Thrivikramji Bag’s a Fulbright Predoctoral award

Thrivikramji Bag’s a Fulbright Predoctoral award

In Oct, 1971, USEFI announced the award of Fulbright Pre-doctoral Fellowship to me (but conditionally) with a possibility to undergo MS studies in Syracuse University, NY. However, the award was anything but firm and will possibly be firmed only if there is a no-show by an awardee or if the IIE had an extra fund coming from the Federal Govt.

In fact, the face to face for selection of young college/university lecturers for the award took place in Madras, say during Aug, 1971, in the USEFI office and one of the selector’s was Prof Saravanan (Presidency College, Madras). I was the only Keralite among the 10 or so candidates from the southern region taking part in the group discussion under the watchful eyes of the experts and Mrs. Nalini Shetty (Education officer, USEFI, Madras).

This GD session was over in 30 minutes and was followed by a session of interview where I satisfactorily answered the questions by the experts. But was unsure if I will be in the shortlisted group for the express reason that I was the only Keralite and the rest came from different parts of TN, Karnataka and AP. I took the selection process rather lightly and yet came back home happily knowing that I had a good chance of being selected.

In the month of Oct 1971, I had a letter from USEFI, New Delhi, signed by one KS Nair, asking me to get ready to go to US by June of 1972, and the offer was subject to the conditions I noted above. Obviously, it was not an exciting piece of news and I was quite unsure of the ultimate outcome. However, a friend of mine, KP Sreedhar (University of Kerala, Dept. of Psychology) had a firm offer of a fellowship and hence he was in a different track regarding the preparations to go to US in the Fall of 1972. But like him I too applied for the issue of a Passport well in advance.

Another interesting incident connected with the interview, also happened in May, 1972, when the MSc lab examinations took place in the Dept. of Geology, University of Kerala. One of the two external examiners was a stocky middle aged man in a slack shirt and trouser adorning a forehead dusted with dry-cow-dung ash, which we, Indians, call vibhuthi. I was one of the two skilled assistants appointed to assist in the examination and as the name suggests our duty was assisting the examiners like water boys in the conduct of examination.

Usually the skilled assistants do not appear in front of the examiners unless there is a direction from the Chairman of the team of examiners. I was kind of idiotic in not recognizing the one with ashed forehead, i.e., the very same Dr Saravanan, who screened me orally and selected for the award, albeit tentative.

In fact, my disposition perhaps surprised Dr Saravanan, and he wanted Prof. Menon (Chairman) to call me in and put me through a sort of identification parade to find out if I recollected the face of Dr Saravanan. On a prompt, I walked into the Chairman’s office to face questioning as to whether I ever had seen one of the two examiners anytime in the past. To their dismay I answered in the negative. The team broke into a loud laugh in my answer, while I stood there with a small face facing them. Then, Dr Saravanan wanted me to take a closer look at his face which I did and then said apologetically “Yes sir, you interviewed me in the USEFI office, Madras for the fellowship”

He then unveiled the secret and told me that I will be going to US for higher studies in the fall of 1972.. He also added that he had exercised special affection and loyalty to his specialization which made my name figure in the list of awardee’s.

Beyond that point the process was on the fast track. Firstly, I had the firm offer and I was required to get the visa stamped in Madras Consulate and go to New Delhi by the June 10, 1972 so that I will depart to USA on my way to the Orientation session arranged for the students under the Fulbright Program in the University of Kansas, Lawrence.

I went to Madras in the first week of June 1972 first to the Passport Office (for me then it is the one closest to my home in Trivandrum), to expedite the issue of Passport and then for the US visa. The Passport was with me in 48 hours of my personally meeting the Officer concerned. Then I went over to the consulate for the visa. Without any hassle visa was approved and then I collected the health screening report from a doctor in the town. In fact earlier I had met this doctor so that he will put me through a routine check before preparing the medical report on my health. The health report given to me will have to be hand carried along to USA, to be given at the port of entry.

Once I had the visa I intended to reach home the fastest manner possible. Obviously it is flying from Madras via Trichi and Madurai to Trivandrum at a cost of say 90 or 100 rupees. The flight usually leaves Madras – Meenambakkam in the early morning reaching Trivandrum around 8:30 am. In fact all that I had was like Rs. 50 only. The train ticket in 3^rd class was bout 30 or so rupee only.

The idea that I can fly to Trivandrum occurred to me when I noticed, Mr Anthraper coming out of the Kerala Travels Office in Madras-Egmore on an earlier occasion during my stay in Madras Egmore. From the doctors office I rushed to Kerala Travels, and crashed into the office of Mr. Anthraper, the Manager. I identified myself and told that I was a friend of Baby, his own kid brother who then used to work for the Dept. of Geology and Mining, Govt of Kerala, Trivandrum. Mr Anthraper wanted to know if he could help me in some way possible. I answered in the affirmative and wondered if he could issue me a ticket to Trivandrum by the next day’s Trivandrum flight by Indian Airlines. I also made an advance promise that I will clear the credit to the Kerala Travels in Trivandrum the very next day.

A ticket was written out for me. The next morning I promptly reported to the airport and passenger office. I had the boarding pass issued quickly. I waited in the lounge along with the small crowd bound to Trivandrum. Finally in about 20 min we were put in a bus and driven to the boarding step ladder. The aircraft was a tiny (HS748) passenger aircraft, powered by a pair of propellers. I had a window seat and remember it was the first ever flight I took in my life.

I was seated in the second row on the right side of the isle. Mr Madhu a cine star was given the first row seat. I am not sure if he had the pleasure a window. But there was plenty of legroom though. After the routine counting, checking and announcements the aircraft taxied and then took off. The cabin was noisy, and the engine on my side was rather shaking on the flight. May be some thing not unusual. It was doing around 225 mph. It stopped at Trichy and the in Madurai. The route from Madurai to Trivandrum is over the Western Ghats and may be over Nedeumangad. The plane touched down around 8:30 am in the Trivandrum airport. I hopped into a Taxi to reach home by nine or so in the morning, That flight was indeed an experience to me. As agreed I paid back the money to the Travels Office in Trivandrum.

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Mother in laws are absolutely greedy

GREED CANNOT TAKE YOU FAR

I have a story of a greedy middle aged woman to share with. This woman, lets us call her Sita lived in Mangad, near Kanyakumari gave her rustic daughter, Lakshmi of about 21 yr age in marriage to Chelan, an able bodied and hard working and goodi looking young man slightly older than the girl. This Chelan always hung around the house looking for some vacant and calm slots of minutes during the day to engage with his newly wedded wife. Interestingly, like all mother in laws Sita sensed the intentions precisely, and well in advance and tried her level best to prevent or avoid such encounters during daylight between the newlyweds.

The clever Sita, used to order the girl to complete some extra chores in and around the house or in the kitchen or even in the family prayer room. Both Chellan and Lakshmi grasped the moyive, and on several instances Chelan overheard, Sita advising his young wife about harms due to frequent encounters and the consequences there off which might tell up on the longterm health of the man and hence the welfare of the new family.

While eating dinner, the mother in law always narrated anecdotal stories and examples of neighbors and relatives who made it rich by good and hard work and praying to god to help out. As days and months passed by the fed up Chelan asked the mother-in law for advice as to how to get rich.

The over gladdened Sita, told chelan that he will have to go to a remote forest lead the life of a celibate, and lead an absolutely pious and prayerful life to please Lord Shiva for blessing so that with health, wealth and fame will be his own. Initially, it appeared to be a new life and unthinkable one as this man was only in his early thirtees. Finally the girl and the man decided that at least to make the life of Sita and consequently theirs too happy and joyous. Lakshmi was ready to go for any sacrifice as long as Chelan happily went through the sacrifice and the life of a saint so that ultimately everyone will be happier. She and he will sacrifice the worldly pleasures and biological pleasures briefly say for three or four years in order to achieve this goal..

The great day was fixed by Sita, the mother in law as soon as she knew that the young couple is ready to part temporarily and the man was ready to sacrifice for the sake of family. Chellan after a series of sessions of pooja and prayers donned in saffron clothes walked away from his home to east toward the foot hills of the Sahyadri to live and pray like a hermit until Lord shiva will appear before him to answer his requests and grant them.

The prayerful days and months continued through several summers and winters. His beard grew longer and thicker; his body became lean and thin and his head of hair too grew longer and even started looking matted. Chelan had only wild fruits, leaves and nuts to feed with and the crystal clear waters of the mountain stream for ablution and drinking.

All of a sudden Lord shiva appeared before him to inquire and find out why this man at the young age was praying to Lord. In fact Devi Parvathy saw this man’s penance from Kailash and asked her hubby Lord Shiva, why he had not taken note of this young man’s prayers and sacrifice.

Lord answered to Devi that he is a fool and living among greedy people and therefore whatsoever is granted to him ultimately will not yield any benefit or useful result. Devi in fact got upset by the remark and insisted that Lord may descend down to the earth and grant him his wishes so that Devi will not see this young hermit in her radar anymore.

Lord Shiva descended down to the foot hills of the Shyadri in Kanyakumari Dist and appeared before this Hermit Chellan. Lord asked Chelan "Son what is your problem that I can address" for which the answer was that he wanted to go back home to be with his wife.

Very pleased at this answer, the Lord gave three de-husked coconuts and told Chelan to break one each to realize what he wished in his mind to achieve. Then Lord disappeared.

Chellan walked back to home, walking with three coconuts which are the most precious pieces on the earth because of the godly powers and the new things it will bring back to Chellan when the nut is broken open by throwing it against a piece of rock or stone.

He reached his old family after three days of travel by foot, with and occasionally without any food. As the Sita saw this hermit like son in law she was tremendously pleased and with due respects received him back to his house. The wife was asked not to treat Chellan as the husband anymore because he is a hermit now.

Mother in law showered him with praise when he narrated how Lord appeared before him at the end of three long years pf prayer and what lord gave him. The coconut however did not impress the older woman. She complained to the daughter that this fellow was really a fool and got only three coconuts from the Lord instead of gold and worldly wealth.

At night the girl sneaked into the bed of her husband and asked what to do with coconuts. Chellan said to her that whatever he wishes in his mind and then breaks the coconut in the granite steps leading to the house that will materialize and stay with them for two generations.

Girl revealed this to her mother and immediately after day break, the mother in law asked Chellan to get 10 sovereigns for herself by sacrificing one coconut given to him by the Lord. The angry Chelan did not shout at her and broke one coconut praying in his mind that the lord take away her perineum.

In a few minutes the older woman discovered that she morphed into an angel and lost her vaginal canal, which is unwomanly. The enraged woman cursed Chellan ran around the home crying and screaming like a mad person.

At this his wife Sita too got terribly upset and prayed Chellan to give back the perineum to her mother so that she will die like a full woman. Chellan got more upset and in rage he wished that the woman is ornamented with perineum all over her body. This created a commotion in the family and even among the neighbors who all earnestly plead to restore the mother in law to a normal woman. Chellan calmed himself and prayed the lord to restore the original anatomy on the body of the mother in law and broke the remaining coconut.

Thus all the coconuts given by Lord Shiva were utilized without any tangible benefit or wealth or anything of that sort. The greed found the final result.Watching all these from the Kailash, Devi told a world of apology to the Lord as Devi forced the Lord to appear before this foolish man praying for benefit for his family.

What is the moral? The moral: greedy souls never make it good in life.

Should we add more GH gases by biomass burning

Many researchers are concerned about Keralas carbon foot print .and are devising means and processes to reduce it. One group proposed the popularization of Hot Boxes in the kitchens of Kerala. A hot box (for the novice) is a box with with an opening large enough to support a cooking pot. The box needs precooking preparation. First step is collecting the suitably dry biomas from own the backyard or others. Then chopping it to some sort of uniform size. This is ready for stuffing the HB now. Fill the HB tightly with biomass. Now the HB is ready for starting a cooking process. Light the biomass, and it will burn without any open flame. Place the pot with the half or partly cooked food stuff over the hot box. Further cooking will take place with out much of assistance of attending. The expectation is that such a HB will reduce the carbon foot print

A claim is made that the “Parishath Aduppu” is a great success. However, the design reduces the spread of smoke inside the kitchen by adding an exhaust stand pipe (generally recommended is a readymade AC pipe- opening over the roof. The success claimed in the proposal is not supported by a life cycle study of this “aduppu” anyway.

A similar claim is made for the “hotbox”, HB, of IRTC. As I understand, it warrants a two stage cooking of rice (as explained during the presentation by Dr RVG Menon). First stage is boiling the pot of water in the three stone stove or aduppu, then pouring the readied rice into the pot and taking it to boiling. In the stage two, the boiling pot of rice and water is shifted to HB.

5. As explained in the meeting the HB is a device or a box stuffed tight with dry biomass. After firing the biomass, the pot in stage two is kept over the or in the HB, so that further cooking to the finality takes place in the second stage.

Yet the biomass is still burned and the effluent GH gases are escaping to the lr troposphere. There is no documented evidence or results of a pilot study to demonstrate that the unit discharge or release of GH gases in HB is considerably less than from the conventional cooking practiced in our Kerala kitchens.

The HB seems (not demonstrated by a video presentation nor by a demo) to be a device to consume the biomass, but the downstream analysis of the gaseous effluent for its component gases are not presented along with the proposal. Consequently, the role of HB in GH gases reduction remains to be demonstrated. Science has it that instead of biomass burning, burying the biomass under the soil is a mechanism of sequestering GH , (i.e., CO2.) released by the biomass

The acceptability of HB by the Kerala society is not proved or supported even by a telephonic survey or similar

The Public sector oil companies of India have proposed a scheme for “free” LPG connections with gas-table and gas cylinder to all the BPL families in during the next five years (2010 onwards). This proposal is pending approval of the core committee and the Union Cabinet. Hence I am unsure of the need and acceptance of the proposed HB in the state. .

The new player in the cooker market is a game changer - the Induction cooker. It is a smoke-free, burn proof and overall cheap device (in a price band Rs.2000-4000) that keeps the pots stain-free and perhaps keen attention free. All said and done it is a great boon to the Keralite women whose houses are connected to the state electrical grid.

Even in the BPL families, the kitchen always welcomes some new tool rather than the variants of classical three stone wood stove or tools like Parishath aduppu and HB..

Biomass may exist in large volumes in the state. But with the modern mindset, I wonder how many of the folks will go around fetching biomass needed to energise the HB.

(I did buy a parishath aduppu and discovered the “advantages” myself in the mid 80s)

Dr. Thrivikramji.K.P.

Sri Bhuvanendran:AN EXPERIENCE OF MINE

AN EXPERIENCE OF MINE
(By Sreekandath Gopala Menon, M.A)

[The author of this article is a physics professor of Travancore University College. We are publishing this only because it is a narrative of the experience of a respected person possessing very deep knowledge and extraordinary research talents in physics.-Editor. Kerala Kaumudi.](This piece appeared in the Keralakaumudi daily of Dec.20, 1951)

Careful examination or scrutiny of what they see and hear is a habitual behaviour of scientists. There are numerous evidences for the operation of certain miraculous powers, beyond the realm of human mind, around us. One of my experiences is an example for this truth.

One can reach the Nair house of Cherukal Puthern Veedu (by foot), half a mile northward from the road junction of Eruthurkada, just beyond 27th mile stone in Thiruvananthapuram-Nagarcoil road. I had gone to that house on Tuesday and Friday of the last week. The intention of my visit was to put, the miracles taking place in that house day after day, under scientific observation. I was accompanied by Sri.Govinda Kaimal, a traffic inspector, who is one of my relatives.

We reached Cherukal Puthen Veedu by 9 P.M on Tuesday night. Items for the ceremonial offering ( puja) were found arranged inside a temporary thatched shed in front of that old house with a roof of plaited coconut leaves. A number of persons including Sri. Varinjam Raghavan Pillai who accepted Sanyas, were chanting reciting hymns. There were also a large number of visitors. After some time, the chief puja performer brought a boy wearing a blue shirt and knickers of silk and laid him on his back upon a bed placed in the center of the temporary thatched shed constructed for performing ceremonial offerings. The boy was deep asleep. The eyes and eyebrows of this eye-catching boy of about six years old were highlighted with collyrium; along with a decorative dot adorning his forehead.

They beautified and decorated the boy’s body with garlands of flowers in a manner very much similar to ritual of worship of any deity. Along with the chanting of hymns, the crowd began the worship of the boy like rotating or waving lighted lamps following the traditional worship conducted in a temple. At the conclusion of the ritual of waving of flames of camphor, the people assembled there reverentially saluted by touching the camphor flame.

The boy was still in slumber without showing any movement of his body throughout the entire duration of the period of ceremonial worship that extended over one and half hours. I could witness the devotees of this boy who considered him as a divine boy, including his grandmother, prostrating themselves in adoration. After the completion of the ritual worship the flowers that adorned the child and vibhuti were distributed among the devotees present there, as ‘prasadam ’.

Soon afterwards the body was taken into a small bedroom of about 12 feet by 8 feet, but without a ceiling and laid him there. This is his bed room. This room has two doors, one at its western wall and another at its eastern wall and a small window on the western wall. At the southeastern corner of the room there is a stone symbol – ‘Atma Lingam ’ installed by the boy himself. The worship related rituals of this idol is done by the boy himself.

Throughout every night, apart from the mother and the grandmother of the child, two or three visiting women choose to remain in this bedroom. After closing of the both doors (fitted with locks of wooden bolts), the lighted stand-lamp (nilavilakku) is put off. During night, the visiting women devotees occupy the quadrangle or yard or patio on the western side of the boy’s bedroom and in the ‘Thaiveedu’, while the male devotees slept in the shed on its western side. I and Kaimal remained awake throughout the night expecting many things. I was told that either at midnight or just before the day break the sound of “ Om Ghara” can be heard emanating from the bedroom followed by the sound of recitation of hymns while both doors open on their own accord. I was also informed that the sounds come from an invisible person – a maharshi, named ‘Jatadhari’

Until the midnight of Tuesday there were no voices from any incorporeal or invisible beings. As we have to start our return trip before 4 A.M in the early morning we could not spend any more time there. However, I received a message before Friday noon noting that at about 5 A.M in the morning voice of an invisible being could be heard which started with an “om ghara” and followed by recitation of two lines of a hymn and disappeared after the informing that it would be visiting the place the following night. The message also noted that as it was a very unusual to announce in advance of its arrival, it is definite that voice of incorporeal being could be heard there on Friday night.

As some others were also notified the contents of the message we, together with Sri. Pala Gopalan Nair, Lecturer in Intermediate College, Trivandrum, his mother-in-law and some other persons, reached there before 8 P.M. The ritual of worship has started well before the routine time on that evening, I was told that the visitors present there witnessed, incidents of anointing or consecration by pouring water over the stone symbol or idol installed inside the bed room by an invisible being and appearance of spontaneous flames in the camphor lamp.

Like other days, the boy was taken inside the bedroom and the doors were locked. The mother-in-law of Pala Narayanan Nair was one among the women who choose to remain inside the room. After some time, we were taken near the window of that room. Inside that pitch darkness in the room we could notice a white brilliant shine resembling that emanating from gems of diamond of about the size of one rupee coin – very similar to that from a mercury arc light. The brilliance increased and decreased in its intensity periodically. I could also see the people who were present outside the house entering the bedroom one by one, after opening the closed door, to witness the strange incident. I carefully observed whether it was the rays of the moon shine that penetrated through the holes in thatched roof and reflecting from the forehead of the boy. My assumption was proved incorrect. Later the radiance transformed itself and attained the shape of a flame of a wick-stand-lamp (nilavilakku), intermittently radiating white bright flash light. Afterwards, the brightness changed to deep red colour having the size of a one rupee coin. Both Gopalan Nair and Kaimal were observing all these.

Later there was an authoritative assertion to light the lamp. No one knew from whom that command came. . With the lighting of the lamp, people came into that room and reverentially prostrated before the child sleeping on his belly. Thereafter the doors were closed and the women went back to their seats around the bed of child. After some moments the heavy sound of “Om Ghara’ could be heard. Various hymns containing words of Tamil, Malayalam and some other unknown language- recitation originating inside the room- began to be heard. I could hear the words Bhuvanendra Deva and Prabhakara in melodious and loud appellations.

The door opened itself while the recital of the hymns was going on and while everyone out side was watching it was again closed without any outside agent. No one could observe any one there with material or in corporeal form. As per the ethereal announcement that there would be yet other incorporeal voices, we could hear the sound of “Om Ghara” and recitation of hymns by about 5.30 A.M in the morning. When we enquired (about the events) with the women who were present in that room in the night they noted that they were unable to trace the person from whom the voices came out during the incidents and also that they could not feel or see anyone with tangible physical body entering the room from outside. We who were remaining outside could neither see anyone leaving that room. I did not make any attempt to carefully scrutinize the interior of the room with the aid of a torch light.

The boy woke up in the morning and came outside. I could not see any weariness on his nice/gentle face. Infrequently a smile magnetically attracting the heart towards him radiated from his face with serious expression and with eyes looking aimlessly. He never looked fixedly or intently at anyone. Any one will be desirous of gazing indefinitely at the splendour and expressions of emotional fluctuations of his face.

Devotees consider the boy as ‘Kalki’ or incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Bhagavan Jatadhari has noted this fact. There are several people who have witnessed the inexplicable incidents of showering of flowers over the body of the boy, in addition to the kalabham and bhasmam , while visiting and touring temples.

The splendour we have experienced and voices we have heard there are subjects of wonder. For photographing of that splendour of the child .and recording of those incorporeal voices, if the consent of the ethereal being is obtained we could make a request to do so and would have received an answer .My friends are ready to make such an attempt. Numerous miracles associated with this boy are described in the book entitled”Bhuvanendra Khadgi” authored by Sri Varinjam Raghavan Pillai.

What we have witnessed there is manifestation of some unknown and inexplicable power.

[This is a very much a word by word translation of the original Malayalam article which appeared in one of the leading Malayalam newspapers- The Kerala Kaumudi dated 20th December, 1951, Translators: Thrivikramji and Mohanakumar]

Thiruvattar Balan Pillai and the Neovillupattu

Thiruvattar Balan Pillai and the Neovillupattu.


Thiruvattar Balan Pillai (1910-1992), the originator of Malayalam villupattu- more aptly called Neovillupattu, and its lead artist, worked for the Special Armed Police (SAP) force of erstwhile Travancore state and later Kerala. He joined the Police force, when the Travancore State’s army to which he belonged, was disbanded after Indian Independence.

Balan Pillai’s Neo-villupattu performance in scores of venues in the early decades of second half of the last century, still lingers in the minds of at least a small group of connoisseurs. In fact, many of the fans vanished from the earthly scene. On account of the glittering-stage-performance of the team and the story lines or themes that they chose to deal with, the Neovillupattu attained the status of a legend and heritage in the scene of Malayalam art and culture.

Balan Pillai created this stage show of the neovillupattu by refining or redefining the villupattu which is truly a group act or team show, native to the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu. Villupattu as practiced Tamil Nadu, is a dramatized performance by a team of say six or seven artists all of whom are seated on the stage and in two rows. The leader narrates a story of a king or Hindu god as answers to questions/comments made by one or other member of the team. The rendering both in verse as well as poetic prose, is very loud and lively. A turban and dhoti is the only outfit. Facial makeup basically was application of sandal wood paste on the forehead, upper arms and the chest.

The name villupattu originated from the lead instrument, the villu which is not shaped like a bow. Structurally, it is a long wooden pole of say 7-8 ft length, with a uniform cross section of 2.0-2.5” except at the ends, where firmly fitted decorative brass caps are drawn into eye holes facing each other. The rod is adorned with a set of tight fitting brass rings (placed at uniform spacing), and drawn into eye holes to which are hung bunches of jingling bells and chilankas.

A word about Chilanka. It is a hollow sphere shaped casting in bell metal, partly filled with half a dozen or so metallic balls, larger in size than the narrow slit at one end and like in a bell, an eye hole at the opposite end to enable secure fastening.

During the concert, team members sit in two rows - one behind the other, wearing only a costly head scarve and equally expensive costly mundu. In the front row are seated the leader at the right hand end, and the three other artists who literally support the Villu, which sort of rests partly on the neck of a large-fired-mud-pot (about 18” in dia. and whose mouth faces the artist) placed roughly at the middle and at the firm grip of hands of one or two artists seated to the left. The leader readies the villu by tying a fine rope to the villu and the other end to one of the big toes. The artist at the center and seated behind the large red pot, uses a fan cut out of leaf-petiole-sheath of arecanut palm, to rhythmically beat on the mouth of the pot to make a deep bass sound..

Villlu is readied for concert, by tying-taut a rope between the ornamental-brass-ends. The leader also has a pair of special wooden-needle-like-drumsticks of about 15” long and crafted and decorated fashionably with clasps, highlights and trims of brass. Each stick is fashioned by turning in a lathe like machine and the finished needles are driven more than half way through the center of split-hollow-spheres of brass before attaching clasps for the firm grip and trims at the tips.

The team leader holds the drumsticks by the clasps, and rhythmically hits the taut sting and the villu, to make the bells and chilankas jingle loudly. Maestros like Thiruvattar Balan Pillai, will juggle the sticks skillfully and artistically keeping the audience spell bound. In fact, the audience in the dim light will not miss the reflective brass in the bright stage lights or the costume adorning artists of the team or their facial expressions.

Pillai assembled a team of (both civilians as well as SAP service men) artists for the villupattu stage show. Some of the distinguished members were, stage actor Thoppil Ramachandran Nair (Nedumangad), Sankarankutty Nair (Sreekanteswaram, Trivandrum), Thankappan Nair (Ambalammukku, Trivandrum) and Achuthan (Oolampara, Trivanrum),

The theme of the first neovillupattu was the development agenda of the first five year plan. As the trio of Mannathu Padmanabhan, makkappuzha Vsudevan Pillai and MP Manmathan, was depicted in the story, naturally, Pillai received special the accolades.

The story of “Velu Thampi Dalava” took Pillai’s team to the peak of honour and popularity in the state. Yet another equally powerful crowd catcher was “Kochu Seetha” Though, M/s KG Sethunath and KV Thikkurisi created the prose and verses of the story, it was Pillai’s tuning and narration style that took the neovillupattu to greater heights.

Biographic sketch of Thiruvattar Balan Pillai
Pillai was born to the couple Sri Chitharal Sankara Pillai and Eswari amma, in the village of Chitharal, on the right bank of Kuzithura ar and 4 km south of Arumana and about 4 km westerly of Thiruvattar. Thikkurissi Sukumaran Nair, a famous cine artist of last century and a lad from the neighbouring village of Thikkurissi was a contemporary of Balan Pillai and contributed immensely in the neovillupattu venture.

(compiled by thrivikramji@gmail.com)

Do not expect much

Do not expect much from a wrongly collected water sample?.
thrivikramji@gmail.com

This reaction is to correct some wrongs we saw this late afternoon in the TV screen, about a ministerial inauguration of water sampling for laboratory analysis and covering all the rivers of Kerala.

We, the public saw Mr. PJ Joseph, minister for PWD, inaugurating water sample collection (happened in the shores of Karamana Ar.) as part of a project to monitor water quality of the Kerala Rivers. The program inaugurated deals with the physical, chemical and microbiological monitoring of samples of water from all the 41 west flowing and 3 east flowing rivers. My contentious point is regarding the 1st step in the program, i.e., the collection of water sample. The basic assumption of sampling process is that the sample shall be representative of the whole.

On the contrary the visuals showed, the minister bending down and dipping a near white polyester cup from the river shore, to gather enough water to be a sample of the whole at the sampled transect in the Karamana Ar.

As a student of science - river science if you wish to call me that way- I had umpteen number of opportunities for collection of water samples from streams/rivers of Kerala, strictly following the principles of sampling of river water.

The name of the game is collecting a sample at a point where the water is well mixed, so that the sample collected will be a sample by definition. If the flow depth is larger three samples –one from the surface, one from the near bottom and third from a depth in between the first two- are collected. The storage and transport of the samples are yet another story. The ambient temp of the water in the site is to be maintained the sample container during transport and storage.

The samples of water collected from the river shore are undoubtedly far from satisfactory for water quality monitoring. Unfortunately all these basic norms of water sample collection are violated in the inauguration of the project, giving the wrong idea to the informed public regarding the collection of water samples from rivers. Unfortunately, the CWRDM (Kozhikod) also follows a procedure in water sampling, very much similar to what we saw in the TV screen this evening.

I am sure that the minister is not to be blamed for the erroneous procedure. Instead, the blame squarely rests on the scientists/technologists who advised the minister about water sampling from streams/rivers. In fact, tomorrow onwards several water samples will be collected without any worth and so I suggest if your “Hindu” can correct the wrong please do not hesitate.
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Science wins always

Science wins always

Sasthram jayikkunnu; manushyan tholkunnu enna slogan came to my mind when I saw a report in today,’ on the sand mining at Aruvikkara recently launched by the government as a solution for a host of problems, viz. raising the capacity of the reservoir, providing jobs under the JNREGS and to supply sand to the sand starved construction sector through the “Kalavara” stores. Indeed a noble idea. What morer one would expect from a democratic government?

Only trouble was that it went against the basics of geological sciences viz., the chemical weathering which is governed by the second law of thermodynamics. The objections raised were not addressed by the government anyway. The govt instead went along with its own instinct ignoring the science of sand formation in nature. Surprisingly to day in a camera straight Mr. Premachandran quoted the 30:70 rule of quartz to other minerals in the rocks, pretending to be following the science of sand. I would correct the number by 27:73 instead. The govt. by being what it is, can always ignore and blackout the aspects of science; whether it is Athirapally or Sand mining from reservoirs.

The campaign was launched as a solution to remedy at least partly the scarcity of construction sand locally, to enlarge the reservoir capacity and to provide jobs to the local BPL citizenry under the JNREGS .In fact a similar program was launched couple of days ago by Mr. Premachandran the water resources minister in Chulliar in Plakkad Dist.

From the day one of this new campaign of recovering sand from the reservoirs in Kerala, based on science, I was warning that there is no “gold mine” of sand hidden under the placid wares of the reservoirs of Kerala.

It is much more so in respect of the hydel reservoirs as the rate of catchment erosion is far less than that of the reservoirs built down below say at elevations in the range of 80- 160 m. ( above msl),. for irrigation purposes. I am sure that some one will soon sing the requiem for the reservoir sand mining in Kerala.

thrivikramji@gmail.com