Photo Credits: Ramesh Kidangoor
Uthralikavu is a Devi temple surrounded by paddy fields near Thrissur. The Uthralikavu Temple Festival is one of the most popular temple celebrations in central Kerala. The annual pooram festival is conducted by three villages near by. The temple is dedicated to Goddess Sri Rudhiramahakali. Continue reading
The “Three C’s” on our banner are more than words. They solidify into reality and action when people with similar views and interests reach out to us after reading them. This is what happened recently when Jennifer Harrington, a Toronto-based illustrator, writer and graphic designer introduced herself to us. Her collaboration with illustrator Michael Arnott on an eBook and animated short film versions of the The Spirit Bear and other stories is aimed at educating children about conservation while entertaining them at the same time.
Although sounding like a character out of Native American legend, the ghost or spirit bear actually
come from a small community of bears called Kermodes, which are a subspecies of black bears. Kermode bears may be black or white, but they all carry the recessive gene for white fur. 10% of Kermodes will fully express the recessive gene, and will be born with white or cream-coloured fur. Continue reading
Photo Credits: Ramesh Kidangoor
Located strategically between the two hills of Chandagire and Indragiri near Hassan, the picturesque hill town Shravanbelagola is a renowned site for Jain pilgrimages. This Jain temple was built in 983 AD by Chandragupta Maurya, the grandfather of the Great Ashoka. Continue reading
Tompkins County, NY
Not sure what to do this upcoming Earth Day? If you happen to attend Cornell University here’s a suggestion: If “Nature never stands still”, taking an interdisciplinary approach toward her recovery and restoration seems like a logical step.
We especially like the circular nature of choosing Dr. Kareiva to give the 2013 Iscol Distinguished Environmental Lecture. Kareiva received his PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Cornell University in 1981 and after serving on the faculties of Brown University and University of Washington he is now the Chief Scientist for The Nature Conservancy. Continue reading
Photo Credits: Ramesh Kidangoor
There is no written history as to when Halwa first came to Kerala but considering that it appears where Arab culture took root in matters of cuisine, this sticky sweet must have its origins in the Middle East. While Halwa is also native to many other parts of India, what is essentially different about the Kerala Halwa are the basic ingredients used. In other regions either wheat paste or white flour with sugar forms the base; here it is rice flour with jaggery, with the addition of cardamom, nuts and occasionally grated fruit or vegetable. Continue reading
Photo Credits: Best of Kerala
Kerala is heralded as one of the leading states in India with a good collection of Murals. Dating back to the 8th century, the paintings are highly valued for their aesthetic composition and techniques. The temples and palaces of Kerala are custodians of many notable Mural works depicting Hindu Gods and Goddesses.
Continue reading
Photo Credits: Mr. Vijay Mampilly
It’s amazing how often dreams have become reality during my trip to India as a Raxa Collective Management trainee in Thekaddy! In Ghana I have seen religious tribal festivals and seen pictures of the Indian versions in magazines and movies. But it was incredible to have the firsthand experience of seeing devotees as more than masqueraders or people in carefree disguise.
The Devi Temple festival procession–beautiful, colourful and sometimes slightly otherworldly–passed right in front of the Cardamom County entrance gate. I was thrilled to see hundreds of people dressed up in festive mood, joyfully drumming and dancing in convoy following the Devi Shrine toward the gates of the Periyar Tiger Reserve. Continue reading
Lalbagh Botonical Gardens, Bangalore, Karnataka
If you follow American popular culture, and care about race relations, you may find this piece interesting:
In a recent article on the lack of ethnic diversity on American television, the critic Emily Nussbaum paused from pondering the absence of blacks on TV — the usual complaint against homogeneity — to note the sudden ubiquity of South Asians. “Black and white are not the only colors of diversity,” she wrote, and listed roles accorded to desi actors in The Office, Parks and Recreation, Community, Smash, The Big Bang Theory, Whitney, and The Good Wife. Continue reading
Thekkady Flower Show
The 7th Annual Thekkady Flower Show took place from 9th to 15th of April 2013. Although the numerous flowers on display were the main attractions tourists could also enjoy and learn about local cuisines, traditional art forms, classical dances and tribal medicines. Continue reading
Photo by Charles Spencer, AZ
If you’ve ever watched a hummingbird for some time, you’ve probably thought that they’re one of the cutest and most exciting birds that you can find in your yard. Most would agree that it is some combination of their size, speed, vibrancy (of both color and motion), and relative rarity that can make them so appealing to us, but have you ever seen hummingbird nestlings? Or a nest, for that matter?
In the past couple years of the Funky Nests in Funky Places competition we’ve received photos of over a dozen hummingbird nests, all but one of which have been built on a man-made object! Seeing the hummingbird hatchlings poke their little beaks out of the tiny cup that the mother has created for them is a wonderful experience, and the feat of each minuscule nests’ construction becomes more impressive when you consider what the assembly materials are.
As you take a close look at the contributors’ photos shared here, you should be able to see (despite occasional blurriness) that the majority of the nest cup seems to be comprised of a silky substance. Surprisingly enough, much of this is spider web! Also known as spider silk, these strands of what humans normally think of as a fragile material (though some species of spiders produce silk with a higher tensile strength than steel) are perfect for hummingbirds’ purposes because they are sticky, light, stretchy, and strong.
Hanover Street in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, originally built for horses and carts. Photograph: Carlton Reid
Definitely our cup of tea:
Even the BBC has called me it, so it must be true. Back in 2011 when I wrote this piece for the Guardian I was merely a journo-with-a-book-idea; now I’m a historian. Two years ago on this very blog I wrote:
Many motorists assume that roads were built for them. In fact, cars are the johnny-come-latelies of highways.
I went on to explain a little bit more about my highway history revisionism. Continue reading
One day we hope to replicate Tata Scholarship program’s hard currency support, but for now do our part through internships and volunteer programs (browse through our contributor section to see plenty of examples). Here is someone we hope to invite to intern with us; for now we invite all our Cornell friends to extend a warm welcome, as we know they will. Hopefully you have followed this whole series, but if not you might want to go back and read Sush’s earlier posts to appreciate this one more:
Sush Krishnamoorthy, a student from New Delhi, is part of “The Choice” class that includes student-bloggers from Nairobi, Kenya; Topeka, Kan.; Seattle; Rogers, Ark.; Las Vegas; New York City; and Hunting Valley, Ohio. Her ninth post is below. — Tanya Abrams
Early in the college application process, I classified colleges as “dream” schools and “reach” schools based on their acceptance rates. It is popular advice to do so. Also, the terms “selectivity” and “acceptance rate” are often used interchangeably, and this indicated to me that the higher the acceptance rate of a college, the easier it is to get in. Continue reading
Photo Credits: Dileep Narayanan
The Nilavilakku is an integral part of the rituals and ceremonies in most Kerala homes. Lighting the Nilavilakku on certain occasions is considered auspicious, especially within the Hindu community and at places of worship. As dusk sets in, young girls in Hindu families bring the lighted lamps to the verandah of the house. In the flickering light of the nilavilakku children and family elders gather to chant hymns and evening prayers. Continue reading
An artist seemingly after our own heart, thinking as we do about the impact of light pollution. Through May 4, you can see for yourself. From the Danziger Gallery’s website:
Thierry Cohen was born in Paris in 1963. He began his professional career in 1985 and is seen as one of the pioneers of digital photography. His work has been shown at the Palais de Tokyo, and the Musee de l”Homme in Paris, and in 2008 was an official selection of the Mois de la Photo. Since 2010 he has devoted himself to a single project – “Villes Eteintes” (Darkened Cities) – which depicts the major cities of the world as they would appear at night without light pollution, or in more poetic terms: how they would look if we could see the stars. Continue reading
Recently brought to our attention due to a short documentary, today’s news puts new wind in his sails with the award of this much-deserved prize (click the image to the right to go to the website):
Giving up a comfortable living and family life in California, Azzam Alwash returned to war-torn Iraq to lead local communities in restoring the once-lush marshes that were turned to dust bowls during Saddam Hussein’s rule.
The Mesopotamian marshlands in southern Iraq are known by many as the birthplace of civilization. Situated between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the area was once an oasis of aquatic wildlife filled with lush reed beds, water buffalo, lions, foxes and otters. It was also one of the world’s most important migratory flyways for birds.
In the mid-1990s, Saddam Hussein burned, drained and poisoned the area in retaliation of Shiite Arabs, who had staged uprisings following the Kuwait invasion and fled to the marshes for refuge. The wetlands once known as the Garden of Eden turned to dust bowls, driving out the descendants of ancient Sumerians who had inhabited the area for thousands of years. Continue reading
