Mattancherry
From Behind the Wheel: Mass Transit With Clout
Mattancherry
Bird of the Day: Northern Pygmy-Owl (Huachuca Canyon, AZ)
An Introduction to India
View out of the Houseboat
My name is Kendra, and last week I arrived in Cochin, India. I am a recent graduate of Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration, and I traveled here to work for four months with Raxa Collective to learn more about Conservation-tourism in action.
Before I arrived in India I didn’t know what to expect. I knew the culture and food were different from the western style I grew up with, but when I arrived I was completely spellbound by what I experienced. My first sights of India came during a drive I took through the southern city of Cochin, and it was amazing. I didn’t expect it to be so full of life and color, especially in the rain. I saw women in beautiful saris racing across the busy streets in the rain and billboards advertising intricate and colorful jewelry. This was my first view of India, and despite my earlier apprehension I was enthralled with it. Continue reading
Malayalam Milestone
Sabdatharavali compiled by Sreekanteswaram
Sreekanteswaram is our kind of hero, protecting his cultural heritage without much fanfare but with a sense of humor:
That the first and the most authentic Malayalam dictionary to date, Sabdatharavali by Sreekanteswaram G. Padmanabha Pillai, turns 90 this year is a fact lost on Malayalis basking in the language’s hard-won classical status.
While such forgetfulness on the part of language Tsars is understandable, given the backward status of linguists and lexicographers in cultural hierarchy, a handful of ordinary language-lovers like poet Kureeppuzha Sreekumar Continue reading
Bharani Festival, Chettikulangra Temple – Alappuzha
Photo credits: Ramesh Kidangoor
Chettikulangra Temple is dedicated to the Goddess Bhadrakali. The temple is famous for the Bharani festival, with special rituals and Kettukazhcha processions attract numerous devotees. Continue reading
Natural Resources, Economic Development, And Fair Play
Guinea, in West Africa, is one of the world’s poorest countries. The iron ore buried inside the Simandou range may be worth a hundred and forty billion dollars.
An article in this week’s New Yorker documents the challenges of sustainability in resource-rich developing economies with a history of political instability:
One of the world’s largest known deposits of untapped iron ore is buried inside a great, forested mountain range in the tiny West African republic of Guinea. In the country’s southeast highlands, far from any city or major roads, the Simandou Mountains stretch for seventy miles, looming over the jungle floor like a giant dinosaur spine. Some of the peaks have nicknames that were bestowed by geologists and miners who have worked in the area; one is Iron Maiden, Continue reading
Bird of the Day: Artic Tern (Portland Island, British Columbia)
If You Happen To Be In New York
Last time we mentioned this library, it was to raise some important questions; on a previous occasion to recommend a lecture; this time we recommend what looks like an important exhibition curated by Leonard S. Marcus:
The ABC of It is an examination of why children’s books are important: what and how they teach children, and what they reveal about the societies that produced them. Through a dynamic array of objects and activities, the exhibition celebrates the extraordinary richness, artistry, and diversity of children’s literature across cultures and time. Continue reading
Kovalam Beach- Kerala
Photo credits:Ramesh Kidangoor
Kovalam Beach is located in Thiruvananthapuram, which is the state capital of Kerala, and is only a short drive away from the local international airport. It is comprised of three adjacent crescent-shaped beaches, and is the sight of golden sand, rocky palm groves, and miles of shimmering sea. Continue reading
PhotoSingularities: Wild Boar
This photograph was taken in Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala. This male boar was one of several dozen in a sounder (wild boar’s collective noun) seen from our vehicle at close proximity – we shared the road with them for some time and I was able to capture it from eye level before he wandered back into the forest.
Bird of the Day: White-bellied Blue Flycatcher
female – Thekkady, Kerala
Red Trumpet Lily
The Red Trumpet Lily is an ornamental flower commonly seen in the hill stations of Kerala that are above 800 meters. These plants bloom during the summer with group of flowers in each branch. Continue reading
A Future More Beautiful?
We are completing the architectural designs on several new properties, and this talk had strong resonance on several dimensions:
Architect Thomas Heatherwick shows five recent projects featuring ingenious bio-inspired designs. Some are remakes of the ordinary: a bus, a bridge, a power station … And one is an extraordinary pavilion, the Seed Cathedral, a celebration of growth and light.
Click the image above to go to the TED Architectural Inspiration playlist.
From Behind the Wheel: Loo With A View
Ghats Road, Idukki
Plant Collaboration, Productivity, And Waste Minimization
Alex Koeberle. Plant science students Sarah Nechamen ’15 and Celine Jennison ’14 helped create a garden outside Kennedy Hall to demonstrate permaculture.
An item from Cornell University’s newspaper, the Chronicle, highlights a topic we want to know more about:
Diners at Trillium need not look farther than out the window to see where part of their meal originates.
The basil in their pasta or cilantro in their quesadilla may have been plucked from the new garden adjacent to Kennedy Hall, constructed by students last week.
The site will also enable staff and students to stroll around and learn about permaculture – a self-sustaining agricultural system in which herbs, fruits and vegetables are strategically planted so that they work together in mutual benefit. Some plants provide shade, for instance, while others offer pest resistance.
A permaculture garden is essentially a network, with each plant working together, explained plant sciences major Sarah Nechamen ’15, past president of the Cornell Permaculture Club. This increases garden productivity while minimizing waste and human interference. Continue reading
Bird of the Day: Bald Eagle in Flight (Auke Bay, Alaska)
Tiger Cave – Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu
Tiger Cave
Monuments in Mamallapuram are comprised of three kinds of rock-cutting techniques: excavated cave temples, monolithic temple models, and structural erections. The Tiger Cave, a rock-cut Hindu temple, is located 4 km north of the main Shore temple in Mamallapuram. Continue reading
Hyperlocal Journalism With A Heritage Twist
The Rajasthan Patrika headquarters in Kesargarh, Rajasthan.
Thanks to India Ink for this story about hyperlocal journalism:
JAIPUR, Rajasthan – On the June 25, I walked into Kesargarh Fort in Jaipur, the capital of the northern Indian state of Rajasthan. Where cannon were once mounted, now lies a silver printing press. The monotype-casting machine is the only giveaway that the stone and terracotta façade is home to a newspaper group, Patrika. Continue reading
Metro Travelers Meet Mega-Fauna
Buying Illegal Ivory is Killing Me’: One of the posters from the Shanghai campaign. Credit: UNEP
Shanghai is famous as China’s “City of the Future” and in collaboration with this United Nations-backed campaign metro travelers are finding large-screen displays and posters of endangered animal species during their daily commute.
Public awareness was a key factor behind the reduction in the demand for ivory in North America and Europe in the 20th century, and it can play its part in reducing the illegal wildlife trade today as demand moves to emerging markets. Continue reading
Into the Periyar Tiger Reserve
Tree in the Periyar Tiger Reserve
A couple of days ago, I had my first trekking experience in the Periyar Tiger Reserve and because of its name, I had a flawed perception of what was to come. I expected to see many animals, perhaps even a tiger. However, I did not. In fact, during the few hours I was there, I only saw a couple sambar (a species of Indian deer), an Indian Gaur (the largest living bovine), and a handful of birds. My experience in the Periyar Tiger Reserve was the antithesis of going to a zoo, and this actually made it much more enjoyable. Continue reading
Organikos 