When in Kerala: 10 must-dos in India’s deep south

The endangered, but almost tame, Nilgiri tahr. Photographer: Kerala Tourism board Kerala has been a favourite haunt of travellers from around the world for nearly 600 years; it’s been known to exhilarate, enchant and enthral. Here’s a cherry-picked list of 10 activities to get you under the skin of this incredible state. There is nothing as serene and intimate as a few days on a teak-and-palm-thatched houseboat. Photographer: Kerala Tourism board Cruise the backwaters: No trip to Kerala is complete without a languid boat ride on its idyllic backwaters. Lined by emerald coconut plantations and interspersed by turquoise lakes, these placid lagoons are the perfect place to shake off pent-up urban stress. For a special experience, spend the night aboard a houseboat, and witness a dreamy sunrise break over the serene bayous at dawn. A tea plantation at Munnar. Photographer: Kerala Tourism board Live it ‘up’ in Munnar: Green is the colour that swathes the lush mountain slopes of Munnar, Kerala’s answer to the fabled hill stations of North India. The crisp air, clement weather and relaxed grain are all perfectly engineered to work up a restful experience in this scenic hill town. Order a steaming cup of tea from a nearby plantation to go with the breathtaking views. Chinese fishing nets are a unique contraption seen only in Kerala. Photographer: Kerala Tourism board Snap Kochi’s fishing nets: Tops among Kerala’s iconic photo ops are the cantilevered Chinese fishing nets – dating back to the 1400s – that line the harbour at Kochi (Cochin). Crafted out of teakwood beams and resembling giant alien arachnids poised to sting, they form unreal silhouettes against the seascape and provide some dramatic camera fodder, especially at dusk. A bird's-eye view of Varkala Beach. Photographer: Kerala Tourism board Get beached in Varkala: Perched on a precipitous cliff and overlooking the sapphire waters of the Arabian Sea, this backpackers’ paradise boasts some dazzling and pristine sands (try Black Beach) to relax on. Kerala is the best place for an exceptionally peaceful and refreshing Ayurvedic vacation. Photographer: Kerala Tourism board Embrace Ayurveda: Centuries of traditional Indian therapeutic wisdom and practices, perfected to soothe the human body, mind and soul, can now be accessed at the many ayurvedic spas across Kerala. Feel your senses come alive with an invigorating panchakarma session, or pamper those knotty sinews with a revitalising aromatherapy or herbal massage. Kerala is a great place to witness vibrant dance forms like Kathakali. Photographer: Kerala Tourism board Watch a Kathakali show: If you thought Kabuki was spectacular, think again. Kathakali, Kerala’s very own classical dance tradition dating back to the 17th century, is a highly-celebrated performing art known for its colourful make-up, elaborate costumes and graceful movements, not to mention the trance-inducing music that accompanies each spirited performance. Sit in and be charmed. The pungent aroma of an amazing variety of spices is hard to miss in Kerala. Photographer: Flickr/Liji Jinaraj Know your spices: Pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, mace, fennel, turmeric, cumin, coriander, aniseed, tamarind, allspice, saffron, poppy, mustard – that’s some seriously spicey vocabulary. Ambush your olfactories at the spice markets of Mattancherry in Kochi (Cochin). Pack an extra bag for the inevitable shopping. Elephants are a common sight at Periyar. Photographer: Kerala Tourism board Meet Periyar’s tigers: Some 50 of India’s fabled Royal Bengal tigers can still be found in the virgin forests of the Periyar Tiger Reserve in inland Kerala. Keeping them company are elephants, leopards, Indian bison and myriad species of snakes, deer and monkeys. Head out for a wild day with the beasts. Kalaripayattu is one of the oldest forms of martial art. Photographer: Kerala Tourism board Learn Your Kalaripayattu moves: Want to keep the bad guys at bay? Drop by at a Kalaripayattu school and pick up the basics of this acrobatic and flamboyant 12th-century martial art. Based on the science of attacking pressure points in the human body, Kalaripayattu is known to be the fount of other revered martial arts such as kung fu and karate. Don't forget to sample the classic appam and stew combination. Photographer: Daksh Sharma Get a taste for Malabar: Fiery pothu (beef) fry, fluffy appams (rice hoppers), aviyal (vegetables in aromatic coconut gravy), fish molee (spicy yellow curry) and payasam (semolina in caramelised milk). These are just a few of the delectable dishes that emerge from Kerala’s kitchens day after day. Pair a platter with a glass of the locally-tapped and deliciously refreshing toddy (coconut palm wine).

Palakkad tense after BJP hartal turns violent

Violence rocked several parts of Palakkad on Thursday despite the hartal called by the BJP in protest against the killing of an RSS worker allegedly by CPM men at Pudussery on Wednesday.

Majeed, a CITU worker, was attacked at Kootupatha junction in Chandranagar. While Ayyappankutty and Aravindakshan were rushed to a private hospital in Coimbatore, Majeed was taken to the Thrissur Medical College.

Processionists threw stones and damaged CPM and CITU offices as the body of Ratheesh, who was killed on Wednesday, was taken from the mortuary of the district hospital to Kurudikad in Pudussery. Three autorickshaws, two motorbikes and one mini-lorry stationed in the house of CPM worker Azharudheen in Pudussery was damaged in the stone-throwing.

Heavy rush at Sabarimala

The Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala has been witnessing a heavy flow of pilgrims since the beginning of the annual pilgrim season on November 17. Pilgrims from different parts of the country, mostly the south, trek the holy hills braving incessant rain and traffic bottlenecks along many stretches.Pilgrims have to wait for five to six hours in thickly packed long-winding iron barricades for the holy darshan.

The water level in the Pampa river has gone up considerably following an heavy inflow from catchments in interior forests. Strong currents in the bathing ghats at Pampa have been posing problems for pilgrims taking their customary holy dip in the river (Pampa snanom) prior to the holy trek.

Akhila Bharatha Ayyappa Seva Sanghom stretcher service captain Thanchavur Damodaran says sanghom volunteers have been giving health tips over megaphones for pilgrims ascending the Neelimala and Appachimedu hills on the traditional trekking path.

Sabarimala has witnessed nine cardiac casualties since the beginning of the season. The Health Department has opened two cardiology centres at the hilltops of Appachimedu and Neelimala.

Sabarimala Executive Officer V.S. Jayakumar says the board has been maintaining a buffer stock of Aravana. One more Aravana distribution counter has been opened at the Prasadom complex in view of the heavy pilgrim influx.

Striking international success for debutant Kerala film director

Marking a striking success for Malayalam short film genre and for a debut director, Sangeeta Padmanabhan's short film, 'Charulatayude Baaki' (Charulata.. A Sequel of the Life Untold) has won two major international accolades.

The film has just won the jury's Special Mention Award at the 41st International Film Festival of India at Goa, where it competed at the Short Film Centre. It also won the Best Short Film Award at the prestigious Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council Film Festival in New York last month.

Sangeeta directed and scripted the 24-minute film, which is based on a Sahithya Academy Award winning short story by Priya A S, one of the contemporary leading writers in Malayalam fiction.

The film had also won Special Jury awards at the International Women's Film Festival Seoul and the International Short and Documentary Film Festival of Kerala this year. It was also screened at the International Short Film Festival Berlin in November.

"Charulatayude Baaki" is a visual narration set in the mindscape of a young, unmarried girl as she grooms herself for ''the marriage market''. Her parents get busy with the complexities of match making while she breaks up with her lover, an aspiring film maker who dreams of making a sequel to Satyajit Ray''s "Charulata".

Reroute Koodamkulam-Thrissur power highway: Action Council

Action council activists today staged a dharna and rally in protest against the proposed 400 KV power highway from Koodamkulam Atomic Power Plant in Tamil Nadu
to the KSEB Sub-Station at Madakkathara in Thrissur.

Action Council Convener Sobichan Abraham and other leaders claimed that the Action Council had suspended the five-year-old agitation in January this year following an assurance from the Power Grid Corporation, Electricity Minister, Revenue Minister and other officials that adequate compensation would be given to the affected farmers but contrary to the assurance, the authorities had betrayed the farmers when they stopped the agitation.

They asserted that construction of the proposed power highway would not be allowed under any circumstances as it would destroy the farm sector in the central Travancore area. The power highway should be rerouted, they said.

A public meeting was also held as part of the agitation.

Mammootty conferred D.Litt

Kerala Governor R S Gavai, who is Chancellor of the Calicut University, on Thursday conferred honorary Doctor of Letters (D.Litt) degree to three prominent personalities including film actor Mammootty, at a function. Mammootty received the degree in person while the nominees of Freedom fighter Captain Lakshmi Sahgal and historian Irfan Habib, received the degree from Gavai, at a special convocation held at the university campus at Tenhipalam, in Malappuram district.

Mohammed Kutty better known as Mammootty, was born on September 7, 1953 at Vaikom in Kottayam district of Kerala. A prominent actor of the Malayalam film industry, he has won three National Film Awards besides several state awards. With over 300 films to his credit in Malayalam and other languages, Mammootty continues to be leading artist icon of Indian Cinema. He was awarded Padma Shri in 1998..

12 Russian pilgrims offer worship at Sabarimala temple

A team of 12 Russian pilgrims after observing the customary 41-day austerity and abstinence period today offered worship at the famous hill shrine of Lord Ayyappa.

They chanted 'Saranam Ayyappa mantras' as they had darsan, a temple official said. The team was led by 'Induchoodan', a Russian from St. Petersburg who is an ayurvedic doctor and teacher. during conversation he said that its the 15 th time that he is visiting sabarimala.

The team left Moscow and reached Paanchaalipeeda Ashram in Idukki from where they proceeded to Sabarimala.

Special trains for Sabarimala from Kollam

Special trains are been run by the Southern Railways to Kollam from different parts of Andhra Pradesh to clear the extra rush of passengers during the Sabarimala season.

The Narsapur-Kollam Special via Renigunta, Tirupati and Pakala would leave Narsapur at 2050 hrs on December 30 and 31 and reach Kollam at 0100 hrs on the third day. The Kollam-Narsapur Special will leave Kollam at 0300 hrs on January 1 and 2, 2011, a Railway press release said here.

The Sirupurkagaznagar-Kollam will leave Siruprkagaznagar at 2115 on December 15 and arrive at Kollam at 0510 hrs on the third day. The Kollam-Vijayawada special would leave kollam at 0510 hrs on December 17 and January 7, 2011 and reach Vijayawada at 0520 hrs the next day.

Another special the Karimnagar-Kollam would leave Karimnagar at 2145 hrs on January 5, 2011 and arrive Kollam at 0245 Hrs the third day. The Kollam-Vijayawada Special will leave Kollam at 0510 hrs on January 7, 2011, and arrive Vijayawada at 0520 hrs the third day.

The Aurangabad-Kollam special would leave Aurangabad at 1015 hrs on December 10 and 31 and reach kollam at 0245 hrs on the third day.

The Kollam-Tirupati special would leave Kollam at 0510 hrs on December 12 and January 1 and reach Tirupati at 2145 Hrs on the same day.

The Akola-Kollam speacil will leave Akola at 0940 hrs on December 3 and 17 aqnd arrive at Kollam at 0245 hrs on the third day. The Kollam-Tirpuati special will leave Kollam at 0519 hrs on December 5 and 19 and reach Tirputrai at 2145 hrs on the same day.

KCCI plea to govt on strike

The Kerala Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) today urged the State Government to take immediate steps to end the ongoing container lorry strike. the strike at the cochin port has affected the shipments and as a result the exporters would have to incur losses.

The KCCI has asked the govt to take immediate steps to find a solution to end the strike..

Former Congress M P Rama Rai passes away

Former Lok Sabha member and Congress leader Rama Rai (77) passed away of old age related ailments at a private hospital in Mangalore tonight. He is survived by wife Umavati, two sons and 2 daughters.

His funeral would take place at Ichilampadi near Kumbla in the district at 1200hrs tomorrow, family sources said.