PULIKALI - leopards and tigers tell tales

Pulikali is a vibrant folk dance form with a historical legacy that has adapted to contemporary social mores and is performed prominently in the town of Thrissur. The word ‘puli’ in Malayalam refers to both leopards and tigers and the word ‘kali’ means play and the words together means ‘ translating to a play about leopards or tigers’. 

Performed by trained artists to entertain people on the occasion of Onam, the annual harvest festival in Kerala, performances consist of tableaux of performers as vividly painted representations of tigers, hunters and other animals, enacting stories about tigers hunting other animals and human hunters stalking tigers accompanied by percussion ensembles.

The Maharaja of Kochi Rama Varma ‘Sakthan Thampuran’ is believed to have introduced the folk art more than 200 years ago. In keeping with martial traditions of his army, he sought a form that reflected the macho ethos of his fighting forces to celebrate Onam.  A striking feature of this folk art is the vividly colored make up of the performers. A mixture of tempera and varnish or sometimes enamel is used to make the paint. To start with, hair is carefully removed from the bodies of the dancers. The base coat of paint is then applied. A couple of hours to allow the paint to dry and then the second coat applied and topped off with intricate design motifs. This entire process takes several hours and often starts in the early hours of the morning.

On the fourth day of Onam celebrations, performers painted in yellow, red, and black dance to the pulsating rhytms ‘udukkus and ‘thakils’. The udukku is a percussion instrument, a hollow double ended drum which tapers towards the middle from either side, for ease of holding in hand. The player holds this percussion instrument in a horizontal position. The pitch of the instrument can be varied either by tightening or loosening the rope that gives tension for the leather surface. The thakil is a two-sided, barrel shaped percussion instrument made from the wood of a jackfruit tree and leather and is played by using a stick on one side and capped fingers on the other side.

By afternoon groups of performers or 'sangams' as they are called and floats from different areas of Thrissur town and its neighborhood move in a procession, dancing and miming their parts to the beat of the drums. The different troupes vie with each other to make the best floats as well as the best dressed tigers. The processions eventually converge on a roundabout in the heart of the city. Thousands of spectators line the streets cheering the dancers with some of them even trying to join in. The performances end in front of an ancient temple, the Vadakkunnathan Temple and performers will offer a coconut each to Ganesh, the Hindu god of fortune. 

Over the years, there have been many changes in the adornment of Pulikali dancers. In the past, masks were not used at all and participants would have themselves painted all over. However, today ready made masks, cosmetic teeth, tongues, beards, mustaches and broad belts with jingles are available for use by the performers.

Kayaloram - the home of good times

Kerala has set a model in nature conservation

Kerala had put forth a model for other States by initiating steps to protect ecologically fragile land, A.J.T. Johnsingh, former Dean, Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, has said.
Inaugurating a seminar on ‘Save Nelliampathy Campaign’ launched by various environmental organisations in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday, Mr. Johnsingh said Kerala’s passion for conservation of nature was, in fact, a model for the rest of the country. The government was moving in the right direction and with people’s support, should be able to take over encroached lands, particularly the Nelliampathy estates in the Nemmara division.
Western Ghats
Such steps were essential for the protection of the Western Ghats. The primary function of such forests was to help rainfall, for which water conservation through protection of the forests was essential. The government should have the will power to evict those who had violated laws here, he said, pointing out that illegal developers meant more roads, which, in turn, meant more destruction of the forests.
States like Tamil Nadu did not have provisions for protection of ecologically fragile land, and in Kerala, where a strong model existed in the form of the Parambikulam sanctuary, a lot more could be done to conserve the forests.
Earlier, delivering the presidential address, poet and social activist Sugathakumari said the apathy on the part of the government in bringing violators of environmental laws to book was continuing and the situation was getting worse.
From Forest officials to the public and to politicians, there was a general trend to look down upon law and to disrespect law. There were official attempts as well to push forward small-scale farmers and labourers as pawns to fight whoever raised their voice in support of the environment.
The establishment had always been against those fighting for conservation of the environment and ways have to be devised to counter this attitude.
Calling upon forest officials to raise their voice against destruction of nature, Ms. Sugathakumari said more than environmental activists discussing such issues among themselves, the issue had to be taken to people’s representatives.

Mudumalai and Annamalai reserves buck global trend of declining biodiversity

Even as biodiversity decline is being reported from national parks worldwide, Mudumalai and Anamalai tiger reserves in Tamil Nadu have shown positive trends in sustaining its rich variety of flora and fauna.
This is the conclusion of a study taken up in 60 reserves in various parts of the world by a team of biodiversity researchers numbering more than 200. Raman Sukumar of the Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore (IISc), who was part of the team of researchers said that the mammalian fauna of Mudumalai was intact and, in fact, increasing.
Citing the example of both tiger and the elephant population in this dry, deciduous forest, Prof. Sukumar said: “The tiger is always considered as being at the apex of the food chain and also representing the health of the ecosystem. Similarly, the research has also showed that forest cover in both the reserves was largely intact for the past several decades.”
“Protected areas are often thought of as the last bastions of plant and animal species in a world that is experiencing rapid erosion in biodiversity as a consequence of developmental pressure. This belief has never been explicitly tested worldwide to see how effectively protected areas are performing in the biodiversity rich tropical regions,” he said.
The analysis published last month in the international journal Nature by a global consortium of conservation scientists examined the issue through data on biodiversity trends, developments and other environmental pressures over the last three decades at 60 protected areas across Asia-Pacific, African and American tropics, he said.
The study found that 50 per cent of the tropical reserves were experiencing serious declines in biodiversity, across many plant and animal groups. The ecological health of these protected areas was influenced not only by the levels of disturbance within the reserve but also the ecological pressures in the surrounding habitats.
Three important aspects mainly contributed to the biodiversity decline at the global level — habitat disruption, hunting and exploitation of forest produces. These parameters are under control in both Mudumalai and Anamalai Tiger Reserves. “In both the reserves, the forests are contiguous. Similarly, poaching and exploitation of non-timber forest produce have been significantly curbed over the past decade. Livestock grazing has also declined sharply in Mudumalai and its surrounding Sigur plateau,” he points out.
However, there is a need for monitoring the impacts of invasive species such as Lantana camara, which has expanded its growth over a period of time. Similarly, the pollution level of the Moyar, the major river flowing through the Mudumalai reserve, from its catchment in The Nilgiris, needs to be curtailed, he emphasises.

Brand Kerala - the rot beneath the hype

A cliff in Varkala

Behind the Chinese fishing nets in Fort Kochi

Vytila, Kochi city

First it was mounts of uncleared garbage that festered on its streets, and sometimes its waterways, that spoiled its picture perfect, freshly broomed look.Then came the unprecedented waves of viral fever and dengue that dented its globally acclaimed public health record.
Now it’s the food served by hundreds of hotels and restaurants that is bringing ill-repute to the state. It can land you in serious trouble and can even kill you as a young boy from Thiruvananthapuram recently learnt.
He, along with many others, ate the middle eastern chicken-roll called “shawarma” from a popular eatery in the state capital and boarded a bus to Bangalore. He also carried a couple of rolls for his onward journey.
On the way, he reportedly developed stomach pain and signs of food poisoning, and subsequently died on reaching Bangalore. Ten others, who ate from the same place ended up in hospitals, one of whom was the son of a popular actor. His entire family was hospitalised. He brought it out to the attention of the media and threatened legal action. The fiercely competitive local media made it big and triggered a chain reaction.
They peeked into several other restaurants and found that what people have been relishing in the state was mostly trash – old, decaying and foul-smelling food prepared by dirty hands in dirty vessels in horrendously unhygienic conditions. To hide the rot, they also added illegal substances.
What followed was a string of raids, not only by the food department, but also by the heads of local civic bodies. In Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi, the Mayors of the corporations went with raid-parties and TV crews. What Kerala saw for the next couple of days was exactly the opposite to the branded visage of state – its dirty kitchens and festering food.
For the first time, the prime time discussions on the sensational political murder of TP Chandrasekharan and the decay in the CPM gave way to discussions on food and hygiene. Meanwhile, there were also reports of people falling sick by food poisoning from various places in the state, a possible case of better awareness leading to a spurt in reporting. Some of the visuals that the TV cameras beamed into the smug middle class homes were gross – meat that was several days old, a kitchen that was also an overflowing latrine, excessively overused cooking oil that resembled grease, unauthorised colours and other additives, unwashed plates and utensils, and grimy kitchens.
The gravity of the situation is borne out by numbers. In the last two days, out of the 1170 odd places raided by the authorities, about half were in bad conditions and were issued notice to clean up and report again. About 70, including some outfits that were at public places such as train and bus stations, were closed down because they were too dangerous. The raids that began in different parts of the state by a severely understaffed food inspection wing are continuing. However, many of the cases that they will report might not be legally tenable because the food department does not have sufficiently equipped labs where the food samples could be tested for harmful organisms and impurities.
Interestingly, the worst culprits are two imports to Kerala’s eclectic menu: shawarma and badam milk. Shawarma came from the middle-east about a decade ago, thanks to the millions of labourers in the gulf who sustain the state’s economy, and badam milk came through the migrant workers that started flooding the state a few years go. In Kochi, migrant workers pushing carts selling badam milk is a common sight.
With the risking stink of their kitchens, the hotel and restaurants association has banned shawarma across the state as a face-saving measure. Authorities in Kochi banned push carts selling badam milk.
While the hotels and restaurants should indeed be held responsible for the gross neglect of food safety and cheating the public, the demographic transformation, the socio-economic mismatch, and the lifestyle aspirations of the people of Kerala, whether rich or poor, are also responsible for the increasing rot.
The state, which was once a rare mascot of high human development in resource-poor settings, is in decay. Organised crime in the state is on alarming rise (highest IPC crimes among mega cities reported in Kochi and and highest level of violent crimes, in Kerala, according to NCRB) which attract a lot of unemployed youths looking for quick bucks; and prohibitive labour charges have seen an influx of tens of thousands of migrants workers from West Bengal, Bihar and Orissa, that has also begun to affect the unique characteristics of the state and in some cases, led to social tension.
Its higher education sector, particularly private engineering colleges, is in a mess that even invited strict observations from the Kerala High Court and unemployment is about 10%, without taking into account huge levels of under-employment. The labour force, traditional farming sector (other than cash crops) and whatever little industrial activities left in the state are under severe stress; but the dominant demographic changes, thanks to the gulf-remittances and IT employees, have considerably transformed general lifestyle or rather lifestyle aspirations of people.Eating out, or take-away from road-side makeshift fast-food joints is a common element of the new lifestyle. The state has about 21000 + plus estimated eateries, not to mention the hundred of push-carts and nondescript outfits. The state’s food inspection wing, with a handful of staff, is too small to conduct periodic inspection of these places.
The Bureau of Indian Standards has a new set of benchmarks for places where we eat and the Speaker of the Kerala assembly has asked for a report on what the government has done to stem the decay.
But as usual, a tragic death and an expedient media have raised the stink and triggered the subsequent spurt of activities. The present government interventions and social vigilance will soon die down till another unfortunate tragedy happens.The last time it was in the state’s trademark toddy shops. Perhaps next time, it will be somewhere else, for the social rot is really spreading fast.

Our growth - you could be a partner.

As part of a new growth strategy of Mir Holistics, we are in the process of revamping our Homestay Division. The idea is to bring under our umbrella homestays and small boutique hospitality properties and market them under the Mir Hotels and Resorts brand.

Mr Prabith will be heading this division and he is currently engaged in the process of identifying new homestays. IF any of you know of or are in possession of homestays or small hotels and would like to explore possibilities with us, please do get in touch with Prabith. His email id is prabith@mirresorts.in and his contact number is 9388960415.

A little peace for our tigers?

Indian authorities have recently taken numerous measures to protect tigers in the country.The Supreme Court  has ordered a ban on tourism in "core zones" of more than 40 of the country's central government-run tiger reserves. In a landmark ruling, it warned that states that fail to implement the ban face contempt proceedings and fines.The court imposed fines of 10,000 rupees each on six states for not complying with its earlier tiger protection directives.
Tiger numbers have shrunk alarmingly in India in recent decades. A 2011 census counted about 1,700 tigers in the wild. A century ago there were estimated to be 100,000 tigers in India. Conservation groups have welcomed the ruling, describing it as a significant development. The court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation petition filed by conservationist Ajay Dubey which sought the removal of commercial tourism activities from core or critical tiger habitats in tiger reserves.

Most tiger reserves in India have "core zones". The reserves also have buffer zones - fringe areas that surround tiger reserves up to a distance of 10km. While the ruling is important, it is unclear what impact if any it will have on the tourism industry, which is mostly confined to the buffer areas. The court's order is one of a number of initiatives recently taken by the Indian authorities to conserve tigers. In February an entire village was relocated in the state of Rajasthan to protect the animals.
Officials say conservation efforts by the government and wildlife organisations have helped tiger populations increase. But poaching and conflicts between the tigers and people living in and on the periphery of the tiger reserves remains a threat.

A communist, feminist and an aethist

                                          A friend posted this on Facebook. State of the world!

"The heart's memory eliminates the bad and magnifies the good, and that thanks to this artifice we manage to endure the burdon of the past".  - Gabriel Garcia Marquez: Love in the time of Time of Cholera

Authentic Ayurveda Packages - monsoon special

VEMBANAD WINDOW-monsoon magic

Rain bearing clouds poised over the Vembanad Lake. Photo: Ranjit Chettur 

Kerala rejects Western Ghats panel report

NEW DELHI: Kerala today termed as "impractical to implement" the suggestions made by an expert panel on Western Ghats and sought Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's intervention in the matter.

Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy said he has requested Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to direct the Environment Ministry to "consider the anxieties expressed" by the state and to leave the matter to be decided and implemented by the state government.

"The Environment Ministry has been requested to do away with the proposed Western Ghats Ecology Authority, for the state government to take appropriate conservation measures on its own under the existing legislations and notifications under Environment (Protection) Act," Chandy said.

Madhav Gadgil-led Western Ghats Ecology Experts Panel has made recommendations for 'zonation' of the Western Ghats and adjoining land areas depending on ecological parameters and for formation of the Western Ghats Ecology Authority at national level to regulate activities in the respective zones.

"The proposed zonation uniformly applicable for all the six Western Ghats states is detrimental to the interests of the state. Though the exact boundaries of each zone have not been fixed by the panel, the tentative recommendations would make development or even human activities unable in certain areas where the width of the land is less," he said.
Chandy said the issue was debated in the Kerala Assembly wherein the state government has conveyed "its dissent to the impracticable recommendations in the report" and has declared setting up of an expert committee to examine the panel report in the context of the objections raised.