry out its May 8 order to demolish four apartment buildings—Holy Faith H2O, Alfa Serene, Jain’s Coral Cove and Golden Kayaloram by builders Holy Faith, Alfa Ventures, Jain Housing and K P Varkey & V S Builders respectively, for violating CRZ norms. In the face of losing their homes, the residents of these apartments have refused to vacate their flats and politicians of all hues have descended in front of the buildings in solidarity with the residents.

Besides the huge financial costs to bring down the four buildings and the possibility of environmental as well as infrastructural damage in the surrounding areas, it’s causing a huge headache to the Kerala government caught between the SC verdict and the emotional outpouring of the residents who are about to lose their life savings and their homes.

Daily, Featured, Housing, Kerala, Trending

By Geetha Jayaraman

July 22, 2019

The Churches of India: History, Architecture and Legends

Contrary to popular belief, Christianity did not arrive in India with colonisation but is among the most ancient religions of the sub-continent. Interestingly, it is also said that Christians came to India sailing across the Arabian Sea and along the flourishing spice trade route not to trade but to escape persecution.

Sydney-based architectural historian, author, and photographer Joanne Taylor in her latest book The Churches of India, published by Niyogi Books, talks about her various fascinating discoveries about Indian churches—their history, architecture and legends.

Through her book, Joanne gives the reader a deep insight into the range of churches, from the grand to the humble, its architecture and history. In an interview with The Kochi Post, she speaks about her love for the country, the early arrival of Christianity, why she started on her book in Kerala and more.

Architecture, Books, Culture, Interview, Kerala, Religion

By Geetha Jayaraman