Plato once said, “Books give a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything.”

Two teenagers from Dubai are opening this universe to students of the Vengara Government Vocational Higher Secondary School in Malappuram, Kerala.

This school in Kerala opened a new modernized library with over 5,000 books inaugurated by MP Shashi Tharoor. The fully-computerized ‘Aksharam’ library was set up by Anirudh Mahesh and Aamir Kudel, higher secondary students of Emirates International School in Dubai, after renovating the existing library of the school. They gifted the library to the school as a part of their social service project.

Shashi Tharoor MP inaugurated the renovated library of the school at a function held on the school campus on Friday afternoon.

Read more: These Kids Built a Library for Govt School Children From Scratch to Spread Love & Learning

Amir and Anirudh have roots in Malappuram and Kochi. While the initial plan was to fly to Mauritius like their fellow students to help village schools, they decided to come up with the idea of the modernised library to impact the lives of students.

“We thought why can’t we do it for the people of our own country than somewhere else and so decided to go ahead with the plan to set up a library in the government run school where my grandfather studied,” Aamir told Deccan Chronicle.

The total cost of the project came up to Rs 1.25 lakh. The teenagers raised funds for the library by showcasing their talents in art and music. While Aamir, a budding painter, conducted exhibition of his works in Dubai, Mahesh played the guitar at various events in Dubai.

They purchased around 4,000 books for the library, most of which are in English. Books in both English and Malayalam, were collected from various donors and the library was furnished by the two using their own creativity.

“As part of the project we also managed to construct a reading room and to develop a database of books in the library which is fully computerised,” Aamir told TOI.

Feature image credit: Deccan Chronicle

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Water has been at the centre of many recent discourses. Human interventions in the natural ecosystems and water bodies over the centuries have brought about some irreparable damage to the planet, in varying degrees at various places. Water crises loom over the generations of the present and tomorrow, with no immediate solutions in sight.

While the situation paints a gloomy picture, a participatory campaign of people, government bodies and legislators in Kerala has created a wonder of sorts by rejuvenating a river that was almost dead due to human interventions and continued neglect.

Varattar, a tributary of the Pamba river, which is an important part of the culture of the state, used to flow through the Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha districts of southern Kerala. Pamba is an important part of Kerala’s cultural lineage. The annual vallamkali (snake boat race) held in the Pamba is a major tourist attraction and an important festival of the region. Varattar connected Pamba with the Manimala river. In its days of glory, Varattar used to be the main source of water for hundreds of households, and also acted as a natural flood control mechanism between the two rivers, carrying the excess water both ways. Sand mining and land encroachment, coupled with short-sighted developmental activities spelt the death-knell for Varattar some decades ago, and the river was left as just wet patches of land, increasingly encroached upon.

All this has become a tale of the past now, within the span of a couple of months.

The ‘Varatte aar’ (‘let the river come’ in Malayalam) campaign is a unique experiment in water conservation and environment management efforts, where the will, resources and power of the people is effectively utilized for rejuvenation of an almost dead river. Transparency and accountability were ensured, and a concurrent social audit was initiated along with the processes.

The vision for the programme was provided by the Haritha Keralam (Green Kerala) Mission, headed by the Chief Minister as Chairperson and Dr. T. N. Seema, Vice Chairperson, and includes ministers and experts from various fields.

Mobilization of people and resources served as the soul of the whole programme right from the start.

The campaign kicked off on May 29, 2017, with a walk along the banks of the dilapidated river, in which ministers of the state, MLAs, and people’s representatives from the local bodies participated, along with an enthusiastic crowd, who wished to see the river run its course once again. The civil works started after a walk with the participation of various groups including MGNREGS workers, Kudumbashree activists, students, local self-government institutions, and various others. Unscientifically constructed man-made structures along the river’s path were removed after building consensus through local-level consultations. All financial resources were pooled without any financial assistance from the state government, and the daily accounts were recorded and presented in the WhatsApp group created specifically for the coordination of the campaign activities.

Thus, a new model of concurrent social audit of a public programme was successfully implemented, thereby ensuring transparency in operations.

Once the path was almost cleared and assisted by the abundant monsoon rain during the third week of June, the river started flowing through its forgotten path once again, days ahead of the expected opening. This was a true festival for the people, and they celebrated the rebirth of the river by taking to the waters in large numbers. Local fishing nets and fishing hooks were once again taken out and selfies with the reborn river flooded Facebook profiles. Works had to be stopped for a few days because of the water flow and resumed once the rain subsided.

The river rejuvenation drive does not stop restoring the water flow. The finance minister Dr. T. M. Thomas Isaac has announced a number of beautification and conservation plans, including footpaths and parks along the riverbank, bar-coded trees, geotextiles for soil protection, and tourism promotion activities, aimed at livelihood opportunities for the local populace.

Nattukoottams (local gatherings) at various places along the river’s course are being organized to identify ways to preserve the river and maintain it without external interventions. The turnouts in such gatherings have been overwhelming.

The efforts of the varatte aar campaign have inspired S. Suresh Babu, a filmmaker, to make a documentary film on the campaign, the shooting of which is underway. The Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA), an autonomous deemed-to-be University under the Kerala Government, has declared that this unique model of people’s participation sans socio-political boundaries will soon become part of its curriculum for elected members of local self-government institutions.

The varatte aar model and its phenomenal success have created a wave of optimism and collective enthusiasm among the people.

Drawing inspiration from this experience, the minister for water resources, Mathew T. Thomas, has announced a similar drive to rejuvenate Kolarayaar, another river in the Alappuzha district which is threatened of extinction. The mammoth efforts put in by the people, keeping aside all their differences, to rescue a river that once served as the lifeline of a land have captured the imagination of many and the news has been covered by local media and newspapers with fervour. The hope is that this success will inspire a new movement of conservation which places people’ s participation at the centre and builds a new culture of nature-friendly living.

All pictures: Facebook 

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At 22, she won the Gold Medal in 1,500m at the 2017 Asian Athletics Championships in Bhubaneshwar with a record of 4.17.92 seconds .

Sealing her place in the World Championships, PU Chitra earned the title of ‘Queen of Asia in the mile.’

A daughter of agricultural labourers, Unnikrishan & Vasantha Kumari, the track and field athlete from Mundur in Kerala’s Palakkad District fought all odds to win many state, national and international school meet gold medals, in middle and long-distance track events.

She garnered immense adulation and support on social media when despite her spectacular win at Bhubaneswar, she wasn’t included in India’s squad for the London World Championship.
The hashtag #IsupportChitra went viral on Facebook, with leading personalities rooting for the metric mile runner, including Kerala’s Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

If you support Chitra, here are top 10 things to know about the ‘Queen of Asia in the mile’:

• Chitra was born on June 9, 1995, at Mundur in Kerala’s Palakkad District and is the third of four children of Unnikrishnan & Vasantha Kumari, labourers who do menial jobs to make ends meet.
• An undergraduate student, she completed her schooling from Mundur Higher Secondary School in Palakkad.
• She was a day-boarder at the school and received Rs 25 per day from the Kerala Sports Council and Rs 600 a month from the Sports Authority of India under a scheme for young athletes, which helped in meeting her basic training needs.
• In 2011, she won the Gold medal in the 1,500m, 3,000m, 5,000m race and a Bronze in 3km cross country in 56th Indian National School Games, Pune, Maharashtra
• The year 2012 marked her gold win in 1,500m, 3,000m and 5,000m race in the 56th Kerala State School Games, Thiruvananthapuram.

Read more: 22-Year-Old From a Small Kerala Village Bags Gold at Asian Championships & Will Now Go to London

• In 2013, she won the gold yet again in the 1,500m, 3,000m and 5,000m race at the 57th Kerala State School Games, Ernakulam.
• In 2013, she also won gold in the 1,500m, 3,000m, 5,000m race and 3km cross country in the 58th Indian National School Games, Etawah,UP
• In 2013, she won gold in the 3,000m race in the first-ever Asian school athletic meet and reached the finish line in 10:05:22.
• In 2016, she won gold medals in the 1,500m, 3,000m, 5,000m race and 3km cross country in the 59th Indian National School Games, Ranchi, Orissa
• She was awarded Tata Nano cars by the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council and the Government of Kerala for her remarkable achievements in the school meets.

There were times when Chitra’s parents failed to find any work and the family of six survived on leftovers. Some nights, she went to bed on an empty stomach, but that did not deter her from waking up at 5.45 am the next day for the physical education class at her government school.

Her coach Sijin N S in an interview with the Indian Express said Chitra always dreamt of representing the country abroad. “She opted for athletics training in school. I knew that she was not from a well-to-do family but despite the difficulties, she was always committed to training. She had the kind of drive I had not seen in other athletes her age.”

“Our biggest joy is seeing our daughter represent the country and win medals. Sometimes I wonder if we were rich and had clout, would Chitra have been treated this way?” Unnikrishnan told the publication.

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The women staff teaching at self-financing schools across Kerala will now be able to avail one-day paid period leave every month.

The announcement was made by the All Kerala Self-Financing Schools Federation (AKSFSF), which is a collective forum for unaided schools, at a press conference held in Kozhikode on Monday.

Starting from August 1, the initiative will be implemented across 1,200 unaided schools in the state as mentioned in the press release.

“As menstrual awareness is gaining strength worldwide, many organisations and workplaces across the country are offering paid menstrual leave for their women employees. We thought why should we stay behind?” says Ramadas Kathiroor, who is the president of AKSFSF.

Explaining that such an initiative would offer respite to many women employees, Ramadas stated that among the teaching workforce in unaided schools across the state, over 60,000 were women.

“The teachers can avail the leave on any day of the menstrual cycle, and it need not necessarily be the first day. This will benefit the women staff, who won’t have to drudge physically on these days”, he clarifies.

Another noteworthy announcement made by the body was that they opened doors for members of the transgender community to be hired as teaching staff.

“We are spearheading this change for bringing the transgender community into the education sector and will hire candidates who will fulfill the eligibility. While minimum requirement for the teaching post is a B.Ed degree, we are open to appointing even candidates who have the teaching qualifications for kindergarten students”, Ramadas says.

The initiatives put forth by the federation are an attempt at making the field of education a better place for not just women, but the transgender community as well.

You can reach out to AKSFSF at 9745360026.

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The etymology of a place’s name is often hard to trace.

Especially in a country like India that has been subject to multiple cultural transitions because of various invasions and conquests through the sands of time.

Take Kerala, for instance.

The earliest mention of the word Kerala finds its way back to the 3rd century BCE on a rock inscription from the Mauryan dynasty, but it is also believed that the state was named after Keralian Thamboran, the ruler of an independent province in southern India, which was present-day Kerala. Thamboran ruled during Emperor Ashoka’s reign.

Another theory that is commonly accepted among people is that Kerala was derived from Cheralam, meaning the land of the mighty Cheras—one of the longest standing dynasties that ruled Kerala between 1st and 5th century AD.

But the most believable of all theories rests on the versatile coconut, or Kera as it is called in Malayalam.

Coconut trees are found in abundance all over the state, and are used right from cooking to building houses. Hence – Kerala, the land of coconuts !

So, one can never be too sure about how a place gets its name!

Since Kerala has predominantly been synonymous with lakes, ponds, rivers and backwaters, most cities and towns in the state have names suffixed with kulam and puzha, which translate to pond and rivulets in Malayalam, respectively.

Although many places were addressed with anglicised monikers during the periods of colonialism, the last few decades have seen most of them reverting to their to colloquial titles.

Kollam from Quilon, Kannur from Cannanore, Alappuzha from Alleppey, Kochi from Cochin and Thiruvananthapuram from Trivandrum, to name a few.

Tracing down the etymology of places, we have rounded up 14 cities and towns in Kerala that have interesting stories behind their name:

1. Thiruvananthapuram

Before the capital city was called Trivandrum by the British Raj, it was known as Thiruvananthapuram, a name given to it in the medieval era. Thiruvananthapuram means ‘The City of Lord Ananta, who is the deity of the famous Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple located in the city.

2. Pathanamthitta

This city is also known as the pilgrim capital of Kerala, and for being the main transport hub to Sabarimala. There are different versions of how it got its name. The most popular being the name being coined from two Malayalam words, Pathanam and thitta, which together mean a group of ten families settled on the banks of the river (Achenkovil). Another account suggests that the name was derived from pattanam (town), which became pathanam, and finally Pathanamthitta.

3. Munnar

One of the most sought after tourist destinations in Kerala, this hill station has endless stretches of tea plantations, winding lanes and picturesque sites. As for its name, it finds its roots in the three mountain streams it has —Mudrapuzha, Kundala and Nallathanni. Munnu and Aaru are Malayalam words for the number three and stream, respectively.

4. Palakkad

The contrasting landscape of Palakkad, which consists of barren (Pala), rocky mountains and dense forests (kadu) is said to lend its names to the city. But, another theory points out to the influence of the Jain community who settled in the region, and spoke the sacred language of Pali. It is believed that after this the place was referred to as Palighat. The most accepted theory though says that Palakkad owes its name to the fragrant Pala trees, which once occupied a major portion of the region.

5. Kottayam

Famous for its spices and rubber trees the world over, the city of Kottayam is named after combining Kotta and akam, which means the interior of a fort. In 18th century, the region encompassing present-day Kottayam had many palaces and forts. Unfortunately, these were demolished by a Travancore ruler, Marthanda Varma, when he attacked the town. Though only remnants of these forts are found today, the name remains to tell the tales of past glory.

6. Mavelikara

This taluk and municipality is close to the Venice of the east, Alleppey, and is located on the banks of the Achankovil river. It is called so by combining the words Maveli, who was the mythical king of Kerala, and Kara which means land. According to the legend, Mavelikara is the land where the king Mahabali knelt before Vamana, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The festival of Onam is celebrated in honour of this legendary king.

7. Ernakulam

The commercial capital of the state has two popular theories that claim stake to its name – one says that the city’s name is coined from the Tamil word Erayanarkulam, which means the abode of Lord Shiva. Another version supposes that the name was drawn from Malayalam words Ere-naal-Kulam, which literally translates to ‘Pond for a long time’.

8. Kollam

Known as Quilon during the British era, the city has historical citations dating back to King Solomon’s reign. In fact, excavations in the region suggest human settlements dating back to the Palaeolithic Age.
The name is said to be derived from Kollam, which is Sanskrit for pepper. The pepper grown in the city was so fine that visitors would travel across the world to taste and trade for the famous spice.

9. Kozhikode

Kozhikode, pronounced Ko-Rrhi- Code, is better known as Calicut, the anglicised version of Kalikat, which was the name used by the local Mappila community. According to historian K.V. Krishnan Iyer, the word is derived from Malayalam words koyil (palace) and kotai (fortified), which together meant a fortified palace. From Koyilkotai, the transition led to Koliykode, which finally became Kozhikode.
Since the word kozhi in Malayalam means a rooster, the city has another cheeky name – the Cock Fort.

10. Kalamassery

It is believed that the name Kalamassery is from the word Kalabhasery. Commonly used to refer to sandalwood paste, the word Kalabham is used in literary Malayalam for an Elephant.
Elephants have been part of temple rituals and festivities in Kerala since time immemorial. According to old tales, Kalabhasery used to be the place where the herbivorous giants were taken to rest after a long day’s work at the Thrikkakara Temple. As time passed, the city came to be known as Kalamassery.

11. Aluva

Close to Ernakulam, this town’s name is supposedly borrowed from the times of the Puranas. The story of Samudra Manthan that finds gods and demons fighting for the nectar of immortality, and Shiva swallowing the Halahala poison to save the world, is one of the best-known episodes in Hindu mythology.
How does Aluva fit in all of these?
An idol was made in the form of Shiva drinking the poison, or alam, using but obviously – his vaa, or mouth, and was placed in a temple in modern day Aluva.

12. Angamaly

Folklore and parables suggest that Ankam, or battles, were fought on nothing but ordinary grounds or myal. The place had once been witness to duels between ancient warriors, and hence the name.
Known to be a port for inland transportation, another theory suggests that the name is derived from Akamaly, an inland port area.

13. Thrissur

Known for its ancient Shiva temples and colourful festivals, the city of Thrissur has its name coined from the Malayalam/Tamil words Thiru-Shiva-Perur, which translates to ‘The city with the name of the Lord Siva’.
Another explanation says it’s called Tri-Shiva-Peroor which literally means a large expanse of land with three Shiva temples. Apparently, Thrissur is home to the three temples where Lord Shiva resides—namely Vadakkunnathan, Asokeswaram and Irattachira.

14. Wayanad

It is claimed that Wayanad’s hills housed a civilisation from the Neolithic Age. According to archaeological evidence, the forests of Wayanad have been inhabited for more than 3,000 years.
It is widely believed that the name is a combination of Vayal (paddy field) and Naad (land), making it ‘The Land of Paddy Fields’.

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A new initiative spearheaded by the Kerala government will consolidate e-waste from state-run schools and the funds earned through its disposal will be utilized to buy new computers for the same institutions.

IT@School, a state government initiated project, envisions to collect old monitors, mouses, keyboards, UPS among other things that have accumulated from over 10,000 schools and educational offices.

K Anvar Sadath, who is the Executive Director of the programme, said that about 1 crore kg of electronic waste is estimated to be processed out through the initiative.

“The project which fosters Information and Communication Technology (ICT) education and e-Governance in Kerala Education department, will address the problem of accumulated e-waste in schools since 2000 which eats-up huge space of IT labs, besides obstructing the lab activities in a large way”, he said, as reported by Mathrubhumi.

Tying up with Clean Kerala Company, a state-owned enterprise, the waste will be transported to the company’s facility in Hyderabad where these will be technically processed.

Collecting the waste in batches of 500 Kg from schools, the project intends to raise around ₹10 crore through its disposal.

“For every kilogram of e-waste, we will get ₹10 and the proceeds of this will be used to buy new computers which would be apportioned among all the 10,000 schools,” Sadath added.

He further mentioned that the project has developed an online system that can be utilised by schools to quantify the e-waste that could be collected in a batch manner.

You may also like: Disposing of Your E-Waste in Bengaluru Can Be as Easy as Walking Into a Post Office. Here’s How

“This exercise would be completed by July 15. Later, we will conduct hardware clinics in selected regions to repair and upgrade machines which are repairable,” he added.

Established to boost Information and Communication Technology (ICT) enabled educational system in the state in 2001, IT@School project envisages enriching the role of IT as a teaching aid for learning all subjects.

You can know more about the IT@School project here and write to the authorities at contact@itschool.gov.in.

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Kochi Metro has shut down internet trolls who mistook a speech and hearing-impaired man lying down on a Kochi metro train as a ‘drunkard,’ by gifting the man with a free metro pass.

On a message posted on the company’s Facebook Page, Kochi Metro Rail LTD stated the following;

“KMRL wants to acknowledge Eldo, who was subjected to ridicule because of people’s preconceived notions. People jumped to conclusion that he was a drunk man, but instead he is a speech and hearing- impaired person.”

Eldo was given a free metro pass worth Rs 2000 by KMRL.

Angamaly native Eldo was unfairly given the name “Kerala’s Paambu” when one person took a picture of him lying down and resting on Kerala’s first metro train after becoming ‘tired and upset’ over his brother’s admittance to hospital.

The photo was uploaded online where it attracted a lot of criticism with Eldo being wrongfully accused of being drunk and disorderly and disrespecting the newly inaugurated metro line.

You may also like: How Kochi Metro Is Leading the Way Towards a More Inclusive Society

After the matter came to light, the family approached the media to correct the online mistake.

Eldo’s son Basil was reported by The News Minute as saying, “My father, mother and I went to the General Hospital in Ernakulam to meet his brother who was admitted. I told father that we should ride in the Metro for the return journey since it was new.” It was then that Basil revealed his father’s upset at the ordeal which resulted in him taking rest on the metro train.

The story highlights the damage that mistaken or false claims made in public forums online can have. India has a growing problem of ‘fake news,’ or misinformation that people fall for online. With social media increasingly becoming people’s ‘go-to outlet’ for news, the country is facing a digitally-induced issue. In the face of such, there is a real need for clarity and correction of false allegations or mistaken information posted online, and KMRL have shown the nation just how it can be done right.

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A ‘Roboat’ for pollution testing?

A group of engineering students in Kerala has designed and developed a boat that can test the pollution level in rivers, without having the further need of heading to a laboratory.

Fenboat, a tiny boat devised by the students of Cochin College of Engineering and Technology, Valancherry, and MES College of Engineering, Kuttippuram, is a remote-controlled unmanned innovation that can collect around 60 water samples in a minute.

Assembled under a budget of ₹2 lakh, the boat has a built-in GPS Device for location tracking.

It is also equipped with a GSM module that can send SMSes, and a camera for taking live photographs.

One standout feature of Fenboat is its ability to instantly test pollution levels in the river while it is on-board, thus eliminating the reliance on laboratories and time-lag based errors that often crop up between collection of samples and subsequent testing.

The battery-run boat can also provide details like water temperature, pH level, biological oxygen, chlorine and nitrogen demand through its testing.

You may also like: These Bengaluru Engineering Students Want to Light up the City Using Highway Wind Turbulence

Guided by Muhammed Shamnaz, who is the HOD of Mechanical Department, Cochin College and Arun George, an Ocean Technology expert, the team of innovators behind Fenboat includes Irfan Vakkayil, Sharundas, Sadiq Melethil, AP Shajahan, Prashyam G Nair, Shijith Chelur, E B Parthasarathy, P Abhijith, E P Anand, P Vishnubhargav, K Sharuq and Fasal Ur Rahman.

Starting with a test run on Poovanchina lake in Puthanathani, the boat will soon run a demonstration in Bharatapuzha river, as told to Mathrubhumi by Parthasarathy, one of the team members.

Featured image inset courtesy: Mathrubhumi

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Plato once said, “Books give a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything.”

Two teenagers from Dubai are opening this universe to students of the Vengara Government Vocational Higher Secondary School in Malappuram, Kerala.

This school in Kerala opened a new modernized library with over 5,000 books inaugurated by MP Shashi Tharoor. The fully-computerized ‘Aksharam’ library was set up by Anirudh Mahesh and Aamir Kudel, higher secondary students of Emirates International School in Dubai, after renovating the existing library of the school. They gifted the library to the school as a part of their social service project.

Shashi Tharoor MP inaugurated the renovated library of the school at a function held on the school campus on Friday afternoon.

Read more: These Kids Built a Library for Govt School Children From Scratch to Spread Love & Learning

Amir and Anirudh have roots in Malappuram and Kochi. While the initial plan was to fly to Mauritius like their fellow students to help village schools, they decided to come up with the idea of the modernised library to impact the lives of students.

“We thought why can’t we do it for the people of our own country than somewhere else and so decided to go ahead with the plan to set up a library in the government run school where my grandfather studied,” Aamir told Deccan Chronicle.

The total cost of the project came up to Rs 1.25 lakh. The teenagers raised funds for the library by showcasing their talents in art and music. While Aamir, a budding painter, conducted exhibition of his works in Dubai, Mahesh played the guitar at various events in Dubai.

They purchased around 4,000 books for the library, most of which are in English. Books in both English and Malayalam, were collected from various donors and the library was furnished by the two using their own creativity.

“As part of the project we also managed to construct a reading room and to develop a database of books in the library which is fully computerised,” Aamir told TOI.

Feature image credit: Deccan Chronicle

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Water has been at the centre of many recent discourses. Human interventions in the natural ecosystems and water bodies over the centuries have brought about some irreparable damage to the planet, in varying degrees at various places. Water crises loom over the generations of the present and tomorrow, with no immediate solutions in sight.

While the situation paints a gloomy picture, a participatory campaign of people, government bodies and legislators in Kerala has created a wonder of sorts by rejuvenating a river that was almost dead due to human interventions and continued neglect.

Varattar, a tributary of the Pamba river, which is an important part of the culture of the state, used to flow through the Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha districts of southern Kerala. Pamba is an important part of Kerala’s cultural lineage. The annual vallamkali (snake boat race) held in the Pamba is a major tourist attraction and an important festival of the region. Varattar connected Pamba with the Manimala river. In its days of glory, Varattar used to be the main source of water for hundreds of households, and also acted as a natural flood control mechanism between the two rivers, carrying the excess water both ways. Sand mining and land encroachment, coupled with short-sighted developmental activities spelt the death-knell for Varattar some decades ago, and the river was left as just wet patches of land, increasingly encroached upon.

All this has become a tale of the past now, within the span of a couple of months.

The ‘Varatte aar’ (‘let the river come’ in Malayalam) campaign is a unique experiment in water conservation and environment management efforts, where the will, resources and power of the people is effectively utilized for rejuvenation of an almost dead river. Transparency and accountability were ensured, and a concurrent social audit was initiated along with the processes.

The vision for the programme was provided by the Haritha Keralam (Green Kerala) Mission, headed by the Chief Minister as Chairperson and Dr. T. N. Seema, Vice Chairperson, and includes ministers and experts from various fields.

Mobilization of people and resources served as the soul of the whole programme right from the start.

The campaign kicked off on May 29, 2017, with a walk along the banks of the dilapidated river, in which ministers of the state, MLAs, and people’s representatives from the local bodies participated, along with an enthusiastic crowd, who wished to see the river run its course once again. The civil works started after a walk with the participation of various groups including MGNREGS workers, Kudumbashree activists, students, local self-government institutions, and various others. Unscientifically constructed man-made structures along the river’s path were removed after building consensus through local-level consultations. All financial resources were pooled without any financial assistance from the state government, and the daily accounts were recorded and presented in the WhatsApp group created specifically for the coordination of the campaign activities.

Thus, a new model of concurrent social audit of a public programme was successfully implemented, thereby ensuring transparency in operations.

Once the path was almost cleared and assisted by the abundant monsoon rain during the third week of June, the river started flowing through its forgotten path once again, days ahead of the expected opening. This was a true festival for the people, and they celebrated the rebirth of the river by taking to the waters in large numbers. Local fishing nets and fishing hooks were once again taken out and selfies with the reborn river flooded Facebook profiles. Works had to be stopped for a few days because of the water flow and resumed once the rain subsided.

The river rejuvenation drive does not stop restoring the water flow. The finance minister Dr. T. M. Thomas Isaac has announced a number of beautification and conservation plans, including footpaths and parks along the riverbank, bar-coded trees, geotextiles for soil protection, and tourism promotion activities, aimed at livelihood opportunities for the local populace.

Nattukoottams (local gatherings) at various places along the river’s course are being organized to identify ways to preserve the river and maintain it without external interventions. The turnouts in such gatherings have been overwhelming.

The efforts of the varatte aar campaign have inspired S. Suresh Babu, a filmmaker, to make a documentary film on the campaign, the shooting of which is underway. The Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA), an autonomous deemed-to-be University under the Kerala Government, has declared that this unique model of people’s participation sans socio-political boundaries will soon become part of its curriculum for elected members of local self-government institutions.

The varatte aar model and its phenomenal success have created a wave of optimism and collective enthusiasm among the people.

Drawing inspiration from this experience, the minister for water resources, Mathew T. Thomas, has announced a similar drive to rejuvenate Kolarayaar, another river in the Alappuzha district which is threatened of extinction. The mammoth efforts put in by the people, keeping aside all their differences, to rescue a river that once served as the lifeline of a land have captured the imagination of many and the news has been covered by local media and newspapers with fervour. The hope is that this success will inspire a new movement of conservation which places people’ s participation at the centre and builds a new culture of nature-friendly living.

All pictures: Facebook 

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At 22, she won the Gold Medal in 1,500m at the 2017 Asian Athletics Championships in Bhubaneshwar with a record of 4.17.92 seconds .

Sealing her place in the World Championships, PU Chitra earned the title of ‘Queen of Asia in the mile.’

A daughter of agricultural labourers, Unnikrishan & Vasantha Kumari, the track and field athlete from Mundur in Kerala’s Palakkad District fought all odds to win many state, national and international school meet gold medals, in middle and long-distance track events.

She garnered immense adulation and support on social media when despite her spectacular win at Bhubaneswar, she wasn’t included in India’s squad for the London World Championship.
The hashtag #IsupportChitra went viral on Facebook, with leading personalities rooting for the metric mile runner, including Kerala’s Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

If you support Chitra, here are top 10 things to know about the ‘Queen of Asia in the mile’:

• Chitra was born on June 9, 1995, at Mundur in Kerala’s Palakkad District and is the third of four children of Unnikrishnan & Vasantha Kumari, labourers who do menial jobs to make ends meet.
• An undergraduate student, she completed her schooling from Mundur Higher Secondary School in Palakkad.
• She was a day-boarder at the school and received Rs 25 per day from the Kerala Sports Council and Rs 600 a month from the Sports Authority of India under a scheme for young athletes, which helped in meeting her basic training needs.
• In 2011, she won the Gold medal in the 1,500m, 3,000m, 5,000m race and a Bronze in 3km cross country in 56th Indian National School Games, Pune, Maharashtra
• The year 2012 marked her gold win in 1,500m, 3,000m and 5,000m race in the 56th Kerala State School Games, Thiruvananthapuram.

Read more: 22-Year-Old From a Small Kerala Village Bags Gold at Asian Championships & Will Now Go to London

• In 2013, she won the gold yet again in the 1,500m, 3,000m and 5,000m race at the 57th Kerala State School Games, Ernakulam.
• In 2013, she also won gold in the 1,500m, 3,000m, 5,000m race and 3km cross country in the 58th Indian National School Games, Etawah,UP
• In 2013, she won gold in the 3,000m race in the first-ever Asian school athletic meet and reached the finish line in 10:05:22.
• In 2016, she won gold medals in the 1,500m, 3,000m, 5,000m race and 3km cross country in the 59th Indian National School Games, Ranchi, Orissa
• She was awarded Tata Nano cars by the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council and the Government of Kerala for her remarkable achievements in the school meets.

There were times when Chitra’s parents failed to find any work and the family of six survived on leftovers. Some nights, she went to bed on an empty stomach, but that did not deter her from waking up at 5.45 am the next day for the physical education class at her government school.

Her coach Sijin N S in an interview with the Indian Express said Chitra always dreamt of representing the country abroad. “She opted for athletics training in school. I knew that she was not from a well-to-do family but despite the difficulties, she was always committed to training. She had the kind of drive I had not seen in other athletes her age.”

“Our biggest joy is seeing our daughter represent the country and win medals. Sometimes I wonder if we were rich and had clout, would Chitra have been treated this way?” Unnikrishnan told the publication.

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The women staff teaching at self-financing schools across Kerala will now be able to avail one-day paid period leave every month.

The announcement was made by the All Kerala Self-Financing Schools Federation (AKSFSF), which is a collective forum for unaided schools, at a press conference held in Kozhikode on Monday.

Starting from August 1, the initiative will be implemented across 1,200 unaided schools in the state as mentioned in the press release.

“As menstrual awareness is gaining strength worldwide, many organisations and workplaces across the country are offering paid menstrual leave for their women employees. We thought why should we stay behind?” says Ramadas Kathiroor, who is the president of AKSFSF.

Explaining that such an initiative would offer respite to many women employees, Ramadas stated that among the teaching workforce in unaided schools across the state, over 60,000 were women.

“The teachers can avail the leave on any day of the menstrual cycle, and it need not necessarily be the first day. This will benefit the women staff, who won’t have to drudge physically on these days”, he clarifies.

Another noteworthy announcement made by the body was that they opened doors for members of the transgender community to be hired as teaching staff.

“We are spearheading this change for bringing the transgender community into the education sector and will hire candidates who will fulfill the eligibility. While minimum requirement for the teaching post is a B.Ed degree, we are open to appointing even candidates who have the teaching qualifications for kindergarten students”, Ramadas says.

The initiatives put forth by the federation are an attempt at making the field of education a better place for not just women, but the transgender community as well.

You can reach out to AKSFSF at 9745360026.

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The etymology of a place’s name is often hard to trace.

Especially in a country like India that has been subject to multiple cultural transitions because of various invasions and conquests through the sands of time.

Take Kerala, for instance.

The earliest mention of the word Kerala finds its way back to the 3rd century BCE on a rock inscription from the Mauryan dynasty, but it is also believed that the state was named after Keralian Thamboran, the ruler of an independent province in southern India, which was present-day Kerala. Thamboran ruled during Emperor Ashoka’s reign.

Another theory that is commonly accepted among people is that Kerala was derived from Cheralam, meaning the land of the mighty Cheras—one of the longest standing dynasties that ruled Kerala between 1st and 5th century AD.

But the most believable of all theories rests on the versatile coconut, or Kera as it is called in Malayalam.

Coconut trees are found in abundance all over the state, and are used right from cooking to building houses. Hence – Kerala, the land of coconuts !

So, one can never be too sure about how a place gets its name!

Since Kerala has predominantly been synonymous with lakes, ponds, rivers and backwaters, most cities and towns in the state have names suffixed with kulam and puzha, which translate to pond and rivulets in Malayalam, respectively.

Although many places were addressed with anglicised monikers during the periods of colonialism, the last few decades have seen most of them reverting to their to colloquial titles.

Kollam from Quilon, Kannur from Cannanore, Alappuzha from Alleppey, Kochi from Cochin and Thiruvananthapuram from Trivandrum, to name a few.

Tracing down the etymology of places, we have rounded up 14 cities and towns in Kerala that have interesting stories behind their name:

1. Thiruvananthapuram

Before the capital city was called Trivandrum by the British Raj, it was known as Thiruvananthapuram, a name given to it in the medieval era. Thiruvananthapuram means ‘The City of Lord Ananta, who is the deity of the famous Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple located in the city.

2. Pathanamthitta

This city is also known as the pilgrim capital of Kerala, and for being the main transport hub to Sabarimala. There are different versions of how it got its name. The most popular being the name being coined from two Malayalam words, Pathanam and thitta, which together mean a group of ten families settled on the banks of the river (Achenkovil). Another account suggests that the name was derived from pattanam (town), which became pathanam, and finally Pathanamthitta.

3. Munnar

One of the most sought after tourist destinations in Kerala, this hill station has endless stretches of tea plantations, winding lanes and picturesque sites. As for its name, it finds its roots in the three mountain streams it has —Mudrapuzha, Kundala and Nallathanni. Munnu and Aaru are Malayalam words for the number three and stream, respectively.

4. Palakkad

The contrasting landscape of Palakkad, which consists of barren (Pala), rocky mountains and dense forests (kadu) is said to lend its names to the city. But, another theory points out to the influence of the Jain community who settled in the region, and spoke the sacred language of Pali. It is believed that after this the place was referred to as Palighat. The most accepted theory though says that Palakkad owes its name to the fragrant Pala trees, which once occupied a major portion of the region.

5. Kottayam

Famous for its spices and rubber trees the world over, the city of Kottayam is named after combining Kotta and akam, which means the interior of a fort. In 18th century, the region encompassing present-day Kottayam had many palaces and forts. Unfortunately, these were demolished by a Travancore ruler, Marthanda Varma, when he attacked the town. Though only remnants of these forts are found today, the name remains to tell the tales of past glory.

6. Mavelikara

This taluk and municipality is close to the Venice of the east, Alleppey, and is located on the banks of the Achankovil river. It is called so by combining the words Maveli, who was the mythical king of Kerala, and Kara which means land. According to the legend, Mavelikara is the land where the king Mahabali knelt before Vamana, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The festival of Onam is celebrated in honour of this legendary king.

7. Ernakulam

The commercial capital of the state has two popular theories that claim stake to its name – one says that the city’s name is coined from the Tamil word Erayanarkulam, which means the abode of Lord Shiva. Another version supposes that the name was drawn from Malayalam words Ere-naal-Kulam, which literally translates to ‘Pond for a long time’.

8. Kollam

Known as Quilon during the British era, the city has historical citations dating back to King Solomon’s reign. In fact, excavations in the region suggest human settlements dating back to the Palaeolithic Age.
The name is said to be derived from Kollam, which is Sanskrit for pepper. The pepper grown in the city was so fine that visitors would travel across the world to taste and trade for the famous spice.

9. Kozhikode

Kozhikode, pronounced Ko-Rrhi- Code, is better known as Calicut, the anglicised version of Kalikat, which was the name used by the local Mappila community. According to historian K.V. Krishnan Iyer, the word is derived from Malayalam words koyil (palace) and kotai (fortified), which together meant a fortified palace. From Koyilkotai, the transition led to Koliykode, which finally became Kozhikode.
Since the word kozhi in Malayalam means a rooster, the city has another cheeky name – the Cock Fort.

10. Kalamassery

It is believed that the name Kalamassery is from the word Kalabhasery. Commonly used to refer to sandalwood paste, the word Kalabham is used in literary Malayalam for an Elephant.
Elephants have been part of temple rituals and festivities in Kerala since time immemorial. According to old tales, Kalabhasery used to be the place where the herbivorous giants were taken to rest after a long day’s work at the Thrikkakara Temple. As time passed, the city came to be known as Kalamassery.

11. Aluva

Close to Ernakulam, this town’s name is supposedly borrowed from the times of the Puranas. The story of Samudra Manthan that finds gods and demons fighting for the nectar of immortality, and Shiva swallowing the Halahala poison to save the world, is one of the best-known episodes in Hindu mythology.
How does Aluva fit in all of these?
An idol was made in the form of Shiva drinking the poison, or alam, using but obviously – his vaa, or mouth, and was placed in a temple in modern day Aluva.

12. Angamaly

Folklore and parables suggest that Ankam, or battles, were fought on nothing but ordinary grounds or myal. The place had once been witness to duels between ancient warriors, and hence the name.
Known to be a port for inland transportation, another theory suggests that the name is derived from Akamaly, an inland port area.

13. Thrissur

Known for its ancient Shiva temples and colourful festivals, the city of Thrissur has its name coined from the Malayalam/Tamil words Thiru-Shiva-Perur, which translates to ‘The city with the name of the Lord Siva’.
Another explanation says it’s called Tri-Shiva-Peroor which literally means a large expanse of land with three Shiva temples. Apparently, Thrissur is home to the three temples where Lord Shiva resides—namely Vadakkunnathan, Asokeswaram and Irattachira.

14. Wayanad

It is claimed that Wayanad’s hills housed a civilisation from the Neolithic Age. According to archaeological evidence, the forests of Wayanad have been inhabited for more than 3,000 years.
It is widely believed that the name is a combination of Vayal (paddy field) and Naad (land), making it ‘The Land of Paddy Fields’.

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