Awesome graffiti being created...Kochi - Muziris biennale 2014

It was really exciting to watch such an awesome graffiti being created!
A group of talented art students of RLV College of Music and fine arts, Tripunithura, Kerala are working to realize this art. Off Jew town road, on the wall in a narrow alley, we also could add some strokes on this magnificent art. Thank you, guys😊

Brilliant!

Bright colors, superb drawing...!

Very interesting to watch them painting😊

The entrance of the Jew town street...walk just ten yards ahead, turn left and enjoy this wonderful creation!

Art is cool, powerful, uplifting, refreshing. Enjoy it, love it and be cool with it. It is a powerful tool for personal development, enlightenment, and soul nourishment. 

• Graffiti is an art form that stirs souls.  Try doing it at least once...and enjoy the feeling :)

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Innovations - the largest Varpu in the world, Crafters, Jew Town, Kochi

Varpu is a large cauldron made of cast bronze traditionally used in Kerala for preparing sweet dishes like 'Payasam' (Kheer in Hindi). This large cooking vessel will be put into use during feasts, festivals and special occasions when food has to be prepared for a large number of people in Kerala. A smaller version of this vessel is called Uruli, and it is golden colored. Nowadays you will see such vessels filled with water and beautiful flowers floating, in many resorts and hotels and households. But 'varpu' is still being used by large catering business firms that involve cooking for a very large number of people.

I remember seeing such huge cauldrons at the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala. While visiting the historic Jew town area of Mattancherry in Kochi, I happened to visit this awesome antique shop called 'Crafters', where the world's largest varpu is being exhibited.

Stunning! It is huge!

They have entered into the Limca book of records; their's being the largest varpu ever made in the world. This measures twelve feet in diameter and weighs 3184 kg! It has taken about 30 skilled craftsmen and 160 artisans to work tirelessly for 13 months at Mannar in Kerala, to bring this dream of the owners of this beautiful shop to possess the largest varpu in the world, into reality!

What an amazing achievement!

The artworks on this vessel are beautiful. You can see beautiful floral patterns cast below the handles. All along the perimeter beautiful lacework is also seen!

HRH the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall have paid a Royal visit here recently; the photos are on the wall as well as on their website.

This is a very famous antique shop at Jew Town having unique and priceless items. They sell some spices too; we bought a packet of tea mixed with Cardamom. Awesome tea! More about it in the next post😊

http://www.crafters.in

Nothing is impossible; things are possible! Fearing obstacles, not taking the baby steps is the number one mistake we always make. This doesn't mean that we must go against reality or do some foolish act. Just pointing out the negative aspects only forgetting to look at the larger picture is the mistake. 

• Ideas are precious. Determination, hard work, and sharply focused mind are essential to convert such creative ideas into beautiful reality.

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Get inspired - Edward Jenner, the great physician who invented Smallpox vaccine

I do not think Edward Jenner (1749 – 1823) needs any introduction.

He almost single-handedly popularized vaccination against Smallpox, a deadly and highly contagious disease of the yesteryears, that led to its total eradication from the world by 1979 - 80. It was the first disease that was eradicated completely by a combination of preventive measures, vaccination is an important tool and we achieved it in the year 1979! Just imagine, this great feat was accomplished before the advent of the internet and other sophisticated medical discoveries of the modern world.

Now, where do we stand? Why we were not able to eradicate any disease after the success with Smallpox and rinderpest?

We now have mind-boggling technologies and thrilling discoveries not only in the medical field but also in every field, all round developments have taken place. I decided to post this topic being driven by a recent post by Andrew, my blogger friend, about abandoned structures. On his blog, http://strangepegs.blogspot.com, he posted pictures of Renwick Smallpox hospital, an abandoned hospital, where Smallpox sufferers were once housed. The youngsters today are completely ignorant about the severity of this disease. It is like Chickenpox in a much severe form but the face is the body part that gets affected more and gets disfigured, ugly scars occur. Mortality is also high from respiratory complications, sometimes eyesight is lost because of the ulcers and in the olden times, there were no antiviral medicines to treat it. A natural cure was the norm and if the poor soul survives the bonus was lifelong immunity. And such people acted as caregivers to other new patients. The mortality rate was very high among children.

I have vague memories of being taken to a municipality preventive clinic in 1968 or so by my dad along with my sister to get vaccinated against Smallpox. In the clinic, multiple punctures were made with a bifurcated needle dipped in vaccine solution on the outer aspect of the left upper arm on two spots, one above and the other about 5 cm below it. There was mild pain and we were crying all the time but were restrained by dad. The reward for co-operating with this dreadful exercise was 'rose milk', sweetened cold milk with rose syrup added, a popular drink in the era prior to colas and other types of carbonated drinks in South India, which was available in a hotel by name 'Lakshminivas', nearby. The waiters wore white uniforms with frilled caps and the huge ceiling fans there had an egg-shaped bottom. Fond memories :) boy, that was the sweetest drink we ever had, no drink enjoyed later on in life from awesome restaurants in different parts of the world could replicate the same effect. The sweet taste buds of childhood!

The young generation will not be having vaccination scars of Smallpox, it was stopped in the USA in the 1970s itself.

Edward Jenner was aware that milkmaids were immune to Smallpox and he assumed it could be due to the immunity conferred to them from contracting cowpox that was a mild form of pox the cattle had. The practice of inoculation/variolation of pus to persons, who were willing to try it for prevention, from the lesions of Smallpox patients that made its entry to England from Turkey was also prevalent at that time. All these made Jenner believe in the effectiveness of vaccination. His trials finally gained acceptance among the medical community as well as the public after much ridicule and criticisms. This finally made the Government ban the crude practice of variolation and adopt vaccination by cowpox material formulated by Jenner for the prevention of Smallpox. But his lucrative medical practice suffered because of his work on Smallpox. He continued with his activities with grants from the British Government. He used to vaccinate the poor at his clinic. Finally, after suffering from a massive stroke he passed away in 1823. May his soul rest in peace!

Smallpox was considered as a curse from the Goddess in our place in the olden days. People used to conduct elaborate rituals to please the Goddess to avoid the wrath. Being a viral disease there was no medicinal cure those days, only prayers were the remedy hoping for a natural recovery. The situation was more or less the same, everywhere in the world, only the practices differed.

With the support of world leaders of that time, provision of funds, the willingness of people to try their best to eradicate this serious disease, an effective vaccine, lifelong immunity of people with no re-infection, all played in its eradication. Sadly, such collective and determined efforts are lacking nowadays. The only hope is Polio, which may get eradicated soon!

Did the world's focus and attitudes changed to cure and care, from prevention and eradication? Priority to allot funds shifted to much more profit-making ventures globally?
I would like to hear your views on this topic😊

• No words can sufficiently portray efforts for humanitarian causes by great people. Their good deeds speak volumes about themselves. Let it all inspire us to do something, be it a simple thing, for the betterment of mankind.  

Visit this awesome site http://www.jennermuseum.com to learn more about this English Physician who saved millions of life on the planet !

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Blue ocean

Standing on the sandy shore my gaze stretches to infinity

It is amazing to watch the gentle waves listening to their chatter  

As I peer into the blue skyline merging deep, far and wide

I envy upon the Sun rising and setting in tranquility!

As the waves caress and tickle my feet gently

Slowly I feel like gliding in a wave of relaxation

It is wonderful to feel the water and sand embracing 

I forget myself allowing me to drift into joy and happiness!

Cool breeze invigorating the mind, body, and soul 

Like singing a melody to touch the hearts softly

How wonderful to feel it, embrace it, love it

Longing to experience the magic again and again!

Look at the children happily playing all around

Hopeful they build sand castles, dance with joy

Embrace them with your breeze, let them flourish with it

From you life originated, only you can sustain it forever!

• Mother nature only can impart quality relaxation and rejuvenate our mind, body, and soul. Such a refreshing experience enjoying the cool breeze on the seashore! Lovely!

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Rembrandt van Rijn, 407th birthday, subject of Google doodle!

I hope you all have heard about Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, the famous Dutch painter, and etcher (July 15, 1606 - October 4, 1669). He is considered as one of the greatest painters of Europe and the Netherlands.

A considerable number of his creations were self-portraits. Night watch, The Jewish bride, The Return of the prodigal son, Danae are some of his very famous paintings according to experts.

More info:
http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/rembrandt_van_rijn.html
http://www.rembrandtpainting.net
http://www.rembrandthuis.nl

If you open Google you will find his painting as the subject of Google's doodle. Rembrandt's 407th birthday is the subject of Google's doodle on Monday, July 15th, that we see when we open our dear Google :) 

Thank you all at Google doodle for remembering a great painter like Rembrandt.
RIP, Rembrandt.

We all doodle sometimes. Likewise, Google founders Larry and Sergey in 1998 doodled their Company logo to indicate that they were 'out of the Office', and thus the concept was born. Later Google began making changes on their logo to celebrate holidays, anniversaries, and the lives of famous artists, pioneers, and scientists. Great idea! Now, as we all have experienced, this activity makes us all remember great people and take note of the many important occasions and events.

We, the users can email Google doodle our suggestions -proposals@google.com

More info; 
http://www.google.com/doodles/about

Stay tuned for Doodle 4 Google 2014 competition for K12 students: http://www.google.com/doodle4google

• Creative ideas like this make positive vibrations everywhere in the world! This innovative idea from Google prompted many to spend their valuable time to find out more about the great creative works of a genius; surely it might have sparked interest in art in at least a few. 

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Motivation - some tips to improve it

• What motivates us in life?
• Who motivates us? 
• How we get motivated? 
• Why we need motivation?

We all need the motivation to be successful in life.

We have to fill ourselves with lots of energy to attain our goals. Something in life will motivate us. Someone might motivate us at some point in life. Somewhere on the planet, we become motivated. Somehow we get motivated.

Let us examine this in detail.

• GOAL ORIENTED LIFE 

Goal oriented strategies work well to get motivated in life. Be hopeful in life.

• DREAM ABOUT SOMETHING THAT STIMULATES YOUR BRAIN

Try to avoid drifting like a plank of wood in a river aimlessly in life. Tide may take you somewhere building up a lot of pressures inside you. Negative influences will shatter you. If you don't take control of your life somebody else will step in as Captain and steer you in some direction they think suitable. Try to change the course of life purposely in a positive direction. A small positive change in the course of life might bring surprising success. There will be so many negative strings that will try to pull you down during this process. Identify those distractions, be aware of it but remain focused with goal-oriented behavior;  but be true to yourself. Formulate goals. Try to include something in your goal that will be of help to others as well.

If you are not sure what actually you want in life to make yourself happy, meditate to find it out. Ask your conscience. Be honest with yourself! Listen to what our mind is trying to say to us! There is no need to wander here and there or all over the world “seeking” truth. You very well know the answer. Your subconscious mind is repeatedly telling you about it. If you turn a deaf ear to it nothing can be done. After searching for 'answers' years and years traveling to strange places finally,  even great people have found out that the 'answer' was already there within them. Only problem was they did not have the eye to see or ears to hear about it or the mind to know when they were seeking for it. Great Gurus 'help' you find it, see it, feel it and hear about it! They cannot simply give you your answer, but they can help you find it! Once you find it you will be the luckiest person on the planet! You have attained enlightenment! Then you radiate warmth, you shine like a beacon! No more boredom, no more stress, you are at peace with yourself! You are happy and contented! No more problems for you!

CONGRATULATIONS! YOU WILL BE IN A MOOD OF CELEBRATION ALL THE TIME WHEN YOU REACH THIS STAGE! Let it be a personal, material, spiritual or social goal.

• FOCUS 

If you are one hundred percent convinced about your goal(s) then nothing can distract you. If you are not sure of what you actually wanted or if your goals were very vague and if you yourself were not very much convinced about it, then you lose your focus. Distractions and negative influences drain your energy. You become weak. You lose your passion in what you were doing. So always bear in mind that you need to focus to attain what you want. Expect distractions, it is quite natural. Every now and then reinforce your goals in your mind. Fantasize about your goals. Modify goals if needed. If you feel some vague, irrational, unexplained resistance either within you or from the environment in spite of doing everything you can positively, to attain your goal(s) then its time to have a thorough introspection. Unknowingly something might have rubbed mother nature on the wrong side. There could be some type of disharmony. Something was not in sync with nature. Correct the flaws.

YOU WILL FEEL WHAT IS WRONG, WHAT WENT WRONG, YOU WILL FEEL THE PROBLEMATIC VIBES, TRAIN YOURSELF TO IDENTIFY IT. YOU SURELY WILL FIND IT IF YOU LISTEN TO YOURSELF UNBIASED. LISTEN TO YOUR MIND AND BODY! When you find it and correct it and CELEBRATE! CONGRATULATE YOURSELF!

YOU ARE A WINNER IN LIFE!

• PLAN... ALWAYS MAKE PLANS

Write it down. Discuss it with your team. You can include anyone, anything that helps you in getting motivated and inspired to attain your goals, in your team.

Look for creative plans. Look for innovative ideas to attain success. Our brain has infinite capacity. Utilize it fully. Think out of the box. BETTER TO TAKE ONLY CALCULATED RISKS. Make constant evaluations. Ask professionals, if needed, to evaluate your plans. Correct flaws if any.

• LIVE A LIFE FOCUSED ON YOUR GOALS

If you want to be a world class athlete you just cannot lead an irresponsible life partying whole night every day, smoking and drinking. Remaining focused, undeterred by distractions you need to propel yourself in the direction of success by cultivating goal-oriented attitudes and behaviors. Aim for over-all improvement in every aspect of life including physical health.

Try to have a healthy mind in a healthy body and be in a healthy society.

AGAIN DON'T FORGET TO CELEBRATE WHEN YOU TAKE EACH POSITIVE STEP FORWARD! YOU ARE SUCCESSFUL!

CONGRATS! ENJOY! THOROUGHLY ENJOY THE STATE OF SUCCESS!

NOW IT IS TIME TO THINK ABOUT ANOTHER SET OF GOALS! GO FOR IT! OR HELP OTHERS TO ATTAIN THEIR GOALS! MAKE THAT YOUR NEXT GOAL; TO HELP OTHERS!

YOU HAVE BECOME A WINNER, TEACH OR TRAIN OTHERS TOO! YOU ARE HELPING TO CREATE A HEALTHY SOCIETY! A BETTER WORLD! CONGRATS AGAIN!

• CELEBRATE! 

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Teak museum, Nilambur, Kerala, India - a success story!

The world famous Teak Museum is situated in Nilambur, Malappuram district of Kerala state in India. This was established in 1995 at the Campus of the sub-center of the Kerala Forest Research Institute in Nilambur. Here you will find comprehensive information about the teak tree (Tectona Grandis). Botanists and nature lovers will find here everything they need to know about this wonderful tree. 

This is a very attractive statue depicting artistically the mighty tree! 

An exhibit of the root system of a huge tree at the entrance!

Inside you will find portraits of the famous persons who pioneered teak plantation in Kerala like Mr. H. V. Conolly, Mr. Chathu Menon, and Mr. Thomas Falton Bourdillon. Mr. H V Conolly, who was the District Collector of Malabar during the British rule in India, initiated teak plantation in this region to ensure regular supply of high-quality timber to them for shipbuilding and architecture. He entrusted Mr. Chathu Menon, a Keralite Sub-conservator of Forests to experiment growing teak trees on a large scale. Mr. Chathu Menon almost single-handedly developed techniques to germinate teak seeds and looked after the teak plantation in Nilambur which eventually became the first teak plantation in the world paving initial steps to proper forest management in the Country way back in 1844. This famous teak plantation is about 4 km from this museum. I have already blogged about this plantation, see the previous post.

The research details carried out by the Institute on teak cultivation are also depicted here. Numerous displays picture interesting facts about the habitat and the botanical and ecological details of this rock solid tree. There is a good library too. The tallest teak tree in the world was discovered recently in the Malayattoor forest range in Kerala, which grew naturally and a life-sized replica of this giant is kept here. Beautiful boxes and furniture carved artistically with teak wood are also on display. 

Adjacent to this museum is a Bioresources Nature Park. It is a beautiful place where you will find plenty of butterflies, flowers, bamboo and a variety of plants and trees. A beautiful orchid garden is also there.

Such nature conservation projects will make people aware of the importance of preserving natural habitat. Good effort! 

Hats off to everyone right from the pioneers to all the members of the team who proudly carry the baton now and also to the people who are waiting to carry it forward!

For more details:

http://www.kfri.res.in

• A dedicated effort by people with integrity and earnestness yielded valuable results. A simple idea got germinated and has grown leaps and bounds that helped mother nature to provide us with more and more resources! 

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Conolly's plot - the story of hard work, optimism and success!

Kerala in South India is known as the "God's own country". Nilambur is situated in the Malappuram district of Kerala. One of the attractions here is the world famous 'Conolly's plot', the oldest teak plantation in the world. Teak (Tectona Grandis) wood, as you all know, is widely used in household architecture and for making a variety of furniture. There was great demand for teak during the time of British administration in India to build ships for the British troops and also for architectural purposes in India as well as abroad. Mr. H. V. Conolly, the then District Collector of Malabar, decided to plant teak plants to meet the ever-growing demand and to discourage felling of immature trees. After crossing many hurdles he and Mr. Chathu Menon, a Keralite Sub-forest conservator, were able to grow trees successfully here. 

The felled trees were transported as rafts through the Chaliyar river to Kallai, which was known as the hub of the timber industry in Kerala. From here the huge ships carried the cut timber to England.

There is a very big teak tree here and its girth is about 420 cm. It was raining profusely when I visited here. The views from the hanging bridge were awesome. This hanging bridge connects the main entrance to the teak plantation across the river. This bridge is said to be the longest of its kind in Kerala.

I wonder how many Keralites are aware that such a beautiful place exists here, let alone foreign tourists. We all can be proud that this pioneering effort by Mr. Chathu Menon and Mr. Conolly paved the initial foundations of proper forest management in Kerala. It was not easy to germinate the teak seeds and grow the trees at that time, but by trial and error, they were able to achieve success. Mr. Chathu Menon perfected the 'Silviculture technique' which involves pre-burning of the seeds. These seedlings were planted in 1844. The entire plantation was looked after by this eminent Officer efficiently and the result was evident to the future generations as well. In 1858 Lord Harvis, the president of the East India Company visited the plantation and honored Mr. Chathu Menon by presenting him a memento. 

Just imagine, they planted the trees in about 1500 acres land! Trees in about 500 acres were cut during the world war to build ships for the troops. Mr. Chathu Menon has buried here itself. Some portion of the original plantation is still kept as such by the Department of Forests, Kerala. There is a teak museum also in Nilambur, about that I will blog later. 

• A classic example of the saying - "if there is a will, there is a way".      

They attained success solely depending on their own intuition and not by the complex technologies which during the 18th century were simply non-existent! Let us salute them! 

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